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. Bain-Partnered Warner Music Reportedly Acquires the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Recorded Catalog in $300 Million+ Deal

   Days after disclosing $650 million in song-rights expenditures, Bain Capital-partnered Warner Music Group (WMG) has reportedly scooped up the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ recorded catalog. Though currently unconfirmed by the involved parties, the reported transaction (complete with a price tag in excess of $300 million) aligns with early 2025 rumblings of the Red Hot Chili […]

2. In Yet Another Ownership Swap, InMusic Acquires Bankrupt Native Instruments

   InMusic has announced signing a definitive agreement to acquire music tech company Native Instruments, as the Berlin-based company changes hands again. On Friday (May 8), inMusic and Native Instruments announced that the former had signed a definitive agreement to acquire the latter, the Berlin-based music technology company behind some of the most widely used creative […]

3. More Than 50 Years Later, The Beatles’ Iconic Rooftop ‘Stage’ Is Being Opened to the Public

   The Beatles’ Apple Corps announces the first-ever official Beatles fan experience at the iconic rooftop stage of 3 Savile Row in London. 3 Savile Row in London is already enshrined in pop culture history as one of the earliest headquarters of the Beatles’ Apple Corps. It was the studio where Let It Be was recorded, […]

4. Sony Music Publishing Makes Its Recognition Music Catalog Acquisition Official — Blackstone Eyes Post-Sale Investments ‘Across the Music Sector Through Recognition’

   Sony Music Publishing (SMP) has made its much-rumored Recognition Music Group catalog acquisition official, thereby securing interests in north of 45,000 high-profile works. SMP and Singapore’s GIC confirmed the deal today, on the heels of not-so-subtle indications that a formal announcement was imminent. Eight years, many song-rights plays, and one rebranding later, Hipgnosis, complete with...

5. How A Grassroots Genre from Mexico Is Rewriting the Entire Latin Music Growth Curve

   Mexico’s fastest-growing music genre on streaming is corridos, with recent catalog data from Duetti and Chartmetric showcasing just how deep that momentum runs across platforms and listener behavior. The report analyzes a large catalog of corridos titles to map growth, demographics, platform shares, and engagement patterns inside Mexico’s broader streaming landscape. This research deep-dive was...

6. Jason Derulo, Sony Music Triumph in Heated ‘Savage Love’ Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

   A federal jury ruled in favor of Jason Derulo in a copyright dispute filed against him and Sony Music over his hit “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat).” On Thursday (May 7), a federal jury in Los Angeles ruled in favor of singer Jason Derulo in a copyright infringement case over his hit “Savage Love […]

7. Hybe, NewJeans Slapped With Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Over ‘How Sweet’

   The members of NewJeans, as well as their label partners Ador and Hybe, are being sued for copyright infringement over the group’s hit “How Sweet”. A group of four songwriters is suing the members of K-pop girl group NewJeans, as well as their label partners Ador and Hybe, alleging the group’s 2024 hit “How Sweet” […]

8. More Supply Helps: Olivia Rodrigo ‘Unravels’ 25 More Dates, With Mini-Residencies In NY, LA, London, Amsterdam

   To help meet demand, Olivia Rodrigo expands her world tour with 25 new dates, including 11 nights in London and 10 each in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. Olivia Rodrigo quickly sold out her global arena outing, The Unraveled Tour, adding 25 additional dates this week in response to incredible fan demand. The tour now spans […]

9. Dua Lipa Sues Samsung for $15 Million Over a Seriously Strange Brand Sponsorship

   Dua Lipa has filed a $15 million lawsuit against Samsung, claiming the company used her image to sell TVs without permission and without paying her. But did Samsung really whip up an entire brand sponsorship ‘deal’ without even contacting the artist? On Friday, Dua Lipa filed a lawsuit against Samsung, alleging that the electronics company […]

10. Is the Wasserman (Sorry, ‘The Team’) Sale Still Happening?

    The pool seems to have narrowed for contenders to buy the talent agency, but whether a sale actually takes place remains up in the air. Here’s the latest. The Team, the Westwood-based talent agency formerly known as Wasserman, is fortifying its core sports category as it prepares for a potential sale. The company announced on […]

11. Live Nation Antitrust Case Penalties Might Not Come Down Until 2027 — Federal Court Intends to Adopt the Concert Giant’s Proposed Schedule ‘For the Most Part’

    Will Live Nation be forced to divest Ticketmaster? And if not, what kind of remedies will states secure following their trial win? It looks as though we’ll have to wait – seemingly until sometime in 2027 – to find out. Judge Arun Subramanian highlighted this likely timetable in a scheduling order today, on the heels […]

12. Latest Music Industry Hires: Warner Music Korea, AEG Presents Korea, Serling Rooks, Gibson, LyricFind, NITO, More

    Here’s a recap of recent music industry hires and in-house promotions as of May 8th, 2026. 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 […]

13. Sony Music Posts Solid Q1 2026 Financials — Recorded Music Streaming Revenue Increases by 17%, Physical Revenue Approaches Streaming-Era Record

    Following Warner Music Group’s seemingly solid calendar Q1 2026 earnings, Sony Music Group has posted respectable first-quarter financials of its own – including the highest quarterly revenue from vinyl and other physical formats since 2017. The overarching Sony Group Corp. shed light on Sony Music’s performance across January, February, and March 2026, or the fiscal […]

14. ‘Michael’ Moonwalks Toward $500 Million Globally—But That’s Only Part of the Story

    Lionsgate’s Michael is poised to cross $500 million worldwide in its third weekend, an astounding milestone for a biopic that was predicted to flop. But what’s next? The King of Pop is on everyone’s minds more than 15 years since his passing, with the Antoine Fuqua-directed biopic Michael dazzling moviegoers to record-breaking numbers for two […]

15. Eric Clapton Ends Madrid Show Early After Being Struck by Object from the Crowd

    Eric Clapton didn’t give fans in Madrid his usual encore after he was hit in the chest with an object from the crowd and left the stage afterward. Eric Clapton usually returns to the stage for an encore after playing his classic hit “Cocaine,” but that was not the case at his Madrid concert on […]