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. Spotify Says It Paid 1% of a $10 Million Streaming Fraud Scheme’s Royalties — So Where Did the Other 99% Come From? Questions Abound Amid Radio Silence from Competitors

   Yesterday, another interesting piece of the $10 million+ royalties scheme puzzle fell into place, as Spotify claimed to have promptly halted the operation on its own platform. But which services allowed the AI tracks to stay live and rack up billions of plays? That’s the multimillion-dollar question right now, after a North Carolina-based musician was […]

2. Netflix Co-CEO Dumps Over $6 Million in Spotify Stock As SPOT Continues to Ride High

   Another day, another multimillion-dollar stock dump: Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos is cashing in on Spotify stock (NYSE: SPOT) as it continues to ride high at north of $330 per share. The Netflix co-head and Spotify board member Sarandos just recently disclosed the sizable SPOT sale in a regulatory filing. According to that document, the 60-year-old, […]

3. More Rumblings of a Major Spotify Video Buildout — Creators Reportedly Receive Seven-Figure Non-Exclusive Offers to Upload Content

   Less than two months after Digital Music News was first to cover Spotify’s Cineverse deal – including the on-platform availability of full TV episodes – additional evidence is pointing to a major video expansion. This newest indication of an aggressive video embrace just recently came to light, though in many respects, Spotify’s visual-media ambitions have […]

4. House Judiciary Committee Demands Greater Transparency from ASCAP, BMI, Other PROs

   The House Judiciary Committee expresses concern about the lack of transparency from performance licensees and the ‘proliferation of PROs.’ The US House Judiciary Committee has sent a letter to the Register of Copyrights, Shira Perlmutter, to request an examination of “emerging issues” related to performing rights organizations (PROs), including ASCAP and BMI. Signed by the […]

5. Lil Wayne Breaks His Silence on the Super Bowl Snub — ‘It Broke Me’

   Lil Wayne speaks out about being passed over for Kendrick Lamar to perform at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show in his hometown of New Orleans. New Orleans native Lil Wayne has released a video on Instagram expressing his disappointment at being passed over for Kendrick Lamar to perform at the city’s 2025 Super Bowl […]

6. Salt Receives $1.44 Million Grant from Innovate UK — With AI-Driven Royalty Solutions a Big Focus

   Salt, the company that provides digital-era rights and royalties solutions for music creators and societies around the world, has announced a £1.1 million pound ($1.44 million) grant from Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The funding accelerates Salt’s investment in AI innovation, further advancing tools designed to empower and safeguard music creators […]

7. Data Rot — 20% of Hard Drives Used for Long-Term Music Storage are Dying

   Do you have old music stored on an ancient hard drive somewhere in your orbit? You might want to check the drive and consider a different storage medium—a new report suggests around 20% of drives from the 90s are now bricks. A new report from Iron Mountain, an enterprise information management company, reveals why multiple […]

8. More Staffing Cuts at NY Public Radio — Digital Formats, Declining Radio Listenership Blamed

   New York Public Radio is making cuts to staffers and programming across several of its stations, including canceling multiple podcasts. NYPR CEO & President LaFontaine Oliver delivered the news to staffers in an email on Thursday, stating cuts in the local news room, the cancellation of the “Notes from America” show with Kai Wright, and […]

9. BMI Files Action in Rate Court Against SiriusXM for Attempts to Lower Payments

   BMI files action in rate court against SiriusXM for ‘attempting to lower its payments to BMI songwriters, composers, and publishers.’ Today, US performance rights organization BMI has filed an action in its rate court to determine fair and appropriate fees for a license with satellite radio service SiriusXM. According to BMI, despite years of negotiations, […]

10. The $10 Million+ Streaming Fraud Plot Thickens — Spotify Says It Paid Out Less Than 1% of the Royalties

    The plot is thickening in the alleged $10 million+ royalties fraud scheme that came to light earlier this month – Spotify, today’s most popular music streaming platform, claims it paid out less than 1% of the total. The streaming giant, which reported 626 million monthly active users for Q2 2024, disclosed that decidedly significant information […]

11. Latest Music Industry Hires: Audoo, Brilliant Corners, Warner Chappell, beatBread, MLC, More

    Here’s a recap of recent music industry hires and in-house promotions as of September 12th, 2024. If you have a job shuffle to share, we’re all ears. Send us a note to news@digitalmusicnews.com. If you’d like to post a job on our Job Board, just send us a request to noah@digitalmusicnews.com. And, keep track of all the […]

12. ESMAA and Anghami Settle Legal Dispute and Announce a Licensing Agreement

    Abu Dhabi-based rights management entity ESMAA announces a licensing agreement with streaming platform Anghami, marking the end of the two parties’ legal dispute. ESMAA, an Abu Dhabi-based rights management entity representing global music stakeholders in the Gulf and Middle East, and Anghami, the leading music and entertainment streaming platform in the Middle East and North […]

13. FDA Approves Apple AirPods Pro 2 As First Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the first over-the-counter hearing aid software for the Apple AirPods 2 Pro. Apple advertised its AirPods Pro 2 as a personalized hearing aid that would be “available in an upcoming software update.” These earbuds are capable of boosting specific sounds in real-time, including parts of speech […]

14. NO FAKES Act Introduced in House — Bill Would Establish Federal Right of Publicity

    The NO FAKES Act has been introduced in the House, and the Human Artistry Campaign endorses the effort, which would create federal IP rights. The NO FAKES Act (Nurture Originals, Foster Art, Keep Entertainment Safe) has been introduced today in the US House of Representatives by Reps. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27), Madeleine Dean (D-PA-4), Nathaniel […]

15. Warner Chappell Music UK and Defected Records Announce New Joint Venture

    Warner Chappell Music UK teams up with Defected Records to launch a new joint venture, with WCM UK administering Defected’s roster and catalog. Warner Chappell Music UK (WCM UK), the music publishing arm of Warner Music Group, has teamed up with British dance label Defected Records to launch a new joint venture. WCM UK will […]