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

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

FTC sues ticket touting business that claims it is endorsed by Ticketmaster

Drake’s claims are “farcical” says Lucian Grainge as defamation battle rumbles on

Drake wants to trawl through Papa Grainge’s emails in ‘Not Like Us’ libel battle

Sony sues Napster over $9.2 million in unpaid royalties

Spotify age-checks could result in accounts being deleted, but only if you’re twelve

Increasing number of artists join Spotify boycott over CEO’s AI weapon investments

If China blocks TikTok deal app will “go dark” says US Commerce Secretary, but hints deal “coming soon”

Blackstone bails on consortium bidding to buy TikTok US - will a deal still be done by September deadline?

Anthropic’s ‘fair use’ win in AI copyright case could turn into a trillion dollar loss

No copyright exception for AI training in European law, says new report

Full scale anticompetition investigation on the cards after UMG’s Virgin Music fails to allay EU fears over Downtown merger

Suno AI’s faulty guardrails mean its ‘ReMi’ lyric model will spit out entire lyrical works with basic prompting

Did Ticketmaster’s UK boss Andrew Parsons mislead MPs at a select committee hearing?

Trump must “weigh in” on AI copyright debate and pressure “less innovative countries” on copyright rules, says OpenAI

Everyone’s making loads of money but don’t point the finger at us if you’re not, says Spotify’s updated Loud & Clear

Andrew Tate course on ‘pimping’ and exploiting women remains on Spotify as petition passes 25,000 signatures

Universal will spend billions to dominate emerging markets, says Grainge during Q4 earnings call as major sets out its “eat the world” strategies

Liverpool “new heart of music business” says Sound City as major label execs and industry heavyweights head north

Live Nation boss dismissive of streaming platforms’ superfan ambitions as company reports record year

Spotify wants to be “the best in the world at building AI products” and is focused on “accelerated execution”... but still no super-premium launch

Judge throws out MLC’s audiobooks bundle lawsuit, says Spotify can keep cutting songwriter royalties through its “cynical trick”

Universal Music’s new Spotify deal could be a knock-out blow for streaming platform’s audiobook bundling trick

Notorious Markets Report • 3 min read

Looking for a cheap Labubu? The latest Notorious Markets anti-piracy report might be just what you need

The US government has published its annual ‘Notorious Markets’ report, putting the spotlight on piracy platforms that it would like lawmakers in other countries to crack down on. This year’s edition includes a special focus on sports piracy, though it also highlights music industry piracy concerns…

Chris Cooke • 05 Mar 2026

Chance The Rapper • 3 min read

Chance The Rapper and Pat The Manager bust-up heads to court over disputed sunset clause

The big legal battle between Chance The Rapper and his former manager Patrick Corcoran has arrived in court in the US. They stopped working together in 2020, but Corcoran said his management deal allowed him to continue commissioning for three more years. That deal, however, was never written down…

Chris Cooke • 05 Mar 2026

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: Corella

Manchester's Corella are the kind of band you discover at a festival and immediately tell someone about. New single ‘Rewire’, produced by Jason Perry, is their heaviest move yet. Soaring riffs, pounding drums, and a no-nonsense vocal performance from Joel Smith, make it a blistering listen…

Kaya Robertson • 05 Mar 2026

Warner Music • 12 min read

Warner Music’s Robert Kyncl is betting the company on an AI future. Can he deliver?

Warner Music CEO Robert Kyncl has published a shareholder memo in which he lays out why he should be music’s AI visionary-in-chief and his big AI bet for Warner. Everyone wins, nobody loses. Unless you work for Warner, in which case you might want to find a new job before you’re replaced by an AI…

Sam Taylor • 04 Mar 2026

Live Nation • 4 min read

Taylor Swift and Barclays Center ticketing controversies prove monopolist Live Nation is damaging live music, DoJ tells jury

The Live Nation antitrust trial got properly underway yesterday, with lawyers for the US Department Of Justice and the live giant - both called Dave - delivering their opening statements. Ticketing dramas involving Taylor Swift and New York’s Barclays Center were a key part of the proceedings…

Chris Cooke • 04 Mar 2026

Artificial Intelligence • 3 min read

No copyright for AI-generated works in US as Supreme Court refuses to intervene in earlier landmark ruling

Do AI-generated works enjoy copyright protection? The US Copyright Office is adamant they do not under current American law and that position has been endorsed by various courts. The Supreme Court has now declined to get involved, meaning that position stands. But should AI works enjoy protection?…

Chris Cooke • 03 Mar 2026

Live Nation • 3 min read

Live Nation is an illegal monopoly and needs to be held to account, says California Attorney General as DoJ lawsuit kicks off

The US government’s antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation has reached the courtroom, with the live giant’s attempts to pause the trial having failed. One of the state attorney generals involved says Live Nation has illegally manipulated the market and “we look forward to holding them accountable”…

Chris Cooke • 03 Mar 2026

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: Lay Llamas

Founded in 2012 by Sicilian composer and musicologist Nicola Giunta, Lay Lamas shifts shape constantly, collaborators in, collaborators out, but always orbiting the same psychedelic and slightly ritualistic core. New single ‘Mystical Journey’ is heady and lilting, all psych rock transcendence…

Kaya Robertson • 03 Mar 2026

Kanye West • 3 min read

Judge let’s Kanye West sample lawsuit proceed, but only because he commercialised his demos

Kanye West’s lawyers last week enjoyed some success in an uncleared sample dispute over ‘Donda’ tracks, with a lawsuit being cut back to only claims relating to demo versions. They also had another go at getting a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former employee dismissed on free speech grounds…

Chris Cooke • 02 Mar 2026

Rolling Loud • 2 min read

Australia’s Rolling Loud gets cancelled as festival and promoter pin blame on each other

The Rolling Loud hip hop festival was due to return to Australia this weekend, but was cancelled on Friday. US-based Rolling Loud said in a statement that its partner on the Australian editions, Primuse Entertainment, “failed to meet critical payment deadlines”. But Primuse has disputed those claims…

Chris Cooke • 02 Mar 2026