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. Warner Music Reports 14% Q4 2025 Subscription Revenue Growth, Inks New TikTok Deal, and Expands Its Bain Capital Catalog JV

     Warner Music Group (WMG) has reported a 10% revenue jump – and a 27% net income slip – for Q4 2025 (its fiscal first quarter). Meanwhile, with all manner of AI deals and initiatives now picking up steam, execs are adamant that material growth is on the way. All told, WMG generated $1.84 billion […]

2. California Proposes Capping Ticket Resales at 10% Above Face Value — Here’s a Look at the ‘Fans First Act’

   California Assemblyman Matt Haney introduces a bill that would cap ticket resales for concert, theater, and comedy events at 10% above face value. California Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) today introduced a bill to cap the resale of concert and live event tickets at no more than 10% above face value. The California Fans First […]

3. Sony Music Posts Double-Digit Q4 2025 Revenue Jump Amid Live/Merch and Publishing Gains — Top Sellers Include Rosalía, Pink Floyd, and Tyler, the Creator

   Sony Music Group has posted a double-digit revenue jump for Q4 2025 (the fiscal third quarter) thanks in part to boosts across physical, merch, and publishing. Said jump came to light in the overarching Sony Group Corp.’s newly released earnings report for October, November, and December 2025. All told, the conglomerate acknowledged a cool ¥538.66 […]

4. Live Nation’s Proposed Music Venue in Maine Might Go Down in Flames

   A proposed ordinance requiring a buffer between venues could effectively cease Live Nation’s plans to build a new music venue in Portland, Maine. The planning board in Portland, Maine, is set to review a proposed ordinance change that could shutter Live Nation’s plans to build a new music venue in the city. The ordinance would […]

5. TikTok Traffic Rapidly Rebounds After US-Based Split-Off, Latest Data Reveals

   TikTok has mostly recovered from its dip in active users in the days immediately following its US ownership change, according to the latest data. According to data from digital market intelligence firm Similarweb, TikTok has mostly recovered from the usage dip it experienced in the days immediately following its ownership change to a consortium of […]

6. The Orchard Goes Big in Japan with Avex Music Group in a Global Distribution Deal

   Japanese entertainment giant Avex Music Group partners with The Orchard for a global distribution deal of all future releases across territories. Avex Music Group, the global music company of Japanese entertainment giant Avex, has announced a partnership with The Orchard for distribution of all future releases in territories worldwide. The first new music expected to […]

7. Spotify Unveils Page Match to Seamlessly Between Audiobooks and Print Books

   The rumors are true: Spotify launches Page Match to enable users to seamlessly switch between audio and physical book formats. On February 5, Spotify announced the launch of its Page Match feature, a functionality that had been rumored to be in the works since late last month. The feature takes major cues from Audible’s reading […]

8. ElevenLabs Raises $500 Million at an $11 Billion Valuation, Confirms Plans for ‘Creative Offering’ Expansion

   AI voice giant ElevenLabs has raised $500 million at an $11 billion valuation – with plans in place to continue expanding its music-generation capabilities. Co-founder Mati Staniszewski took to LinkedIn to shed light on the half-billion-dollar Series D, with his business having scored a $180 million Series C about one year ago. At the time […]

9. Spotify Stock (SPOT) Plunges Another 7% in Wednesday Trading, Erasing All 2025 Gains

   Spotify stock takes another hit in Wednesday trading amid a broader rout in tech stocks, down 7% on the day and more than 23% in 2026. Spotify’s stock (SPOT) continues to take a bath in 2026, amid broader downturns across tech and other sectors. On Wednesday trading, the stock ended just above $440—down over 7% […]

10. Soundtrack Technologies Acquires Ambie and Tunify to Expand European B2B Music Operations

    Soundtrack Technologies acquires European B2B music provider Tunify and UK-based background music service Ambie to widen its operational presence. Stockholm-headquartered Soundtrack Technologies has announced the acquisition of Tunify, a B2B music provider in the Benelux (Belgium-Netherlands-Luxembourg) region, and UK-based background music service Ambie. These acquisitions establish Soundtrack...

11. TikTok Is Dramatically Overhauling Its Artist Compensation Rules In 2026 — And This Time, It’s Good News for Music Creators and IP Owners

    TikTok is one of the most notoriously artist-unfriendly platforms on the planet. But according to DMN’s latest intel, the UGC giant is now overhauling its payout methodology to something slightly more reasonable. Spotify is notorious for its paltry paychecks to artists. But sadly, there’s way, way worse out there. Irving Azoff has repeatedly blasted YouTube […]

12. Suno Exec Goes On a Lengthy Rant Against ‘Walled Gardens’ After Marathon Music Industry Meetings — Is This Going to the Bad Place?

    Artificial intelligence licensing deals are continuing to pour in, and according to many, the music world is steadily positioning itself to benefit from yet another disruptive technology. But beneath all the optimism, is there a fundamental disconnect between AI giants and leading industry players? Right off the bat, one might be inclined to answer in […]

13. Actually, Make That $11.02 Billion in 2025 Funding: Aria Discloses Late-2025 $15 Million Raise — Adding Even More to the Unprecedented Levels of Music Industry Funding Last Year

    In September, Aria secured $15 million in seed and strategic funding, according to details shared with Digital Music News earlier today. That brings the total of 2025 funding across the industry to an unprecedented $11.022 billion. In September, Aria Protocol secured $15 million in combined seed and strategic funding to help accelerate its ecosystem of […]

14. Oakley Meta Makes Super Bowl Debut With Travis Scott Soundtrack + Spike Lee, Marshawn Lynch, iShowSpeed

    Oakley Meta is debuting a new campaign at the Super Bowl, starring sports icons and culture makers like Marshawn Lynch, Spike Lee, and iShowSpeed. In its Super Bowl debut, Oakley Meta is bringing a high-octane campaign to the stage that positions performance wearables as the next big thing in sports. The campaign, titled, Athletic Intelligence […]

15. New York Times Walks Back Bad Bunny Article After NFL Player Survey Goes Sideways

    The New York Times issues an apology following an NFL player’s harsh comment on Bad Bunny in its anonymous survey of players ahead of the big game. The Athletic, now the sports-focused subsidiary of The New York Times, issued an apology after an NFL player ragged on Bad Bunny’s upcoming Super Bowl halftime show performance […]