Music News

The Robert F. Kennedy Building, which serves as the DOJ headquarters. Photo Credit: ajay_suresh Live Nation is reportedly grappling with yet another wave of Justice Department scrutiny. Now, a reported criminal antitrust probe is zeroing in on alleged refund-related ticketing collusion during the early days of the pandemic. This possible probe just recently entered the media spotlight and was confirmed by Live Nation. At the time of writing, however, the DOJ itself didn’t appear to have publi

Photo Credit: Robin Canfield Live Nation expands its presence in Latin America through the acquisition of the Dominican Republic’s SD Concerts, a rising force in Central and South America. Live Nation announces the acquisition of SD Concerts, the leading live entertainment company in the Dominican Republic and a rising star across Central and South America. The move bolsters Live Nation’s commitment to this fast-growing touring region and reinforces its mission to bring more live music to fans

Photo Credit: Yvette de Wit Live Nation reports a slow start in Q1 2025. But the company has lots of revenue booked that is yet to be realized, according to CEO Michael Rapino. Live Nation’s Q1 2025 earnings report shows drops in total revenue and adjusted operating income compared to the same quarter the year prior. Overall revenue came to $3.38 billion—an 11% drop from last year, with adjusted operating income dropping 6% to $341 million. The first quarter results come after Live Nation rep

Photo Credit: Live Nation Live Nation is rolling out its new ‘$30 Ticket to Summer’ promotion for 2025, offering fans access to over 1,000 concerts across the United States and Canada. The $30 flat-rate per ticket includes all fees except local taxes—and is a price hike compared to previous $10 and Lawnie Pass promotions. The deal is available for a limited time starting May 21 and offers tickets to a range of major acts including Avril Lavinge, Halsey, The Offspring, Luke Bryan, Weird Al, The

Photo Credit: Live Nation Live Nation has formally petitioned the US Supreme Court to appeal a ruling that prevents the company from forcing arbitration in a massive consumer antitrust lawsuit. In a petition filed on May 5, Live Nation asks the court to consider its appeal after the Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision to strike down “unconscionable” arbitration provisions in Ticketmaster’s terms of use. Live Nation argues that California and the Ninth Circuit Court’s decisions have s

Senators from both sides of the aisle are reportedly urging the DOJ to zero in on the recently announced deal between Live Nation and Fanatics. Photo Credit: Bernini123 Besides fending off a Justice Department lawsuit — and regulatory obstacles across the pond — Live Nation is now grappling with a new round of bipartisan antitrust scrutiny. That scrutiny pertains to the sports side of the Ticketmaster parent’s operations, but is certainly important from the perspective of Live Nation’s broade

Lizzo, who’s once again firing back against a harassment lawsuit from her former touring dancers. Photo Credit: Raph_PH Lizzo is firing back against the marathon sexual harassment lawsuit she’s facing from several former touring dancers, maintaining that the conduct in question is protected speech. That interesting position came to light in a new appeal from Team Lizzo, which is specifically challenging a prior decision allowing some of the dancers’ claims to proceed. By now, most are at leas

Photo Credit: LL Cool J by Larry Philpot / CC by 3.0 LL Cool J and Philadelphia native Jazmine Sullivan have been announced as headliners of the Wawa Welcome America Fourth of July concert. Philadelphia’s 16-day festival leading up to Independence Day, Wawa Welcome America, is fast approaching. The concert will take place once more on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway before the fireworks display on July 4. This year’s festival will again begin on June 19 and run until July 4. The festival will fe

Photo Credit: Simon Emmett Lloyds Banking Group has issued a report on Oasis ticket scams, revealing that collectively, Oasis fans have lost £2M ($2.7M). The average victim loses £436 ($580) on average—mostly on scams instigated through Meta platforms. Fans of Oasis are being targeted by a surge of ticket scams on social media as the group plans its first tour since 2009. Lloyds’ analysis of scam reports made by its own customers found that there were more than 1,000 cases of fraud since the s

Breaking Benjamin performing during Danny Wimmer Presents’ Louder Than Life. Photo Credit: MitchDoner After close to 11 years at the helm of Danny Wimmer Presents, CEO Danny Hayes has “made the difficult decision to part ways” with the Louder Than Life organizer. Hayes confirmed his exit in a message posted to LinkedIn as well as Instagram. Despite spanning north of 200 words, the announcement doesn’t shed light on the precise circumstances surrounding his departure from Danny Wimmer Presents,

Photo Credit: Rogue Artists / CC by 3.0 Camila Cabello has officially ended her nearly decade-long collaboration with manager Roger Gold, a new report confirms. Gold began guiding Cabello’s career in 2016 after her departure from Fifth Harmony. Under his stewardship, Cabello achieved several major milestones including two #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart—”Havana” and “Señorita.” Gold’s influence extended beyond day-to-day management for the artist, he also helped Cabello navigate the com

Don’t miss Madison Rose invading the UK for the time on Friday night, 6th June 2025 at The Camden Club. Madison will be joined by special guests Myylo and Eden Hunter on support! We even hear there might be another special surprise in store…you don’t want to miss this one gays and theys. General Admission and Meet and Greet tickets are now on-sale. The post Madison Rose – She’s The One! Live in London on 6th June 2025. Tickets on sale now appeared first on EQ Music Blog. View the full articl

