A complete rundown of the most important events across the music business.
The disgraced music mogul can move forward with his defamation lawsuit against the cable network.
Here’s a recap of recent music industry hires and in-house promotions as of September 4th, 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.
The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act is scheduled for a standalone floor vote in the U.S. House of Representatives during the week of September 14. On Thursday, a report from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) revealed that U.S.
Labor Day weekend is here! ShopBillboard put together a list of deals on fashion, home essentials, shoes, tech and more product categories from retailers across the internet.
The set’s “Slick” repeats at No. 2 for a third consecutive week.
Jay-Z’s “Jay-Z30” tour has been filled with guest appearances and his opening night at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was no exception: He brought out Lauryn Hill and Wyclef for a mini-Fugees reunion on their 1995 hit “Ready or Not,” and, in a nod to local talent, South London rapper Giggs...
"Use my sister's life as an example for tolerance and respect toward others," the younger Parton wrote.
Billboard is running down the key moments from the second week of the murder-for-hire trial.
The NFL and Roc Nation announce the 2026 Songs of the Season, an initiative that brings a dynamic lineup of artists to soundtrack the NFL season. The National Football League and Roc Nation have announced the launch of its 2026 Songs of the Season, a season-long initiative bringing new music from a...
The "Bee Keeper Collector's Box" was released in a limited quantity of 500 for the anniversary of B'Day, but does not include any vinyl records from her catalog
(I don’t recommend you watch the below trailer, best to go in fresh) I know you’re waiting for Tuesday when “Fauda” returns to Netflix to get your hit of Israeli TV… Don’t let your views on Gaza dissuade you.
Weeks out from his official Warner Music Group (WMG) exit, former CFO and COO Armin Zerza has cashed in on a cool $1.87 million worth of company stock. The short-lived WMG exec disclosed the selloff, executed via his trust, in an SEC filing yesterday.
40 at 40: Twitty’s “Desperado Love” established a chart milestone.
The new radio champ appears on the 20th-anniversary deluxe edition of her 2006 studio album.
Billboard looks at the writing and recording behind Jason Aldean's "Anytime Soon."
The Seoul-based NCT subgroup just hit the 10-year mark. But despite enlistments and an evolving lineup, some things never change.
Now comes the harder sell: Convincing customers and merchants to trust AI with purchases
NOTE: FACTION TALK IS NOW ON CHANNEL 137 So, tune in Saturday August 5th 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
AI workstation promises to put up to 576 GB of HBM3e and 16 TB/s of memory bandwidth on your desk
Phishers find a new use for invisible Unicode tag characters
On the heels of a massive Q2 2026 music industry funding jump – to nearly $6 billion in total – July and August brought with them a material year-over-year decrease.
Big Sean joined Kanye West at his Soldier Field homecoming concert to perform "Clique," "Mercy," and "I Don't Fuck With You"
Numerous Dolly Parton tribute specials have aired across four different networks, all attracting impressive audiences for broadcast television at a time when viewership is traditionally low.
Re: The Heart Scan I’m 65 and the coronary calcium score of 362 that you got? I got tested for the first time this year, and it was 751!! And I’m one of those annoying health freaks who has been doing everything right since the Reagan administration.
European Commission EVP Henna Virkkunen will deliver a keynote address at a conference in Dublin on the future of copyright in the age of AI. The Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and newspaper publishers have invited Henna Virkkunen, European Commission Executive Vice President for Tech...
Dolly Parton‘s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame has been replaced after the original one was vandalized following the country superstar’s death. Parton died of cancer on Aug. 25 at age 80.
The estate of legendary soul singer Wilson Pickett has struck a partnership with powerhouse Primary Wave Music that will see the two parties work together to promote the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s music publishing catalog, as well as share in his name, image, and likeness rights.
Two cases of agents escaping to solve unsolvable problems paints an uncomfortable question: Is the entire internet in OpenAI's experimental agentic firing line?
The biggest headlines from the past few days... Source
Built-in plagiarism police to hand in badge next month
Brady Ebert is facing life in prison after his charges for intentionally driving his car into the father of Turnstile singer Brendan Yates were upgraded to attempted first-degree murder
Being eliminated from the “Dream Academy” reality-TV series that produced Katseye might be the best thing that ever happened to 22-year-old Slovakian native Adéla Jergová: After a summer of lighting up festival stages from Lollapalooza to Reading, the arrival of “Prima” makes it more obvious than...
Tony winner Lea Salonga admits she never really thought about getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “Most of my work is in musical theater,” says Salonga, who earned international recognition for originating the role of Kim in “Miss Saigon” in 1989.
