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Spotify’s transformation into an AI slop factory commences as it announces Universal “superfan” remix gimmick and Live Nation ticketing wheeze

Music industry welcomes revised NO FAKES Act, but Spotify says “still work to do”

Live Nation and Ticketmaster should still be split up, lawmakers told, as US government’s antitrust settlement criticised in Congress

Spotify increases subscription prices in Canada, but rolls back previous price increases in India

Op-ed: More than the Beatles: the quiet secrets behind Liverpool’s world-class music industry

BMG and Concord confirm merger

Universal and Sony must be allowed to see Warner’s deal with Suno, lawyers tell judge as AI legal battle continues

Music streaming services targeted as Texas Attorney General launches payola investigation

Live Nation pays $9.9 million to settle yet another investigation into dodgy ticketing practices

The European rule on whether samples need to be cleared moves to a “maybe” with latest Kraftwerk ruling

BTS lawyers go after album leaker and knock-off merch sellers

Eddie Dalton’s (actually quite modest) chart success sparks further debate about where AI music fits in

Grass needs more time to grow says AEG as it puts a pin in LIDO Festival

Universal CEO Lucian Grainge makes 764 times more than his employees - and female staff get 48% less than male counterparts

Major music publishers buy into termination rights lawsuit to take fight to Supreme Court

Spotify wants $300 million in damages from Anna’s Archive, and for court to go after piracy site’s service providers

Cox Communications celebrates as US Supreme Court overturns critical music piracy judgement

Claude’s AI lyrics cause market dilution, say music publishers calling for courts to reject fair use defence

Declare trademark claims bogus says FKA in Twigs vs Twigs

Chance The Rapper wins sunset clause dispute with former manager

American man pleads guilty to multi-million dollar streaming fraud, faces five years in jail

Cautious welcome for UK government’s latest AI copyright stance, as BMG files latest Anthropic lawsuit

DoJ’s Live Nation settlement “proof Trump Administration cannot be trusted to protect American consumers”, says new Senate report on Ticketmaster

StubHub to more clearly state prices and terms for touted tickets, and offer Taylor Swift fans refunds, but only in British Columbia

“Robbing them blind, baby - that’s how we do it”, boast Live Nation execs about “so stupid” ticket-buyers

New generation of British artists propel UK record industry to £1.5 billion high, says BPI

High Court sides with Kneecap, ending the Hezbollah flag criminal case against Mo Chara

Google had every opportunity to train its AI legally, but chose to do it on the cheap instead, say indie musicians in new lawsuit

Live Nation settles DoJ antitrust lawsuit - but state lawsuits may continue

Chance The Rapper and Pat The Manager bust-up heads to court over disputed sunset clause

Warner Music’s Robert Kyncl is betting the company on an AI future. Can he deliver?

Suno is a feral pig rampaging through a well-tended garden, say creator orgs

Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota said “independent music is not raw material for tech companies to exploit without consent” before quitting to join AI music scraper-in-chief Suno

Producer who accused Karol G of beat-theft dismisses his lawsuit, adding “we were wrong”

Anna’s Archive rolls out the red carpet for robots - and asks them to “persuade” their humans to make donations

After a Live Nation lobbyist boasted he got antitrust chief sacked, US Senators ask if company has hired a “bevy of cozy MAGA friends”

European Commission approves Universal’s $775 million Downtown acquisition - but did it ask the right questions?

Spotify is all in on AI, its best engineers haven't written a single line of code since December - and why that should worry the music industry

Adding “hot takes” to unlicensed music is not fair use, judge confirms in rockumentary copyright case

IMPALA report warns European music diversity will erode without intervention on ownership, market access and infrastructure

European Commission must tackle “coercive buy-out practices” when US video streamers commission music, says MEP

Charlie Puth got musician to provide vocals for ‘Furious 7’ track, then Warner cheated him out rights and royalties, says lawsuit

Music publishers file new Anthropic lawsuit, adding in piracy claims and $3 billion mega-damages

Meta dropped songs from Reels library to bully Wixen into accepting lower royalty rates, says lawsuit

Horizon Future Leaders: Four issues shaping the industry

Five key developments over the Christmas break

Music and AI: 2025’s developments that will shape 2026’s disputes

Artists from South East Europe at risk of “cultural erasure” as a result of Spotify’s 1000 stream threshold

As indie community calls again for Universal’s Downtown deal to be blocked, will UMG flog off Curve to get over regulators?

