Sass Jordan, the singer, songwriter and longtime “Canadian Idol” judge, died on Oct. 2. She was 65. Her family confirmed her death, noting that she “died peacefully” and was “surrounded by those who loved her most.” They remembered her as “an inimitable force of nature” and “an irreplaceable being...
Sheeran's Loop Tour visited Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Oct. 3.
The Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Zach Bryan broke the attendance record at Robert Kraft’s Gillette Stadium on Saturday night, performing for 73,538 fans — the largest crowd for any event in the venue’s history — while wearing a “Free Palestine” shirt for the second night in a row.
Dave Matthews and Tom Morello also join in for "Rockin' in the Free World" at Maryland festival
I am just a copy of a copy of a copy, everything I say has come before
October began with Ben Affleck and Kerry Washington premiering “Animals,” their new political thriller about a Los Angeles mayoral candidate (Affleck) whose family is thrust into an unimaginable situation involving their son and housekeeper and her undocumented immigrant boyfriend.
Bassist joins "Jack Sabbath" for "War Pigs" at Tom Morello's Maryland fest
Livestream the Colts take on the Commanders live from London on Oct. 4 — plus, watch Jordyn Simone and Mimi Webb perform their country's national anthems, ahead of kickoff.
All this, and angry NeoVim users
The Centre for Computing History gathers the minds behind the project and the ones keeping it alive today
The Grammy-winning Baltimore band moved an Oklahoma City tour date to make their first appearance on the show.
Hardcore Baltimore band debuts on SNL with three songs from their Grammy-winning album
The Australian band reflects on its first new song in three years, the decision to keep touring and a milestone Good Things Festival set.
The bit ended with Swift noting she sends Johnson home with "a Pedialyte" and a security escort.
Predictions that Taylor Swift would make a cameo on “Saturday Night Live” with host Dakota Johnson came to fruition when the duo appeared together in the opening monologue. After Johnson joked about her failed relationships, she said “I have really good friends.
Livestream the Fifty Shades of Grey actress host and Baltimore hardcore punk band perform on Saturday, Oct. 3 — watch live online for free.
The NFL Guess Who? board game is an officially-licensed collaboration between the league and toymaker Hasbro.
The music legend shared his perspective from Swift and Travis Kelce's summer event at Madison Square Garden.
Lawrence Rothman has a lot of nerve, starting an album with a song called “The Meaning,” and then daring to ask some of the questions inherent in the big picture created by those two words — like, if not what is the meaning of life, then what is the meaning of music? (Of course, for […]
Ghost tickets, predatory resale, and the battle over who controls the live-music experience take center stage at Artist Rights Symposium V with Randy Nichols, Jay Gilbert, and moderator Mala Sharma.
The iconic rockers played the final concert of their Power Up Tour on Oct. 2.
Beatles legend also talks about banning Larry David from his concerts after he refused to sing along to "Hey Jude" on Jimmy Kimmel Live
Vermont senator praises band for "standing up for economic justice, fighting racism, and understanding that healthcare is a human right"
SPOILER ALERT: This story contains minor spoilers for “Behemoth!” in theaters Dec. 4 Tony Gilroy’s “Behemoth!” bowed at the New York Film Festival Friday, and Lincoln Center’s Tully Hall seemed a fitting place to showcase a film about a musician.
Macklemore may have been barred from saying “Free Palestine!” at Robert Kraft’s Gillette Stadium — and indeed, from anywhere else on Ed Sheeran’s tour, as that headliner agreed with Kraft that the controversial rapper should be removed from the opening slot on all the shows he was booked for.
Exploitation attempts came from China-hosted IP, VulnCheck researcher says
2026 show will take place at Capital One Arena, home of basketball and hockey teams, while the performing arts center is "temporarily closed" for the foreseeable future
Kakul Srivastava is the CEO of Splice, the sample platform countless producers rely on for one-shots and melodic loops. Samples pulled from the service have found their way into massive hits like Lisa's "Money" and "Espresso" by Sabrina Carpenter.
Foo Fighters served as openers at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, the last show on AC/DC's itinerary for the foreseeable future, and maybe longer
Reg hack learns the meaning of 'Be careful what you wish for'
Embedded consultants who get you up to speed on new tech in a hurry aren’t new, but they meet the AI moment
Nothing is guaranteed but there are ways to boost your chances of experiencing such in-demand events Whether your passion is the battle of the bands or the Battle of Hastings, what are probably Britain’s hottest cultural tickets are about to go on sale – and to be in with a shout of going, there...