The Ubuntu Pastebin went in June, IRC gets demoted next
2016 and 2019 installations must meet the October 2025 baseline to reach cloud-hosted inboxes
Baked-in SQL syntax arrives through multi-vendor collaboration, although indexing still needs to catch up
“Nostalgia” as a trend isn’t new. However, there is more to the popularity of analogue than simply a backwards-looking aesthetic preference. Convenience, habit, and quality of experience are major drivers of use. Source
There are no surprises in Spotify’s annual list of the ‘songs of summer’ – it’s essentially the five biggest streaming hits of recent months, even if the company said ‘cultural impact’ and the expertise of its editors were also factors in the picks. The post is from Music Ally.
Waking up to find that Mary J. Blige appearing in an ad for AI-music platform Suno is quite the eye-opener. Waking up to find that said campaign has already been pulled because she hadn’t approved it… well, let’s just say our eyes are currently on springs like a classic Tex Avery cartoon character.
The increase in costs and red tape facing British artists wanting to tour the European Union since ‘Brexit’ are well known. But this summer, a different problem emerged for artists and labels selling physical music and merch to fans in the EU. The post is from Music Ally.
It’s not just Music Ally celebrating a big birthday this year (incorporated 25 years ago yesterday, since you ask). Pioneering independent labels NCS and Monstercat are both celebrating their 15th anniversaries in 2026. The post is from Music Ally.
The battle between TikTok, Instagram and YouTube isn’t just about videos and views: it’s about engagement – and that’s also a key metric for music marketers judging the success of their campaigns and content. The post is from Music Ally.
Kacey Musgraves is the latest artist to appear in a music concert made for Meta Quest VR headsets. A 49-minute performance of hits plus tracks from her latest album has been launched as ‘Kacey Musgraves Middle of Nowhere: An Immersive Experience’, filmed in the Billy Bob’s Texas venue in Fort...
Fully backward-compatible upgrade promises zero-friction speedup for monorepo wranglers.
No restoration time for platform used by more than 30,000 UK organizations, including NHS trusts and medical practices
Generative-AI music tools can be a powerful funnel for bringing complete beginners into human music-making, according to the CEO and CTO of Image-Line, the company behind popular DAW FL Studio (formerly Fruity Loops). The post is from Music Ally.
15 Mustangs on the city streets, but the Nissan LEAF follow-up could dispense with the safety driver
The new extreme sport: Windows Updates
Customer alleges AI telco system had frequent issues, did not work as promised, as vendor sues separately for non payment
In April, it was announced that Singapore-based “artist-empowerment” social media platform Fenix360 was partnering with Gaana to integrate the entire suite of the former’s creator tools into the streaming service. […] The post is from Music Ally.
Last November, we wrote about Noida-based music school the Global Music Institute and Indian mental health service Tatva partnering with Goldsmiths college and research consultancy Creative Empirical from London to […] The post is from Music Ally.
Project PANOPTES puts £5M on the table for an autonomous, vehicle-mounted defense
PARTNER CONTENT: Price isn't everything
The clip, directed by Hannah Lux Davis, references Eyes Wide Shut, Moulin Rouge, Birth, and Babygirl
Novel interpretations of the keyboard made for trouble @ work
The singer is gearing up to release her debut full-length album
“Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by this tragic event,” the band said in a statement
Liam and Noel Gallagher, to perhaps nobody’s surprise, aren’t ones for getting teary-eyed, even when reconciling after well over a decade apart. So say Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern, directors of the upcoming Disney+ documentary “Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger,” speaking to Variety ahead of the...
We first caught wind of startup Songscription in July 2025 when TechCrunch profiled its “automatic music transcription” service. The post is from Music Ally.
This sounds like a RTFM error at hyperscale
The 31-song digital edition features several previously unreleased tracks, including a collab with Pharrell
Jay-Z’s ongoing feud with former football star Colin Kaepernick intensifies as the ex-quarterback criticizes the rapper and mogul’s NFL deal. Jay-Z isn’t exactly known for having a close relationship with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and there’s no love lost between them.
Why now? Well, the Linux desktop market share in the EU doubled between 2024 and 2025 (to 5.7%). That's why!
BET announces the triumphant return of the long-running awards show to TV this fall, with a show taped in Chicago, presented by Spotify and Toyota. BET and Spotify have announced the return to television of the long-running Soul Train Awards this fall, with a show taped in Chicago—the city where...
