Music News

Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Photo Credit: Maxpower2727 TikTok could operate out of South Dakota if its U.S. sale closes – at least according to numerous reports coming from the Mount Rushmore State. Local outlets covered the interesting possibility on the heels of a related Facebook post from South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden. While it probably goes without saying, the outcome hinges on (among other things – more on this in a moment) TikTok actually selling its stateside operations. At prese

The Baroeg, a Rotterdam venue and Stager client. Photo Credit: Emvee On the heels of a partnership announcement involving Amsterdam-headquartered Eventix (now Weeztix) and Spotify, Rotterdam’s Stager has scored an integration deal of its own. 13-year-old Stager, which bills itself as an “all-in-one tool for event organizers,” took to LinkedIn to disclose its Spotify tie-up. Besides dealing in ticketing, the former business develops event-planning software, marketing tools, and more, according

Photo Credit: Joel Katz, courtesy of the Katz family Powerful longtime music attorney Joel Katz, whose clients included James Brown, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, and the Recording Academy, has passed away. He was 80 years old. Joel Katz was the founding chairman of the entertainment and media practice at top law firm Greenberg Traurig, and was heavily involved in the Recording Academy and Country Music Association. He negotiated major deals for both. Katz represented artists like James Brown, Wil

Photo Credit: Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix Atlantic Records and Hard Rock International are curating the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix with chart-topping EDM artists heading the bill. South Florida Motorsports (SFM), organizers of the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix, have announced along with founding partner and music lineup curator Hard Rock International and Atlantic Records, a weekend filled with live music and entertainment for the event’s fourth year. Taking place from May 2-

Photo Credit: CNN Diddy requests the video footage of him brutally beating Cassie Ventura to be excluded from evidence at his trial, claiming it has been manipulated. Sean “Diddy” Combs has requested the hotel video footage that showed him beating ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura be excluded from evidence at his trial. The disgraced music mogul and his team claim the footage, which was released by CNN in May last year, has been manipulated. “Mr. Combs seeks to exclude all available video files re

Photo Credit: Infinite Reality Hot on the heels of its $207 million Napster acquisition, Infinite Reality has announced the acquisition of AI company Touchcast for $500 million in a combination of cash and stock. The acquisition is Infinite Reality’s largest yet and the transaction agreement values the company at $15.5 billion. Touchcast’s powerful agentic AI platform, known as Mentorverse, generates an infinite universe of specialized AI mentors who engage in natural face-to-face video conver

Roblox is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit centering on the viral ‘Apple Dance.’ Photo Credit: Oberon Copeland A copyright infringement battle over dance moves? TikToker Kelley Heyer has named Roblox Corporation in a lawsuit centering on its emote for the viral “Apple Dance.”   The self-described artist and creator Heyer submitted the straightforward complaint to a California federal court, naming Roblox as the sole defendant. As laid out in the eight-page suit, the plaintiff “created a

Photo Credit: Miami Worldcenter Downtown Miami’s cultural landscape is about to reach new heights as Miami Worldcenter celebrates its grand opening. The $6 billion mixed-use destination will celebrate with a free, star-studded concert and block party on May 22. The event is a showcase of international talent and a testament to Miami’s growing stature as a global music and entertainment hub. The evening’s programming will kick off with Lee Greenwood singing “God Bless the U.S.A.” to set a patri

In the realm of emerging alt-pop artists, it is undeniably Chloe Qisha‘s world in 2025, and we are merely living in it. Her meteoric rise as a singer-songwriter is nothing short of astonishing. More so when especially considering she only took the stage for her very first live performance to support her self-titled debut EP last year. Music industry influencers are rapidly recognizing Chloe as one of the most promising talents on the scene this year. With her unique blend of observational storyt

Following an exhilarating sequence of single releases in recent months. The final and titular track from Kai Bosch, the latest EP, “Popstar of Your Dreams,” has finally arrived. In this new chapter, Kai fully embraces the electronic pop genre, showcasing a bold and dynamic musical style that surpasses his previous works. This EP marks a transformative phase for him, featuring a captivating collection of anthems that weave in emotionally rich and vulnerable lyrical narratives. Most importantly, K

Photo: Luis Quintero What changes are afoot in the music industry conference circuit? You’re probably too young to remember the ostentatious days of MIDEM in France, though these days, look no further than SXSW for shifts in the modern-day music conference landscape. Suddenly, South-by — once an obligatory time- and budget-drainer — looks to be shedding attendees. Ahead of the controversial 2026 programming changes, DMN’s on-the-ground team noticed something funny this year: the crowds were d

Per a new estimate, the controversial Spotify stream minimum cost emerging artists big, to the tune of $47 million in would-be royalties, during 2024. Photo Credit: Towfiqu Barbhuiya By one industry exec’s estimate, Spotify’s 1,000-play monetization minimum cost emerging talent close to $50 million during 2024. Now, the platform is defending its controversial royalties approach. As many know, that approach sees Spotify pay recording royalties only for tracks with at least 1,000 annual streams

The Los Angeles headquarters of Ares Management Corporation, which has backed GoldState Music in a $500 million round. Photo Credit: Hathaway Dinwiddie About five months after acquiring a reported $200 million worth of catalogs, GoldState Music has announced a $500 million strategic-capital raise. West Palm Beach-based GoldState disclosed that half-billion-dollar round in a formal release today. The Charles Goldstuck-founded company attributed part of the sizable sum to a “structured capital

