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. Drake Used AI to Re-Create Tupac’s Voice In His Kendrick Lamar Diss Track — Now Tupac’s Family Is Responding

   Drake borrowed Tupac’s voice to hype up Kendrick Lamar to respond to his diss track dropped line dubbed, “Taylor Made.” Now Tupac’s brother has responded. It’s worth noting that a release like this would be illegal under Tennessee’s ELVIS Act, which bans the use of AI-generated voices without express permission. A separate provision of that […]

2. Sony Music Publishing Nashville Signs Randall King to Global Deal

   Sony Music Publishing Nashville announces the signing of West Texas’ Randall King to a global publishing agreement — after the country star has amassed over 300 million streams. Celebrated as country music’s “neo-traditional figurehead,” Randall King has emerged as one of today’s promising new voices in country music, accumulating over 300 million streams with singles […]

3. Primary Wave Acquires Neil Finn’s Music Publishing Catalog, Plus a Piece of Crowded House’s IP

   Primary Wave Music announces a partnership with Neil Finn, founding member of the band Crowded House, in a deal that sees Primary Wave acquire Finn’s music publishing catalog, plus a piece of Crowded House’s IP. The new multi-million-dollar deal will see the leading independent publisher acquiring Finn’s music publishing catalog and writer’s share of public […]

4. Billie Eilish Tapped to Join Fortnite Festival Season 3

   Billie Eilish is joining Fortnite Festival as its Season 3 act—complete with in-game merch to buy until June 13. Here’s a peek at the details. Fortnite Festival Season 3 kicked off today and will end on June 13. During this period, players can unlock new instruments, Jam Tracks, and experience an all-new performance. Jam Tracks […]

5. Range Media Partners Secures Growth Capital from Strategic Investment Group

   Range Media Partners has announced that it has secured a minority investment in the company from a strategic investment group including Liberty Global, Wildcat Capital Management, and Playground Productions. RMP says it will use the funds to spur growth initiatives and strategic acquisitions. Range recently created a music publishing division and opened Nashville offices in […]

6. Phish Concludes Four Sold-Out Sphere Performances—Dead & Company Up Next

   Phish has concluded its sold-out, four night run at the Las Vegas Sphere, with each show featuring completely unique set lists and visuals. Who’s next? The four-night residency follows a highly successful U2 residency, with Phish bringing their distinctive style to the experience. 68 different songs were performed across the four shows, made crystal clear […]

7. Why Are Music Industry Contracts So Complicated? Flou Has a Platform for That

   Even the sexiest music industry deals crash into reality when the contracts come out. Flou is determined to simplify the necessary evil. Unfortunately, music industry contracts and licensing agreements are typically intricate and dense documents fraught with legal terminology, making them difficult to generate and manage. Once filed away, they become challenging to store and […]

8. Profitable At Last: Spotify Reports $180 Million Operating Income, Double-Digit Subscriber Growth for Q1 2024

   Spotify has reported double-digit subscriber growth – and long-sought profitability – for 2024’s opening quarter. The efficiency-minded audio entertainment company posted its Q1 2024 financials this morning, only weeks after reports pointed to another round of Spotify price increases. Providing additional context as to the confidence behind the latter move, the business today identified an...

9. Word Collections Says 25% of the Money Collected by the Mechanical Licensing Collective Isn’t Distributed — Here’s the Result of Their Audit

   A new article from Word Collections CEO Jeff Price offers damning results of an audit conducted on the Mechanical Licensing Collective. Price says the MLC has not paid out over 25% of the money collected from mechanical royalties from DSPs. Jeff Price, the founder and CEO of global publishing administrator Word Collections, has released an […]

10. Audio Mixing Specialist Audiotonix Sells to PAI Partners, Targets Continued Expansions and Acquisitions

    French investment house Ardian has officially unveiled a deal to sell a majority interest in U.K.-based audio mixing company Audiotonix. Ardian representatives reached out today with word of the sale agreement, which the investment house and Paris-headquartered private equity firm PAI Partners just recently finalized. For reference, Audiotonix has north of 750 employees and describes […]

11. Latin Music Recorded Revenue Approached $1.4 Billion in the U.S. Last Year Amid Double-Digit Streaming Growth, Report Shows

    Last year, Latin music’s recorded revenue jumped 16% in the U.S. to top $1.35 billion, according to a newly released report. The RIAA today shed light on the latest datapoints behind the quick-expanding genre’s stateside performance. For reference, this past October had seen Luminate identify a 22.2% year-over-year (YoY) spike in on-demand Latin music streams […]

12. Here’s Everything Happening Around Hipgnosis — In 5 Minutes or Less

    The past week has been a dizzying one for Hipgnosis Songs Fund, which now finds itself in the earliest stages of a bidding war, a legal war, or both. Here’s a quick, five-minute catch-up on everything that’s happened over the past few days. If you’re twenty emails behind and skimming through the Hipgnosis chaos, then […]

13. Bella Figura Music Acquires RAK Publishing

    Independent music publisher and record label Bella Figura Music announces the acquisition of RAK Publishing, whose extensive and varied catalog spans over 50 years and features over 1,500 copyrights. Bella Figura Music, the independent music publisher and record label founded by Alexi Cory-Smith and Neelesh Prabhu in 2022, has announced the acquisition of RAK Publishing. […]

14. After 10 Years, Hozier Officially Beats the One-Hit Wonder Curse with ‘Too Sweet’

    Ten years after his phenomenal hit ‘Take Me to Church,’ Hozier officially beats the one-hit wonder curse with his first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit, ‘Too Sweet.’ Irish singer-songwriter Hozier seemingly came out of nowhere in 2014 with his incredibly successful ballad, “Take Me to Church.” While he accrued an unquestionably devoted fanbase over […]

15. Oscars Rule Change — More Composers Can Win ‘Best Original Score’

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has announced several rule changes approved for the 97th Oscars. One of these changes impacts the ‘Best Original Score’ category. Now in the Music (Original Score) category, three composers will be allowed to receive individual statuettes if they all contributed fully to the score. Previously, three composers […]