Thousands of signatures have been added to a petition to rename Nashville International Airport after Dolly Parton since her passing this week. Over 86,000 signatures have been added to a change.org petition after the passing of global philanthropist Dolly Parton to rename Nashvi…

SoundCloud has rolled out a limited beta for on-platform paid downloads, with eligible artists expected to “keep 100% of each sale.” The increasingly superfan-geared platform kicked off the beta today, pointing to an initial launch involving “approximately 200 U.S.-based Artist P…

Alex Warren is bringing his new album to TikTok with an exclusive live event and in-app fan experience, as well as his first Australian arena concert. Alex Warren has been diligently promoting his latest album, WILDCHILD, with an intimate, fan-driven TikTok Live event where he pr…

DIY website wikiHow has sued OpenAI for copyright infringement over the alleged misuse of its instructional content to train the company’s popular AI chatbot ChatGPT. On Friday, do-it-yourself site wikiHow filed a federal lawsuit in Manhattan against OpenAI with allegations that…

Artists are known for changing creative direction once or twice in their careers, and this year, genre-defining Australian electronic music producer and DJ, What So Not, entered a new artistic chapter. Dropping his new project, I SAW A TRAP DJ, AND IT CHANGED MY BIO CHEMISTRY, th…

Nearly 40 years later, a Milli Vanilli nostalgia license has taken shape in Saint Laurent’s fall advert campaign, which is set to “Girl I’m Gonna Miss You” and features Blackpink’s Rosé. The French fashion house formally kicked off that campaign today, after posting several previ…

A new white paper released by the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator exposes ticket resale practices inflating the cost of entry by $11 billion every year. Ticket resale prices continue to rise due to corporate middlemen and online ticketing platforms, making the cost of entry increas…

Stability AI has scored a $76 million Series B – for a total of over $230 million raised during the past two or so years – with support from all three majors, Electronic Arts, and others. The AI music, image, and video platform formally disclosed this latest funding round today,…

Former rap mogul Russell Simmons has reached an agreement with the Justice Department to recover a portion of a Celsius stock (NASDAQ: CELH) tranche worth north of $350 million. The DOJ, Simmons, and different parties yet recently made that settlement official – albeit without pu…

ElevenLabs announces the launch of Composer, a section-by-section song editor, in its AI song-generating platform ElevenMusic. Today, ElevenLabs announced the launch of Composer, a section-by-section song editor in ElevenMusic, the generative AI music platform the company launche…

Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, will not be performing in Russia, as originally planned. The stadium denies ever organizing such an event and says no rental agreements were signed. Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, was planning a set of concerts on October 10 and 11 at…

Gustavo Dudamel gave a blowout final performance at the Hollywood Bowl as he bid the LA Phil farewell, with help from Foo Fighters and Chris Martin. At the Hollywood Bowl over the weekend, the Los Angeles Philharmonic celebrated the career of Gustavo Dudamel, who’s departing for…

Today in social media infringement lawsuits: A massive complaint against Kroger, which is accused of using all manner of Sony Music recordings in promotional clips without authorization. Sony Music Entertainment (SME) and a number of its subsidiaries just recently submitted the l…

Three months later, the American Federation of Musicians’ high-stakes AI compensation lawsuit is moving full steam ahead – albeit with Warner Records, not Warner Music Group Corp., named as a defendant. The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) just recently made a name-related…

A Twitch streamer is suing the platform in a proposed class action over claims that the company trained Amazon’s AI models on streamers’ content. Streaming platform Twitch and its parent company Amazon are facing a proposed class action lawsuit filed by a Connecticut-based stream…

Fully or mostly AI-generated songs will be excluded from Australia’s official music charts starting this Friday, according to the Australian Recording Industry Association. Australia will exclude songs created wholly or mostly by artificial intelligence from the country’s officia…

YouTube Premium is increasing prices worldwide after US price hikes earlier this year that saw the service increase in price by up to $4 a month. YouTube Premium subscribers in countries across the world are about to see a price hike, Google has confirmed. The service, which does…

After the BBC Introducing Stage was removed from Reading & Leeds, the BBC has announced a month-long series of live events for emerging artists across the UK. BBC Introducing has unveiled a series of live events for emerging artists across 10 cities in the UK in November. Taking…

Donald Trump personally met with Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino in the Oval Office before telling the DOJ to settle its antitrust suit against the company — according to more intel emerging this morning. A new report from The Wall Street Journal has confirmed earlier reports from…

A report suggests that Reggie Watts’ “reckless” view of drugs may have contributed to his ex-girlfriend’s troubling final years. Reggie Watts is suddenly persona non grata after a Rolling Stone report that alleged the comedian and musician’s attitude toward drugs in his relations…

