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. Post Malone and Jelly Roll Remix ‘Big Ass Stadium Tour’ for the Summer with Carter Faith Supporting

   Hot off the Grammys and ahead of the Super Bowl, Post Malone and Jelly Roll announce a return to the road with the Big Ass Stadium Tour Part 2. Continuing the momentum of their previous stadium run—and wasting no time in the wake of the Grammys—star entertainers Post Malone and Jelly Roll are heading out […]

2. Apple Music Says It Flagged Roughly Two Billion Fake Streams During 2025, Doubles Penalties for Alleged Fraud

   Just how deep does the AI fraud problem run? A one-stop answer remains elusive, but Apple Music has provided a closer look at the issue’s scope – to the tune of approximately two billion “fraudulent streams” detected during 2025. This telling stat emerged during a new Hollywood Reporter sit down with Apple VP of music, […]

3. Trump Threatens Trevor Noah with Defamation Lawsuit for ‘False and Defamatory Statements’ During Grammys Broadcast

   Trump criticized Sunday night’s Grammys ceremony and threatened to sue its host, comedian Trevor Noah, over jokes tying him to Jeffrey Epstein. Sunday night’s Grammy Awards made history on numerous fronts, but not everyone was pleased with the telecast. The next morning, President Trump took to his personal social media platform, Truth Social, to criticize […]

4. TikTok US Off to Rough Start, but Oracle Says Tech Issues Resolved

   TikTok says the technical issues plaguing its budding US enterprise over the past week have been resolved; Oracle cites cold weather as the culprit. Last week, TikTok’s U.S. operations were pummeled with technical issues and outages, which data giant Oracle has said have been the result of weather-related outages at Oracle data centers. However, that’s […]

5. How Splice Revolutionized Royalty Payments With Tipalti

   Splice, a leading platform for music creation, faced growing challenges managing manual payments to its global network of creators. As the company expanded, so did the complexity of its financial operations. Splice spent more than 15% of its year on processing royalty payments. Digital Music News takes a peek at how Tipalti Mass Payments helped […]

6. The Complete Grammy Award Winners List for 2026

   The Grammy Awards saw many firsts, as well as Trevor Noah’s sixth and final time pulling hosting duty. Here’s the complete list of winners in 2026. On Sunday, February 1, the Grammy Awards returned to the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. It was a night of historic firsts (and lasts), with the 2026 edition hosted […]

7. K-Dot n’ K-Pop for the Gold: Kendrick Lamar and Kpop Demon Hunters Make Grammy History — With Bad Bunny, Olivia Dean, Billie Eilish, and Lady Gaga Also Scoring Big

   Kendrick Lamar is now the most-awarded hip-hop artist in Grammy history, as Kpop Demon Hunters’ “Golden” becomes the first K-pop song to win a Grammy. Music’s biggest night was one of many firsts for the Grammy Awards, as Kendrick Lamar surpassed Jay-Z as the most-awarded hip-hop artist, and Kpop Demon Hunters’ “Golden” became the first […]

8. Clive Davis Still Sits Atop the Grammy Party Pecking Order — But Is Sir Lucian On the Come-Up?

   Clive Davis’ Pre-Grammy Gala at the Beverly Hilton was easily the swankiest affair in an overstuffed week of Grammy parties in LA. But might there be some competition ahead from an up-and-coming party host named ‘Sir Lucian’? After a virtual shutdown in 2025, 2026 was the year the Grammy party came roaring back in Los […]

9. Trump to Close Kennedy Center for Two Years for Reconstruction Starting in July

   Amid ongoing controversy surrounding the Kennedy Center, Trump said he intends to close the center for two years for reconstruction starting in July. On Sunday, President Donald Trump said he intends to close the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts for two years for reconstruction, starting in July. While subject to board […]

10. Is Apple Plotting an AI-Powered Audio Expansion? Tech Giant Closes Reportedly $1.6 Billion Q.ai Buyout — Its ‘Second-Largest Acquisition’ to Date

    Apple has acquired Q.ai, a heretofore little-discussed AI audio startup that says it’s poised to revolutionize communication.   Thus far, the buyout – and its reportedly $1.6 billion price tag – has to some extent flown under the radar. That’s presumably due in part to the focus on Apple’s latest earnings report (including record-high services […]

11. Is Bertelsmann Buying Concord? German Media Conglomerate Reportedly Explores Up to $7 Billion Acquisition

    Is Bertelsmann buying Concord? It’s a possibility – at least according to a new report highlighting ongoing talks about a potential multibillion-dollar acquisition. Said report came from Bloomberg and, unsurprisingly, cited anonymous and purportedly well-informed sources. According to these individuals, the German media conglomerate is exploring (via BMG Rights Management) a deal that would...

12. The Six-Fingered Grande? Singer Reacts to Vogue Japan Cover Featuring Telltale AI Edits

    Ariana Grande is on the cover of Vogue Japan’s latest issue, but fans were quick to spot a problem: a six-fingered Grande. “Wicked” star and singer Ariana Grande is on the cover of Vogue Japan—but fans quickly pointed out a problem with the original cover photo: Ariana has an undeniable sixth finger on her left […]

13. YouTube Blocks Background Play for Non-Premium Subscribers on Third-Party Browsers

    YouTube has been updated so that non-Premium users can no longer access background playback by accessing a third-party browser. YouTube’s background play feature—the ability to play only the audio of a video while in another app or while your screen is off—has long been available only to paying Premium users. But some tech-savvy mobile users […]

14. It’s Official: Spotify Confirms Istanbul Office Opening, Expands MENA MD Akshat Harbola’s Role to Include Turkey

    Five months after outlining plans to set up shop in Turkey, Spotify is officially set to open its Istanbul office by June’s end. The DSP disclosed as much – and confirmed several initiatives tailored for the nation of nearly 90 million – in a Turkish-language release today. As some will recall, 2025 delivered a fresh […]

15. Engagement Insights Platform Levellr Raises $2.5M in a Seed Round Led by Fuel Ventures

    Engagement-focused AI insights platform Levellr announces a $2.5 million seed round to turn Discord conversations into actionable insight. Fanbase development and AI insights platform Levellr has announced raising $2.5 million in seed funding led by Fuel Ventures, alongside a group of tech and gaming-focused investors, including Bing Gordon, Frank Gibeau, Phil Mansell, Simon Hade, Norman […]