Suno has pulled an ad featuring Mary J. Blige in which she seemingly endorsed the platform after it was revealed the deal was made without her authorization. After R&B icon Mary J.
The wife of one of the government’s star witnesses testified for the defense and disputed her husband’s account
Three critical vulns demand your attention, one a make-me-root mess in Nexus 9000 Series Switches that you can mitigate, not fix
The rapper-singer is ushering a new era ahead of her Press Play EP, which arrives on Oct. 23
Little is known about the upcoming drop, which the rapper has been teasing for weeks
Shakira, Prince Royce and Romeo Santos were among the top winners at Premios Juventud 2026, broadcast live from the Starlight Amphitheater in Marbella, Spain on Thursday night.
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of her sophomore album, Beyoncé has released a remastered version of “B’Day” featuring Spanish recordings, previously released bonus tracks, and a few unheard songs including “Can I Watch You” featuring Pharrell and a new Spanish version of “Irreplaceable”...
Let the battle of lyric providers continue: Following several months of discussions, LyricFind and Musixmatch have failed to reach a mediation agreement – meaning an agreement about beginning mediation – in their ugly courtroom confrontation.
Daybreak program brings subsidized models, training, and support to under-resourced teams
Miley Cyrus is setting off her new era with the release of the single and video for “Bass Persuades,” the title track off her upcoming 10th album. “Bass Persuades” goes full dance-pop with tinges of ’80s synths and a spoken-word first verse that recalls the deadpan delivery of Lady Gaga on “Poker...
1 I had to go to Torrance. Those playing the home game will remember that I see this heart doctor who says if I follow her program, I’ll never die of a heart attack, no patient has yet. And like seemingly every good doctor in Los Angeles, she doesn’t take insurance, which means I’ve got […]
Primary Wave Music announces a partnership with the estate of Wilson Pickett covering the legendary soul singer’s catalog, name, image, and likeness. Leading indie publisher Primary Wave Music has announced a partnership with the estate of the legendary Wilson Pickett.
UMusic Hospitality & Lifestyle and Outernet London announce a new partnership to transform the music scene across London’s Denmark Street. UMusic Hospitality & Lifestyle (UMHL) and Outernet London have announced a new partnership to transform the way visitors experience music across London’s...
Post Malone, Zayn Malik, Meghan Trainor, and the Pussycat Dolls all canceled or softened their touring aspirations in 2026. Four very different acts, four canceled or scaled-back tours.
The music IP acquisitions aren’t finished yet: HarbourView has announced a deal covering David Kershenbaum’s “interest in producer royalties and master recordings,” including stakes in tracks popularized by Tracy Chapman and Joe Jackson.
South Korean authorities are seeking an indictment of Bang Si-Hyuk, K-pop music mogul and founder and chairman of Hybe, over alleged investor fraud. South Korean authorities are seeking an indictment of Hybe founder and chairman Bang Si-Hyuk, the music mogul behind K-pop supergroup BTS, over...
DEAG founder Peter Schwenkow plans a return to the live events business in a serious way, focusing on building a pan-European network of “mid-sized” promoters, producers, and operators. Prof.
Legendary R&B singer Mary J. Blige was on the receiving end of a barrage of online abuse after the release late last month of a video advertisement circulated by AI music generator Suno, in which she is seen seemingly collaborating and responding positively to an AI-generated song that sounds...
It will be UMHL's first hotel in the UK, and its second in Europe after UMusic Hotel Madrid, with Madrid the only UMusic Hotel currently operating. Source
With an eye on expanding his presence in markets throughout Asia, Kaskade has inked an exclusive partnership deal with Ne-Yo’s Pacific Music Group (PMG).
The Soul Train Awards are coming home. Today, BET announced that the long-running awards show will return to television this fall with a show taped in Chicago, the city where Don Cornelius first launched “Soul Train” more than 50 years ago.
The transaction was announced on Thursday (September 3). Financial terms were not disclosed. Source
Primary Wave announced the deal on Wednesday (September 2). Financial terms were not disclosed Source
Ufenau intends to back the initiative as investor and majority shareholder, and says it is already reviewing initial investment opportunities. Source
With music consumption now widespread, affordable, and accessible, music fandom has become less about consuming and more about spending as a demonstration of superfandom.
Since the temperature started creeping up this summer, we’ve been keeping a close eye on the songs that would come to embody the season. Our editors made their predictions in May, we shared an update in July, and now the time has come to share the final results.
Suno’s legal team are certainly having a busy week. Hot on the heels of the lawsuit filed by four US-based artists against the company comes another legal action – this one from Canadian collecting society Socan. The post is from Music Ally.