MIT study “marks a new anchor for meaningful actions” to make live music more environmentally sustainable

Indie publishers make demands of collecting societies as they start to negotiate AI deals

Bob Vylan sue RTÉ over claims they instigated “antisemitic chant” during Glastonbury set

After King Gizzard boycotted Spotify, tracks by an AI-clone of the band started streaming

Ador founder wants to develop alternative K-pop management model with new agency

Indie publisher trade body says members should reject AI deals that do not value songs properly

“Creators are collateral damage” in AI race says Jorja Smith’s label, after AI voice clone track goes viral

Kneecap sue MP who “lied to the world” about group’s Canada ban

Johnny Cash estate uses ELVIS Act to sue Coke over tribute act ad soundtrack

Suno picks up Songkick as part of AI licensing deal with Warner Music

Live Nation and AEG provide a “disgusting service”, says Olivia Dean, after for-profit touting of tickets

Fugee Pras Michel jailed for fourteen years after illegal lobbying

Ticket touting platforms start frantic lobbying campaign claiming new anti-tout laws will increase ticket fraud

StubHub share price craters as UK prepares to announce ticket touting ban

Regulators must consider UMG’s AI deals in Downtown case, says IAO President

North American songwriter groups join call for transparency and creator consent as music companies start signing AI deals

Starmer must “honour his pledge” to cap prices in “extortionate and pernicious” secondary ticketing market

Downtown accused of planning “calculated destruction” of a short-lived YouTube music client in bombastic new lawsuit

No “self-service buffet” for AI companies says GEMA CEO as OpenAI loses landmark lyrics lawsuit

Manchester Evening News pays damages after incorrectly labelling Bob Vylan’s “sun salutation” as a Nazi salute

Slipknot.com owner hires domain name specialist to fight back against band’s cybersquatting claims

“Misleading rhetoric and “deceitful buzzwords” not good enough, says Council Of Music Makers in call for creator consent, control and compensation in AI deals

Axing of controversial EBacc is a “step in the right direction” for music education says Ed Sheeran

Former Guns N Roses manager sues band over autobiography blocker clause

Judgement in Getty’s UK lawsuit against Stability “underscores growing gap” between copyright and tech, says leading lawyer

Spotify’s streaming fraud initiatives are “nothing more than window dressing” says rapper RBX as he files class action lawsuit

Streaming services don’t want French language quotas in Québec

Universal has settled its lawsuit with Udio, and signed AI deals with Udio and Stability

Spotify questions MLC’s “motivations” in pursuing audiobook bundling dispute lawsuit

Lizzo is being sued over an uncleared sample - on a track she never released

Viagogo is unfair, opaque and violates EU law, consumer group tells regulator

Bobby Vylan says he has no regrets about “death to the IDF” chant at Glastonbury

Ticketmaster says FTC allegations it colluded with touts “nonsensical”, but it is changing some of its rules and shutting down TradeDesk

New Udio lawsuit hones in on the “significant and unequal harm” inflicted on independent musicians by music AI

Majors tell US Supreme Court to ignore ISP’s doom and gloom predictions and uphold billion dollar piracy ruling

Drake vows to appeal after judge throws out defamation lawsuit against Universal

High profile songwriters express concern about PRS transparency, accuracy and admin costs

Anthropic’s own guardrails revive full copyright lawsuit from litigious music publishers

Suno tells court to reject stream-ripping “gambit” by major labels in AI legal battle

As indie labels ramp up campaign for EU to block the UMG x Downtown merger, a French music lawyer says concerns around data are “fantasy or paranoia”

As FT says major labels are close to “landmark” AI licensing deals, is a new battle royale going to kick off within the music industry?

No one seems to know if Kneecap are still banned from Canada - or whether they were ever actually banned at all

Don’t say gruesome twosome: Ek steps sideways at Spotify to make way for not one but two new CEOs

‘Something Inside’ songwriter goes legal over Tommy Robinson’s use of his anti-apartheid anthem

Donald Trump signs executive order “saving TikTok”

Tabloid claims that Dua Lipa sacked agent over Glasto Kneecap letter are “categorically false” and “deliberately inflammatory”

Major labels add piracy claims to Suno lawsuit after $1.5 billion Anthropic settlement

Live Nation colludes with ticket touts, says US government as it launches legal action

Cornwall Council will hold meeting about ‘safety risks’ of Bob Vylan’s August Boardmasters performance - even through there weren’t any

Spotify finally adds lossless audio to premium

Anthropic will pay authors $1.5 billion to settle AI copyright case

Spotify • 4 min read

Spotify’s transformation into an AI slop factory commences as it announces Universal “superfan” remix gimmick and Live Nation ticketing wheeze

