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. UMG, Concord Seriously Supersize Their Anthropic Lawsuit—New $3.1B Claim Alleges Blatant Infringement and Piracy

   Potentially the biggest copyright case in US history, a coalition including UMG and Concord claims Anthropic engaged in mass-scale piracy to train its AI models. A coalition of music publishers led by Universal Music Group, Concord Music Group, and ABKCO Music has filed a new copyright infringement lawsuit against AI company Anthropic, alleging mass-scale piracy […]

2. 50 Cent, Netflix Slapped with $20M Lawsuit Over ‘Sean Combs: The Reckoning’

   A former sex worker featured in Netflix’s Diddy docuseries is suing the company and 50 Cent, alleging they distorted his account of events through selective editing. Netflix and 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) are being sued for $20 million by a former sex worker, Clayton Howard, who was featured in the Netflix docuseries, “Sean Combs: The […]

3. Harry Styles Breaks Wembley Stadium Performance Records With the ‘Together, Together Tour,’ Topping Coldplay and Taylor Swift

   Harry Styles is set to break the single-year record for Wembley Stadium performances with his upcoming Together, Together Tour, which is expected to bring 12 shows to the 90,000-capacity venue. Wembley Stadium itself shed light on the record-breaking run today, less than one week after Styles and Live Nation teed up six June 2026 concerts […]

4. Napster Rolls Out AI Music Creation in App Overhaul Amid Broader AI Shift

   Napster unveils new AI-powered app experiences to “bring AI creations and video companions to mobile devices” amid its broader push into the AI space. Napster—once a peer-to-peer music-sharing platform turned streamer, now a self-proclaimed innovation company “powering the next generation of embodied and agentic AI”—announced a redesign to its mobile app for iOS and Android. […]

5. Indie Promoter Calls Out Live Nation Before US Senate in Hearing As NCL Drives to Push TICKET Act Forward — “Ticketing is Broken”

   Consumer advocates and indie promoters unite in urging senators to look at the bigger picture in a move to reform the ticketing industry. Today, the subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation heard testimony from consumer advocates, indie promoters, and Kid Rock in a hearing to discuss the live entertainment industry and […]

6. Primary Wave Confirms ‘Strategic Investment’ in RUN — Financing Platform Says It’s Developed ‘The Ultimate Funding Tool for Music Rights’

   Primary Wave has officially invested in RUN, a three-year-old music financing platform that says it’s already “deployed tens of millions of dollars in capital to hundreds of artists.” New York City-based Primary Wave formally unveiled the “strategic investment” today. Founded in early 2023 by Diego Farias (formerly Amuse’s CEO) and Christoffer Mård (previously Amuse’s chief […]

7. Audacy CEO Triggers Major Realignment Around ‘Verticals’ Instead of ‘Market Geography’

   Audacy announces a significant realignment strategy around “verticals” instead of “market geography” in a content-first model shift. On Tuesday, Kelli Turner, Audacy President and CEO, announced a major company realignment in an internal memo to staff. The goal is to shift away from traditional market-based management and toward a “vertical” content and leadership structure in […]

8. Amazon Is Laying Off 16,000 People—Is Amazon Music Part of the Latest ‘Adjustment’?

   Amazon plans to eliminate around 16,000 corporate jobs in its second round of massive layoffs since October. Will Amazon Music be affected? The bloodletting continues. On Wednesday—after an internal email leaked—Amazon announced plans to cut about 16,000 corporate jobs. It’s Amazon’s second round of major layoffs since October last year, when the company let 14,000 […]

9. Spotify Says It ‘Accounts for Roughly 30% of Recorded Music Revenue,’ Plans Crackdown Targeting ‘Low-Quality Slop’ Designed ‘To Divert Royalties Away from Authentic Artists’

   Spotify has claimed that it now accounts for approximately 30% of recorded music revenue – and confirmed plans to crack down on “low-quality slop” designed “to divert royalties away from authentic artists.” Spotify head of music Charlie Hellman disclosed the payout stat, the plans to counteract some AI slop, and more in a 1,200-word blog […]

10. Philip Glass Cancels ‘Trump Kennedy Center’ Symphony Premiere; National Symphony Orchestra Vows to Play On

    Composer Philip Glass has cancelled his world premiere of a symphony scheduled at the Kennedy Center in protest of Trump’s leadership. Award-winning composer Philip Glass has cancelled his scheduled world premiere of a symphony about Abraham Lincoln at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The move is the latest in a deluge […]

11. Range Sports Acquires Superfly—Though Outside Lands Isn’t Part of the Deal

    Range Sports acquires live events company Superfly, bringing in its founders, leadership team, and staff—but Outside Lands isn’t included in the deal. Range Sports has announced the acquisition of live events powerhouse Superfly, bringing its founders Rick Farman, Rich Goodstone, and Kerry Black, its leadership team, and its staff into the company. The newly rebranded […]

12. Wixen Music Publishing Sues Meta for $70 Million Over Alleged Plans to ‘Drastically Cut’ Royalties for Human Songwriters

    Wixen Music Publishing alleges that Meta wants to “drastically cut payments to human songwriters” and replace them with free AI-generated music. Wixen Music Publishing is suing Meta with allegations that the social media company is aiming to “drastically cut payments to human songwriters” and replace them with royalty-free, AI-generated music. As a result of calling […]

13. Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ Joins Spotify’s Billions Club, But Singer Says It ‘Makes Nothing’

    Bonnie Tyler’s iconic hit “Total Eclipse of the Heart” reaches over a billion streams, but the artist says it makes next to nothing in revenue. Turn around, Bright Eyes. Bonnie Tyler’s classic ‘80s hit, “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” has joined Spotify’s coveted Billions Club playlist by surpassing a billion streams on the platform. But […]

14. SiriusXM Returns as the Grammys’ ‘Official Radio Platform’ — Other 2026 Sponsors Include IBM, Hilton, United Airlines, Sony Corp., Häagen-Dazs, and More

    SiriusXM has once again signed on as the Grammys’ “official radio platform,” with Mastercard, Patrón, Dove, Hilton, and other high-profile companies also aboard as sponsors. Now five days out from the 2026 Grammys, the Recording Academy yesterday shed a bit of pre-ceremony light on its brand partners. Several longtime backers, among them IBM as well […]

15. Italian Photographer Drops Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Against Drake

    Drake scores a win as the copyright infringement lawsuit an Italian photographer filed against him over visuals in a music video was dismissed. Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti sued Drake for alleged copyright infringement back in November over visuals featured in the music video for “What Did I Miss?” Now, the lawsuit has been dismissed with […]