The music business explained: news, analysis, insights and jobs for music industry professionals

Universal Music claims Believe has built its business on “industrial-scale copyright infringement” and wants $500 million

Court rejects Min Hee-jin’s attempt to get Ador top job back, as HYBE boss forced to apologise for dissing rivals

Hollywood studios say AI training opt-out critical, Singapore must clarify copyright rules

Mitchell Asset Management boss says the future of the music business is kids “buying P Diddy skins” in Fortnite. Is it time for Proper Group's investors to ask for their money back?

Matt Hanner, founder of live agency Runway, on this year’s Agents x Managers Conference

Triller brings in former VEVO exec to kickstart “transformation journey” as vertical video’s poor cousin licks its lips at prospect of TikTok ban

Sony Music shows off “next-generation immersive technologies”, trails upcoming Myles Smith Fortnite event

2 Live Crew win back control of early albums as court rejects label’s ‘work for hire’ claim

Proper Group AG scandal grows as investor John Mitchell distances himself from Löhr and CMU uncovers another case of embezzlement

Proper Group AG - the company formerly known as Utopia - is riddled with debt and has left its few remaining staff high and dry with salaries unpaid for months

CAA accuses Range Media of stealing confidential information and masquerading as a management company to avoid talent agency regulations

TikTok’s stance on direct licensing is “disingenuous” and risks harming the digital supply chain say industry insiders

Lucian Grainge or God? Universal’s UK big cheese David Joseph is off to study religion

After executive cull, Elliot Grainge will reveal new Atlantic leadership team next week

EU consumer group sues Apple for €62 million over ‘Apple tax’ price hike on competing music subscriptions

The music industry is entering the era of “Streaming 2.0” and could be on course for 2 billion paying subscribers says Universal Music boss Lucian Grainge

US internet providers slam “extortionate pressure” of copyright lawsuits as they urge the Supreme Court to scrap Cox judgement

The 1975 respond to Malaysian festival promoter’s lawsuit

New York District Attorney brings criminal charges against man accused of sophisticated streaming fraud that raked in more than $10 million

Oasis brings dynamic ticketing practices under fire from UK’s competition and advertising regulators, plus EU

Chaotic scramble for Oasis tickets puts dynamic pricing in the spotlight of upcoming government inquiry

Hipgnosis “fraudulently induced” Barry Manilow to sell his artist royalties with “false promises”

Michael Rapino knew about Travis Scott’s “dangerous concert antics” says court filing as Live Nation desperately tries to avoid CEO’s deposition in Astroworld case

Crisis for Scottish music industry as government pauses critical funding schemes

Using lyrics without permission has not caused any “irreparable harm” to music publishers says Anthropic in injunction dispute

📑 CMU Digest: Donald Trump's music problem + more states join DOJ v Live Nation

Rachel Chinouriri cancels US support shows, putting the spotlight back on the ‘cost of touring crisis’

Isaac Hayes estate sues Donald Trump for copyright infringement

📑 CMU Digest: Cox takes major label dispute to Supreme Court + court dismisses Eminem publisher's Spotify lawsuit

Anthropic’s “tired arguments” and “scare tactics” should be rejected, say music organisations

TikTok forced to ditch “addictive” Lite rewards scheme in the EU

Suno admits it trained on major-owned music, accuses labels of misusing copyright

Lucian Grainge is back on the win-win, but which DSP is off his christmas card list? It’s not hard to guess.

Major label trade group criticises Canada’s 5% streaming levy

Spotify’s Q2: Cost cutting is paying off, Ek teases Supremium launch, hints at secret features beyond hi-res audio

Live Nation fights back in antitrust battle with US government

Kanye West and Snoop Dogg sued over uncleared samples and beats

SXSW London could disrupt delicately balanced music ecosystem and should reconsider its date

Lucian’s lunch money under threat as shareholder pressure mounts over “excessive” pay packet

Could Co-op Group terminate Manchester arena naming rights deal? Fury mounts as safety incident forces yet more Co-op Live show cancellations

An unexpected late night is not a “cognizable injury”, says Madonna in response to lawsuit over her slack timekeeping

Believe x WMG takeover dance warms up as financial regulator is called in

TikTok insists it isn't forcing Americans to phone politicians as ban proposal gets fast-tracked in Congress

CNM statement shows that Spotify’s rage about new French streaming levy misrepresents key facts

France has stood firm against Spotify’s bullying - and Spotify is having a tantrum

WMG is toying with an offer for Believe that would wipe out Warner’s cash reserves - but is it serious, would Believe shareholders sell and can WMG afford to bet the farm?

