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. NBC/Peacock Taps Snoop Dogg to Commentate Upcoming Clippers-Warriors NBA Match

   NBC expands its relationship with Snoop Dogg, announcing him as a game analyst on Peacock’s Los Angeles Clippers versus Golden State Warriors match. Snoop Dogg will be an NBA game analyst on Peacock’s Los Angeles Clippers versus Golden State Warriors game on Monday, January 5, the broadcaster announced today (December 22). It’s the latest expansion […]

2. Suno Previews 2026 Policy Changes Under Warner Music Deal — ‘Commercial Use License’ Takes Center Stage, But Who Actually Owns the AI Platform’s Outputs?

   One month after partnering with Warner Music Group (WMG), Suno is shedding light on the direction of its planned changes for 2026 – including a fresh emphasis on subscriber-exclusive monetization and an adjusted output-ownership policy. When the AI music generator and Warner Music announced their lawsuit-ending agreement in late November, they didn’t disclose an abundance […]

3. Mary Bono Files Appeal Following Momentous Cher Copyright Victory

   Sonny Bono’s widow, Mary, files an appeal following a federal judge’s ruling last year that Cher is still entitled to 50% of the proceeds from her 1960s hits with Sonny. Last year, a federal judge ruled that Cher is still entitled to half of the publishing proceeds from her early hits with her ex, Sonny […]

4. StubHub Integrates Into ChatGPT, Adding ‘Real-Time’ Ticketing Inventory, Price Details, and More

   ChatGPT’s integration push has reached the ticketing world, where StubHub’s launched a “discovery experience” affording users access to “live ticket availability and pricing in real time.” The ticket-resale platform today disclosed its high-profile tie-up with ChatGPT, which is on something of an integration streak at present. Now, joining the likes of Apple Music, Spotify, Booking.com,...

5. Hot 97 Introduces New On-Air Hosts After Abrupt Ebro Firing—New York Listeners Give a Chilly Welcome

   Hot 97 introduces a fresh group of hosts amid the cancellation of “Ebro in the Morning,” and New Yorkers aren’t too happy about it. On Thursday, just after announcing the cancellation of “Ebro in the Morning,” New York hip-hop station Hot 97 shared a promotional image on social media introducing a trio of new hosts. […]

6. Grammy Museum Tees Up Selena Exhibit in Los Angeles

   The Grammy Museum prepares to open a limited-run exhibition dedicated to Selena Quintanilla, launching on January 15, and curated in collaboration with her sister. The Grammy Museum will launch a limited-run exhibition dedicated to the legendary Selena Quintanilla, best known simply as Selena. The museum describes the pop-up as the first official display of the […]

7. Hackers Scrape Spotify’s Entire Library, Obtain 300 Terabytes’ Worth of Audio — Spotify Says It’s ‘Identified and Disabled the Nefarious User Accounts’

   Hackers say they’ve scraped Spotify’s entire music library – compiling the metadata behind 256 million tracks tied to over 15.4 million artist profiles – and intend to make a massive amount of music available to torrent. Meanwhile, Spotify has acknowledged the breach and confirmed that the culprits accessed “some of the platform’s audio files.” Update […]

8. After PRS Drops Record Q4 Distribution, PPL Responds With Blockbuster Quarterly Payout

   PPL paid out £54.3 million ($73.2 million) to performers and rightsholders this quarter, bringing its total payments in 2025 to £277.7 million ($374.6 million). On December 17, UK recording performance organization PPL reported paying £54.3 million ($73.2 million) to 147,000 performers and recording rightsholders this quarter, either as direct members of PPL or indirectly through […]

9. Bandcamp Fridays in 2025 Deliver $19 Million to Independent Artists and Labels, Surpassing Last Year’s Total

   Bandcamp Fridays saw fans contribute $19 million directly to artists and labels this year, surpassing 2024’s total and underscoring the value of fan-driven support on the platform. The final Bandcamp Friday of 2025 was the strongest of the year, the platform reports, driving more than $3.8 million in just 24 hours. Across this year’s Bandcamp […]

10. Barry Manilow Reveals Lung Cancer Diagnosis, Reschedules January Shows

    Barry Manilow announced that he has lung cancer and will reschedule his upcoming shows to undergo surgery. On Monday, singer-songwriter Barry Manilow announced that he has lung cancer and will reschedule his upcoming January shows while he undergoes surgery. The 82-year-old said he recently had bronchitis lasting multiple weeks on two separate occasions, and his […]

11. When It Rains, It Pours—Warner Music Canada Lays Off at Least 24 People Amid Wider Global WMG Restructuring

    Warner Music Canada has laid off at least 24 people amid major global restructuring this year, eliminating positions in marketing, A&R, catalog, and more. As Warner Music Group (WMG) shakes things up in ongoing restructuring efforts, Warner Music Canada has laid off at least 24 people, according to Billboard Canada. Multiple former staffers report that […]

12. Santa Monica Announces an Annual Music Festival with Goldenvoice Tapped to Put It Together

    Santa Monica city officials announce five major events leading up to the 2028 Olympics, including a major music festival from Coachella organizer Goldenvoice. On Wednesday, December 17, city officials in Santa Monica announced five major events leading up to the 2028 Olympics. These include a large-scale music festival next to the Pier, produced by the […]

13. After Hot 97 Drops Ebro, iHeartMedia, Power 105 Re-Up Charlamagne Tha God and ‘The Breakfast Club’

    New York’s Power 105 and iHeartMedia have extended their relationship with media mogul and “The Breakfast Club” host Charlamagne Tha God as a number of shakeups hit the NYC hip-hop radio circuit. According to details emailed to DMN this morning. iHeartMedia has confirmed the extension of its relationship with culture-shifter and media mogul Charlamagne Tha […]

14. Universal Music and Roblox Ink Expanded Partnership Deal, Teeing Up Additional Artist Activations, On-Platform Physical Merch, and AI Initiatives

    Universal Music Group (UMG) and Roblox have inked an expanded strategic agreement – including plans for additional physical merch offerings, possible AI collaborations, and more. UMG and the self-described “immersive gaming and creation platform” unveiled their bolstered deal this morning, pointing to forthcoming joint efforts “to enhance music and commercial integrations across artist and fan...

15. Who Actually Killed Jam Master Jay? Judge Acquits Alleged Killer After Jury Conviction

    A judge tosses the conviction of one of the two men found guilty of the 2002 killing of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay, ruling there was insufficient evidence. On Friday, a judge nixed the conviction of one of the two men found guilty of the 2002 killing of Run-D.M.C. legend Jam Master Jay. U.S. District Judge […]