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

Lawyer previously convicted of embezzlement from bankrupt companies in Sweden is pulling the strings at Proper Group AG

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

📑 CMU Digest: TikTok v the indies, plus CAA sues Range Media Partners

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

Merlin's letter to members about TikTok licensing negotiations

📑 CMU Digest: TikTok Music closing + all change at top of Universal UK

A Swiss court has initiated bankruptcy proceedings against Proper Group AG

HYBE label Ador reinstates Min Hee-jin as director but not CEO

Out with the old, in with the new: Atlantic Music Group annoints its new top team

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

📑 CMU Digest: Live Nation boss says concerts are affordable + The White Stripes sue Trump

NTIA urges “thorough review” of Martyn's Law as it’s introduced into Parliament

Live Nation boss insists concerts are “incredibly affordable”, especially when compared to sport

📑 CMU Digest: Dynamic ticket pricing in the spotlight plus $10 million streaming scam exposed

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

Billy Joel sued by musician who says he helped create ‘You May Be Right’

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

Op-ed: Cyanite CEO Markus Schwarzer on why keywords still matter for music data

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

MegaUpload founder Kim Dotcom to be extradited to US to face copyright charges

Cornwall Council launches Boardmasters investigation

Live Nation’s anticompetitive conduct goes far beyond consent decree violations, the US government argues

📑 CMU Digest: Music industry lambasts Anthropic's defence + Spotify lays into Apple (again)

Apple's latest proposal “blatantly disregards” fundamentals of EU’s DMA, says Spotify

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

Majors hit back at Cox’s latest attempt to overturn billion dollar copyright ruling

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

US TikTok ban addresses “grave national-security threats” and is a “triumph for human rights” say new court filings

📑 CMU Digest: Suno and Udio file fair use defence + The 1975 sued by Malaysian festival

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

NO FAKES Act will make likeness and voice rights non-assignable, cap licensing duration

Subscribers didn’t ask for audiobooks says MLC as it hits back at Spotify

TikTok’s plans to allay data security concerns were simply insufficient, US government insists in new court submission

📑 CMU Digest: Spotify hits back at MLC lawsuit + Q2 financial updates

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

It’s “common sense” that audiobooks have “more than token value” says Spotify in MLC lawsuit response letter

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

📑 CMU Digest: Live Nation antitrust push back + sheet music wars in court

Live Nation fights back in antitrust battle with US government

Kanye West and Snoop Dogg sued over uncleared samples and beats

Margate’s Live Nation-owned Dreamland ordered to cancel drum & bass events after drug-related death

CMU launches new CMU Masterclass series

Are hedge funds betting against Blackstone’s Hipgnosis deal?

Udio responds to record label lawsuit insisting its AI model ‘listens’ rather than ‘copies’

US music publishers ramp up the rhetoric against Spotify's royalty reducing bundling trick

Supreme Court ruling could boost damages payments in US lawsuits over historical copyright infringement

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

TikTok sues the US government over sell-or-be-banned law

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

AI • 3 min read

Parliament’s culture committee chair urges ministers to not put “flawed” AI copyright exception back on the agenda

There has been speculation that the UK government might be considering introducing a new copyright exception for AI companies, something the last government proposed and then rejected. Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of Parliament’s culture committee, has written to ministers opposing any such plan…

Chris Cooke • 15 Oct 2024

[PIAS] • 3 min read

Universal buys out [PIAS] founders

In 2021, Universal Music announced a strategic alliance with independent distributor and label group [PIAS], before buying 49% of the company the following year. Now it has bought the company outright in a deal which sees [Integral], the services business of [PIAS], become part of Virgin Music Group…

Chris Cooke • 15 Oct 2024

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: DITZ

Known for their blistering live shows, Brighton’s DITZ distill anger, sarcasm and scorn into taut, explosive tracks that challenge both sonically and thematically. Their new single ‘Space/Smile’ marks the first taste of their forthcoming album ‘Never Exhale’, due January 2025…

Kaya Robertson • 15 Oct 2024

Diddy • 3 min read

Diddy lawsuit floodgates begin to open: as six more lawsuits are filed, is this the trickle before the torrent?

Texas-based lawyer Tony Buzbee, who says he is representing at least 120 people who were allegedly sexually assaulted by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, has filed lawsuits on behalf of six of his clients. Four men and two women say they were sexually assaulted by Combs between the 1990s and 2021…

Chris Cooke • 15 Oct 2024

Sony Music • 4 min read

Spotify should have put up prices long ago; TikTok not a promo platform; AI will be a great tool for making music; Sony will take “more organic” approach to working with artists beyond releases, says Rob Stringer

Sony Music CEO Rob Stringer spoke at a Bloomberg’s Screentime conference last week, about getting more money out of TikTok, streaming subscribers, and opportunities for Sony and its artists. Those opportunities are stronger for Sony, he said, because it’s part of a wider entertainment group…

Chris Cooke • 14 Oct 2024

Releases & Tours • 2 min read

⏩ Releases & Tours: Oct 2024 (Week 41)

Each week CMU rounds up standout releases and tour announcements from the last seven days. This week: Charli XCX, Pa Salieu, Madlib, Ab-Soul, Major Lazer, Vybz Cartel, Strandz, The Cure + more, while tour announcements include Rizzle Kicks, Coco & Clair Clair + more.…

Kaya Robertson • 14 Oct 2024

Piracy • 2 min read

“Bulletproof” ISPs in the spotlight as RIAA submits annual piracy gripes to US government’s ‘notorious markets’ report

The US government is putting together its annual notorious markets report, which lists piracy sites of concern. The record industry has made its submission. Whereas last year concerns about AI vocal clones were included, this year’s contribution focuses on more conventional types of music piracy…

Chris Cooke • 14 Oct 2024

Caroline Dinenage MP • 1 min read

Caroline Dinenage MP writes to Lisa Nandy amid reports government may be considering a text and data mining AI copyright exception

Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of Parliament’s culture committee, has written to ministers following reports that the new UK government might be considering introducing a text and data mining copyright exception that could be utlised by AI companies, a move the last government proposed and then dropped…

CMU • 14 Oct 2024

TikTok • 5 min read

Exclusive: WIN says TikTok's decision to circumvent Merlin "puts independent labels in an impossible place" and "poses risk to cultural diversity"

TikTok's decision to circumvent independent music licensing organisation Merlin will harm diversity and puts independent music in an impossible place says WIN, calling on TikTok to come back to the negotiating table with Merlin…

Sam Taylor • 14 Oct 2024

Mitchell Asset Management • 5 min read

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

John Mitchell, a key investor in Proper Group AG, has issued a statement to CMU distancing himself from the bankrupt company’s former ‘general advisor’ Peter Löhr. CMU has now discovered that a former director of Mitchell’s Australian firm Mitchell Asset Management was also accused of embezzlement.…

Sam Taylor • 12 Oct 2024

One Liners - quickfire news from the music business • 21 min read