Music News

It’s no surprise that retro electro-pop sensation Sophie Grey., (a standout artist we’ve passionately supported on EQ Music Blog this past year), is gearing up for an incredible 2025. Firstly, there’s a lot to catch up on since I last showcased Sophie with her captivating track “Dirty Thoughts” in January. Excitingly, she has been announced as tour support for the legendary Sting this summer. She will also be gracing the stage at AFAS in Amsterdam. And let’s not overlook the highly anticipated E

It has been some considerable time since we last explored the smoky-voiced alt-pop enchantress Charlotte OC in this blog. In her early years, she made a powerful impression, drawing us in with a haunting musical presence that resonated with intoxicating dark pop allure. While she has undeniably ventured into varied musical territories since then. The core of her artistry remains anchored in those signature brooding sensibilities and a profound sense of melancholy. As we look further ahead in 202

For some time now, it has been eagerly anticipated in this music blog that Ukrainian pop sensation Max Barskih would fulfill his promise of releasing an English-speaking album. Despite numerous challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, exciting developments are finally emerging. With the recent release of the captivating track “Stomach Butterflies” and the equally impressive new song “Someone New,” it’s clear that the long-awaited album project is back on t

Australian pop sensation TIN kicked off 2025 with an exciting remix of his hit track “Serotonin,” featuring the talented Le Fil. (known for their standout appearances on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and Canada Vs. The World). This collaboration spotlights a bold new direction for TIN, who is committed to weaving a rich tapestry of authentic queerness into his music. Furthermore, by continuing this collaborative streak with a diverse array of artists, he fosters an environment that champions open expres

Strangely, it was soon after a conversation with my son that things swiftly began falling into place. I had not long returned from a Chappell Roan gig at the Brixton Academy and felt the effects of post-gig blues creeping in. I simply inquired, “If there is a band you’d wish to go see, that you haven’t yet. Who would that be”? The spontaneous reply from him was Hurts. The reponse, in turn made me extremely happy, since Hurts is one of my favourite duos from this past decade. Even so, little did

Photo Credit: Subtronics.net Subtronics adds a sixth and final night to his 360-degree shows at the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles after overwhelming demand. Due to overwhelming demand, Subtronics has added a sixth and final night to his 360-degree shows at the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles, set for Tuesday, December 2. The previous five shows, set for December 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, are sold out, making Subtronics’ run one of the fastest-selling sets of shows in the venue’s history. The six-n

Ticketing platform XP has announced a $6.2 million raise. Photo Credit: Jessica Christian Web3 ticketing platform XP has announced a $6.2 million raise and doubled down on plans “to build the most fulfilling ticketing experience for fans.” The year-old ticket-resale marketplace unveiled the funding in a blog post as well as a formal release. Founded and led by former Grubhub exec Michael Saunders, XP says it “puts fans first with transparent, fair-market prices and tech-forward ticketing inno

Photo Credit: KTLA 5 News A three-car crash led Los Angeles police to chase down a suspect in his underwear before shooting a woman married to Weezer’s bassist in a wild twist. Jillian Shriner, 51, wife of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner, was shot by police in a strange story that now sees her facing charges of attempted murder. The bizarre story was released by the LAPD and began on April 8 in the Eagle Rock neighborhood, in the eastbound lanes of the 134 Freeway. California Highway Patrol resp

An over $10 million question: Which DSPs made material payments in the alleged years-long fake stream scheme purportedly orchestrated by Michael Smith? Photo Credit: Simone Secci Billions of fake streams and millions in allegedly stolen royalties later, many questions remain about the federal case against accused fraudster Michael Smith. Perhaps the biggest of all: Which DSPs failed to flag – and consequently paid into – the years-long scheme? At least according to the indictment, that scheme

Photo Credit: 7digital/Songtradr When it’s not Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube playing your music, chances are it’s powered by someone else — and often, that someone is 7digital. While the biggest platforms dominate headlines, a vast ecosystem of music services is thriving behind the scenes, many of them built on 7digital’s infrastructure. The following comes from Samantha Sawyer, the General Manager of Licensing and Technology Solutions at 7digital parent Songtradr, a company DMN is thrilled

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: Gage Skidmore / CC by 2.0 Will Smith’s latest music video shoot became the center of a high-profile labor dispute over the weekend. The incident highlights the ongoing tensions between production companies and unionized crews working in Hollywood. The drama unfolded on the set of a video for Will Smith’s album Based on a True Story at Quixote Studios in West Hollywood, drawing attention from both industry insiders and the public. Breathe Entertainment, the Toronto & Miami-bas

Photo Credit: Lainey Wilson by KSON San Diego The Academy of Country Music 60th awards ceremony took place last night—hosted by 16-time winner Reba McEntire. Here’s a peek at this year’s winners. The 60th Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM), presented by Prime Video and Dick Clark Productions, took place last night in Frisco, Texas to celebrate the year’s biggest accomplishments. The show opened with a 12-minute all-star set celebrating the 60th anniversary with performances of ACM Songs of