The billionaire owner banned Macklemore from his stadium after the rapper's onstage statements in support of Palestinians
The musician said he felt slighted by the Beatle after asking him to sign a book in 2002
Here’s a recap of recent music industry hires and in-house promotions as of October 2nd, 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@digitalmusicnews.com.
Diddy is reportedly living a luxury lifestyle in prison, complete with a team of fellow inmates who act as his personal staff. Sean “Diddy” Combs arrived at Fort Dix in New Jersey last October after more than a year at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, and since then, he’s tried to get...
Gabe Jagger’s whynow scoops up Warner Music Group’s direct-to-consumer brand, EMP, to create an “integrated global fan commerce platform.” Gabe Jagger’s entertainment company whynow has acquired Warner Music Group’s (WMG) EMP Merchandise, a leading rock and pop culture merch retailer in Europe.
Should AI music get its own separate chart? Kelly Clarkson thinks it should, even amid her own enthusiasm for AI developments, and she’s not alone. Kelly Clarkson believes that AI can play a significant role in the music industry, but a clear distinction should be made between AI-assisted and...
This is part of a series where we talk to some of the amazing editors that have cracked one million MusicBrainz edits and qualified for super special (lousy) shirt plan.* These users have donated substantial amounts of their time to improve open music data, enriching open-source knowledge and...
With an eye on helping content creators turn their “followers into lasting fans” – and aggressively pursuing acquisitions in the space – Live Nation has launched “Creator Nation.” The Ticketmaster parent formally announced Creator Nation’s debut yesterday, after closing out 2024 by taking a...
After a decade of false starts, Swift is showing backend appeal
Thou shalt love the datacenter! Verily, thou shalt rejoice in the house of the datacenter!
Rob Thomas and Paul Doucette talk band tensions, solo careers, Kyle Cook’s exit, and finding their way back to good
To surface better Shorts recommendations for users, YouTube has adjusted its algorithm to “focus on originality.” YouTube says it will “focus on originality” in recommending Shorts to users, adjusting its algorithm so that users will see less unoriginal content.
Tune in Saturday October 3rd to Faction Talk, channel 137, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West. Phone #: 844-686-5863 If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz
At her Los Angeles home, Victoria Monét sits perched on the edge of her off-white couch, enjoying the stillness in the moments leading up to her sophomore album, “Frequency of Love,” dropping in less than 48 hours.
Two a month per submitter, starting now, and you can thank science slop for the change
Mostly 'routine research tasks,' and 'some involved government websites, which our models often use,' AI giant tells The Reg
Despite facing considerable pushback – and prompting multiple boycotts – the Grammys’ controversial “Best Asian Pop Music Performance” award category will still be part of the 2027 event. Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.
The biggest headlines from the past few days... Source
The plaintiff says its representatives came to what they considered to be the "obvious and inescapable conclusion" that Dean's song copied the Withers track. Source
Tyler Brown, founder of London-based Funfair, on hits, loyalty, and why songwriters should be taking a share of master income Source
Shulman also set out what WMG and BMG get from their deals, and who should be setting AI's rules. Source
Ahead of Tuesday's sentencing in the first US criminal streaming fraud case, MBW breaks down the pro-rata arithmetic behind Michael Smith's bot scheme. Source
She reports to Tomas Rodríguez, President of Warner Music Mexico and Música Mexicana. Source
Eminem will release a limited-edition merch collection with streetwear and pop culture brand NERDS Clothing during New York Comic Con next week, including the launch of an original video game.
Prosecutors claim Greg Lui helped China procure advanced hardware to develop, ahem, 'super intelligence’
Universal Music Group has promoted Frank Briegmann to Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada & Deutsche Grammophon. He will continue to report to Lucian Grainge, Chairman & CEO of Universal Music Group.
Stan Twitter judges an album by its first 24 hours. But Zara Larsson's Midnight Sun, Tame Impala's Deadbeat, and Audrey Hobert's debut all proved the opposite — breaking out months, even a year, after release.
PARTNER CONTENT: VergeIO says an exit is also an opportunity
Plus: Attorneys-general say investigators should have direct access to AI companies' records when things go wrong
Last year I attended the Radio Academy Festival, and while I was there, the organisation announced it would become the Audio Academy. Returning to the first festival under the new name felt significant. Source
Charli XCX called it “anti-marketing.” MBW columnist Diana Umana argues it’s a structural shift that the biggest artists have already caught on to… Source
Grid connection awaits regulatory approval, putting planned 2027 customer delivery at risk
AI training of copyrighted material not fair use: Third Circuit — “The Third Circuit rejected an artificial intelligence company’s fair use defense after it trained its AI on a competitor’s product, finding the training constituted copyright infringement — and potentially setting a landmark...
