Dylan Smith

Pex Acquires Dubset as the EU Copyright Directive’s Implementation Deadline Approaches

March 6, 2020

Proprietary music-fingerprinting and rights negotiation platform Pex has acquired Dubset, a licensing platform for DJ mixes, live performances, and other, similar original content. Dubset has focused on enab... Read More...

Warner Music, Sony Music, Universal Music Pulling Out of SXSW

Dylan Smith

March 6, 2020

Downtown Austin, TX (photo: Cosmic Timetraveler) The Big Three record labels — Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music Entertainment — have joined the ever-growing list of companies and prof... Read More...

Kendrick Lamar Launches a Mysterious New Media Company

Dylan Smith

March 5, 2020

Rapper Kendrick Lamar announced today that he’s founded a new company, pgLang. Though the brand’s website has gone live and Lamar has set out to promote the business, it’s unclear at this time exactly what se... Read More...

Is Coachella Getting Cancelled?

Dylan Smith

March 5, 2020

As the Coronavirus rages on, Coachella could be the next major music festival to cancel. To the disappointment and frustration of thousands — and perhaps millions — the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemi... Read More...

SiriusXM Is Going Big on Premium Concert Re-Broadcasts — U2, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish Shows On the Slate

Dylan Smith

March 5, 2020

On-demand music is obviously huge. But what about on-demand concerts? Now, SiriusXM plans to test that question by replaying exclusive concerts throughout March —including Billie Eilish and Lady Gaga performa... Read More...

R. Kelly Faces Charges of Spreading Sexually Transmittable Diseases

Dylan Smith

March 5, 2020

Battling on Multiple Fronts: R. Kelly’s New York lawyers refute STD-related charges as the rapper pleads not guilty in Chicago. R. Kelly is now facing felony charges in New York, Minnesota, and his native Ch... Read More...

Slipknot Suspends Entire Asian Tour on Coronavirus Concerns

Dylan Smith

March 5, 2020

Citing health concerns over the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, Slipknot has indefinitely postponed the Asia portion of their upcoming tour. The eight-piece heavy-metal band took to Twitter to annou... Read More...

Apple, Netflix, IBM Officially Pull Out of SXSW — Who’s Next?

Dylan Smith

March 5, 2020

Downtown Austin, TX (photo: Avi Werde) Another day, another high-profile South by Southwest (SXSW) 2020 cancellation — or cancellations, to be precise. Citing concerns about the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19... Read More...

Bad Bunny Scores Spotify’s Biggest Debut of 2020 — After a Paid Promotional Campaign

Dylan Smith

March 4, 2020

Popping up on a Spotify account near you (photo: Digital Music News). Bad Bunny's new album is killing it on Spotify — partially due to the platform's paid advertising options. Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny ... Read More...

TikTok’s Streaming Music Service, Resso, Officially Launches In India — Without Universal Music

Dylan Smith

March 4, 2020

Photo Credit: Resso TikTok parent company ByteDance has launched Resso, its long-awaited music-streaming service, in India. Though the platform bears some similarities to TikTok, it’s been tailored to resemb... Read More...

Fired Recording Academy CEO Says She Has Evidence of Grammys Voting Corruption

Dylan Smith

March 4, 2020

Ex-Grammys CEO Deborah Dugan Having been officially fired by the Recording Academy just two days ago, Deborah Dugan has made good on her promise to retaliate by coming forward with what she claims is evidence... Read More...

Amazon, VEVO, TikTok, Intel Cancel SXSW — Organizers Still Refuse to Call Off the Event

Dylan Smith

March 4, 2020

Austin–Bergstrom International Airport, which services downtown Austin and SXSW (LoneStarMike CC 2.0) Amazon, Vevo, and TikTok have all canceled their SXSW 2020 appearances within the last 24 hours. But the m... Read More...

Author Dylan Smith