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

Universal Music has found its backbone and told Bill Ackman to take a hike

BTS fans hate Live Nation over Aussie and Malaysian ticket pre-sales

Chance The Rapper and Pat The Manager back in court, over claims Pat improperly inserted himself into Chance’s deals

Gamma - which released Kanye’s comeback album - sues to unmask whoever is behind “coordinated and malicious” anonymous smear campaign

UK competition regulator should urgently investigate live music sector, MPs say, citing “climate of fear” around Live Nation’s dominance

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”

Universal Music • 9 min read

Universal Music has found its backbone and told Bill Ackman to take a hike

The board of Universal Music has swatted away Pershing Square Capital’s takeover bid after the major’s biggest shareholder said he didn’t fancy it. But the problem that drove Ackman’s bid is still there - and Universal is going to have to do something radical to keep its shareholders happy…

Sam Taylor • 01 Jun 2026

MIA • 3 min read

M.I.A. sues Kid Cudi after being axed from his tour - claims sacking was ‘publicity stunt’ prompted by poor ticket sales

M.I.A. was sacked as support act on Kid Cudi’s current tour last month, a move that has now prompted a lawsuit. At the time Kid Cudi said he was dropping M.I.A. because of “offensive remarks” she’d made on stage. But she now claims it was a publicity stunt to try to sell more tickets for the tour…

Chris Cooke • 01 Jun 2026

Kanye • 2 min read

More Kanye cancellations: banned from performing in Italy, but Dutch shows to go ahead

Kanye West’s European tour has had another date axed, after officials in Italy blocked his planned concert in the city of Reggio Emilia citing “public order” concerns. However, politicians in the Netherlands have resisted calls to block two shows taking place there this week…

Chris Cooke • 01 Jun 2026

Live Nation • 3 min read

BTS fans hate Live Nation over Aussie and Malaysian ticket pre-sales

Tickets for BTS shows in Malaysia and Australia go on sale next week, prompting new scrutiny of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. In Malaysia that’s down to false rumours tickets are already being secretly sold, but in Australia criticism centres on Ticketmaster’s failure to communicate ticket prices…

Chris Cooke • 29 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 Ezra Collective, Pa Salieu, Julia Wolf, MOIO, Opal Mag + Nia Smith…

Kaya Robertson • 29 May 2026

LyricFind • 3 min read

LyricFind amends Musixmatch lawsuit, says rival should hand over profits because Pro service was boosted by anticompetitive conduct

LyricFind has amended its lawsuit against rival Musixmatch, which it accuses of anticompetitive conduct via a Warner Chappell exclusivity deal. The revised lawsuit says Musixmatch’s Pro service also benefited from the bad conduct and it should be forced to hand over extra profits it made as a result…

Chris Cooke • 29 May 2026

Chance The Rapper • 2 min read

Chance The Rapper and Pat The Manager back in court, over claims Pat improperly inserted himself into Chance’s deals

A jury ruled in favour of Chance The Rapper in a legal dispute with his ex-manager Pat Corcoran over unpaid commissions earlier this year. However, there remain other unresolved disputes between the two men, meaning they are both back in court this week, which Chance testifying yesterday…

Chris Cooke • 28 May 2026

Björn Ulvaeus • 2 min read

Creator voices are not being heard in AI discussions, says CISAC’s Björn Ulvaeus in annual report

CISAC has published its annual report. In it the organisation’s President, Björn Ulvaeus, says it’s good that lawmakers around the world are now considering copyright issues in relation to AI, but creators often aren’t in the room when that happens, which means their voices are “not being heard”…

Chris Cooke • 28 May 2026

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: Clutter

Stockholm four-piece Clutter play knotty, blown-out punk rock with a lot going on underneath; lyrically they’re picking at big questions, existential, political, but the noise is too good to get preachy about it. New single 'GirlVsHeart' is gnarly and hook-laden and about love…

Kaya Robertson • 28 May 2026

Gamma • 5 min read

Gamma - which released Kanye’s comeback album - sues to unmask whoever is behind “coordinated and malicious” anonymous smear campaign

Larry Jackson’s artist services company Gamma - which released Kanye’s ‘Bully’ comeback - is under attack by a anonymous hater who has used an orchestrated bot campaign to smear him and his company. He wants the US courts to unmask the perpetrator, but that might not be quite so straightforward…

Chris Cooke & Sam Taylor • 27 May 2026

Global-K Chart • 2 min read

Music streaming platforms team up for new pan-Asian K-pop super chart

Regional streaming services in Korea, China, Japan and a number of other Asian markets - including Melon, QQ Music and LINE MUSIC - are coming together to launch a new multi-territory K-pop chart. Melon announced yesterday that the chart, called the Global-K Chart, will launch next month…

Chris Cooke • 27 May 2026

Horizon Future Leaders • 2 min read

Every resource our Horizon Future Leaders recommended, in one place

From guilds to grassroots communities, job boards to leadership programmes, here is a guide to everything the next generation of music industry leaders told us helped them develop their skills and progress in their careers…

Horizon Music Jobs • 27 May 2026