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. iHeartMedia and SiriusXM Reportedly in Merger Talks

   iHeartMedia and SiriusXM are in early merger discussions, with music industry vet Irving Azoff and Apollo Global Management advising on the matter. Following early rumblings of a potential merger between iHeartMedia and SiriusXM, initially reported by Bloomberg, a source has now confirmed to Variety that the companies are in early discussions for a merger—not the […]

2. High Winds Wreak Havoc at Stagecoach as Journey, Other Sets Flat-Out Cancelled

   Severe weather plagues Stagecoach over the weekend, leading to cancelled and delayed shows and upset attendees who were given the runaround. High winds in Southern California led to an emergency evacuation at the Stagecoach country music festival, hosted at the same site that Coachella used the past two weekends. Headlined by Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, […]

3. D4vd Goes from Fortnite Hero to Zero — Epic Games Issues Refunds for D4vd Cosmetics for Players Who Request Them

   As D4vd faces murder charges, Fortnite creator Epic Games confirms it will refund D4vd cosmetics for any player who requests it via player support. Musician and Fortnite player D4vd, who got his start making content centered on the game before he began making his own music, has been charged with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste […]

4. Sam Altman’s Iris-Scanning Orb Company Announces a Bruno Mars Partnership That Doesn’t Exist

   Sam Altman’s iris-scanning Orb startup announced a partnership with Bruno Mars to promote its new Concert Kit. But the partnership doesn’t exist. Last week, OpenAI head Sam Altman’s iris-scanning Orb company, Tools for Humanity, announced a partnership with Bruno Mars to promote its new Concert Kit product. Designed to give “verified humans” a new way […]

5. Diddy Hopes to Secure Default Win in Defamation Lawsuit Over Sex Tape Claims

   Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs moves to secure a default win in his defamation suit against a woman who failed to respond to the lawsuit over alleged sex tapes. In a lawsuit filed before his conviction on prostitution charges last year, Sean “Diddy” Combs has moved to secure a default win against Courtney Burgess, who failed to […]

6. ‘Michael’ US Opening Weekend Sets Record for Biggest Biopic — Music or Otherwise

   Michael moonwalks to new heights for biopics of all kinds with a record-smashing $97 million domestic opening, beating Straight Outta Compton. In an impressive opening weekend, the Antoine Fuqua-directed Michael Jackson biopic achieved new heights for a biopic of any genre, with a record-setting $97 million domestic opening and $120.4 million overseas, for a total […]

7. As ‘Michael’ Premieres, the Jackson Estate Moves to Compel Arbitration Against the Cascio Family Under 2020 Agreement

   In the entertainment world, the newly released Michael might be poised to break box office records. But in the courtroom, the Michael Jackson estate has moved to compel arbitration in the ugly sexual abuse complaint filed by multiple Cascio family members. The King of Pop’s estate just recently made its arbitration push official, about two […]

8. TikTok Says Its ‘Add to Music App’ Track Saves Have Surpassed 6 Billion In a Year

   TikTok reveals its “Add to Music App” feature has been used to save more than 6 billion tracks to premium music streaming services in the past year. TikTok has announced that its “Add to Music App” function has been used to save more than 6 billion tracks to premium music streaming services over the last […]

9. Madonna Knows Her Audience: Pop Diva Partners With Grindr for Global Launch of ‘Confessions II’

   Madonna teams up with LGBTQ+ social networking app Grindr for an exclusive partnership to launch “Confessions II,” just in time for Pride season. Madonna has long been an icon for the gay community, and the artist has long returned that sentiment, using her platform to advocate for LGBTQ+ people across the world. Now, ahead of […]

10. Universal Music and Sony Music Aggressively Push to Obtain Warner Music’s Suno Agreement Terms Amid Discovery Dispute — As Another ‘Rolling Cipher’ Decision Comes Down

    It’s high time for Suno to disclose the terms of its Warner Music licensing deal – at least according to Universal Music and Sony Music, which are aggressively pushing to obtain a copy of the contract via discovery. Earlier this week, we touched on the litigating majors’ attempt to get their hands on the Suno-WMG […]

11. Latest Music Industry Hires: Warner Chappell India, Beatport, Apple, Surfdog, Big Machine, Versa, K-Love, More

    Here’s a recap of recent music industry hires and in-house promotions as of April 24th, 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 […]

12. Spotify Launches Global Campaign Tied to Release of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

    Spotify launches a global campaign for the release of “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” featuring select tracks from the Super Mario Galaxy video games. To celebrate the Super Mario Bros. franchise’s 40th anniversary, Spotify is launching a global campaign in collaboration with Nintendo, tied to the release of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. As part […]

13. Judge Dismisses Diddy’s $100 Million Defamation Lawsuit Against NBC Over ‘Making of a Bad Boy’ Documentary

    A judge has dismissed Diddy’s $100 million defamation lawsuit against NBC over its “Bad Boy” documentary after the rap mogul admitted in court that he ruined his own career. A New York judge has dismissed Sean “Diddy” Combs’ $100 million defamation lawsuit against NBC and Peacock over the 2025 documentary, Diddy: Making of a Bad […]

14. Rumblings Emerge on a Potential $3 Billion Sale of Wasserman (Sorry, ‘The Team’)

    Suitors are lining up to court the former Wasserman agency since it rebranded and put itself up for sale to distance itself from its namesake. Since Casey Wasserman’s emails surfaced in the Epstein files, the agency that carried his name has been hard at work rebranding to The Team and cutting ties with its now-controversial […]

15. Judge Tosses Smokey Robinson’s $500 Million Defamation Countersuit Against Jane Doe Accusers

    A judge has dismissed Smokey Robinson’s defamation countersuit filed against his accusers, who filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against the Motown legend. A judge has dismissed Smokey Robinson’s defamation claims in a countersuit filed against his former employees, who sued the Motown legend last year. The judge determined there was no evidence that the former […]