Mean Millennials scrap streaming subscriptions, mail order music is booming - and Apple Music might be making £500 million or more in the UK

Manchester City Council has spent nearly £90,000 fighting Night & Day legal battle

Hipgnosis Songs Fund takes a haircut - and might have bigger problems to come

Dodgy distributor 3tone linked to company being investigated by Serious Fraud Office

Artificial Intelligence and the music industry in 2023

Intellectual Property Office • 4 min read

Proposed UK copyright amendment will see US performers frozen out of equitable remuneration deal

The government has been reviewing the rules about which foreign performers should get equitable remuneration when their recordings are broadcast or performed in the UK. There was a plan that all foreign performers should earn ER, but a compromise means some performers will still miss out…

Chris Cooke • 06 Nov 2024

Cox Communications • 3 min read

Cox again urges Supreme Court to review major label dispute, to stop “innocent users” losing internet access because “a guest downloaded a couple of songs”

Cox Communications has made another filing with the US Supreme Court, which it wants to intervene in its billion dollar legal dispute with the major record companies. Much of the submission deals with legal technicalities, but it also makes some bombastic ‘save the internet’ type statements…

Chris Cooke • 06 Nov 2024

Ticketmaster • 2 min read

Man arrested in Canada in relation to Ticketmaster data hack

A man believed to be behind the mega-hack of Ticketmaster data earlier this year was in court in Canada yesterday having been arrested last week. The US want to extradite him in connection with multiple data breaches which also impacted companies like AT&T and Santander…

Chris Cooke • 06 Nov 2024

Believe • 3 min read

Universal Music claims Believe has built its business on “industrial-scale copyright infringement” and wants $500 million

Universal Music has filed a bombastic $500 million lawsuit against Believe accusing it of facilitating rampant copyright infringement by allowing fraudsters to illegally deliver tracks owned by the major to the streaming services, claiming royalties when those uploads are streamed…

Chris Cooke • 05 Nov 2024

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: cleopatrick

Since forming in 2015, Toronto duo cleopatrick have carved out a space as the raw voice of small-town angst from Cobourg, Ontario. Their latest single ‘HAMMER’ signals a pivot, featuring a core riff with an almost bluesy pulse…

Kaya Robertson • 05 Nov 2024

GEMA • 2 min read

GEMA publishes AI Charter

A new AI Charter from German collecting society GEMA sets out the music industry’s usual demands of AI companies, but also discusses moral rights and imbalances in negotiating power…

Chris Cooke • 05 Nov 2024

SESAC • 2 min read

US rights organisation SESAC welcomes 10% increase in radio royalty rate

Songwriters allied to American collecting society SESAC will see an increase in royalties from radio airplay after an arbitration panel ruled on a new licensing agreement between the rights organisation and the US radio sector…

Chris Cooke • 05 Nov 2024

Ed Sheeran • 3 min read

Another court says that Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking Out Loud’ is not a ‘Let's Get It On’ rip off

Ed Sheeran has again defeated a legal claim that his hit ‘Thinking Out Loud’ rips off Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’. A jury sided with Sheeran on this claim in May 2023, but a second lawsuit was filed by a company with an interest in Gaye’s song. That second lawsuit was dismissed and then appealed…

Chris Cooke • 04 Nov 2024

BBC • 2 min read

BBC Chair says the “fight is on” to protect the UK’s “wonderful” public service broadcasters

BBC Chair Samir Shah will make a number of demands of the government and media regulator OfCom in a speech tomorrow in a bid to ensure that the UK’s public service broadcasters can continue to compete in a market increasingly dominated by global platforms like those run by Netflix, Amazon and Disney…

Chris Cooke • 04 Nov 2024

Madlib • 2 min read

Madlib sues business manager over allegations of “rank self-dealing”

Madlib has sued his business manager Egon over allegations he mismanaged two companies they set up together to control the producer’s recordings and merchandise business. It’s claimed that, since they fell out, Egon is now holding Madlib’s IP and social media hostage…

Chris Cooke • 04 Nov 2024

Conferences & Events • 3 min read

CMU at Vill Vill Vest, Output and Most Wanted: Music - plus the MIME Conference

Find out more about sessions CMU is presenting this month at Vill Vill Vest, Output and Most Wanted: Music, as well as the MIME Conference from CMU’s Pathways Into Music Foundation…

CMU • 04 Nov 2024

Releases & Tours • 2 min read

⏩ Releases & Tours: Oct-Nov 2024 (Week 44)

Each week CMU rounds up standout releases and tour announcements from the last seven days. This week: Jon Hopkins, Kanii, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Four Tet, The Weeknd, Mogwai + more, while tour announcements include Maribou State, ALESSI ROSE + more…

Kaya Robertson • 04 Nov 2024