Chris Cooke - CMU | the music business explained

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Drew Barrymore • 2 min read

Drew Barrymore sued over unlicensed music in Instagram Reel pushing her cosmetics brand

Drew Barrymore is on the receiving end of the latest lawsuit over unlicensed music in a social media post. She included the track ‘My Sun And Stars’ in an Instagram Reel promoting her cosmetics brand FLOWER Beauty. Brands need to secure their own licences when including music in social media videos…

Chris Cooke • 19 Jan 2026

AXS sues over touting tool that allows ticket resellers to avoid transfer restrictions

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AXS Europe • 3 min read

AXS sues over touting tool that allows ticket resellers to avoid transfer restrictions

AXS has sued SecureMyPass, a tool that allows touts to clone tickets they source via the primary ticketing platform, so that they can circumvent resale restrictions when selling them on for profit. AEG-owned AXS claims that SecureMyPass breaches the terms of its platform and infringes its trademarks…

Chris Cooke • 19 Jan 2026

Pulp will play Adelaide Festival despite threatening to join creator boycott following change in leadership

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Pulp • 2 min read

Pulp will play Adelaide Festival despite threatening to join creator boycott following change in leadership

Pulp are set to play the Adelaide Festival, which has been embroiled in controversy since it axed Palestinian Australian academic Randa Abdel-Fatta from its programme. Jarvis Cocker has revealed Pulp planned to pull out in protest, but will now perform after the Abdel-Fatta decision was reversed…

Chris Cooke • 16 Jan 2026

Kneecap say UK government has wasted over £1 million on Mo Chara flag case, as prosecutors ask High Court to reinstate terror charges

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Kneecap • 3 min read

Kneecap say UK government has wasted over £1 million on Mo Chara flag case, as prosecutors ask High Court to reinstate terror charges

Kneecap were back in court yesterday, with UK prosecutors wanting the High Court to reinstate criminal charges for alleged terror offences against band member Mo Chara, which were dismissed last year on a legal technicality. The band said the hearing was “a waste of public time and public money”…

Chris Cooke • 15 Jan 2026

After Sting coughs up £647k in royalty dispute, former bandmates say there could be millions more missing

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The Police • 3 min read

After Sting coughs up £647k in royalty dispute, former bandmates say there could be millions more missing

Legal reps for The Police were in court this week in a dispute over how Sting shares his publishing income with former bandmates Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland. Lawyers for Summers and Copeland revealed they plan to expand their claims, arguing Sting owes well over £8 million in unpaid royalties…

Chris Cooke • 15 Jan 2026

Songwriter groups hail “unequivocal win for creator rights” as US appeals court upholds landmark termination rights ruling

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Termination Right • 4 min read

Songwriter groups hail “unequivocal win for creator rights” as US appeals court upholds landmark termination rights ruling

A US appeals court has upheld a ruling that rejects music industry convention regarding how the termination right in American copyright law works - in a way that majorly benefits music creators. The ruling has been hailed by songwriter groups as an “enormous victory for the creator community”…

Chris Cooke • 14 Jan 2026

Five interesting music business stats to start 2026

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Industry Stats • 4 min read

Five interesting music business stats to start 2026

As 2025 ended and 2026 began we had the customary flurry of stats from various music industry sources, providing some insights on revenues and trends across the music business. Here are five of the more interesting numbers..…

Chris Cooke • 13 Jan 2026

EU’s Digital Fairness Act provides “one-off chance” to tackle “fraudulent” ticket touting practices

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Ticket Touting • 3 min read

EU’s Digital Fairness Act provides “one-off chance” to tackle “fraudulent” ticket touting practices

The European Union will this year draft a new Digital Fairness Act that seeks to “strengthen protection and digital fairness for consumers”. The music industry has published an open letter urging EU lawmakers to introduce new pan-European regulations for ticket touting as part of that process…

Chris Cooke • 13 Jan 2026

Five key developments over the Christmas break

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Music industry legal news coverage • 6 min read

Five key developments over the Christmas break

With the Christmas break now well and truly over and forgotten, here are five key developments in the music business since the last CMU Daily of 2025, including X suing the music publishers, a judge dismissing Salt N Pepa’s UMG lawsuit, Lucian Grainge’s memo, and TikTok and Spotify developments…

Chris Cooke • 12 Jan 2026

Music and AI: 2025’s developments that will shape 2026’s disputes

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Artificial Intelligence • 12 min read

Music and AI: 2025’s developments that will shape 2026’s disputes

AI will remain a major talking point in the music industry throughout 2026. Pretty much all the big copyright questions and disputes relating to generative AI remain unanswered and unresolved. However, as major labels sign a flurry of AI deals, future disputes are likely to be within the industry…

Chris Cooke • 12 Jan 2026

Artists from South East Europe at risk of “cultural erasure” as a result of Spotify’s 1000 stream threshold

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Spotify • 3 min read

Artists from South East Europe at risk of “cultural erasure” as a result of Spotify’s 1000 stream threshold

A new study has put the spotlight on the 1000 stream royalty payment threshold introduced by Spotify last year, concluding that the change in rules disproportionately affects artists and labels in smaller markets like those in South East Europe, with 92% of surveyed indie labels opposing the changes…

Chris Cooke • 16 Dec 2025

Primal Scream festival performance cancelled following criticism of “antisemitic” imagery shown at Roundhouse gig

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Primal Scream • 2 min read

Primal Scream festival performance cancelled following criticism of “antisemitic” imagery shown at Roundhouse gig

A Roundhouse show by Primal Scream last week was criticised over controversial images shown during a performance of their song ‘Swastika Eyes’, which critics say were antisemitic. On the back of that criticism, organisers of the Trentham Live festival have now axed the band from their 2026 line-up…

Chris Cooke • 16 Dec 2025