Instagram’s Music Plans Could Change Everything – Here’s What We Know So Far

With the launch of Instagram’s new music stickers feature, expect Musical.ly to go the way of Snapchat. Last week, as Digital Music News noted in our popular Latest Industry articles, Facebook’s Instagram had rolled out new features.  …

Latest Industry: Dr. Dre, Taylor Swift, Spotify, Choon, Instagram, YouTube, More…

Spotify now streams your favorite music and audiobooks about how they were made. Spotify has signed a deal with Bloomsbury Publishing, a British indie publishing house.  The European streaming music service will now offer audiobooks on the product…

Grimes Streams Jump 2,400% After Elon Musk Romance Goes Public

Guess a lot of people are now getting acquainted — or reacquainted — with the music of Grimes. Apparently Grimes and Elon Musk have been secretly dating — or something like that.  The pair ‘went public’…

A Vine Replacement Called ‘V2’ Is Being ‘Postponed Indefinitely’

  Die-hard Viners are dying for this replacement.  Maybe it’s too good to be true. Vine, the popular short-video sharing app once owned by Twitter, closed down last year.  Legions of Vine users were upset when Twitter made the announcement, and nostalg…

Is the Music Modernization Act Enabling ‘Legal Theft’ Against Smaller Artists?

As the Music Modernization Act barrels towards approval in the Senate, dissenting voices are getting drowned out.  Should we be paying more attention? The music industry is used to bills dying in Congressional committees.  Which is why the Mu…

Latest Industry: R. Kelly, WMG, Spotify, YouTube, Vevo, Janet Jackson, American Idol, More…

Warner Music Group releases its Q2 2018. Warner Music Group Corp. has announced its second-quarter financial results for the period ended March 31st, 2018. Revenue grew 16.7%, or 10.4% in constant currency.  Growth in Recorded Music digital, physi…

Connecticut’s Senate Passes a Critical Net Neutrality Bill — Welcome to the Resistance

Connecticut officially joins the net neutrality resistance. After rancorous infighting, Connecticut is suddenly on the vanguard of U.S. states fighting the FCC’s net neutrality repeal.  Now, the question is whether this small-but-powerful st…

Ticketmaster Is Testing Face-Scanning Technology to Replace Conventional Tickets

Ticketmaster foresees a future where facial recognition will replace physical and even digital tickets. You’ve probably used a paper ticket in the past year.  But both paper and digital tickets could eventually be eliminated by facial recogn…

Billboard’s President Accused of Burying Charlie Walk Stories — Just to Protect a Friend

Billboard Magazine may have repeatedly buried stories relating to Charlie Walk and sexual abuse allegations, according to accusations now surfacing. It’s one thing to hold a story for lack of corroborating evidence.  But was Billboard active…

The Music Modernization Act Will Create a New Copyright Licensing Organization Called the ‘MLC’. What Will It Look Like?

The Music Modernization Act (MMA) gives birth to a brand-new music licensing organization called the Mechanical Licensing Collective, or MLC.  Here’s a look at what the MLC is — and what it isn’t. The following comes from Jo…