On this week’s show, we discuss the launch of the record industry’s first major lawsuits against music-generating AI companies - with the RIAA coordinating litigation against Suno and Udio - plus a group of songwriters are suing PRS.
Section times
01: Labels v Suno + Udio (00:04:30)
02: News in brief (00:15:20)
03: Songwriters v PRS (00:18:05)
(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)
This week’s main stories
RIAA sues Suno and Udio music genAI platforms
Suno and Udio are evasive about how they trained their AI models and have infringed copyright at “an almost unimaginable scale” says the RIAA. Music generated by the platform will flood the market with such speed and scale that the impact will be devastating for human creators
Chris Cooke
Suno boss accuses music industry of “reverting to its old lawyer-led playbook”
The US record industry yesterday sued AI companies Suno and Udio for copyright infringement. Suno’s CEO says that the labels are just coming out guns blazing without first having a proper conversation. The RIAA says that labels are quite happy to do that with people who don’t first steal their stuff
Chris Cooke
Audio says its music AI ‘listens’ doesn’t ‘copy’
Udio has responded to the lawsuit filed by the record companies earlier this week. It insists that its AI model only ‘listens’ to existing recordings, learning the art of music-making just like a human creator. The record industry maintains that that listening involves unlicensed copying
Chris Cooke
PRS sued by more songwriter members
PRS has been sued for a second time by its members. Dave Rowntree previously went legal over the black box, and now Robert Fripp, the Jesus & Mary Chain and others have filed a lawsuit over the “unreasonable and unnecessary hurdles” writers must cross when direct licensing their live performances
Chris Cooke
News in brief
UK Music names Tom Kiehl as new CEO
Tom Kiehl has been confirmed as CEO of UK Music, following nine months as the organisation’s interim chief exec. With a General Election looming, he says he hopes to “turn this moment of considerable political change into a moment to achieve change for UK Music”
Andy Malt
Live Nation boss Michael Rapino sued by shareholder over DoJ action
Last month the US Department Of Justice sued Live Nation accusing the live giant and its Ticketmaster subsidiary of anticompetitive conduct. Now an investor has sued members of company’s board claiming they “breached their fiduciary duties” by allowing the alleged anticompetitive conduct to occur
Chris Cooke
SiriusXM breaches consumer rights by charging an extra music royalties extra fee, says lawsuit
SiriusXM charges its users in the US an extra Music Royalty fee - on top of the advertised price of its subscriptions - to cover payments to the music industry. But, says a new lawsuit, music royalties are a core expense for a music service and shouldn’t be paid for out of a mysterious add-on fee
Chris Cooke
KKR acquires Superstruct
Investment firm KKR has acquired festival operator Superstruct for an undisclosed sum. Former owner Providence retains an option to make a minority investment. KKR says it sees “see significant growth opportunities ahead for Superstruct”
Andy Malt
Also mentioned
SXSW drops weapons sponsors - but not ties to Saudi money
SXSW has ditched its relationships with the US Army and a bunch of weapons manufacturers, which has been positively received across the industry. But if those sponsors are a problem, what about SXSW’s ties to the Saudi Arabian government via its majority owner Penske Media Corporation?
Sam Taylor