Photo Credit: Marvin Meyer Online video and podcast revenue surged in 2024 with the strongest gains since 2021. But for ad-supported streaming music, the future isn’t as bright. Ad revenue online showed strong revenue growth overall in 2024, increasing 14.9% year-over-year. The IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report found internet advertising revenue hit $258.6 billion in 2024, its highest since 2021. “The US digital ad industry showed remarkable strength in 2024. Despite the volatility

Photo Credit: Tim Myers For Congress Former OneRepublic bassist Tim Myers announces his run for the US House seat occupied by Rep. Ken Calvert in Riverside County’s 41st District. Tim Myers hopes to oust a long-standing Republican in the Los Angeles area as the Democratic party aims to regain control of the House under Donald Trump’s second presidential term. He announced on Thursday his intention to challenge Rep. Ken Calvert in the 41st District in Riverside County, which stretches from the

Photo Credit: Blue Origin Celebrities and the hoi polloi are laying into the all-female space tourist crew that Blue Origin sent on an 11 minute journey this week. Katy Perry has been a particular target of ire due to her comments before and after takeoff. Celebrities including Olivia Munn, Emily Ratajkowski, Olivia Wilde, and Amy Schumer all took their shots at the stunt. Olivia Munn’s comments didn’t mince words stating: “What’s the point? Is it historic that you guys are going on a ride? Th

Popular songs are getting shorter, with Grammy-winning hits and Spotify chart-toppers shrinking in length. But is streaming really to blame? The answer is more complex, with history, genre, and evolving songwriting trends all playing a role. This article was written by Sonia Chien in collaboration with How Music Charts. Music Trends on Digital Music News is powered by Chartmetric. From viral TikTok tracks to bite-sized Grammy-winning singles, it appears that popular music is getting shorter th

Photo Credit: Brad Paisley for Walmart Soundcheck / Lunchbox LP / CC by 2.0 The NFL announces country superstar Brad Paisley as headliner of the Draft Concert Series on Saturday, April 26. As the grand finale to the Draft weekend in Green Bay, Brad Paisley will take the stage at the Draft Theater near Lambeau Field for a free concert following the conclusion of Round 7 of the Draft. The NFL Draft Concert Series is presented by Bud Light, and kicks off Saturday, April 26, closing out three days

Photo Credit: Michael Beckerman / LinkedIn TikTok’s U.S. Public Policy Chief Michael Beckerman is stepping down from his role to transition to a global advisory position. The departure comes amid the second extension of the U.S. deadline for ByteDance to divest from TikTok. The Information reported the departure on Wednesday, citing a staff memo sent to TikTok employees. ByteDance has not publicly commented on the departure, but it comes amid a trade war between the United States and China. Co

Drake has officially filed an amended ‘Not Like Us’ defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group. Photo Credit: musicisentropy Right on cue, Drake and his legal team have fired off an amended “Not Like Us” defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG). The “Nokia” act and his counsel submitted the bolstered complaint yesterday, just a couple weeks removed from a major discovery win. As we noted closer to April’s beginning, the presiding judge had given Drake until the 16th to eit

It goes without saying that a considerable amount of new music submitted for my review falls under the umbrella of heartbreak-themed songs. These lyrical narratives tend to resonate with many listeners, as they capture universal feelings of loss and longing. However, it becomes far more intriguing when a pop artist approaches this theme from a fresh angle. Danish pop singer Theresa Rex seems to have had the same realisation when she entered the studio to record her latest tracks. Her new offerin

In one of mid-April 2025’s music industry hires, promotions, and exits, Tom Allen (pictured) became Downtown Music’s CTO on a permanent basis. Photo Credit: Downtown Here’s a recap of recent music industry hires and in-house promotions as of April 16th, 2025. If you have a job shuffle to share, we’re all ears. Send us a note to [email protected]. If you’d like to post a job on our Job Board, just send us a request to [email protected]. And, keep track of all the latest music in

Believe founder Denis Ladegaillerie, whose digital music company has taken another step towards privatization. Photo Credit: Believe Is Believe officially going private? It looks that way, as founder Denis Ladegaillerie and investment firms EQT and TCV have moved to acquire the company’s remaining public shares. Through a consortium called Upbeat Bidco, those parties say they own nearly 97% of Believe’s share capital and possess over 95% of voting rights. Long story short, the sizable interest

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore / CC by 2.0 Reggie Watts attended the first week of Coachella this year, taking to social media to share his thoughts. They might explain why Coachella has struggled to sell-out both weekends for several years now. With the first weekend of Coachella behind us and the second week upcoming, many live music fans have taken to social media to criticize the festival. Attendees highlighted the poor food experiences, with one couple paying over $100 for a couple tacos, na

Photo Credit: Agustin Flores After sharing permits and stating the festival would go forward, Fyre Festival 2 organizers have postponed the festival and offered refunds for ticket buyers. A message sent to ticket holders this afternoon confirmed Fyre Festival 2 will not go forward as planned in Mexico from May 30 to June 2. “The event has been postponed and a new date will be announced. We have issued you a refund. Once the new date is announced, at that time, you can repurchase if it works fo