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. Apple Music Integrates Bandsintown Events Across Artist Pages to Expand Global Live Event Discovery

   Bandsintown announces a new integration with Apple Music that brings concert listings directly to artist pages on the streaming platform. Live music and event discovery platform Bandsintown has announced a partnership with Apple Music that integrates the service with concert listings directly into the music streaming platform. With the release of iOS 26.4, tour dates […]

2. Timbaland’s AI Artist Vision Is Growing — Pacific Music Group Inks Global Deal for TaTa Taktumi

   Pan-Asian entertainment company Pacific Music Group announces a partnership with Timbaland’s Stage Zero to sign AI artist TaTa Taktumi. Pacific Music Group (PMG), the Pan-Asian global music and entertainment company founded by Ne-Yo, Sonu Nigam, MC Jin, and veteran executive Jonathan Serbin, has announced a partnership with Timbaland’s entertainment company Stage Zero to sign AI […]

3. France’s Recorded Music Revenue Grew 3.9% in 2025 Amid Solid Streaming Gains — As Local Artists Dominated the Charts, SNEP Report Shows

   Thanks mainly to solid streaming growth, the French music industry generated €1.07 billion (up 3.9% year over year) in recorded revenue during 2025, when local artists dominated the airwaves and on-demand platforms alike. These and other newly released figures come from France’s Syndicat National de l’Edition Phonographique (SNEP), which, on one hand, pointed to slower […]

4. Epic Games Layoffs Impact 1,000+ People as Fortnite Wanes

   Epic Games cuts over 1,000 jobs in its second major round of layoffs in three years. It’s part of an effort to offset spending more than it’s making on Fortnite. Despite being one of the most popular video games on the market since its 2017 debut, Fortnite is spending more money than it’s making in […]

5. Is ‘BTS-Mania’ Over? HYBE Stock Remains Sharply Down Despite Splashy ‘Spotify x BTS’ Comeback Show In New York

   Two days after their reunion concert in Seoul, BTS hit NYC for an exclusive fan event with Spotify. But is “BTS-mania” now a thing of the past? HYBE investors seem to think so. Only two days after their free reunion concert in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square, K-pop princes BTS jet-setted to New York City for a […]

6. Are UK Radio Airwaves Falling Behind the Streaming Charts?

   Does radio truly reflect listening tastes in the streaming era? New data shows Spotify hits can take weeks to reach UK radio’s Top 10, revealing a gap between viral chart momentum and slower, programmed airplay cycles. This article was written by Jubran Haddad in collaboration with How Music Charts. Music Trends on Digital Music News is […]

7. Spotify Launches SongDNA — And Somehow Connects Harry Styles to Wu-Tang Clan

   Spotify rolls out SongDNA in beta for Premium users to pull back the curtain on the collaborators, samples, and interpolations woven into any track. After Spotify confirmed in November that it was developing a feature to help users discover music through a song’s credits, SongDNA is finally here in beta form. Now available to Premium […]

8. Why Is the Music Industry Still Estimating Public Performance Plays? New Research Explores the Hidden Resistance to Better Tracking

   It’s a relatively amazing feat of humankind: whenever a song is played in public, it’s typically tracked and paid for, with billions of dollars reaching their proper IP owners worldwide. That is, in theory at least. At a top level, public performances of musical works – at sporting events, coffeehouses, restaurants, airports, wherever – are […]

9. Shakira Invades Europe with a Six-Date Madrid Residency at Custom-Built ‘Shakira Stadium’

   Shakira kicks off the 2026 dates of her world tour with a six-show Madrid residency at the custom-built Shakira Stadium, specially built for the event. Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira has already announced three additional dates for her historic Spain residency, almost before the initial dates were even revealed. The limited series of shows takes place on […]

10. Trump Faces Lawsuit from Coalition of Cultural and Historic Preservation Groups Over Kennedy Center Changes

    A group of cultural and historic preservation organizations is suing Donald Trump to block changes to the Kennedy Center ahead of renovations. Now that Donald Trump’s planned two-year closure of the Kennedy Center has been confirmed to kick off this summer, a coalition of cultural and historic preservation groups is suing the president and Kennedy […]

11. Trump Personally Pushed the DOJ’s Live Nation Settlement, Latest Intel Reveals

    Reports reveal that Donald Trump personally called around pushing the Justice Department to settle its Live Nation-Ticketmaster antitrust lawsuit. After the Department of Justice suddenly reached a settlement with Live Nation and Ticketmaster in the federal antitrust lawsuit filed against the companies when Joe Biden was still in office, critics wondered what went wrong—especially when […]

12. Spotify Triggers More Podcast Layoffs—The Ringer & Spotify Studios Hit

    Spotify’s podcast group has been hit by new layoffs, with The Ringer and Spotify Studios impacted. Reports suggest around 15 people lost their jobs, or about 3% of the podcast organizations’ headcount. Spotify is describing the changes internally as improving execution, speed, and alignment across its podcasting teams. The company says it is still investing […]

13. Live Nation Global Expansion Continues With Investments in Romania’s Emagic and Slovakia’s Vivien

    Live Nation has announced yet another international expansion – this time in Romania as well as Slovakia, where it now owns pieces of Emagic and Vivien, respectively. Technically unveiled late last week, that expansion has been flying under the radar amid the promoter’s high-stakes stateside legal battle. Founded in 2005, Emagic has worked with the likes […]

14. iHeartMedia and TikTok Tout Bruno Mars Album Promo Campaign, Say They’ve Created ‘A New Blueprint for Artist Launches Moving Forward’

    Now united under a multifaceted partnership deal – and having collaborated on a promo campaign for Bruno Mars’ The Romantic – iHeartMedia and TikTok say they’ve developed “a new blueprint for artist launches moving forward.” iHeart and TikTok touted that “next-generation release format” today, three weeks and change after Mars debuted The Romantic. The Avex-partnered […]

15. TLC and Salt-N-Pepa Announce First-Ever Co-Headlining Tour with Special Guest En Vogue

    Salt-N-Pepa and TLC are teaming up for a co-headlining tour across North America, with special guest En Vogue, uniting three iconic groups for the first time. Hot on the heels of their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Salt-N-Pepa have announced an epic co-headlining tour with fellow 1990s R&B girl group TLC. […]