The Ghosts of Fyre Festival Visit Belgium: VestiVille Organizers Face Criminal Charges After Last-Minute Festival Cancellation

Two organizers of the VestiVille festival are still in Belgian jail after the festival’s last-minute cancellation. Comparisons are already being drawn to the Fyre Festival debacle. Promoters of VestiVille advertised that huge names like Cardi B, ASAP R…

Weird Al Drops Michael Jackson Parody Songs After ‘Leaving Neverland’ Documentary

Weird Al Yankovic is in the middle of his 2019 North American tour — with a very noticeable setlist alteration. The “Strings Attached” tour features a full symphony orchestra and no Michael Jackson-inspired songs. Yankovic rose to fame through parody s…

Ex Guns N’ Roses Drummer Steven Adler Hospitalized After Stabbing Himself

Guns N’ Roses ex-drummer Steven Adler was hospitalized late Thursday evening, June 27th, with self-inflicted stab wounds. Initial reports suggested the drummer may have attempted suicide, describing the injury as “self-inflicted stomach wounds.” A rep …

Taylor Swift Will Headline Amazon’s First ‘Prime Day Concert’ — But Only for Prime Members

Amazon Music has announced a Prime Day Concert headlined by Taylor Swift starting July 10th. The Prime Day Concert will stream live on Prime Video at 9 pm EST.  The cost of admission: your Prime membership. The concert is exclusively for Amazon Prime m…

7digital Says It Needs to Raise $5.7MM In a Month or It’s Going Bankrupt

B2B digital music services provider 7Digital could be facing bankruptcy without a last-minute cash injection. The UK B2B company says it is highly likely it will enter administration by July 31st without the funding. 7digital expected to issue more sha…

The Latest Industry Gigs: Republic, Spotify, LiveXLive, Beats, YouTube, Partisan, Eventbrite, More

Here’s a wrap on the latest music industry hirings, firings, retirings, and promotions. If you have a job listing 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 reques…

Another Major Spotify Executive Is Jumping Ship — Global Head of Ad Sales Brian Benedik

Spotify’s VP Global Head of Ad Sales — Brian Benedik — will be departing the company later this fall. At present, Spotify doesn’t have a clear replacement but is actively seeking to fill the role.  News of the departure leaked earlier this week, and is…

Guggenheim Partners Is Extremely Bullish on Spotify’s Podcast Expansion, Citing App Install Increases

While Spotify struggles to become a profitable company, a number of Wall Street analysts see podcasts as a safe bet. Spotify’s most recent financial results emphasized just how much of a focus podcasts will have in the company’s future. Spotify plans t…

Is Instagram About to Eclipse Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music for Artist Discovery?

Artists are increasingly using Instagram Stories as a mega-tool for promoting their songs.  Is that already casting a shadow on streaming platforms? In fact, Instagram’s recent music enhancements are only fueling a pre-existing behavior towards sharing…

The BTS Money Machine Continues With a ‘BTS World’ Gaming App — Complete With Its Own Soundtrack

BTS World is now launching on iOS and Android, giving fans a chance to virtually manage the band. BTS agency/label Big Hit Entertainment is minting millions off of BTS, with fresh products released seemingly every week.  BTS fans — aka the rabid A.R.M….