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. Great Mountain Partners Launches $600 Million Media and Entertainment Fund, Targets Deals ‘At the Intersection of Premium Content, Audiences, and New Monetization Models’

   Targeting plays in music, live entertainment, and more, Concord stakeholder Great Mountain Partners (GMP) has launched a $600 million investment fund called Saranac Holdings LP. GMP today disclosed the launch of Saranac Holdings, not to be confused with the existing Boise-based investor of the same name or London-headquartered Saranac Partners. According to the appropriate release, […]

2. Celebrated Opera Singer Jubilant Sykes Murdered in Santa Monica; Son Arrested by Police

   Opera and gospel singer Jubilant Sykes was stabbed to death in his Santa Monica home on Monday, allegedly by his son, who is in police custody. Classical, opera, and gospel singer Jubilant Sykes was stabbed to death on Monday in his Santa Monica home, allegedly by his son, who is in custody, police told KTLA. […]

3. Dynamic Duo Gene Simmons and Michael Huppe Tell Senators to ‘Close the Radio Loophole’ in America

   KISS’s Gene Simmons and SoundExchange President Michael Huppe call on Congress to require AM/FM radio stations to pay artists for using their music. A dynamic duo of KISS’s Gene Simmons and SoundExchange President and CEO Michael Huppe have forcefully called on Congress to require AM/FM radio corporations to pay artists for the use of their […]

4. Patrick Moxey, Ultra/Payday Publishing, and Sony Music Officially End Their Years-Running Legal Battle

   One hard-fought legal battle later, Sony Music and Patrick Moxey’s Payday Music Publishing (formerly Ultra International Music Publishing) have put their marathon dispute to rest. Both parties made that resolution official in a dismissal notice yesterday, about eight months removed from Ultra Publishing’s Payday rebranding. As we reported, the name change followed Sony Music’s purchase...

5. Bad Brains Taps Matt Pincus-Helmed Trust Records to Oversee Recording, Publishing, and NIL Rights

   Influential punk band Bad Brains partners with Matt Pincus’ Trust Records to oversee recording, publishing, and name, image, and likeness rights. Influential punk band Bad Brains has announced a partnership with Trust Records, the Matt Pincus-founded company designed to ensure classic punk and hardcore music proliferates. Under the new deal, Trust Records will continue to […]

6. The Mavericks Frontman Raul Malo Passes Away, Aged 60

   The Mavericks’ frontman Raul Malo, whose rich voice defined a band that brought Latin flavor to country music in the 1990s, passed away on Monday. Raul Malo, quintessential lead singer of the Mavericks, the group that boldly brought Latin flavor and rock vibes to country music since 1989, passed away on Monday. No cause of […]

7. KISS, Gloria Gaynor, George Strait Among Trump’s Kennedy Center Honorees; Airing Slated for December 23 on CBS, Paramount

   Trump’s Kennedy Center honorees include KISS, Gloria Gaynor, George Strait, and actors Michael Crawford and Sylvester Stallone. On Sunday night at the 48th annual Kennedy Center Honors, President Trump took center stage to host the institution’s awards show as he continues to overhaul programming and plan renovations. This year’s honorees include country singer-songwriter George Strait, […]

8. Spotify Starts Rolling Out Music Videos In the US and Canada

   Spotify has started the beta launch of music videos to premium users across the U.S. and Canada after launching in dozens of other markets worldwide. Music streaming giant Spotify is finally rolling out music videos in a beta launch to premium subscribers across the U.S. and Canada after launching them in dozens of other markets […]

9. USCO Leadership Battle Rages On: Government Says Shira Perlmutter ‘Was Lawfully Removed As Register of Copyrights—Either by Mr. Blanche or by the President’

   Seven months later, the Copyright Office leadership battle is raging on – with the litigation now playing out across a district court, an appellate court, and the Supreme Court alike. We’ve covered the multifaceted dispute since USCO head Shira Perlmutter was fired in May. And for a courtroom confrontation revolving around one seemingly straightforward question […]

10. Paramount Makes $108 Billion Hostile All-Cash Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery — Though Either Mega-Merger Likely to Face Regulatory Scrutiny

    Paramount announces an all-cash bid to acquire all outstanding shares of Warner Bros. Discovery after Netflix’s $83 billion offer to buy it last week. On Friday, Netflix announced an $83 billion deal to buy a significant part of Warner Bros. Discovery in an agreement approved by the boards of both companies. Now, Paramount has bypassed […]

11. King Gizzard Pulled Their Music from Spotify In Protest—Now AI Rip-Offs Are Running Rampant

    Aussie prog rockers King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard pulled their music from Spotify in July. Now, copycats are using genAI to clone the band’s sound. Australian prog rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard joined an ever-growing list of artists when it pulled its music from Spotify in July. But now, impersonators are […]

12. Trump Promises to Block Any State-Specific AI Rules—But Doing So Will Likely Require Congress Approval

    Trump wants to enact ‘one rule’ to rule all AI legislation across the US to prevent state-specific laws surrounding artificial intelligence. U.S. President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform on Monday that he would sign an executive order this week to create a single national rule for artificial intelligence. The move would deliver […]

13. Looks Like a Sony Music-Udio Settlement Will Have to Wait: Presiding Judge Officially Cancels Status Conference as Discovery Continues

    A Sony Music-Udio settlement appears unlikely for 2025: In keeping with early evidence that the companies would continue litigating, a previously scheduled status conference has officially been axed. Technically, the major label and the AI music generator started December by asking the court to shelve their planned December 12th conference. In the same letter to […]

14. Don’t Call It a Comeback—Billy McFarland’s PHNX Wasn’t Quite Fyre Fest 3

    Third time’s the charm? Billy McFarland’s PHNX festival actually went off (mostly) without a hitch, complete with artists, attendees, and bathrooms. After the infamous failures of Fyre Fests 1 and 2, Billy McFarland stunned critics over the weekend by actually putting on a music festival. PHNX took place in Honduras on Saturday night, complete with […]

15. CRB Confirms 2026 Mechanical Royalty Rate Increase — Cost of Living Bump Set to Reach Downloads and Physical Formats

    The Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) has announced a 2026 mechanical rate cost of living adjustment for permanent downloads and physical formats including vinyl. The CRB (and specifically Christina Shifton, the Board’s interim chief copyright royalty judge) just recently disclosed the statutory license rate increase in the Federal Register. Turning the clock back a few years, […]