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. Rolling Loud Australia Officially Cancelled—Only One Week Before Showtime

   Only a week before Rolling Loud was set to return to Australia, organizers have announced that Rolling Loud Australia 2026 has been cancelled. Rolling Loud Australia was due to make a glorious return on March 7 at Centennial Park in Sydney and March 8 at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne—but organizers have announced the festival won’t […]

2. Hybe Reportedly Rejects Min Hee-jin’s ‘Free NewJeans’ Offer, Pursues Appeal of $20 Million Put Option Verdict

   Looks like Hybe isn’t on board with Min Hee-jin’s “Free NewJeans” offer: The K-pop giant is reportedly digging in as it appeals the ex-Ador head’s legal victory. We broke down both the victory and the offer earlier in February, the former referring to a Seoul court’s order for Hybe to pay Min roughly $18 million […]

3. YouTube Just Expanded Voice Replies to All Creators

   YouTube announces expanding some creator tools, including rolling out its voice replies option to all creators, and a new Shorts remix option. YouTube revealed some fun expansions for creators this week, including rolling out its voice replies option to all creators. This enables channel managers to respond to comments on their videos with voice clips. […]

4. Terminated EVEN Employee Quickly Responds as Ugly Discrimination Dispute Continues

   A representative for Damien “DDot” Washington issues a statement after EVEN claps back against prior statements regarding their ongoing litigation. On the heels of the announcement of superfan platform EVEN’s partnership with Universal Music Group (UMG), the lawsuit filed against EVEN by former employee Damien “DDot” Washington has been getting a lot of attention. Yesterday, […]

5. And the AI Playlist Enhancements Keep Coming — Spotify’s ‘Reorder’ Is the Latest

   Spotify has now released another so-called AI enhancement to its playlist ecosystem, this time with the goal of making transitions between tracks even smoother. The move follows a string of AI-powered playlist upgrades across the stream-o-sphere. After Spotify released the ability to create seamless transitions between playlist tracks for Premium subscribers last year, the streamer […]

6. Nicki Minaj Dropped by Attorney In High-Stakes $10 Million Fan Lawsuit — Northstar Lawyer Says He’s Getting Ghosted by His Client

   Nicki Minaj is getting dropped by her lawyer over a “communication breakdown” amid a $10 million defamation lawsuit filed against her by a former fan. Nicki Minaj is caught up in an ongoing $10 million defamation lawsuit filed against her by a former fan. But she won’t be facing it with attorney Matthew Abbott of […]

7. Suno Tops Two Million Subs and $300 Million in Annual Recurring Revenue, CEO Says — As a New ‘Rolling Cipher’ Decision Takes Center Stage in Multiple Copyright Suits

   Revenue, subscribers, and high-stakes lawsuits alike are piling up for Suno, which is said to be generating north of $300 million annually from over two million paid users. Suno co-founder and CEO Mikey Shulman just recently took to LinkedIn to disclose the figures. At the top level, it probably doesn’t need saying that both are […]

8. Primary Wave Reportedly Edging Closer to Acquiring Kobalt

   Primary Wave is reportedly nearing ever closer to putting in an offer to acquire independent music publisher Kobalt Music Group. Primary Wave is inching closer to putting together a deal to acquire independent music publishing admin company Kobalt Music Group, according to Billboard. The acquisition would create a massive independent music company with over $7 […]

9. Reservoir Stock Surges Amid $1.2 Billion Unsolicited Mega-Bid — Developing

   As soon as Irenic Capital Management made an unsolicited monster $1.2 billion bid for Reservoir Media, the publisher’s stock surged by nearly 20%. Rumors swirled for over a week that activist hedge fund Irenic Capital Management was eyeing Reservoir Media, an independent music publisher with a storied catalog featuring the likes of Joni Mitchell and […]

10. Chris Brown’s Legal Rampage Against ‘History of Violence’ Documentary Continues With Yet Another Defamation Claim

    Chris Brown’s claims against documentary producers were dismissed, but the same judge has allowed his claims against an interview subject to continue. Despite Chris Brown’s defamation claims against the producers of the documentary Chris Brown: A History of Violence getting tossed, the same judge has declined to throw out his defamation claims against a woman […]

11. Romanian Court Upholds Wiz Khalifa’s Nine-Month Prison Sentence on Drug Charges

    A Romanian appellate court has upheld the nine-month prison sentence handed down to US rapper Wiz Khalifa for cannabis possession in the country. The appeals court has rejected the rapper’s bid to have the conviction tossed out. The Constanța Court of Appeal deemed the rapper’s request to annul the December ruling inadmissible. The court also […]

12. Did Mick Jagger ‘Give His Blessing to ‘Melania’?’ — Controversy Erupts Over Rolling Stones Inclusion in Documentary

    Melania producer Marc Beckman says his team received Mick Jagger’s blessing to use the Rolling Stones song “Gimme Shelter” in the film. But other sources close to Jagger say the claim is spurious at best. “We worked very close with them on that,” Beckman said. “And that wasn’t a political thing. With the Stones, they […]

13. ‘Twas a Great Day for Music Stocks: Spotify Jumps on Arete Research Upgrade, Warner Music Climbs 4%, and Reservoir Rises 18% Amid Reported Irenic Capital Takeover Attempt

    It turns out all Spotify stock (NYSE: SPOT) needed to rebound was a positive assessment from Arete Research: Shares spiked by 7% today, to almost $500 a pop, after the firm upgraded to buy and settled on a $586 target. Meanwhile, Reservoir Media (NASDAQ: RSVR) stock jumped by closer to 20% amid a reported activist […]

14. EVEN Calls a Discrimination and Sexual Misconduct Lawsuit ‘Baseless’ — And They Have the Smoking-Gun Text Message to Prove It

    Superfan platform EVEN pushes back against a music exec’s allegations of workplace discrimination in the two parties’ ongoing litigation. But does a single ‘smoking gun’ text message prove their case. Direct-to-consumer superfan platform EVEN is facing a lawsuit from former executive Damien “DDot” Washington, while the two parties are also co-defendants in a separate lawsuit...

15. GoldState Music Scores ‘Significant Investment’ Under Bridgepoint Partnership, Eyes Potential Deals Spanning ‘The Broader Music Ecosystem’

    GoldState Music and Bridgepoint have finalized a funding partnership that will pursue investments in “profitable” businesses operating “across the music value chain.” Four-year-old GoldState reached out with word of its latest tie-up today, less than one year after unveiling a $500 million strategic-capital raise from Northleaf and Ares. On the other end of the newer...