Photo Credit: Madonna for Live Nation A Netflix limited series about the life and music of Madonna is in early development with director Shawn Levy at the helm. Madonna is partnering with Netflix and director Shawn Levy on a limited series about her storied career. The show is not related to the previous Madonna feature film at Universal Pictures that was scuttled in 2023 when the singer announced her worldwide Celebration Tour. According to Variety, sources say Madonna “remains committed to

The major labels, Suno, and Udio are reportedly negotiating possible settlements in their copyright infringement disputes. Photo Credit: Sebastian Herrmann Nearly one year after suing Suno and Udio for copyright infringement, the major labels are reportedly exploring possible settlements with the gen AI music platforms – including a licensing and compensation framework. Rumblings of the potential resolution discussions just recently entered the media spotlight. At the time of writing, however

Photo Credit: Anthropic The high-profile copyright lawsuit between major music publishers and Anthropic’s chatbot Claude just took a dramatic turn. Anthropic’s legal counsel is accused of submitting a court filing containing AI-generated hallucinations to an academic citation that does not exist. Today a federal judge in San Jose ordered Anthropic to address allegations that one of its expert witnesses referenced a non-existent academic paper in the company’s court filing. The citation is purp

Photo Credit: Manifest Too Lost has partnered with Manifest Financial to revolutionize financial management for independent artists and digital creators. This collaboration addresses pain points in the music industry–including fragmented payments, delayed royalties, and the lack of banking solutions tailored for artists’ unpredictable income streams. The following is in collaboration with Too Lost, a proud partner of Digital Music News. Manifest’s platform integrates directly with Too Lost, o

A live performance from Mariah Carey, who, along with fellow defendants including Sony Music, is pushing to receive legal fees in an ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ copyright lawsuit. Photo Credit: Raph_PH All I want for Christmas is everything you own: A copyright infringement lawsuit over Mariah Carey’s perennial holiday hit is turning ugly amid a legal-fees sub-dispute. We first broke down that high-stakes sub-dispute closer to April’s beginning, after the presiding judge opted to toss t

Photo Credit: All About Us Festival Mario and Jadakiss headline the All About Us Festival this Juneteenth, now in its third year, in Jersey City’s Liberty State Park. R&B superstar Mario is hitting the stage this Juneteenth at the All About Us Festival alongside hip-hop legend Jadakiss and house music icon Robin S. Their performances will bring timeless hits and undeniable energy to a day curated for love, music, and multi-generational joy. Now in its third year, the All About Us Festival

Photo Credit: Rubby Pérez / Instagram Merengue singer Rubby Pérez has died after sustaining injuries during the Jet Set Club roof collapse in the Dominican Republic. He was performing on stage at the time. The Jet Set Club was a converted cinema and hosted large dance events, though authorities have not yet identified what caused the structural failure. At least 124 people died in the collapse of the roof, with 150 others reportedly injured. The death toll is expected to rise as authorities an

Photo Credit: Merlin (Jeremy Sirota) Jeremy Sirota, CEO of Merlin, the global digital rights agency for independent music, has announced he will step down at the end of 2025. Sirota was in the CEO position for nearly six years—with no replacement named at the moment. Sirota shared the news via LinkedIn, calling his tenure “the privilege of a lifetime” and expressing pride in Merlin’s role “the most important entity representing independents.” Sirota says despite his departure, he feels the col

Merlin is now a member of the Music Fights Fraud Alliance. Photo Credit: Merlin Months after bringing on its first director of content integrity, Merlin has officially joined the Music Fights Fraud Alliance (MFFA). The indie collective (and AI fair-training advocate) announced as much this morning. Established in 2023, Music Fights Fraud, in keeping with its name, bills itself as “a global task force aimed at eradicating streaming fraud.” And in pursuit of the objective, MFFA is said to coll

Photo Credit: AXE Ceremonia Mexico City’s AXE Ceremonia two-day music festival canceled its second day after a crane collapsed, leaving two people dead. The canceled Sunday lineup included scheduled performances from Tyler, the Creator, the Marias, and Massive Attack. Festival organizers posted a statement for attendees letting them know of the cancelation. “With deep sadness, we confirm the passing of the two people who were injured during today’s incident,” the statement begins. “We are dee

Photo Credit: Midwest Dreams Music Festival The Midwest Dreams Music Festival at World Wide Technology Raceway was postponed following a catastrophic tornado that struck St. Louis on May 16. It highlights unforeseen circumstances that festival organizers are facing in an already razor-thin margin live entertainment industry. Organizers describe the tornado as “the worst tornado in St. Louis area history” with widespread destruction, collapsed buildings, and entire neighborhoods in need of aid.

Photo Credit: Raph_PH / CC by 2.0 Miley Cyrus opens up about a rare medical condition that contributes to her signature whiskey-soaked voice—and makes performing a challenge. In a recent appearance on Apple Music’s The Zane Lowe Show, Miley Cyrus revealed her struggles with a rare medical condition that contributes to the sound of her “ashtray” voice. The Grammy-winning singer has Reinke’s edema, a condition that causes swelling in the vocal chords and affects her vocal performance. “It’s par

Photo Credit: Molson Coors Beverage Co. Molson Coors Beverage Co. is releasing a beer-filled vinyl called ‘Dive Bar Sounds.’ The vinyl record actually plays and is filled with Miller High Life beer. The beer-filled vinyl record goes on pre-sale later this week for an $18 price point. Miller says each dive bar tells its story through sounds, from the creak of the door opening to the clink of glasses. “Now these iconic sounds are captured in this High Life-infused vinyl. Here’s a peek at what’s