Spotify Partners With Netflix for Video Podcasts, Touts Gains in Audiobook Listenership
Spotify has announced two new developments in its push into non-music content: a video podcast deal with Netflix and statistics that show subscribers are quickly adopting audiobooks on the platform. Starting in the U.S. in early 2026, podcasts from Spotify Studios and The Ringer, a media company founded by sportswriter Bill Simmons that was acquired […]
Rod Wave Claps Back With Counterclaim In $27 Million Touring Lawsuit — And Plans New Dates Starting In December
Photo Credit: Rod Wave for iHeartRadio Rod Wave fires back at a lawsuit alleging he owes $27 million in advances from the tour he cancelled over scheduling and production issues. Singer Rod Wave has filed a countersuit against Grizzly Touring—a joint venture between AG Entertainment, Mammoth Touring, and CTS Eventim—claiming the promoter is trying to […]
Busta Rhymes Launches Defamation Counterclaim Against Ex-Assistant
Photo Credit: Busta Rhymes by Matt J. Carbone / CC by 2.0 Busta Rhymes files a countersuit against his former assistant for defamation after they accused the rapper earlier this summer of workplace assault. Busta Rhymes has filed a countersuit against his former assistant, Dashiel Gables, who sued the rapper earlier this summer with allegations […]
Former Lostprophets Singer Ian Watkins Killed in Prison Attack
Photo Credit: Ian Watkins by Agni Minardi / CC by 2.0 Detectives in the UK charged two men with murder after former Lostprophets singer and convicted pedophile Ian Watkins was stabbed to death in prison. British authorities have charged two men with murder after former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins, 48, was stabbed to death in […]
UMG’s CEO Lays It All Out on AI Negotiations—’Nearly A Dozen’ Serious Negotiations Happening, AI Slop Cleanup Underway, & Lines Drawn in the Sand
Photo Credit: The Recording Academy Universal Music Group (UMG) Chairman & CEO Lucian Grainge has issued a lengthy internal memo obtained by Digital Music News. The memo outlines the label’s progress in forging agreements with AI companies—including lines drawn in the sand. The communication was shared with Digital Music News by a staffer and reveals […]
Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 Countdown For October 18th, 2025 | Billboard News
Taylor Swift takes over the top 10 of the Hot 100, but which of her songs from The Life of a Showgirl will take No. 1? Tetris Kelly: It’s a Taylor Swift takeover on the charts! Where did The Life of a Showgirl tracks debut? This is the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 for the […]
São Paulo Court Rules Against TurbineDigital Over ‘Misleading Advertising’ As Streaming Manipulation Crackdown Continues
São Paulo, Brazil. Photo Credit: Raphael Nogueira Another day, another court ruling against an alleged fake streams provider – this time in Brazil, where TurbineDigital is reportedly being decommissioned. That reported takedown arrives just weeks after a French court ordered hosting companies to boot platforms allegedly dealing in artificial streams. Additionally, it’s one of multiple […]
Busta Rhymes Countersues Ex-Assistant for ‘Fabricating’ Assault Lawsuit
Busta Rhymes has launched defamation counterclaims against a former assistant who accused the veteran rapper of punching him in the face for using his phone on the job. Rhymes (Trevor Smith Jr.) was hit with a lawsuit this summer from Dashiel Gables, who worked as the rapper’s personal assistant for roughly six months starting in […]
Massive Catalog Investments Are Driving Music Industry Funding Growth — But Data Points to a Q3 2025 Raise Volume Slowdown for Startups
Photo Credit: Markus Winkler Is there any music industry funding left for the little guy? Leading catalog players drove Q3 2025’s cumulative raise total past a staggering $4 billion, but data points to year-over-year slips in both the volume and average size of non-ABS rounds. These and other worthwhile insights are once again made possible […]
UMG CEO Lucian Grainge Outlines Company’s AI Strategy in New Memo: ‘Enormous Potential’
Universal Music Group (UMG) chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge has updated UMG employees on the “progress” the music giant is making on generative artificial intelligence in a new staff-wide memo circulated Monday (Oct. 13), which outlines the company’s efforts to safeguard artists’ copyrighted material while touting the technology’s potential to unlock new revenue. “UMG is playing a […]