Photo Credit: Daniel Kelly Wiz Khalifa and Sean Paul have announced their 2025 co-headlining tour ‘Good Vibes Only’ headed across North America this summer—featuring special guest DaBaby. Produced by Live Nation, the 15-date amphitheater run kicks off on July 6 in New York and includes additional stops across New Jersey, Ontario, Illinois, and Michigan before wrapping in Georgia. The run also includes a hometown performance for Wiz Khalifa in Burgettstown, PA. The tour announcement arrives aft

Photo Credit: Nadine E Yamaha announces the Yamaha Music Innovations Fund to begin investing in music and media startups with a dedicated $50 million fund. Yamaha has announced that its corporate venture capital fund, Yamaha Music Innovations Fund (YMIF), will begin to invest out of a dedicated $50 million fund this month. The conglomerate set up the VC fund last year to secure the company’s “leadership position as an innovator in the fields of sound and music,” and will invest in music and me

Young Musicians Unite students and others celebrate raising $1.6 million at the non-profit’s 2025 gala. Photo Credit: Osmany Torres Young Musicians Unite’s 2025 gala raised $1.6 million to support free music education for Miami-Dade students, according to organizers. 12-year-old Young Musicians Unite (YMU) reached out with word of the final fundraise total. The disco-themed gala itself took place at the Mana Wynwood on April 26th, attracting more than 700 attendees. This guestlist featured a

Photo Credit: Chief Fashionista / CC by 2.0 Young Thug has ignited controversy over his take on Kid Cudi’s testimony during Diddy’s sex trafficking and racketeering trial in New York. The Atlanta rapper posted “Dam cudi a rat lol” on X/Twitter shortly after Kid Cudi’s appearance in court. The rapper quickly deleted the message, but it has sparked controversy in the hip-hop community over the ethics of testifying in criminal cases involving fellow artists. Kid Cudi—real name Scott Mescudi—took

Photo Credit: Alexander Shatov YouTube keeps raking in the cash from its advertisers across the globe, with ad revenue approaching $9 billion in the first quarter of 2025. YouTube turned 20 this year, and the company continues to boast significant growth for its investors. YouTube’s ad revenue reached $8.93 billion in the first quarter of 2025, up 10.3% year-over-year—just slightly behind analyst expectations of $8.97 billion. That doesn’t even include the additional billions in revenue gener

YouTube Content ID payouts crossed the $12 billion mark in December 2024, according to a new report. Photo Credit: ilgmyzin After cracking 125 million Music and Premium subscribers, YouTube has reported making a cumulative $12 billion in Content ID payouts as of December 2024. The multibillion-dollar figure emerged in the video platform’s newly released “YouTube Copyright Transparency Report.” As laid out in the concise document, the sum reflects advert “revenue paid to rightsholders as of De

Photo Credit: YouTube Music Google is working to close the feature gap between YouTube Music and its most popular rivals—Spotify and Apple Music. Now you can directly share lyrics from the YouTube Music app. Here’s how. Lyric sharing is a feature that has long been available on Spotify and Apple Music, making it possible to share pertinent lyrics on social media and elsewhere. Not only does this help with music discovery among influencers’ fans, but it also raises awareness of the music servic

Photo Credit: Ella Don YouTube appears to be testing a new two-person premium tier in select regions, suggesting a ‘Spotify Duo’ style subscription tier is on the way. Here’s the latest. The test appears to be under way in India, France, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, allowing users to subscribe to a new two-person plan. MoneyControl first spotted the new tier and comes as Google is attempting to diversify its income streams beyond advertising. That’s because the U.S. DOJ is seeking to compel Google t

The Korea Fair Trade Commission headquarters in Sejong, South Korea. Photo Credit: Minseong Kim YouTube is reportedly set to unbundle Music from Premium in South Korea, where it’s facing a Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) competition investigation. Regional outlets just recently pointed to the possible move, after the mentioned government agency revealed a YouTube Premium and Music probe about one year ago. This bundling-focused inquiry, the KFTC relayed at the time, had already been underw

A nighttime shot of Seoul, South Korea. Photo Credit: Yohan Cho YouTube looks to have resolved a bundling-focused investigation in South Korea, where the platform reportedly intends to launch its Premium Lite subscription. Local outlets shed light on the resolution, which will seemingly end a years-long Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) probe. As we reported last month, the investigation centered on YouTube Premium’s music streaming market impact. At present, Premium (offering ad-free acces

YouTube is now testing an AI instrumentals generator as well as a feature that matches Shorts clips to music. Photo Credit: Kelly Sikkema YouTube is officially testing AI-generated instrumentals as well as a Shorts soundtrack-matching feature. Creator Insider, billed as “an informal YouTube channel” operated by the platform’s “Creator technical team,” revealed those new offerings in a brief video. On the instrumentals side, the “gradually” expanding AI-music support appears straightforward e

Photo Credit: YouTube Shorts YouTube Shorts has reached a pivotal milestone—it’s revenue per watch-hour now matches that of regular long-form YouTube videos in the United States and other countries. YouTube CEO Neal Mohan shared the news at the MoffettNathanson investor conference, stating, “It’s something that we have been working on for a while and it’s a testament to both the viewer side, but also the quality of the ad products that we build for our advertisers.” The news signals a major sh