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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

Universal’s Downtown deal must be blocked by regulators before “cultural diversity is weakened irreversibly” says Dutch indie label group president

As EU hits pause on UMG Downtown investigation after “parties fail to provide important info”, Downtown boss whines about “misinformation”

More upheaval at Warner Music as UK label chiefs will report directly to US execs

Yet another senior exec out at Warner Music as UK boss Tony Harlow quits

Billion dollar piracy win for majors “defies common law and common sense” says Cox

Court dismisses Dave Rowntree’s black box lawsuit against PRS

Supertramp songwriter must continue to share publishing royalties with bandmates, US appeals court concludes

Payola • 2 min read

Music streaming services targeted as Texas Attorney General launches payola investigation

The Attorney General of Texas has launched an investigation into payola in music streaming. He wants to know if any music companies have “undisclosed financial arrangements” with the streaming services that result in their music being unfairly prioritised, and which violate Texas state law…

Chris Cooke • 24 Apr 2026

Secondary Ticketing • 3 min read

Stop dragging feet over ticket touting ban, UK music industry tells PM Keir Starmer

The UK government announced plans to ban for-profit ticket touting last November, but are yet to implement that plan, and it’s looking unlikely a Ticketing Bill will be included in next month’s King’s Speech. The music industry says these delays are costing British music fans millions of pounds…

Chris Cooke • 24 Apr 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 Madonna, Sofie Royer, Bleech 9:3, Nick León, Namasenda + Alewya…

Kaya Robertson • 24 Apr 2026

Cox Communications • 3 min read

Fallout from Cox mega-damages reversal continues as publishers streamline Anthropic claims and labels ditch copycat Verizon case

Last month’s big ruling in the majors v Cox case continues to have an impact. The majors had also sued another ISP, Verizon, but have ditched that case after the US Supreme Court sided with Cox. Music publishers suing Anthropic have also dropped some of their claims, likely because of the Cox ruling…

Chris Cooke • 23 Apr 2026

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: WIDGET

WIDGET make Hannah Montana-referencing, discofied dance rock, which sounds better than it reads, trust me. New single ‘WHAT IF PHONES BUT TOO MUCH’ is an arpeggiated bop about smashing glass ceilings and imagining everyone’s face replaced with Danny Dyer’s…

Kaya Robertson • 23 Apr 2026

Shambala • 2 min read

Shambala founders transfer control of the festival to an employee ownership trust

Co-founders of Shambala are transferring control of the festival to an ‘employee ownership trust’, meaning it will basically be owned by its team. They say this approach will safeguard the event’s independence as many others festivals are acquired by “major live entertainment conglomerates”…

Chris Cooke • 22 Apr 2026

Anthropic • 4 min read

Universal Music has shot itself in the foot over AI fair use, says Anthropic

Anthropic wants a judge to throw out the copyright lawsuit filed against it by three music publishers, including Universal, because AI training is fair use. The publishers argue that AI-generated lyrics are diluting the market for songs, but Universal recently told its investors that’s not happening…

Chris Cooke • 22 Apr 2026

Horizon Future Leaders • 4 min read

🌅 Horizon Future Leaders - Juliet Kennedy

This week, we caught up with Juliet Kennedy; founder and curator of Brick Lane Jazz Festival…

Horizon Music Jobs • 22 Apr 2026

Amy Winehouse • 2 min read

Mitch Winehouse loses legal battle over Amy Winehouse auction proceeds

Two friends of Amy Winehouse have defeated a lawsuit filed against them by her father, Mitch Winehouse. The dispute related to auctions of items connected to Amy, with Mitch claiming her friends “concealed” they were personally selling items alongside those put up for sale by his daughter’s estate…

Chris Cooke • 21 Apr 2026

Live Nation • 3 min read

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

Live Nation has reached a $9.9 million settlement with the Attorney General of Washington DC, who accused the company of employing dodgy ticket selling tactics. Its lawyers also want the damages part of last week’s antitrust ruling set aside based on a dispute over an expert witness’s maths…

Chris Cooke • 21 Apr 2026

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: Finn Askew

Finn Askew doesn’t sound like a Bieber knockoff, he just happens to be fishing in the same water, and pulling out something of his own. ‘BLUEBOY’, his new six track mixtape, is lush slow jams done right, built on minimalist trap drums and close-mic vocals…

Kaya Robertson • 21 Apr 2026

Universal Music • 3 min read

Drake says judge in defamation case didn’t properly consider whether “reasonable people” might believe slur in Kendrick’s diss track

Drake still wants Universal Music held liable for defamation over its release of Kendrick Lamar’s “certified pedophile” lyric in diss track ‘Not Like Us’. With defamation cases, context is everything, but Drake now argues the judge who dismissed his defamation lawsuit considered the wrong context…

Chris Cooke • 20 Apr 2026

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