Why drive when you can fly? Air taxis are officially coming to LA Live under a multiyear pact between AEG and Archer Aviation, the company behind the Midnight aircraft. AEG and San Jose-headquartered Archer unveiled their exclusive partnership today, pointing, most immediately, t…

In June, I dumped my Facebook account. I did not deactivate it for a while or dramatically announce that I was taking a break. I deleted it because I had grown tired of the advertising, the clutter and, most of all, the lack of relevance. I was spending too much time scrolling pa…

Money from Chris Brown’s royalties and his tour with Usher will go toward his former housekeeper’s $13 million judgment, a Los Angeles judge ruled. The Los Angeles judge presiding over the lawsuit against Chris Brown filed by his former housekeeper, Maria Avila, has granted her r…

Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine said they don’t see AI as a threat but a new tool for artists to incorporate into their workspaces. Fans are unhappy about it. Dr. Dre has caused an uproar with his pro-artificial intelligence stance revealed in an interview with The New York Times alongs…

For decades, the electronic dance music community has rallied around four letters: PLUR. But in the wake of multiple tragedies at Electric Forest, the guiding values of ‘Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect’ appear to be faltering under pressure. Beyond the electrifying, innovative mu…

Elton John, Prince Harry, and others have been ordered to foot a staggering $13 million legal bill in connection with their case against Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers. High Court Justice Matthew Nicklin made that sizable bill official today when granting what outlets…

Here’s a recap of recent music industry hires and in-house promotions as of August 21st, 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@digitalmusi…

Just like that, the Sony Music v. Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) social media infringement battle has drawn to an abrupt close – though the footwear retailer’s wider copyright clash with the majors isn’t quite finished. Sony Music (plus a number of its subsidiaries) and DSW parent…

Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival will not take place next year, festival organizers announced on Friday. On Friday, August 21, organizers of Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival made the difficult announcement that the event will not take place in 2027. Organizers cited a “much-needed ye…

After beating a seemingly frivolous copyright lawsuit, Bad Bunny is stuck covering his own legal costs to the tune of nearly half a million dollars. Lo siento, Bad Bunny! After winning a copyright lawsuit that he considers frivolous, the Puerto Rican superstar is now responsible…

XS Nightclub will reopen this fall at Wynn Las Vegas with a reimagined experience and a four-night celebration featuring an iconic lineup of artists. XS Nightclub, currently undergoing an extensive redesign, will reopen this fall at Wynn Las Vegas with a completely reimagined exp…

Lady Gaga has defeated a trademark infringement suit filed by a surfboard brand, as a judge dismisses the case, citing insufficient evidence. On Tuesday, a judge dismissed the trademark infringement lawsuit filed against Lady Gaga by a surfboard brand over her Mayhem album title…

Jay-Z’s efforts to appeal the dismissal of his defamation suit against attorney Tony Buzbee are met with a skeptical appeals court. In 2024, Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee filed a short-lived lawsuit against rap mogul Jay-Z accusing him of raping a 13-year-old Jane Doe alongs…

Shake a stick in this business, and you’ll quickly find a contentious lawsuit involving social media music licensing. Great for the lawyers, as they say, but is there a better way? Sadly, that’s a critical question for a growing number of major brands. Currently, the music indust…

Jaafar Jackson says the second “Michael” film will address the child abuse allegations that the star faced by challenging the “agenda” behind them. The sequel to Lionsgate’s wildly successful Michael film is moonwalking ever closer to production, and actor Jaafar Jackson—Michael’…

13 months after unveiling plans “to greatly expand” its patent portfolio under a Liquidax Capital joint venture, Universal Music Group (UMG) has officially licensed the AI-focused IP to both Udio and GRAI. The UMG-Liquidax JV itself, Music IP Holdings (MIH), disclosed the high-pr…

Apple Music reveals more information on its upcoming AI labeling system, due to launch “later this year.” Apple Music unveiled more information about its upcoming move to label tracks created using artificial intelligence in an email sent out to the music industry on Thursday. Th…

As Apple Music subscriptions increasingly come from bundled offerings, Apple quietly raises the prices of its Apple One Family and Premier bundled tiers. Apple Music just saw a price increase last month, and now, two Apple One bundled plans are receiving price increases worldwide…

FKA twigs wins the first stage of her trademark infringement legal row against indie group The Twigs, which has been simmering for more than a decade. FKA twigs has won the first stage of the trademark infringement trial against indie duo The Twigs. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judg…

On the heels of Universal Music’s latest stock buyback, Spotify has set aside a cool $1.5 billion to repurchase its own shares – for a planned overall capital deployment in excess of $2.2 billion when factoring for the remaining portion of an existing tranche. Spotify (NYSE: SPOT…