Two safety researchers and a program manager dismissed, company denies retaliation for raising concerns
This week, Spotify brought together parents, kids, creators, and friends in New York City for a song-filled afternoon built around music and family. Guests posed on a stoop decked out with musical instruments, flipped through record stacks, and made their own merch at a DIY T-shirt station.
Meanwhile 128 GB version jumps to $6,950, nearly 75% above its launch price
Live Nation’s latest corporate move isn’t about music: it’s about the creatorsphere. The company has announced a new firm called Creator Nation, for which it is a “capital partner and strategic backer”. The post is from Music Ally.
The latest research into the climate emergency’s impact on live music comes from the Canadian Live Music Association with its ‘Sound Check: Climate Risk and Resilience in Canada’s Live Music Sector’ report. The post is from Music Ally.
The Recording Academy has been fighting a fire in recent weeks after BTS declined to submit their latest music to the Grammy Awards in protest at the event’s new ‘Asian Pop’ category. The post is from Music Ally.
A Santa-hat tip this morning to music-streamers in the Philippines, who are famously early to popping on their holiday playlists. 2026 is no exception. The post is from Music Ally.
Who would pay $285,000 for a CD album? Billionaires, that’s who! Well, that’s the hope for Chicago band The Empty Pockets, with a special edition of their new album ‘Dear Billionaires’. The post is from Music Ally.
The ‘our algorithm is now recommending less unoriginal slop’ seems to have become a rite of passage for every big social or video platform. Even if boasting about this begs the question of why they didn’t adopt that policy earlier. The post is from Music Ally.
Reports about how brilliant you are for the economy have long been a standard part of the lobbying process. YouTube does it, music industry bodies do it… and TikTok isn’t shirking the tactic either. The post is from Music Ally.
Copilot builds charts and metrics from spreadsheet data, with automatic refreshes when the numbers change
If you’re a regular Music Ally reader, you know that it’s the time of the year where many music marketing teams around the world submit their proudest work of the year to us for our annual Music Ally Best’s Marketing Campaigns of the Year report (the deadline is on October 5, 2026!).
Instagram has rolled out a new option this week that lets artist teams boost Instagram Live broadcasts directly from the app. It joins the existing boost options for posts, Stories and Reels. The post is from Music Ally.
Operation KillSwitch takes over leak site holding at least 110 TB of stolen data
TikTok frequently partners with artists on in-app experiences, helping to promote albums across its platform. It’s no surprise that they are giving Taylor Swift’s newly released The Life Of A Showgirl: The Encore such a treatment, but we’re much more interested in what the campaign does...
Meta has officially launched Forum, a standalone home for Facebook Groups that it has been testing since May. Rather than digging through the main Facebook app, users get every group they belong to in a single feed, plus a way to find new communities that match their interests.
It’s been a little while since AI-music firm Suno announced its user and revenue stats. We’re not getting new figures just yet, but CEO Mikey Shulman provided an update of sorts in an interview with Bloomberg. The post is from Music Ally.
Pi 5 also gets a $12.50 bump as customers urged to consider older models or less RAM
No login required, exploitation underway, and some admins are still waiting for patches
How’s Suno faring after shifting exclusively to licensed models? Quite well, according to CEO Mikey Shulman, who says the company now boasts “far beyond” two million subscribers and $300 million in annual recurring revenue.
The Game is suing Virgin and UMG over his underwhelming album sales, claiming they didn’t spend most of the promised advertising budget and that sales of the record suffered for it.
Ahead of Michael Smith’s October 6th sentencing, the Music Fights Fraud Alliance (MFFA) has submitted a letter to the court arguing for a significant sentence to deter future abuse.
After abruptly calling off its 2025 edition – and allegedly failing to refund would-be attendees – Evolutions Music Festival and its organizers are facing a fraud lawsuit in New York.
Stockholm-based entertainment and music investment powerhouse Pophouse Entertainment has officially acquired a 50% stake in the publishing and master recording rights of Australian singer-songwriter Sia, per details shared this morning.
Attorney Tony Buzbee could face a $25 million defamation suit filed by an attorney he accused of turning former clients against him during his legal brawl with Jay-Z.
Rick Ross speaks out following his arrest for felony and misdemeanor domestic violence charges in Miami Beach, denying the allegations against him. Rapper Rick Ross was arrested in Miami Beach on Thursday and faces a felony battery charge and a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from a woman’s...
Bill Withers’ catalog owner Mattie Music Group sues UMG over Olivia Dean’s “I’ve Seen It,” alleging it plagiarizes Withers’ classic hit, “Just the Two of Us.” Mattie Music Group, the publisher behind R&B legend Bill Withers’ catalog and his label, Bleunig Music, launched a lawsuit against Universal...
