CMU Digest

CMU Digest 28.08.18: Eventbrite, Shazam, Grande, Spotify, CBS Radio

By | Published on Tuesday 28 August 2018

Eventbrite

The key stories from the last week in the music business…

Eventbrite confirmed its plans to IPO on the New York Stock Exchange. The self-service ticketing platform had initially filed confidential documents with the US Securities & Exchange Commission last month. The expanding and acquisitive but loss-making ticketing start-up is seeking to raise $200 million from the listing. [READ MORE]

Sources said that the European Commission will approve Apple’s Shazam acquisition. EU competition regulators announced they were looking into the deal in February, opening up a more detailed investigation in April. There are competition law concerns because the Shazam app currently links users through to Apple’s competitors in the streaming space. But sources told Reuters the transaction is likely to get the all-clear in Europe next month. [READ MORE]

Both sides requested summary judgement in the legal battle between the record industry and US internet service provider Grande. The labels want a summary judgement that says the ISP does not have safe harbour projection from liability for its users’ copyright infringement, citing the BMG v Cox case and Grande’s own evidence. The net firm wants the whole lawsuit dismissed, rubbishing the labels’ anti-piracy agents Rightscorp and accusing the record industry of trying to make ISPs their “de facto copyright enforcement agents”. [READ MORE]

It emerged that Spotify is no longer taking new premium subscriptions via its iOS app. When users sign-up through the iOS platform, Spotify must pay a chunk of monthly subscriptions to Apple, its main rival in the streaming market. Although Spotify isn’t obliged to take subscriptions via its app, Apple rules say it can’t overtly point users to other payment platforms. It’s not clear when Spotify stopped taking new premium subscriptions through iOS. The change was spotted as Netflix started piloting something similar. [READ MORE]

A US court ruled that remastering a track doesn’t necessarily create a new copyright. This was relevant in a golden oldies royalties dispute between ABS Entertainment and CBS Radio, relating to the pre-1972 quirk of American copyright law. Remastering may result in a new copyright – in the new version of the track – but not necessarily, said an appeals court. As a result the ABS Entertainment v CBS Radio dispute continues. [READ MORE]

The big deals from the last seven days in the music business…
• Downtown Music Publishing announced a number of new deals [INFO]
• Universal’s Capitol Music Group launch a music tech programmed with Gener8tor [INFO]
• Universal partnered with esports giant ESL [INFO]
• Bauer acquired Jazz FM [INFO]
• Heavenly signed Chai [INFO]



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