This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
CMU Digest
CMU Digest 26.11.18: YouTube, Rammstein, Taylor Swift, Wireless, Skrillex
By Chris Cooke | Published on Monday 26 November 2018
The key stories from the last week in the music business…
YouTube went big with its anti-article thirteen campaigning, as the very final draft of the European Copyright Directive continues to be agreed in Brussels. Ads started popping within the YouTube app and website – and on other social networks too – telling people how terrible the proposed safe harbour reforms in article thirteen will be. Meanwhile YouTube music boss Lyor Cohen claimed the proposed new law would mean the music industry making less not more from the video site. A plethora of organisations representing the music industry accused YouTube of spreading ‘fake news’ and interfering with the democratic process in Europe. [READ MORE]
Rammstein secured an injunction in the German courts banning Viagogo from listing tickets for their 2019 shows in Germany. Whereas both StubHub and Live Nation’s now defunct ticket resale sites have in the past agreed to block listings for big name shows where a promoter has pledged to cancel all touted tickets, Viagogo has always refused to play ball. It remains to be seen if it pays any attention to the court ruling, which also forbids Viagogo from claiming any tickets being sold on its platform for the Rammstein shows are “valid”. [READ MORE]
Taylor Swift signed to Universal Music. It marks the end of her long association with US independent Big Machine, although Universal has previously worked with the star outside America via a distribution deal with the indie. Swift said that as part of the deal she’d insisted that Universal share any future profits from the sale of its Spotify equity with its artists in a super fair fashion. That includes not setting any of these particular artist payments off against any unrecouped advances. [READ MORE]
Live Nation went to court to appeal new conditions that were added to its licence for the Wireless festival in London’s Finsbury Park. Some locals around the site had called for the licence not to be issued at all or for the annual urban music festival’s capacity to be significantly cut. Neither of those things happened, but in a new legal filing Live Nation said that new conditions on noise levels and curfew would make staging the festival in the London park unfeasible. [READ MORE]
A women injured by a stage-dive gone wrong at a Skrillex show in 2012 was awarded $3.8 million in damages. Jennifer Fraissl claimed that she suffered a stroke after being injured when the DJ/producer jumped into the crowd at a gig in LA. The damages will be collectively paid by the musician himself, his touring company and the venue. Skrillex said he was disappointed with the jury’s decision, but that his fan’s safety remained a top concern and “I’m glad this process is over”. [READ MORE]
The big deals from the last seven days in the music business…
• Janelle Monáe signed a film production deal with Universal Pictures [INFO]
• Tidal announced a partnership with fitness brand Barry’s [INFO]
• Glassnote signed a distribution deal with AWAL [INFO]
