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. Musician Anders Manga Fires Back Against Stability AI Dismissal Push in Training-Focused Infringement Suit

   Want to opt out of AI music generators’ training datasets? Good luck: Stability AI is aggressively seeking to dismiss the infringement lawsuit filed by musician Anders Manga, who’s firing back against the push. We broke down the “Welcome to Darkness” artist’s copyright complaint in detail closer to 2026’s beginning. Long story short – and there’s […]

2. YouTube Re-Tools Premium Lite to Further Juice the Premium+Music Funnel

   YouTube expands its Premium Lite subscription tier to include offline downloads and background watching, previously only available in the full plan. In its broader push to make its paid offerings more enticing, YouTube has announced the expansion of its $7.99 per month Premium Lite subscription with some new features. This includes offline downloads—the ability to […]

3. Sphere Tees Up Metallica ‘Life Burns Faster’ Residency—With ’No Repeat Weekends’

   After months of rumors, Metallica confirms the band will debut its Life Burns Faster residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas this October. Today, following months of rumors and speculation, Metallica and the Las Vegas Sphere confirmed that the band will debut its “Life Burns Faster” residency at the venue. The highly anticipated eight show […]

4. ‘Tipsy’ Superstar Shaboozey Closes the Loop with Empire in New Contract Expansion

   Shaboozey signs a publishing deal with Empire, expanding his existing partnership with the company, whose record label he signed with in 2021. “Tipsy” sensation Shaboozey has signed a publishing deal with Empire Publishing, expanding his existing partnership with the company. The artist has been signed to Empire’s record label since 2021. The agreement moves Shaboozey’s […]

5. Ex-ADOR Chief Floats $18 Million Offer to ‘Free NewJeans’ from HYBE Lawsuits

   Former ADOR chief Min Hee-jin offers to forgo an $18 million payout if HYBE drops its lawsuits against K-pop group NewJeans. Min Hee-jin, the former boss of NewJeans’ label and HYBE subsidiary ADOR, said she would forgo a court-ordered payout of 25.6 billion won ($17.9 million) from HYBE in exchange for the company dropping all […]

6. DOJ Claps Back Against Live Nation’s ‘Meritless Attempt to Delay Trial’ — As the Concert Giant’s Lawyer Quietly Deletes His ‘Time to Move On’ Post

   Days out from the Live Nation antitrust trial kickoff, is the promoter getting cocky? Possibly: The Ticketmaster parent has now pulled its “It’s Time to Move On” blog post, and the DOJ has fired back against a “desperate plea” for “a last-minute stay.” Both developments just recently surfaced ahead of an expected March 2nd jury […]

7. Brian McKnight Takes Major Radio Network to Court Over Interview Gone Sideways

   Singer-songwriter Brian McKnight files a defamation lawsuit over a radio interview with his ex-wife in which he was accused of neglecting his kids. R&B singer-songwriter Brian McKnight is suing The Rickey Smiley Morning Show and North Carolina radio personality Karen Clark for defamation. The complaint stems from the public scrutiny surrounding the relationship between McKnight […]

8. Just Say No to Suno? Open Letter Compares Suno’s Training to the Louvre Heist

   Music industry figureheads have signed an open letter calling on the industry to ‘just say no to Suno.’ Key signees include representatives from the Music Artist Coalition, the European Composer and Songwriter Alliance, The Trichordist, ECR Music Group, and Artist Rights Institute. They demand the industry halt support for Suno’s AI music generation tools. The […]

9. Lyor Cohen Isn’t Your Best Friend — But He’s Getting Serious Results at YouTube Music

   YouTube Music head Lyor Cohen has been a music industry punching bag for the past few months. But he’s also getting a ton of new subscribers over at YouTube Music. Depending on your perspective, YouTube’s Lyor Cohen is either the guy ruining Billboard’s charts and screwing artists, or a legendary music exec building YouTube Music. […]

10. It Turns Out ClicknClear Is Fending Off an Ugly Lawsuit Filed by a Different ‘Niche’ Licensing Specialist — Judge Grants Dismissal Motion, Plaintiff Tees Up Appeal

    Many are familiar with ClicknClear from headlines about its Universal Music Group deal (and an Olympics licensing snafu). But the performance-sports-focused “music rights tech company” has quietly been fending off an ugly false advertising lawsuit since July 2025. The presiding judge recently granted ClicknClear’s motion to dismiss that suit – albeit while also enabling the […]

11. Royalty Platform Mogul Raises $5 Million In Latest Funding Round

    SoundCloud exec-founded royalty platform Mogul raises $5 million in a new round of funding led by the Yamaha Music Innovations Fund. Mogul, a platform for artists to track their income and royalties, has announced raising $5 million in a new round of funding led by the Yamaha Music Innovations Fund. The company, founded by former […]

12. List of Exiting Wasserman Music Artists Now Tops 20—But Still No Word From Mega-Stars Coldplay or Ed Sheeran

    The fallout from Wasserman Music founder Casey Wasserman’s ties to the Epstein files continues as more than 20 artists have cut ties with the agency. Wasserman Music’s future remains uncertain in the wake of its founder and namesake Casey Wasserman’s decision to sell the agency, faced with the apparent threat of mutiny on deck from […]

13. Spotify Stock Struggles Continue — Morgan Stanley, Guggenheim, and Others Remain Bullish Despite Target Price Reductions

    Is a rebound in the cards for Spotify stock (NYSE: SPOT)? Both Morgan Stanley and Guggenheim believe so, though the latter has sliced its SPOT target by nearly 17%. Despite that double-digit reduction, Guggenheim’s Michael Morris is still anticipating a climb to $600 per share for Spotify stock. Based on SPOT’s price at the time […]

14. Google Makes Another Huge AI Music Move—But What’s This Chainsmokers-Endorsed ‘ProducerAI’?

    Google takes another big step into the world of music production by bringing the Chainsmokers-endorsed ProducerAI into the Google Labs fray. AI-powered music-making platform ProducerAI is joining the Google Labs family in the tech giant’s latest major leap into AI content creation. ProducerAI, formerly known as the startup Riffusion, gained traction for its ability to […]

15. SACEM Signs ‘Landmark Agreement’ With the Emirates Arts & Music Rights Association (EMRA)—The First Collective Management Organization in the UAE

    SACEM signs a representation agreement with the Emirates Arts & Music Rights Association (EMRA), the first collective rights organization in the UAE. The Society of Authors, Composers, and Publishers of Music (SACEM) has announced the signing of a landmark representation agreement with the Emirates Arts & Music Rights Association (EMRA), the not-for-profit and first Collective […]