Complete Music Update: the music business explained

Astroworld victims want first trial to be livestreamed

📑 CMU Digest: Co-op Live has been having a pretty bad week...

Co-op Live’s opening week woes continue

To the moon! Concord reaches for the high notes as it ups its SONG bid to $1.25

“Value, value, value!” is the mantra at Spotify as Ek downplays the negatives

The state of Hipgnosis

Manchester’s new Co-op Live arena cancels launch shows as power issues delay opening

📑 CMU Digest: Elephants on parade as Hipgnosis circus rolls back into town

Believe board backs buyout bid - but company will remain listed on Paris exchange

Hipgnosis debacle might be over as Concord offers to acquire entire share capital of SONG - but there’s a catch…

Save £70 on our Economics Of Streaming Masterclass Series

MLC lawsuit is “wild overreach” says Pandora, accusing US mechanicals society of “legal frolics”

Live Nation could be facing antitrust lawsuit from US government as soon as next month

Viagogo boss does the UK media rounds, insists touting price cap won't work

Universal relaxes TikTok boycott - but only if your name is Taylor Swift

Apple and Travis Scott companies remain as defendants in Astroworld litigation

Gee Davy to take over as head of indie label trade body AIM as Silvia Montello exits

“Fundamental reform of music streaming” must come soon, say MPs

GEMA says German song right income is booming, but digital growth is lacking

Live Nation boss to sit for deposition in Astroworld litigation

Warner Music Group pulls out of Believe takeover race

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

Spotify planning another price rise in five markets

200+ artists sign letter urging tech companies to stop using AI to "devalue the rights of human artists"

Pharrell Williams accused of “committing fraud in securing trademarks” by Neptunes partner

Excessive spending, poor systems, missing documents and misleading statements: Shot Tower Capital’s blistering assessment of Hipgnosis Song Management couldn’t be much worse

French indie label body UPFI calls on French government to intervene in potential Warner Music Group takeover of Believe

Travis Scott seeks to be removed from Astroworld lawsuits, as lawyers query if performers should have crowd management training

Utopia! Whotopia? The Swiss music company has a Proper strategy…

As BMG’s 2023 numbers show continued growth, could a merger with Warner Music or Believe be on the cards?

Sean Combs properties raided in federal sex trafficking investigation

French regulator AMF knocks back Believe consortium’s accelerated bid, giving Warner Music a chance to make a formal offer

Mood music maker scores fifteen billion streams, and prompts yet another 'fake artists' debate

Night & Day ruling makes it “open season” on Manchester’s night-time economy says Music Venue Trust boss

BPI threatens to sue voice cloning site Voicify

📑 CMU Digest: Be sold or be banned says US Congress to TikTok

Think you understand the music industry’s revenue stats? Think again…

Labour commits to UK ticket touting price cap, as Ed Sheeran's team welcomes guilty verdict in ticket tout court case

Selling TikTok would be last resort for ByteDance, sources say as House votes through sell-or-be-banned law

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

€111 million in TikTok revenue is nothing when you’re Lucian Grainge - but, he says, “my phone is always open” if Shou Zi Chew wants to be friends again

Sound City’s Becky Ayres: “The music business’ talent pipeline is blocked by an image problem”

CMU Exclusive: Apple Music’s “spatial audio bonus” will favour major labels at the expense of small labels and creators

Artificial Intelligence and the music industry in 2023

One Liners • 2 min read

⏩ One Liners: Billie Eilish, Co-op Live, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs + more

IMRO x Audoo, Budde Music x Billy Mann; Seen ‘Diddy’ Combs, Steven Tyler legal updates; Co-op Live opening date; South Asian music accelerator Lila launches; Billie Eilish, Max Richter, Overmono shows; new music from Eivør, Patrick Higgins, Faux Real…

Andy Malt • 30 Apr 2024

CMU Approved • 1 min read

Approved: Canty

Set to release his new EP ‘hahahahahahahahahahahahaha’ next month, Canty has put out the first track from it, ‘hahaha’. As neither name suggests, the song is a downbeat ode to accepting your fate but hoping it will be a good one…

Andy Malt • 30 Apr 2024

Astroworld • 3 min read

Astroworld victims want first trial to be livestreamed

The first Astroworld trial will begin next month. As that court hearing gets closer, lawyers working for the victims have asked for the proceedings to be livestreamed. They are also seeking more of the evidence gathered as part of the criminal investigation into the Astroworld crowd surge tragedy…

Chris Cooke • 29 Apr 2024

One Liners • 3 min read

⏩ One Liners: Britney Spears, Prince, Drake + more

Warner Chappell x ReverbNation; NEC x AXS; Britney Spears, Prince, Drake, TikTok legal news; Oak View London arena; Radio 2 listeners choose favourite Abba track; Janet Jackson, Craig David tour news; new music from The Chainsmokers, Emilíana Torrini…

Andy Malt • 29 Apr 2024

Hipgnosis • 2 min read

Blackstone upstages Concord with $1.30 Hipgnosis Songs Fund bid

Another day and another revised bid for SONG. Blackstone has upped its offer, SONG’s board recommends the offer, so we can all rest tight. Until tomorrow. When will this all end? Are we really going to have to ensure another month of this?…

Sam Taylor • 29 Apr 2024

Kanye • 2 min read

Second discrimination lawsuit for Kanye West and Donda Academy

A former security guard at Kanye West’s Donda Academy has sued for discrimination, saying that he was fired for refusing to cut off his dreadlocks. This, he claims, was just one of numerous acts of discrimination against him and other black staff at the school…

Andy Malt • 29 Apr 2024

Cox Communications • 2 min read

Cox Communications sues its insurers over costs of its BMG copyright dispute

Back in 2015, BMG successfully sued internet firm Cox over its users’ copyright infringement, prompting a flurry of similar lawsuits from the majors. BMG and Cox ultimately reached an out of court settlement in 2018. All these years later, Cox is now suing its insurers over the costs it incurred…

Chris Cooke • 29 Apr 2024

R Kelly • 1 min read

R Kelly fails to overturn Chicago conviction

R Kelly has failed in his bid to overturn a 2022 conviction for sexual abuse in the Chicago courts. Lawyers raised various issues with the judgment against the musician, including in relation to the statute of limitations, but an appeals court rejected them all…

Chris Cooke • 29 Apr 2024

• 12 min read

📑 CMU Digest: Co-op Live has been having a pretty bad week...

Gedagedigedagedago! It's not often that you see a major live venue do a reverse Rickroll, but Co-op Live pulled it off.…

CMU • 29 Apr 2024

Setlist • 6 min read

Setlist Podcast: Hipgnosis v Hipgnosis - the saga continues…

The big Hipgnosis bidding war, the Co-op Live arena's struggles to open, and more…

Andy Malt & Chris Cooke • 26 Apr 2024

Co-op Live • 3 min read

Co-op Live’s opening week woes continue

Manchester’s new Co-op Live venue won’t open this weekend after all. A Black Keys show set to take place on Saturday has now been pushed back, as have two Peter Kay performances, which had already been rescheduled. Amid all the chaos, it was also announced that GM Gary Roden has resigned…

Chris Cooke • 26 Apr 2024

Pathways Into Music • 2 min read

Understanding the pathways into music

This weekend more than 50 music educators will come together in Derby to discuss how to best support future music talent at an event organised by CMU’s Pathways Into Music Foundation. Dr Sini Timonen is part of the team delivering the programme and here she outlines its objectives…

CMU • 26 Apr 2024

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