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UMG Announces ‘First-Ever Share Buyback Program’ Amid Sagging Stock Price, Intends to Deploy Over $570 Million

March 30, 2026

Universal Music Group (UMG) has teed up its “first-ever share buyback program”– to the tune of as much as €500 million (currently $573 million) worth of anticipated stock repurchases. The major label formall... Read More...

Tencent Music Stock Slips Nearly 25% Despite Solid Q4 2025 Financials — Execs Anticipate ‘Short-Term’ Subscription Revenue Pressure Amid ‘Intense Competition’

Dylan Smith

March 17, 2026

Despite posting seemingly solid Q4 2025 financials, Tencent Music (NYSE: TME) suffered a nearly 25% stock-price falloff today, when shares plummeted to a 52-week low. Technically, TME finished the day at $11... Read More...

What’s Investor Sentiment on Music These Days? Now There’s a Study for That

Ashley King

March 10, 2026

Fourth Pillar’s Music Investment Barometer offers the first dedicated study into the views, behaviors, and outlook of global music investors — and the mood is decidedly bullish. Corporate and financial strat... Read More...

USA vs. Live Nation Is Officially Over: DOJ’s Case Abruptly Settled — With Some Very Important Concessions

Paul Resnikoff

March 9, 2026

The U.S. Department of Justice's case against Live Nation has abruptly been settled, according to a raft of details confirmed to Digital Music News by the concert giant. For months, sources to Digital Music ... Read More...

Analysts Weigh In As Reservoir Media Takeover Battle Heats Up — B. Riley Downgrades, Roth Capital Says Current Offers ‘Materially’ Undervalue the Company

Dylan Smith

March 6, 2026

With dueling Reservoir Media (NASDAQ: RSVR) buyout bids now in play, analysts are weighing in on shares' path forward. And as the fate of the company and its mountain of music IP hangs in the balance, financi... Read More...

DMN Pro Exclusive

Music vs. Video 'Wallet Share,' per WMG's investor letter.

WMG Is Banging the Drum on Streaming Price Increases — But Are YouTube and Apple Listening?

Paul Resnikoff

March 5, 2026

In case you thought the streaming music price hikes were over, Warner Music Group chief Robert Kyncl is here to disabuse that notion. But despite the drumbeat for major price hikes ahead, are mega-platforms l... Read More...

Let the Takeover Battle Begin: Reservoir Receives Competing Offer Following Irenic Bid, Forms ‘Special Committee’ to Weigh the Proposals

Dylan Smith

March 4, 2026

Let the takeover battle begin: About one week after Irenic Capital Management swooped in with an attempt to take Reservoir Media (NASDAQ: RSVR) private, different shareholders have submitted a competing bid. ... Read More...

Reservoir stock surges among unsolicited bid

Reservoir Stock Surges Amid $1.2 Billion Unsolicited Mega-Bid — Developing

Ashley King

February 26, 2026

As soon as Irenic Capital Management made an unsolicited monster $1.2 billion bid for Reservoir Media, the publisher’s stock surged by nearly 20%. Rumors swirled for over a week that activist hedge fund Iren... Read More...

‘Twas a Great Day for Music Stocks: Spotify Jumps on Arete Research Upgrade, Warner Music Climbs 4%, and Reservoir Rises 18% Amid Reported Irenic Capital Takeover Attempt

Dylan Smith

February 26, 2026

It turns out all Spotify stock (NYSE: SPOT) needed to rebound was a positive assessment from Arete Research: Shares spiked by 7% today, to almost $500 a pop, after the firm upgraded to buy and settled on a $5... Read More...

Spotify Stock Struggles Continue — Morgan Stanley, Guggenheim, and Others Remain Bullish Despite Target Price Reductions

Dylan Smith

February 24, 2026

Is a rebound in the cards for Spotify stock (NYSE: SPOT)? Both Morgan Stanley and Guggenheim believe so, though the latter has sliced its SPOT target by nearly 17%. Despite that double-digit reduction, Gugge... Read More...

Independent Franchise Partners Universal Music investment

Activist Investor Clash Ahead? Independent Franchise Partners Buys 3% of Universal Music, Still Holds 9% Warner Music Stake

Dylan Smith

February 17, 2026

Universal Music Group has a new (partial) owner: Activist investor Independent Franchise Partners (IFP), which has purchased a 3% stake in the major label. That noteworthy investment just recently came to li... Read More...

Spotify Stock (NYSE: SPOT) Records Double-Digit Post-Earnings Jump — As Morgan Stanley, Jefferies, and Others Slice Their Targets

Dylan Smith

February 11, 2026

Spotify stock (NYSE: SPOT) is riding relatively high following the release of a solid Q4 2025 earnings report. But analysts are continuing to slice their target prices and remain divided about shares’ exact p... Read More...

SRR Capital Launches With a VC-Style Approach to Music Investing

What Is Attribution?

So Busy With "The Quiet Time..."

Netflix Won the Streaming Wars. YouTube Changed the Rules.

Indonesia: One of the World’s Most Promising Digital Music Markets

What Politicians Could Learn from the Music Business: A Midterm Election Primer

Netflix Won the Streaming Wars. YouTube Changed the Rules.

Music Collab Platform Chaos Secures $1.4 Million in Startup Capital, With Amuse Among the Backers

Live Marketing Platform Hive Secures $27 Million Investment

The Supreme Court Just Threw a Wrench Into The Music Industry’s Copyright Cash Machine

DJ Reinier Zonneveld Raises a $1 Million Pre-Seed for GasLab, a GenAI Music App That Actually Prioritizes Paying Musicians

UMG Announces ‘First-Ever Share Buyback Program’ Amid Sagging Stock Price, Intends to Deploy Over $570 Million

Tencent Music Stock Slips Nearly 25% Despite Solid Q4 2025 Financials — Execs Anticipate ‘Short-Term’ Subscription Revenue Pressure Amid ‘Intense Competition’

What’s Investor Sentiment on Music These Days? Now There’s a Study for That

USA vs. Live Nation Is Officially Over: DOJ’s Case Abruptly Settled — With Some Very Important Concessions

Analysts Weigh In As Reservoir Media Takeover Battle Heats Up — B. Riley Downgrades, Roth Capital Says Current Offers ‘Materially’ Undervalue the Company

WMG Is Banging the Drum on Streaming Price Increases — But Are YouTube and Apple Listening?

Let the Takeover Battle Begin: Reservoir Receives Competing Offer Following Irenic Bid, Forms ‘Special Committee’ to Weigh the Proposals

Reservoir Stock Surges Amid $1.2 Billion Unsolicited Mega-Bid — Developing

‘Twas a Great Day for Music Stocks: Spotify Jumps on Arete Research Upgrade, Warner Music Climbs 4%, and Reservoir Rises 18% Amid Reported Irenic Capital Takeover Attempt

Spotify Stock Struggles Continue — Morgan Stanley, Guggenheim, and Others Remain Bullish Despite Target Price Reductions

Activist Investor Clash Ahead? Independent Franchise Partners Buys 3% of Universal Music, Still Holds 9% Warner Music Stake

Spotify Stock (NYSE: SPOT) Records Double-Digit Post-Earnings Jump — As Morgan Stanley, Jefferies, and Others Slice Their Targets