One year after Spotify confirmed a crackdown targeting fake streams and AI slop, editorial playlists including RapCaviar are actively experiencing material listenership falloffs.
New York City enacts a click-to-cancel rule requiring businesses to enable single-click subscription cancellations after a federal version was struck down.
Charlie Worsham, a Country Music Association Musician of the Year, has a new solo album, “Once Upon a Second Time Around.” Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/charlie-worsham/id1316200737?i=1000792547627...
Ex-Lazard banker Stephen Langer and former SSE Ventures CEO Isabel Keulen join the Kobalt founder's new firm. Source
ElevenLabs completed a USD $300 million employee tender offer at a valuation of $22 billion. Source
The appointment expands the remit of Briegmann, who will continue to report to Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman & CEO of Universal Music Group. Source
K-pop is known as a genre built around fandom-focused live experiences, whether that’s concerts or fan-run events, and it’s been a busy few months for K-pop fans in the US. In August, I attended CJ ENM’s three-day K-pop convention KCON LA, as well as two dates on BTS’s massive ARIRANG world ...
The calendar may say it’s fall, but on Spotify, the holiday season has begun. This year, we’re getting into the spirit early with Holidays on Spotify, a season-long celebration packed with surprise data drops, new releases, and plenty of festive moments to soundtrack the months ahead.
In the time-honoured tradition of three things making a trend, Spotify is very much up to something with K-Pop podcasts in 2026. This week, the company has announced a new video show featuring boy-band KickFlip called ‘Flip the Language’. The post is from Music Ally.
When the Brit Awards moved out of London for the first time in their history this year, it was a big deal for the UK music industry (not to mention hoteliers in the new host city, Manchester). The post is from Music Ally.
With shonky metadata and unagreed splits an enduring problem for the music industry, attention has turned in recent times to recording information from the earliest parts of the songwriting and recording processes. The post is from Music Ally.
A federal judge denies summary judgment, sending MLC’s lengthy mechanical royalties battle against Pandora to trial. A federal judge has denied summary judgment in the Mechanical Licensing Collective’s (MLC) massive 7,000-page royalties case against Pandora, ruling that if it took that many pages...
After more than half a decade of litigation, Thomson Reuters has scored an appeals court win in its “fair use” copyright infringement dispute with a now-defunct company called Ross Intelligence. The U.S.
AI-powered startup Modulate, the company behind “audio-native voice intelligence model” Velma, has scored a $25 million raise. Somerville-headquartered Modulate recently announced the multimillion-dollar round, which Steve Jurvetson-founded Future Ventures led.
This year has shown a clear audience appetite for live, shared viewing experiences. The finale of the UK’s The Traitors attracted a live audience of 9.4 million viewers in January. An international audience flooded to watch sporting events like the Super Bowl and World Cup, with both events...
An expression may be easy to use in one language, but nearly impossible to explain in another. That’s the challenge at the heart of Flip the Language, a new video podcast on Spotify.
Silona Bonewald, our new Executive Director, will be hosting an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on our forums at: 5th October 202617:00 Central European Summer Time (CEST)In this forum thread Please respect the code of conduct, as you always do!
A new Chartmetric/Splice report finds afro house's biggest market has shifted from the US to Germany, echoing how Berlin once absorbed and reinvented Detroit techno decades ago. Now, shifting policy and a Gen Z techno revival may be converging at the same moment.
Hi everyone, I’m Sreehari, also known online as owlpharoah (op3kay on Matrix). I’m a second year student at IIIT Jabalpur. This summer I worked on the foundations of a GraphQL server in Rust that sits over the MusicBrainz PostgreSQL database, under the guidance of @bitmap and @jadedblueeyes.
Gwen Seale and Chris Castle discuss the streaming mechanicals panel at Artist Rights Symposium 5.
Catalogue is becoming a key revenue stream, while streaming's share of publishing income is set to rise further through 2033 London, UK – Music publishing revenue grew 9.6% in 2025 to reach $12.2 billion, with major publishers outgrowing independents, according to MIDiA Research's 2026–2033 glob...
Music startup Thoughtful Things has just launched the Kickstarter campaign for its first instrument, Engram. It's a sampler and groovebox that uses AI to mangle incoming audio and even hallucinate completely new sounds. This isn't Suno in a box, though.
I thought this book was going to be about the Vail fire. After all, there’s a picture of Two Elk lodge burning right on the cover! But that’s not what it’s about, not really. I thought this was a niche book, for a narrow audience, those who remember this 1998 fire. But then I saw […]