Spotify has announced partnerships with Universal and Live Nation to get two new features off the ground. Universal is partnering on an AI-powered covers and remixes tool, while Live Nation is involved in a pre-sale tickets scheme. It remains to be seen if Spotify users want either of those things…

Chris Cooke • 22 May 2026

CMU Selects • 1 min read

CMU Selects - the last week’s standout releases

Our selection of five releases that cut through the noise this week, from Helena Gao, Charli xcx, Olivia Rodrigo, Hyd + Joy (Anonymous)…

Kaya Robertson • 22 May 2026

Live Nation • 2 min read

Live Nation should be forced to sell Ticketmaster and a bunch of amphitheaters, say the states that pursued antitrust litigation

The US states that successfully pursued that big antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation have filed a wishlist of sanctions they now want the judge to impose. It includes forcing a sale of Ticketmaster and various amphitheater venues. Live Nation says the requests are “performative and political”…

Chris Cooke • 22 May 2026

Artificial Intelligence • 4 min read

Music industry welcomes revised NO FAKES Act, but Spotify says “still work to do”

A new version of the NO FAKES Act, which will help performers and creators protect their voice and likeness in the context of AI, has been introduced in Washington. Spotify, which previously expressed concerns about the act, says the latest draft is an improvement, but there’s “still work to do”…

Chris Cooke • 21 May 2026

Lee Mendelson Film Productions • 2 min read

Snoopy game developer and US government hit with copyright lawsuits by ‘Peanuts’ music publisher

The company behind the classic ‘Peanuts’ TV specials has filed four lawsuits over the unlicensed use of music that appears in those programmes, the distinct compositions of Vince Guaraldi. Among those sued is the maker of a Snoopy video game and the US government’s Department Of The Interior…

Chris Cooke • 21 May 2026

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: PS Hitsquad

Peckham’s PS Hitsquad is easily positioning himself alongside the pulsing vanguard of UK rap’s emerging underground talent. Paving the way for what PS brands as “post-drill”, new single ‘Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda’ is full of synths, footwork-esque drums, hazy nostalgia and melodic layers…

Kaya Robertson • 21 May 2026

Suno • 3 min read

Suno sued again - this time by production duo who claim generative AI has caused an 80% slump in sync licensing income

Another day another Suno lawsuit. The AI company has been sued by production duo The American Dollar. This lawsuit is particularly interesting because the duo have traditionally made a lot of money from sync deals, and they say AI music like that generated by Suno has caused that income to slump…

Chris Cooke • 20 May 2026

Bob Vylan • 3 min read

Shindig Festival will go ahead after Tory attempt to block headliner Bob Vylan under “public safety” concerns fails

Attempts by local Tories to stop this year’s Shindig Festival because Bob Vylan is headlining have failed, with Wiltshire Council concluding there are no tangible safety concerns. It reviewed the festival’s licence at the last minute following a request from South Cotswolds Conservative Association…

Chris Cooke • 20 May 2026

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: Balming Tiger

Balming Tiger are penned as “alternative K-pop”, which tells you something but not nearly enough. New album ‘Gongbu’ is fourteen tracks of psychedelic sounds layered over Korean and East Asian musical textures, dreamlike and nostalgic and faintly hallucinatory…

Kaya Robertson • 19 May 2026

Live Nation • 2 min read

Live Nation and Ticketmaster should still be split up, lawmakers told, as US government’s antitrust settlement criticised in Congress

The US Department Of Justice’s decision to settle antitrust claims against Live Nation was slammed in Congress yesterday, with President Trump accused of siding with an “illegal monopoly”. Congress members also said they still hope Live Nation and Ticketmaster will be split up by the courts…

Chris Cooke • 19 May 2026

George Clinton • 1 min read

Funk pioneer George Clinton sues Universal over $1.1 million in withheld royalties

Universal Music has not been paying royalties to George Clinton for three years now, because he is involved in a legal dispute with the estate of a former collaborator over ownership of many of his recordings. But, a new lawsuit says, that dispute is no reason for UMG to withhold his money…

Chris Cooke • 19 May 2026

Shakira • 2 min read

Shakira hits out at Spanish tax authorities after winning legal battle over allegedly unpaid taxes from 2011 tour

A Spanish court has ruled in favour of Shakira in the final of three disputes between the pop star and Spain’s tax authorities. She has accused tax officials of leaking information about the dispute, and using her name and public image, to send a threatening message to other Spanish tax payers…

Chris Cooke • 18 May 2026

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