Ticketmaster is giving its mobile app a refresh in 21 countries, with a bigger focus on recommendations and personalisation, including a ‘watchlist’ for keeping tabs on upcoming concerts and events. The post is from Music Ally.
“No spreadsheets. No juggling apps. No guessing. Just ask,” is the pitch for Roster, which has just been launched by South African music-tech firm JO:LA Labs as “an end-to-end music business operating system” for artists and managers. The post is from Music Ally.
We wrote about the songs featured in the ‘extended look’ trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI last week. Now Spotify has released some data on which tracks benefited the most from their inclusion. The post is from Music Ally.
Reservoir Media’s India-based subsidiary PopIndia has announced its newest deals in the country. It has acquired the catalogue of Vincey Productions, which specialises in Christian devotional music in south Indian […] The post is from Music Ally.
On this week’s episode, veteran producer, engineer, and Grammy nominee Bruce Sugar explains why staying relevant means embracing new tools without sacrificing the feel and emotion that make music connect.
K-pop agency SM and China’s Tencent Music unite to launch a joint venture to develop a new Chinese idol group and manage SM artists in Greater China. South Korean agency SM Entertainment has announced a joint venture with Tencent Music Entertainment Group in China with plans to develop a new idol...
Cassandra Wilson, a Grammy-winning jazz singer, songwriter, and producer, has passed away in Jackson, Mississippi, at age 70. Two-time Grammy Award-winning jazz singer, songwriter, and producer Cassandra Wilson passed away on Wednesday, September 2, in her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi.
The Justice Department argues in the New York Times v. OpenAI case for a fair use standard that would allow extensive copying of copyrighted works for AI training without licensing.
It appears to be the first time Washington has intervened in any of the copyright cases now stacked up against AI companies Source
STE will develop and manage artists for the Greater China market, and says it's preparing a new Chinese idol group for a debut within two to three years Source
Smółka, who joins from Spotify after eight years at the company, will take up the newly created role on Monday (September 7). Source
The move would close a police investigation into the K-pop company's 2020 stock market listing that has been running since December 2024. Source
Judge André Birotte Jr. ruled that plaintiffs failed to identify a single copyrighted work of their own combining the elements they say defendants took. Source
India’s music streaming economy is growing like never before. That’s the big takeaway from the India edition of this year’s Loud & Clear report, Spotify’s annual look at how artists earn money from streaming and where the country’s music economy is headed next.
Music has spent the last decade optimising for infinite choice . Streaming libraries expanded without limit, shuffling became ever more personalised, and feeds manoeuvred themselves into narrower loops. Source
CRAE raises worthwhile economic questions about the proposed Phonorecords V Subpart B settlement, but the Copyright Royalty Judges should not be expected to build the missing economic record themselves.
6.9% Growth Outpaces US Inflation as Streaming, Physical and Sync Revenues Rise Paid Subscriptions Generate $3.4 Billion in First Half of 2026 The Recording Industry Association of America® (RIAA) today announced that US recorded music revenues for the first half of 2026 were up 6.9% from the first...
The Picard team is excited to announce the first release candidate for Picard 3. With this release we are confident that Picard 3 is now suitable for testing by a wider audience. The final 3.0 release is planned to happen in a few weeks.
MusicBrainz is announcing a set of upgrades for its search service on November 30, 2026. The main change will be upgrading Solr from version 9 to 10. Fixes and improvements will be released alongside this. Some of these changes may break some specific search requests.
AI company faces multibillion dollar lawsuit over misuse of copyrighted songs to train Claude models All AI wants for Christmas is a vast back catalogue of songs without paying for it, according to a multibillion-dollar lawsuit against the startup behind the Claude chatbot.
I recently dug out my CDs and started reripping them all. I've found a few forgotten gems in there, but few hit harder for me than the beautifully concise Professor Murder Rides the Subway EP.
Hello, Everyone! I am Md Waqib Sk (waqib2992 on IRC), an undergraduate student at Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. This summer, I had the opportunity to participate in Google Summer of Code 2026 with MetaBrainz, where I worked on developing a calibre plugin for BookBrainz.
Sony Music Publishing and Warner Chappell have filed suit against Anthropic in the US District Court for the Northern District of California seeking damages for "tens of thousands" copyrighted works.
As audio-focused generative tools and platforms have gotten more sophisticated, the internet has become increasingly filled with AI-generated music whose melodies and vocals are algorithmically derived from the work of human artists.