With an eye on expanding its reach in India’s quick-growing entertainment sector, KKR has taken a minority stake in Mumbai-headquartered ticketing platform and promoter BookMyShow. KKR just recently shed light on its BookMyShow investment – albeit while opting against disclosing…

Marquee TV partners with Quincy Jones’ Qwest TV to expand its music film offering with landmark performances across jazz and global music. Marquee TV, the global streaming service for dance, opera, theatre, and contemporary music, has announced a strategic content partnership wit…

Patreon announces 30 new features coming to the platform, designed to address the “failure” of the current internet for creators and fans alike. The news follows mass layoffs at the company last month. Today, Patreon CEO Jack Conte announced nearly 30 new features coming to the p…

Nine months after launching, Quantizr, billed as an AI-powered “financial command center for live entertainment,” has secured a $5 million seed raise. The Park City, Utah-headquartered startup formally disclosed its multimillion-dollar round, led by Exactuals backer TTV Capital,…

A judge has approved Ariana Grande’s request to subpoena information that will help reveal the identities of the hackers who allegedly leaked unreleased music and recording session footage. A Los Angeles judge has granted Ariana Grande permission to subpoena information that will…

Christian metal band Demon Hunter has filed a trademark lawsuit in federal court against Netflix over its wildly successful film Kpop Demon Hunters. Demon Hunter, a Christian metal band that’s been on the scene for about 25 years, has filed a trademark lawsuit in federal court ag…

TikTok announces a partnership with All Things Go Music Festival tied to its Music on Stage competition, offering creators major performance slots. On Tuesday, All Things Go Music Festival and TikTok Live announced a new partnership tied to TikTok’s global live music competition,…

Virgin Music Group announces a global distribution deal with Indian label Sur Music, one of the fastest-growing labels in the country. Universal Music’s Virgin Music Group, a world leader in partnering with independent music entrepreneurs, has announced a global distribution part…

Universal Music and The Beatles’ Apple Corps Ltd. announce a major merchandising partnership ahead of the upcoming four-part documentary series. The Beatles’ Apple Corps Ltd., founded in 1968 to oversee the band’s creative and business interests, has announced an exclusive global…

For the last few years, musicians have been asking the wrong question about artificial intelligence. Can AI write a song? Of course it can. Can it compose music, imitate a voice, generate an orchestral cue, a techno track, an ambient soundscape, a country song, a film score, a ja…

Following “two years of close collaboration” on artist campaigns, Universal Music Group (UMG) and authorized-remix platform Hook have finalized a “landmark” licensing deal. The major and the self-described “social music app” reached out with word of their agreement this morning.…

At the 2026 NAMM Show, the 60,000+ attendees this year represented more than $9.8 billion in combined buying power. That figure comes from the NAMM 2026 Post Show Report and highlights how the show floor has become a marketplace of staggering scale over 125 years. But the real op…

Nearly 40 years after the debut of C+C Music Factory, founding member Robert Clivillés has fired off a $30 million trademark infringement and defamation lawsuit against “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” writer and rapper Freedom Williams. 62-year-old Clivillés submitte…

A new Harvard study on distracted driving has found a 15% increase in traffic fatalities in the US on days that major albums are released on streaming platforms. Major album releases can lead to a major surge in traffic deaths, according to a new Harvard study by Dr. Vishal Patel…

Kanye will perform two shows in Russia in October, becoming the biggest act to play the country in four years since the start of the Ukraine war. Ye, the controversial rapper formerly known as Kanye West, is scheduled to perform two shows in St. Petersburg, Russia, this October.…

Seven months later, “Someone You Loved” songwriter Romans and Paramount Pictures have officially settled a lawsuit centering on the allegedly unauthorized use of two works – one recorded by Rihanna – in 2025’s Smurfs. 39-year-old Romans (real name Sam Roman) and Paramount Picture…

ABC/Disney is suing the Trump-led FCC over challenges to its broadcast licenses, alleging violations of its First Amendment rights. Disney-owned ABC is suing the Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over challenges to its broadcast licenses, saying the c…

Madonna leads the charge at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards with 11 nominations, followed by Taylor Swift with nine. It’s her material world, and we’re just living in it. Pop superstar Madonna is leading the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards nominations with an impressive 11 nods—two m…

The NFL continues stacking halftime shows the world over, with Pedro Sampaio and Ricky Martin headlining the halftime show of the 2026 NFL Rio Game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Dallas Cowboys. On Monday, the National Football League announced that Pedro Sampaio and Ricky…

A documentary on Oasis’ 2025 reunion is set for a cinematic release on September 11 from Hulu in partnership with Disney+. A new Oasis documentary covering the band’s 2025 reunion tour is due for release next month. The Hulu Original film, made in partnership with Disney+ and Pea…