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. Moments After Introduction, Live Nation and Music Artists Coalition Rally Around California’s ‘Fans First’ Anti-Scalping Bill

   Immediately following the news of California’s proposed Fans First Act, support rolls in from Live Nation and industry allies, including NIVA and the Music Artists Coalition. On February 5, California Assemblymember Matt Haney introduced AB 1720, the “Fans First Act,” positioned to crack down on price gouging on the secondary market by capping resale prices […]

2. Universal Music and ABKCO Score Summary Judgment Win in Marathon Copyright Battle Over Rolling Stones, ABBA Documentaries

   Universal Music Group (UMG) and ABKCO have scored a summary judgment win in a copyright battle centering on “purported documentaries” about the Rolling Stones, ABBA, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Elton John, and Nirvana. With the sixth anniversary of the marathon case’s filing now in the books, the presiding judge just recently […]

3. WMG and Bain Capital Boost Catalog Joint Venture by a Cool $200M

   Warner Music Group amends its agreement with Bain Capital, boosting the joint venture’s capital base by $100 million from each party. This week, Warner Music Group (WMG) revealed its financial results for Q4 2025 while announcing a $200 million increase in the equity commitment to its investment JV with Bain Capital, to the tune of […]

4. RZA Slapped With Aggressive Counterclaim from Martin Shkreli Over $4 Million Single-Copy Wu-Tang Clan Album

   Martin Shkreli has filed a detailed counterclaim against producer RZA (aka Robert Diggs) over the Wu-Tang Clan’s single-copy album, which Shkreli still claims to own despite a court-ordered forfeiture. Disgraced “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli has filed a detailed counterclaim against RZA, alleging he still retains ownership of half of the Wu-Tang Clan’s single-copy album, Once Upon […]

5. Spotify Delivers ‘Policy Roadmap’ Calling for Metadata Improvements, an AI Slop Crackdown, ‘Shared Industry Benchmarks’ for CMOs, and More

   One week and change after disclosing its $11 billion 2025 payout to the industry, Spotify has unveiled a “policy roadmap” designed to “build on the progress already made to grow music royalties further.” The DSP just recently put out that not-so-subtle roadmap, which, against the backdrop of longstanding royalty-rate criticism, centers on two main “priorities.” […]

6. Payback Comes ‘Swift’ for YouTube: Apple Music, Spotify Premium Get First Dibs on Taylor Swift’s ‘Opalite’ Video — Two Days Before YouTube

   Last year, YouTube — led by Lyor Cohen — took its ball and went home by refusing to share chart data with Billboard on YouTube videos, music-related Shorts, and YouTube Music plays. Now, just three weeks after that pullout went into effect, are we witnessing the brutal payback? It’s hard to say if the events […]

7. California Proposes Capping Ticket Resales at 10% Above Face Value — Here’s a Look at the ‘Fans First Act’

   California Assemblyman Matt Haney introduces a bill that would cap ticket resales for concert, theater, and comedy events at 10% above face value. California Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) today introduced a bill to cap the resale of concert and live event tickets at no more than 10% above face value. The California Fans First […]

8. In Focus Episode 4: Why Invoking ‘Nostalgia Vibes’ and ‘Reimagination’ Works in Catalog Marketing

   FUGA’s Senior Marketing Director Matthew D’Amico, and Mountain Apple Company’s Digital Marketing Manager Mike Pooley, explore the dynamic marketing strategies behind late Hawaiian musician and singer, Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s catalog. “In catalog marketing, we want to invoke a vibe of nostalgia,” says Pooley. The following is created in collaboration with Downtown Music, a company DMN is […]

9. Warner Music Reports 14% Q4 2025 Subscription Revenue Growth, Inks New TikTok Deal, and Expands Its Bain Capital Catalog JV

     Warner Music Group (WMG) has reported a 10% revenue jump – and a 27% net income slip – for Q4 2025 (its fiscal first quarter). Meanwhile, with all manner of AI deals and initiatives now picking up steam, execs are adamant that material growth is on the way. All told, WMG generated $1.84 billion […]

10. Sony Music Posts Double-Digit Q4 2025 Revenue Jump Amid Live/Merch and Publishing Gains — Top Sellers Include Rosalía, Pink Floyd, and Tyler, the Creator

    Sony Music Group has posted a double-digit revenue jump for Q4 2025 (the fiscal third quarter) thanks in part to boosts across physical, merch, and publishing. Said jump came to light in the overarching Sony Group Corp.’s newly released earnings report for October, November, and December 2025. All told, the conglomerate acknowledged a cool ¥538.66 […]

11. Live Nation’s Proposed Music Venue in Maine Might Go Down in Flames

    A proposed ordinance requiring a buffer between venues could effectively cease Live Nation’s plans to build a new music venue in Portland, Maine. The planning board in Portland, Maine, is set to review a proposed ordinance change that could shutter Live Nation’s plans to build a new music venue in the city. The ordinance would […]

12. TikTok Traffic Rapidly Rebounds After US-Based Split-Off, Latest Data Reveals

    TikTok has mostly recovered from its dip in active users in the days immediately following its US ownership change, according to the latest data. According to data from digital market intelligence firm Similarweb, TikTok has mostly recovered from the usage dip it experienced in the days immediately following its ownership change to a consortium of […]

13. The Orchard Inks Avex Music Group In a Global Distribution Deal

    Japanese entertainment giant Avex Music Group partners with The Orchard for a global distribution deal of all future releases across territories. Avex Music Group, the global music company of Japanese entertainment giant Avex, has announced a partnership with The Orchard for distribution of all future releases in territories worldwide. The first new music expected to […]

14. Spotify Unveils Page Match to Seamlessly Between Audiobooks and Print Books

    The rumors are true: Spotify launches Page Match to enable users to seamlessly switch between audio and physical book formats. On February 5, Spotify announced the launch of its Page Match feature, a functionality that had been rumored to be in the works since late last month. The feature takes major cues from Audible’s reading […]

15. ElevenLabs Raises $500 Million at an $11 Billion Valuation, Confirms Plans for ‘Creative Offering’ Expansion

    AI voice giant ElevenLabs has raised $500 million at an $11 billion valuation – with plans in place to continue expanding its music-generation capabilities. Co-founder Mati Staniszewski took to LinkedIn to shed light on the half-billion-dollar Series D, with his business having scored a $180 million Series C about one year ago. At the time […]