Chris Cooke - CMU | the music business explained

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Apple • 2 min read

Forced change to Apple App Store rules has resulted in more Spotify Premium sign-ups

A US court has agreed to fast-track Apple’s appeal of an injunction that forces it to allow developers to link to external payment options from within their apps, but declined to pause the injunction in the short term. Spotify says the injunction has already resulted in an uplift in premium sign-ups…

Chris Cooke • 23 May 2025

Sacked Copyright Office boss sues Donald Trump

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US Copyright Office • 3 min read

Sacked Copyright Office boss sues Donald Trump

Dramas continue at the US Copyright Office where boss Shira Perlmutter was sacked by Donald Trump earlier this month just after her team published a report on AI and fair use. She has now sued Trump arguing he didn’t have the power to remove her from her post…

Chris Cooke • 23 May 2025

ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus and country star Martina McBride lead transatlantic creator fightback as AI companies face legislative squeeze

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EU Artificial Intelligence Act • 5 min read

ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus and country star Martina McBride lead transatlantic creator fightback as AI companies face legislative squeeze

This week saw coordinated creator lobbying in Brussels and Washington as the EU battles over AI Act implementation while the US considers new deepfake protections. Even YouTube is backing federal regulation, suggesting the tide may finally be turning…

Chris Cooke • 22 May 2025

Kneecap threaten to sue industry execs urging festivals to cancel their sets, as band member charged over Hezbollah flag

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Kneecap • 3 min read

Kneecap threaten to sue industry execs urging festivals to cancel their sets, as band member charged over Hezbollah flag

A member of Kneecap has been charged with a terrorist offence over allegations he expressed support for Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist group, at a gig last year. It comes as the group’s lawyers threaten legal action against industry execs seeking to get them removed from the Glastonbury line-up…

Chris Cooke • 22 May 2025

South London festival drama continues as Field Day disses private equity owners and residents vow to fight on

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Brockwell Live • 4 min read

South London festival drama continues as Field Day disses private equity owners and residents vow to fight on

Dramas around the festivals due to take place in London’s Brockwell Park this month continue. Local residents insist the events shouldn’t go ahead after their win in the High Court last week. Meanwhile Field Day has had a second go at responding to criticism of its owner, private equity firm KKR…

Chris Cooke • 21 May 2025

US ISPs demand piracy immunity in exchange for implementing web blocking

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Web blocking • 4 min read

US ISPs demand piracy immunity in exchange for implementing web blocking

Proposals to introduce web-blocking as an anti-piracy tactic in the US have been introduced in Congress this year. It will be much easier to make those proposals law if the ISPs could be persuaded to back the web-blocks. That could as yet happen, but the ISPs seemingly want something in return…

Chris Cooke • 21 May 2025

Government should have “leapt at opportunity” to save creative industries says Kidron, as Data Bill ping pong continues

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Artificial Intelligence • 3 min read

Government should have “leapt at opportunity” to save creative industries says Kidron, as Data Bill ping pong continues

The House Of Lords is still trying to get transparency obligations for AI companies into the Data Bill, despite the government working hard to stop that from happening. They have again voted to put that obligation back into the legislation, urging the government to support the move this time…

Chris Cooke • 20 May 2025

Universal sued after “tanking the value” of Salt N Pepa’s catalogue

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Salt N Pepa • 3 min read

Universal sued after “tanking the value” of Salt N Pepa’s catalogue

Salt N Pepa are trying to regain control of their old recordings from Universal by exercising their termination right under US law. But the major has rejected their termination notices, arguing that their original deals were work for hire arrangements, meaning the termination right does not apply…

Chris Cooke • 20 May 2025

No need for US Supreme Court to intervene in ‘Thinking Out Loud’ song-theft dispute, argues Ed Sheeran

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Ed Sheeran • 3 min read

No need for US Supreme Court to intervene in ‘Thinking Out Loud’ song-theft dispute, argues Ed Sheeran

When a US appeals court ruled that Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking Out Loud’ does not infringe the copyright in Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’, did it rely on guidance from the Copyright Office? If it did, that might be grounds for the US Supreme Court to review the case. Sheeran insists it did not…

Chris Cooke • 19 May 2025

Lambeth Council insists Brockwell Park festivals will go ahead despite High Court ruling saying they are unlawful

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Brockwell Live • 5 min read

Lambeth Council insists Brockwell Park festivals will go ahead despite High Court ruling saying they are unlawful

A series of festivals kicking off this Friday in South London’s Brockwell Park seemed to be in jeopardy last week when the High Court said the necessary planning permission was not in place. However, the local council says that the legal issues were administrative and can be easily dealt with…

Chris Cooke • 19 May 2025

Superstruct festivals issue statements following backlash and boycotts over its owner KKR

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Superstruct Entertainment • 3 min read

Superstruct festivals issue statements following backlash and boycotts over its owner KKR

London’s Field Day festival has faced a backlash in recent weeks because it is owned by Superstruct, in turn owned by KKR, which has investments in Israel. As other Superstruct events also come under fire, both Field Day and fellow London festival Mighty Hoopla have now issued statements…

Chris Cooke • 16 May 2025

Drake asking the court to assume Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics are “a factual representation” is “dangerous”, say legal experts

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Drake • 2 min read

Drake asking the court to assume Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics are “a factual representation” is “dangerous”, say legal experts

Four legal experts have intervened in the defamation legal battle between Drake and Universal. The experts say that the music community has been arguing for sometime that rap lyrics should not be treated as statements of fact in criminal cases, yet Drake now wants to do just that in a civil case…

Chris Cooke • 16 May 2025