Music News

Photo Credit: Olivier Bergeron TikTok made nearly $39 billion from its US operations last year, drawing the question of the economic impact of a federal ban to the forefront. Beijing-based TikTok parent ByteDance earned a quarter of its total revenue last year from its US TikTok operations, according to sources close to the matter. The company’s international revenue jumped 63% to a whopping $39 billion in 2024, a quarter of ByteDance’s total revenue of $155 billion for the year — its highest

Photo Credit: Nathana Rebouças TikTok is making a concerted effort to calm advertisers’ nerves as the platform faces its third extension of the looming U.S. ban. If the platform is ultimately banned in the United States—nearly $12 billion in ad revenue is at risk. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the platform, TikTok sales team members have been proactively reaching out to agencies and brands. The sales team projects unwavering confidence that the app will remain operational in the U.S. and

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

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

Credit: Distinctive Promo We are Distinctive Promo. Distinctive Promo was created because new music was not properly being discovered. Independent artists and record labels had access to get music released on DSP’s, but they didn’t easily have access to tastemakers that could support these new releases such as DJs, radio programmers, curators and early adopters. We believe that getting music to the right people at the right time still matters, now more than ever. The following was created in c

Photo Credit: Olympus Projects The partnership between Too Lost, Olympus Projects, and On the Radar Radio marks a pivotal moment for international music professionals—particularly those invested in the cross-pollination of genres and markets. This initiative is not only a showcase for Brazil’s vibrant music scene, but also a case study in how strategic alliances between distribution, label, and media platforms can redefine global music discovery. The following is in collaboration with Too Lost

Just how much distribution can be done on a phone? According to Too Lost, the answer is pretty much everything. For many artists and labels, the complex tasks of music distribution are frequently handled on desktop. That’s a belief held by some of the largest distribution platforms, though Too Lost is now giving its artists complete mobile capabilities via a just-released app. The result is a completely portable distribution solution built for on-the-go artists, including those on tour. Accord

Photo Credit: Too Lost Too Lost, a leading digital music distribution and rights management company, is hosting a panel at Dream Con 2025. Titled “World Building for Music Creators: Weaving It All Together,” the panel addresses the evolving landscape for today’s artists. The following is in collaboration with Too Lost, a proud partner of Digital Music News. Too Lost specializes in empowering independent creators by providing tools for music distribution, rights management, and monetization as

Photo Credit: Tory Lanez by The Come Up Show / CC by 2.0 Rapper Tory Lanez is recovering after being stabbed 14 times in prison as he serves a 10-year sentence for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the feet. Tory Lanez is recovering in a hospital near the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi where he was attacked at about 7:20 AM on Monday, according to a spokesperson for the State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He has been serving a 10-year sentence for shooting super

A couple of years ago, the Aeroband guitar was released. It’s not a standard guitar, but it’s not really a ‘toy’ either. It sits somewhere in between those two product types.  I’ve been spending some time with the Aeroband Guitar, and while it’s not a replacement for a traditional guitar, it’s a surprisingly fun and useful gadget to have around. If you’re a guitarist who travels a lot or likes to mess around with new music tech, this thing delivers. Disclosure:  I was sent a free Aeroband Gui

Photo Credit: John Mayer (VMG), Mandy McCormack (TeamTY), Jordan Isbell (VMG), Trisha Yearwood, Jen Bontusa (VMG), by Natalie Simmons Trisha Yearwood partners with Virgin Music Group for new music and her recent catalog via her Gwendolyn Records. Her new album, THE MIRROR, is set for release on July 18. Virgin Music Group, the leading partner to independent artists, labels, and entrepreneurs, has announced the signing of a partnership with country superstar Trisha Yearwood and her label Gwendo

Photo Credit: Jonathan The Trump administration has thrown its support behind Cox Communications in the high-profile Cox v. Sony case as the case heads to potential review by the U.S. Supreme Court. At the heart of the case is whether internet service providers (ISPs) like Cox should be held liable when subscribers use their networks to illegally download copyrighted music. If found liable, Cox would be required to boot offending customers and may face massive financial penalties for continuin

The Trump administration is firing back against a lawsuit filed by axed Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter. Photo Credit: Tabrez Syed An intensifying battle for USCO control: The Trump administration is firing back against the lawsuit filed by axed Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter.   We covered that lawsuit (including a push for reinstatement) last week, and DMN Pro yesterday took an in-depth look at Perlmutter’s largely procedural action. Long story short, the former Copyright Off

