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. Long Beach Amphitheater Opens Less Than Six Months After Breaking Ground

   Now that naming rights have been secured by FMB, Long Beach’s new $21 million amphitheater opens this week with a show from hometown hero Snoop Dogg. California’s new waterfront amphitheater, the FMB Amphitheater of Long Beach, will open this week, only six months after Legends Global broke ground on the $21 million project. Naming rights […]

2. Fender Slaps PRS with Cease-and-Desist Over Iconic Stratocaster Design

   Fender won the rights to the iconic Stratocaster body shape, and now the company is issuing a cease-and-desist to PRS Guitars over John Mayer’s Silver Sky. Fender was awarded broad rights to the iconic Stratocaster guitar body shape in a landmark copyright case. Now, the company is issuing a cease-and-desist to PRS Guitars. PRS makes […]

3. Live Nation Takes Majority Stake in Argentina’s Dale Play Live Amid Aggressive LATAM Expansion: ‘Buenos Aires Is the Second Largest Music Market in South America and a Priority’

   Another day, another international acquisition for Live Nation, which has taken a majority interest in Argentina’s Dale Play Live and deemed Buenos Aires “a priority” amid a broader expansion across Latin America. Live Nation unveiled its newest Dale Play “strategic partnership” today, four months after scoring a multifaceted deal centering on the Mâs Monumental Stadium. […]

4. M.I.A. Sues Kid Cudi After Being Booted from the Rebel Ragers Tour, Says She ‘Was Terminated to Generate Publicity’ Amid ‘Low Ticket Sales’

   M.I.A. is suing Kid Cudi for inducing breach of contract and more after being booted from the Rebel Ragers Tour, claiming that she “was terminated to generate publicity” amid low ticket sales. M.I.A. (real name Mathangi Arulpragasam) just recently submitted the straightforward suit to a California federal court, naming Kid Cudi (real name Scott Mescudi) […]

5. Is Apple Music About to Rejigger Its Plans? Android Apple Music Beta Indicates New Subscription Tiers on the Horizon

   Code in Apple Music’s Android client beta hints at new subscription tiers and features that don’t exist in the current iteration of the music service. Apple Music has long been a streaming service that provided all users with the same level of service regardless of their subscription plan. But code spotted in the developer beta […]

6. Trump Moves to Cancel Freedom 250 Concert Series After Multiple Artists Drop Out

   After several artists dropped out of the planned US Freedom 250 festival, Trump said “cancel it,” calling the planned performers “overpriced” and “boring.” President Trump is cancelling the planned musical performances for the United States’ 250th birthday after several artists dropped out. By Sunday (May 31), only a few acts remained on the bill out […]

7. Carpenter Brut Comes to Fortnite to Enrich the ‘ARTE Riff Mountain’ Gamified Island Immersive Project

   Carpenter Brut comes to Fortnite from May 29 to June 26 in an immersive and gamified racing project with nods to the Hellfest summer rock festival. Darkwave synth artist Carpenter Brut is in Fortnite for a limited time, thanks to the ARTE Riff Mountain project, an immersive and gamified island inspired by the Hellfest summer […]

8. Universal Music Board Unanimously Rejects Pershing Square Takeover Bid, Says ‘It Fundamentally and Materially Undervalues UMG’

   As expected, Universal Music Group’s board has formally rejected Pershing Square’s $64 billion takeover proposal after being urged to do so by Bolloré Group. We covered Bolloré Group’s clear-cut opposition to the bid earlier this week, when CEO Cyrille Bolloré criticized key elements (among them price and control particulars) of the offer during his own […]

9. US District Court Judge Orders Immediate Removal of Trump Name from Kennedy Center While Cancelling Renovations; Trump Immediately Fires Back

   A US District Court judge has now ruled that adding Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center was a violation of federal law, while further ordering the immediate removal of the Trump name from the building. A two-year renovation plan has also been nixed by the Obama-appointed judge. On Friday (May 29th), a federal judge ruled […]

10. Too Lost Taps Jay Moore to Drive Artist Financing and Catalog Acquisitions

    Too Lost has appointed Jay Moore as Chief Investment Officer (CIO), signaling a deeper push into catalog investment and artist financing within the independent music sector. This article was created in collaboration with DMN partner Too Lost. The Los Angeles-based company, known for its distribution and technology platform for independent artists and labels, confirmed that […]

11. Moments After Scoring a Big Legal Victory Against Music Publishers, Anthropic Scores a Cool $65 Billion Funding Round

    Anthropic announces a $65 billion funding round at a valuation of $965 billion, pushing it ahead of OpenAI in the artificial intelligence race. On Thursday, Anthropic said it had raised $65 billion in its latest funding round at a post-money valuation of $965 billion, bolstering the Claude chatbot company in the artificial intelligence race. More […]

12. Latest Music Industry Hires: Weverse, TuneCore, Too Lost, U2, Spirit Music, iHeartMedia, Pophouse, More

    Here’s a recap of recent music industry hires and in-house promotions as of May 29th, 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. Live Nation Settles With Beyond Wonderland Shooting Victims Ahead of Broader Trial

    Live Nation has settled a lawsuit with the families of two women shot and killed during the 2023 Beyond Wonderland festival at The Gorge Amphitheatre. Live Nation has reached an undisclosed settlement with the families of two women, Brandy Escamilla, 29, and Josilyn Ruiz, 26, who were shot and killed during the 2023 Beyond Wonderland […]

14. Music Business Manager Fights to Stay Out of Prison After Allegedly Stealing Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars from Juice WRLD and Others

    Sean Welch, a music business manager accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from clients including Juice WRLD, is battling to stay out of federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud. Though the Industry Management Group founder Welch only entered that guilty plea in December 2025, the case itself has been flying under […]

15. Katy Perry’s Court Wins Hit $5 Million In Long-Running Mansion Dispute

    An LA court says a Texas millionaire has to pay Katy Perry nearly $5 million in legal fees after losing a court battle over the sale of a mansion. Katy Perry has been awarded over $3 million in legal fees following a multi-year legal battle against Carl Westcott over the sale of a California mansion. […]