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. TikTok Toes the Subscription Waters With ‘Ad-Free’ Plan In the UK

   TikTok is rolling out an ad-free subscription plan in the UK for users 18 and over for £3.99 a month. Users who subscribe won’t see ads on the platform, and their data won’t be used for advertising purposes. In the coming months, TikTok will be introducing an ad-free subscription plan in the UK for £3.99 […]

2. Samsung Denies ‘Any Allegations of Intentional Misuse’ Amid $15 Million Dua Lipa Lawsuit, Says It Remains ‘Open to a Constructive Resolution’

   Samsung has officially responded to Dua Lipa’s copyright infringement lawsuit by denying “any allegations of intentional misuse” and underscoring that it’s “open to a constructive resolution with Ms. Lipa’s team.” Samsung addressed the $15 million complaint in response to DMN’s comment request; we previously broke down the straightforward suit in detail. But to recap, the […]

3. Tencent Music Posts 7.3% Q1 2026 Revenue Jump, Points to Triple-Digit Live Growth and Continued Superfan Expansion

   Amid a continued SVIP expansion and a triple-digit revenue boost on the concerts side, Tencent Music Entertainment (TME) has reported nearly $1.2 billion in Q1 2026 revenue. The QQ, Kugou, Kuwo, and WeSing operator shed light on its first-quarter financials today. Unfortunately for us, there isn’t a ton of depth to the report; execs previously […]

4. The Twigs Countersue FKA Twigs Amid Intensifying Trademark Dispute; New Claims Look to Bar the Name ‘FKA Twigs’ for LIfe

   The Twigs v. Twigs trademark showdown just got even uglier: Now, The Twigs have fired back against FKA Twigs’ lawsuit with a firmly worded countercomplaint seeking, among other things, an order barring the artist from using the contested name. The Twigs – or the indie-pop duo consisting of twin sisters Laura and Linda Good – […]

5. UMG’s Hybe x Geffen Announces Their Second Girl Group After Katseye

   Hybe and Geffen Records announce their second global girl group, Saint Satine, after the finale of music survival show “World Scout: The Final Piece.” It’s official: Hybe and Geffen Records have unveiled their second global girl group following the worldwide success of Katseye. Saint Satine is a four-piece group that was mainly known as Prelude […]

6. Spotify Is Smartly Expanding Its Fan-Favorite Wrapped-Style Recaps

   Spotify ramps up its Wrapped recaps as part of its 20th anniversary celebration, releasing a limited-time look at your entire listening history. As part of Spotify’s 20th anniversary celebration, the streamer has unveiled a limited-time, mobile-only in-app experience giving users a “playful, nostalgia-driven look back at your music listening history.” It contains moments such as […]

7. The Thief Who Swiped Beyoncé’s Unreleased Tracks In a Brazen Heist Is Now Going to Prison

   The man accused of stealing hard drives containing unreleased Beyoncé music has avoided a jury trial by pleading guilty and will serve prison time. Kelvin Evans, the 40-year-old man accused of stealing hard drives from Beyoncé’s team containing unreleased music, pleaded guilty in Fulton County Superior Court on Tuesday, thus avoiding a jury trial. Evans […]

8. Apple Music Drops the Paywall for Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Requiem Premiere Alongside AMC Screenings

   Apple Music is inviting all of Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters to the final chapter of her Mayhem era with “Apple Music Live: Lady Gaga Mayhem Requiem.” Lady Gaga has teamed up with Apple Music for a special recorded live performance, “Apple Music Live: Lady Gaga Mayhem Requiem.” The show was filmed live in January at […]

9. Michael Jackson’s ‘Secret Family’ Doubles Down on Abuse Accusations After Legal Setbacks

   Amid the success of the new Michael Jackson biopic, four siblings alleging child sex abuse double down on their claims in a new interview. The Cascio family, four siblings who filed a lawsuit against the Michael Jackson estate in February, doubled down on their claims of child sexual abuse in a new interview with “60 […]

10. Ye the Infringer Strikes Again: Kanye Slapped With a Six-Figure Fine Over ‘Donda’ Copyright Theft

    A federal jury found Kanye West liable for copyright infringement over the track “Hurricane,” first played at a listening party for his album Donda. It’s the latest in a long string of copyright infringement cases for the virulently antisemitic rapper. On Tuesday, a federal Los Angeles jury found Kanye West (who now goes by Ye), […]

11. Downtown’s CD Baby Unwraps a Full-Service Indie Artist Offering — Powered by the Indie Cred of Molly Neuman

    Downtown’s CD Baby distribution mainstay, now part of Virgin Music Group, is expanding its core distribution know-how to include full-service, hands-on support for select indie artists. Here’s more on the just-unveiled ‘Stages Selects’ offering, spearheaded by CD Baby president (and Riot Grrrl pioneer) Molly Neuman. Distro mainstay CD Baby is now pulling back the curtain […]

12. 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...

13. 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 […]

14. Kendrick Lamark Scrubs ‘Not Like Us’, ‘Luther’ Videos From YouTube, ‘GNX’ & ‘Euphoria’ from Apple Music—Then Mysteriously Restores Them

    Kendrick Lamar’s album GNX disappeared from Apple Music, while the music videos for “Not Like Us” and “Luther” also mysteriously vanished from YouTube. All were restored hours later. Kendrick Lamar seems to be making moves, but no one is sure what they mean just yet. On Monday, Kendrick Lamar’s 2024 album GNX and track “Euphoria” […]

15. Warner Music and Suno Really, Really Don’t Want You to See Their Licensing Agreement — And They’re Fighting Tooth-and-Nail Against UMG and Sony to Keep It Private

    Suno and Warner Music Group (WMG) really don’t want to reveal the terms of their lawsuit-ending licensing agreement: Now, the AI music generator is aggressively firing back against a demand from Universal Music and Sony Music to produce the deal. We initially covered that demand late last month, not long after Universal Music and Sony […]