Photo Credit: Shira Perlmutter, the 14th Register of Copyrights, by David Rice Donald Trump fires Shira Perlmutter, who leads the US Copyright Office, just after the release of a three-part report on artificial intelligence. President Trump has fired Shira Perlmutter, who heads the US Copyright Office as the 14th Register of Copyrights. The news was reported by several outlets and confirmed by Democratic Representative Joe Morelle on the Committee for House Administration. Perlmutter took her

Photo Credit: De’Andre Bush Trump announces a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the US, saying the American movie industry is ‘dying’ due to incentives in other countries. President Trump announced a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the US. He claims the American film industry is “dying” a “very fast death” due to incentives offered by other countries to entice filmmakers. “This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to

Photo Credit: MILLION DOLLAZ WORTH OF GAME / CC by 3.0 President Trump pardons rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again, who was sentenced last year to 23 months in prison for possession of firearms as a felon. YoungBoy Never Broke Again had also been given 60 months of probation and was released from federal custody in March. Since then, he has been under home confinement. The rapper recently announced a headlining US tour, which is set to kick off in September. “I want to thank President Trump for

Photo Credit: Solen Feyissa President Trump is ready to extend TikTok’s deadline for a federal ban for the third time as the White House prepares to hold trade talks with China. The previous extension to the law that forces TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance to divest the app in the US or face a federal ban expires June 19. However, the White House is expected to hold tariff discussions with China this week. “The president has said he’s willing to [announce another extension] if it has

Photo Credit: Johnathan Kemper President Trump has stated he will extend the TikTok sale deadline for a third time if a deal is not struck by the mid-June deadline. It’s unclear if any negotiations with ByteDance will be successful—especially since there’s seemingly no pressure to get a deal done by any deadline. The deadline for Chinese company ByteDance to divest from the platform is now June 19 after being extended twice. The ban was originally supposed to be effective January 19 after bein

Photo Credit: PBS & NPR President Donald Trump has signed a late-night executive order that will cut federal subsidies for PBS and NPR. The move escalates a long-running political battle over funding for public broadcasters. The executive order directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and other federal agencies to “cease federal funding for NPR and PBS” as well as root out indirect sources of public financing. The White House says the move is due to “biased and partisan news c

Photo Credit: EMRA The United Arab Emirates (UAE) have established the first collective management society—the Emirates Music Rights Association (EMRA). Recent legislative and regulatory action on the UAE grants a collective management license to EMRA, authorizing it to oversee the collection and distribution of music creators’ rights across the country. The move aims to strengthen the creative economy by ensuring compliance with copyright laws across broadcasting and content platforms. The l

Udio is set to begin fingerprinting its outputs under a deal with Audible Magic. Photo Credit: Possessed Photography With AI tracks pouring onto streaming services in droves, Udio is now set to begin fingerprinting its users’ outputs under an Audible Magic tie-up. The involved parties reached out with word of the audio-ID system. Revolving around a “content control pipeline,” the approach will see Udio register tracks at the source via Audible Magic so DSPs can then “reliably recognize” the w

The House of Lords chamber, where an amendment to the UK’s heavily debated AI bill has passed 272-125. One much-publicized opposition campaign later, the UK AI bill, including a controversial “opt-out” approach to generative model training, has suffered a setback. That’s according to outlets from across the pond, which have described a new amendment to the proposed law as “a heavy defeat” for the government. As we previously noted, said law as written would have given gen AI developers the gr

Photo Credit: Patrick Moxey, Founder and CEO, Payday Music Publishing Ultra International Music Publishing announces its name change to Payday Music Publishing following a court judgement in a case brought by Sony Music. Leading independent publisher of hip-hop, pop, electronic dance music, jazz, and reggae, Ultra International Music Publishing, has announced it will be changing its name to Payday Music Publishing. The move follows a recent court decision in a legal case brought by Sony Music

Photo Credit: Penn 2 by Vornado Realty Trust Universal Music Group is relocating its New York offices to The Penn District in the heart of Manhattan. As first tipped by Digital Music News earlier this year, UMG has now signed a 22-year lease in the newly renovated Penn 2 building. Universal Music Group (UMG) has officially announced the leasing of new office space at Penn 2, Vornado Realty Trust’s recently completed office tower along Seventh Avenue in The Penn District, one of the busiest hub

Global Talent Services head Narcís Rebollo and Rosa Lagarrigue, who’s now GTS’ global EVP. Photo Credit: Universal Music Universal Music’s little-discussed Global Talent Services (GTS) Latin artist services agency has officially acquired Rosa Lagarrigue Management (RLM). Global Talent formally disclosed the buyout today, seven months and change after setting sail “independent of UMG’s local music labels.” As part of the latter pivot, GTS became “a standalone company” and tapped longtime Univer