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. UK Creators Demand Prime Minister Recognize Creators’ Human Rights and Protect Copyright

   The UK’s leading creators and creative organizations issue an open letter demanding the government protect copyright from AI tech companies. Ahead of U.S. President Trump’s visit to the United Kingdom, 70-plus of the UK’s biggest creators and creative organizations have issued an open letter calling on the government to protect the rights of UK copyright […]

2. Amazon Emerges as Exclusive Streaming Partner for All Things Go 2025 — With Amazon Music, Prime Video, and Twitch Included In the Action

   All Things Go 2025 will be livestreamed exclusively on Amazon Music, Prime Video, and Twitch from September 26-28. Amazon Music has announced it will exclusively livestream the DC-area edition of the 11th annual All Things Go Festival, bringing the celebrated independent music festival to audiences worldwide for the first time. Taking place September 26-28 at […]

3. Spanish Recorded Music Industry Bucks the Global Trend with 10.4% H1 Growth

   In the first half of 2025, the Spanish recorded music industry saw new growth, bucking the emerging global trend with a 10.4% increase over last year. Spain saw double-digit growth in its recorded music industry in H1 2025—proving that the music industry in major European markets still has teeth. The country’s recorded music industry maintained […]

4. LimeWire Acquires Fyre Festival Brand for $245,000, Plots ‘Bold, Self-Aware, and Impossible to Ignore’ Revival

   The Fyre Festival story isn’t over yet: LimeWire has officially acquired the “controversial” brand with an eye on “saving one of the internet’s most infamous cultural memes from extinction.” The revamped LimeWire formally disclosed the purchase today, about two months after Fyre Festival auctioned its name, trademarks, domains, social handles, and more on Ebay. In […]

5. Amazon Bags a Big Bad Bunny Streaming Exclusive

   Bad Bunny teams up with Amazon for the final show of his Puerto Rico residency with an exclusive livestream on September 20. Bad Bunny’s not done giving back to his native Puerto Rico. For the final show on his 30-night residency, Benito is adding one more night: “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí: Una Más.” […]

6. TikTok Deal Terms Leak: Andreessen Horowitz, Oracle, Silver Lake, Likely to Control Substantial Stake in US Version

   Details emerge of proposed terms of the TikTok deal with China, with Andreessen Horowitz, Oracle, and Silver Lake to control an 80% stake in the US-specific version. Despite the more pressing complex economic matters at stake, negotiations over Chinese company ByteDance’s TikTok seem to be at the heart of the ongoing trade negotiations between the […]

7. Fiverr Is Struggling—Stock Down, Layoffs, and a Pivot to AI

   Fiverr International (NYSE:FVRR) has announced a major workforce reduction for the freelance platform. CEO Micha Kaufman took to LinkedIn to reveal 30% of staff will be laid off—around 250 positions—as the company pivots to being ‘AI first.’ This marks a sharp contraction for the freelance sector, of which Fiverr has grown steadily since its NYSE […]

8. Too Soon? 35-Year-Old Hardy Sells ‘Select Compositions’ to Spirit Music Group

   Too soon? 35-year-old Hardy has officially cashed in on a portion of his music IP under a newly announced Spirit Music Group deal. New York City-based Spirit took to social media to announce the investment, which extends to “select compositions from the music publishing catalog” of Hardy. Unsurprisingly, given the top-level details about the relevant […]

9. YouTube Music Launches New Fan Engagement Features — As DSP ‘Superfan’ Perks Continue to Emerge

   YouTube announces three new fan-engagement features coming to YouTube Music, designed to deepen the connection between artists and their superfans. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, YouTube’s Made On event this week unveiled three new features coming to YouTube Music. These new features are designed to further engage superfans and connect them with the artists they […]

10. Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal Sue Chinese AI Company MiniMax for Mass-Scale Copyright Theft

    Three major media companies are suing a Chinese AI company whose image and video generating service “pirates and plunders” their copyrighted works. On Tuesday, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and NBCUniversal filed a lawsuit against MiniMax, a Chinese AI company. Their filing alleges that MiniMax’s generative AI model, Hailuo, enables “willful and brazen” copyright infringement of […]

11. Major Labels Settle Long-Running Internet Archive Copyright Infringement Battle Over the Great 78 Project

    Over two years later, Universal Music, Sony Music, and the Internet Archive have officially settled their copyright infringement battle over the latter’s Great 78 Project. Both sides informed the court that they’d reached an agreement (pending “final approval and signatures”) late last week, and the presiding judge signed off on a dismissal order yesterday. According […]

12. Coachella Combats Sluggish Demand With Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, and Karol G Headliners

    The Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival has announced a star-studded lineup for 2026—including Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, and Karol G. Sabrina Carpenter headlines on Friday, marking her debut in the top slot after a standout performance in 2024. Carpenter rose to mainstream attention through hit singles such as “Espresso” and is expected to bring […]

13. Spotify Loosens Free-Tier Restrictions — Ad-Supported Users Can Now ‘Pick and Play Any Song’

    Following Spotify’s Q2 2025 advertising-revenue decrease – and free streaming’s half-year recorded-revenue slip in the U.S. – the platform has loosened some restrictions for ad-supported users. Spotify announced and implemented the (perhaps unexpected) changes today. Currently “rolling out updates globally,” the service now enables ad-supported accounts to search for and stream individual...

14. Trump Says TikTok Deal Reached Between US and China, Meeting with President Xi On Friday

    The Trump administration says it has reached a deal with China on the ownership of TikTok’s US operations. Trump meets with President Xi on Friday. TikTok’s U.S. operations might soon be out of limbo, according to statements from President Trump and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Bessent confirmed that a “framework” deal has been reached […]

15. Relationl Founder Max Bernstein Calls on Music Companies to Modernize Their Systems Immediately — ‘It’s Intoxicating’

    Max Bernstein, founder and CEO of the fast-rising music industry systems development firm Relationl, is an Airtable authority who says conventional spreadsheets and dated workflows are holding music companies back. Even worse, disconnected systems are making it difficult or even impossible to develop and break artists at scale. Relationl has been overhauling systems at labels […]