Digital Music News – studio recording, publishing, streaming, live concerts, talent development

The latest music news from Digital Music News, affecting recording industry, music publishing, mp3 streaming, concert industry, talent development, venture capital, and music technology, with reporting on artists new releases and where to get new mp3 songs.

1. Drake Puts His Upcoming Album ‘On Ice’ In the Middle of Toronto

   Toronto police have temporarily blocked off Drake’s promotional ice sculpture hiding album info to protect it from fans trying to break and melt it. Drake has hidden the release date for his upcoming album, ICEMAN, inside an ice sculpture in his native Toronto in the parking lot of the Bond Hotel. But fans have wasted […]

2. Amazon Poised to Invest Another $25 Billion In Anthropic as AI Infrastructure Build-Out Ramps Up

   Amazon is preparing to invest up to $25 billion in Anthropic, in addition to the $8 billion it has already injected into the AI startup in recent years. On Monday, artificial intelligence startup Anthropic announced its commitment to spending over $100 billion on Amazon Web Services technology over the next decade as part of an […]

3. Seoul Police Move to Arrest Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk Following Long-Running IPO Investigation

   Seoul police have officially moved to arrest Hybe chairman Bang Si-hyuk in connection with a fraudulent trading investigation centering on the K-pop company’s 2020 IPO. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s financial crimes division confirmed as much today, on the heels of a related press conference update from Commissioner Park Jung-bo. As summed up by regional […]

4. D4vd Pleads Not Guilty to a Lengthy List of Criminal Charges, Starting with First-Degree Murder

   Singer D4vd pleads not guilty to first-degree murder and a laundry list of other charges linked to the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The 21-year-old singer-songwriter D4vd, whose real name is David Burke, has pleaded not guilty after he was charged with murder in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose dismembered body […]

5. Audoo Partners With Sabam To Deliver A New Standard In DJ Reporting In Belgium

   Audoo’s Audio Meter™ technology to power next-generation, data-driven music reporting across DJ-led environments. This article was created in collaboration with DMN partner Audoo. Audoo, the music technology company redefining public performance royalty distributions, has announced a partnership with Sabam, the Belgian association for authors, composers and publishers, to deliver a new approach...

6. Like Gasoline on a Merch Fire: Amazon Music Deploys ‘Just Walk Out’ Tech for Entire BTS North American Merch Sales

   Amazon Music plans to deploy its RFID “Just Walk Out” technology for merch sales across the entire BTS North American tour, according to plans shared with Digital Music News this morning. Amazon Music is adding a retail tech-twist to its in-venue partnership for the North American leg of BTS’ comeback tour, according to details shared […]

7. World Cup 2026 Meets Music Discovery: tapyoca Launches Global Indie Artist Initiative

   As the world prepares for the 2026 World Cup this summer, one question sits just beneath the surface of the spectacle: What will it sound like? This article was created in collaboration with DMN partner tapyoca. For decades, global moments like the World Cup have been defined as much by the soundtrack as by the […]

8. Chord Music Leverages Its $uicideboy$, Morgan Wallen, and Ryan Tedder Catalogs Into a $500 Million ABS

   Chord Music is sponsoring $500 million in asset-backed securities (ABS) from a portfolio of music rights featuring Morgan Wallen, ZZ Top, and more. Chord Music Partners, born from a partnership between Dundee Partners and KKR, has announced plans to sponsor $500 million in asset-backed securities (ABS) based on a portfolio of music, publishing, and master […]

9. Olivia Rodrigo Drops Separate, Exclusive ‘drop dead’ Videos on Spotify and Apple Music

   After the release of the music video for her new single, “drop dead,” Olivia Rodrigo surprises with two exclusive versions on Spotify and Apple Music. On the heels of Olivia Rodrigo’s official music video for her new single, “drop dead,” which released last week, the singer has taken things a step further with two more […]

10. Today in Social Media Infringement Litigation: UMG, Concord Slap Quince with Major Lawsuit Over TikTok, Instagram Infringement Allegations

    Universal Music Group and Concord sue fashion startup Quince for “rampant and brazen” copyright infringement on social media posts. Universal Music Group (UMG) and Concord Music Group, along with Capitol Records and six Universal Music Publishing entities, have filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against popular direct-to-consumer fashion startup Quince. According to the filing, Quince has...

11. Deezer Now Identifies Nearly 75,000 ‘Fully AI-Generated’ Uploads Per Day, Up 650% from January 2025

    First, the good news: Machine-made audio still accounts for a small percentage of Deezer’s total streams. As for the bad news, 44% of daily uploads – roughly 75,000 tracks – are now “fully” generated by AI, per the DSP. Paris-based Deezer provided a fresh update on its AI slop crusade today. As many know, that […]

12. Drake Comes Out Swinging Against Universal Music in ‘Not Like Us’ Suit Appeal; Accuses UMG Of Wanting a ‘Free Pass for Defamation’

    Can a diss track go too far? Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” caused the public to view Drake “as another Jeffrey Epstein” – at least according to Drake himself, who’s come out swinging against Universal Music Group in their high-stakes appeal battle. Drake just recently doubled down on his push to revive the billion-dollar complaint, […]

13. The Data Deep-Dive: Pop’s Slump Continues Into 2026 as Global Charts Remain Stagnant

    After a massive year for pop in 2024, the charts have slowed to a crawl. New releases are struggling to compete with long-running hits and resurgent catalog tracks, leaving 2025 –and early 2026– defined by stagnation. This article was written by April Clare Welsh in collaboration with How Music Charts. Music Trends on Digital Music News […]

14. Live Nation/Ticketmaster Ordered to Pay $9.9 Million Back to Residents of Washington, DC

    Live Nation and Ticketmaster will be required to pay $9.9 million for its misleading ticketing practices, the D.C. Attorney General announced. On Monday, Washington D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb announced that Live Nation/Ticketmaster will be required to pay $9.9 million to settle allegations that its ticketing practices were misleading to customers and charged deceptive […]

15. Amy Winehouse’s Father Loses Court Battle v. Friends Over Auctioned Items

    Amy Winehouse’s father, Mitch Winehouse, has lost his court case versus friends who auctioned dozens of her belongings. The case was brought against Naomi Parry and Catriona Gourlay, who Mitch Winehouse accuse of having profited from items sold at auction in the US. According to the BBC, lawyers representing Winehouse told the court that the […]