Chris Cooke - CMU | the music business explained

Grammy Awards defends its new ‘Best Asian Pop’ category after BTS boycott

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Grammy Awards • 2 min read

Grammy Awards defends its new ‘Best Asian Pop’ category after BTS boycott

Last month the Grammys announced a new category for Best Asian Pop Music Performance. But BTS seemingly don’t approve of music being “divided by region or language” and have bailed on the awards as a result. That’s prompted Grammy boss Harvey Mason Jr to come to the new category’s defence…

Chris Cooke • 30 Jul 2026

Canada’s SOCAN buys CMRRA from SoundExchange, meaning Canadian performing and mechanical rights will now be licensed through one organisation

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SOCAN • 3 min read

Canada’s SOCAN buys CMRRA from SoundExchange, meaning Canadian performing and mechanical rights will now be licensed through one organisation

SOCAN, the performing rights society for Canadian songwriters, has bought CMRRA, Canada’s mechanical rights organisation. It means performing rights and mechanical rights will be licensed via one society in Canada, which makes sense given many users of music now exploit both sets of rights…

Chris Cooke • 30 Jul 2026

Record labels come together to propose rules for when AI-generated tracks can get into the music charts

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Artificial Intelligence • 3 min read

Record labels come together to propose rules for when AI-generated tracks can get into the music charts

The major labels and an assortment of indies have proposed a set of rules for when AI-generated recordings should be eligible for the music charts. They say only AI-assisted tracks should be allowed to chart, that those tracks should only use legit AI tools, and the use of AI should be labelled…

Chris Cooke • 29 Jul 2026

Two class action lawsuits filed over Suno’s big data breach

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Suno • 3 min read

Two class action lawsuits filed over Suno’s big data breach

Following the recent media reports that data connected to 55.3 million Suno users was accessed by hackers last November, two class action lawsuits have now been filed against the AI company over its failure to protect that data. Which makes a nice change from all the copyright infringement lawsuits…

Chris Cooke • 29 Jul 2026

RBX re-files and ramps up lawsuit accusing Spotify of “intentionally ignoring fraud committed by certain ‘a-list’ artists”

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RBX • 2 min read

RBX re-files and ramps up lawsuit accusing Spotify of “intentionally ignoring fraud committed by certain ‘a-list’ artists”

Rapper RBX is having another go at suing Spotify over allegations it turns a blind eye to streaming fraud when it benefits superstar artists like Drake. His original lawsuit was dismissed but he has filed an amended complaint expanding on his theory that Spotify has a two-tier streaming fraud policy…

Chris Cooke • 29 Jul 2026

Ariana Grande kicks off legal battle in bid to identify hackers who keep leaking her music

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Ariana Grande • 2 min read

Ariana Grande kicks off legal battle in bid to identify hackers who keep leaking her music

Ariana Grande is very annoyed that anonymous hackers keep hacking into the devices and accounts of photographers and producers she works with and then leaking pre-release music and other content. So much so she’s filed a lawsuit, though her lawyers first need to figure out who the hackers are…

Chris Cooke • 28 Jul 2026

Live Nation says everyone should shut up and stop asking questions about its cosy deal with Trump’s DoJ

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Live Nation • 3 min read

Live Nation says everyone should shut up and stop asking questions about its cosy deal with Trump’s DoJ

The US states that successfully pursued an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation want the judge to force more information to be shared about the live giant’s deal to settle the US Department Of Justice’s separate antitrust claims. But Live Nation has told the judge there’s no need for any of that…

Chris Cooke • 28 Jul 2026

ChatGPT training was legal and covered by ‘private research’ copyright exception says Indian judge

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Open AI • 4 min read

ChatGPT training was legal and covered by ‘private research’ copyright exception says Indian judge

A judge in India has ruled that Open AI was fine to use content owned by news agency ANI when training ChatGPT, because AI training is covered by a ‘research’ exception in Indian copyright law. Although related to news content, it’s a key ruling on the copyright obligations of AI companies in India…

Chris Cooke • 27 Jul 2026

Democrats in Congress ask whether StubHub boss Eric Baker’s ticket touting side hustle “manipulated markets”

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StubHub • 2 min read

Democrats in Congress ask whether StubHub boss Eric Baker’s ticket touting side hustle “manipulated markets”

The revelation that StubHub boss Eric Baker is also MD of a company involved in industrial-level ticket touting on the StubHub platform has already resulted in a lawsuit in the US courts and is now the subject of an investigation by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee in US Congress…

Chris Cooke • 27 Jul 2026

Only humans can be ‘authors’ say Canadian music publishers in test case on copyright status of AI-generated works

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Music Publishers Canada • 3 min read

Only humans can be ‘authors’ say Canadian music publishers in test case on copyright status of AI-generated works

The debate over the copyright status of AI-generated works continues, and in Canada there’s a key court battle as part of that debate centered on an AI-generated artwork. The precedent set in that case could impact on music copyright too, so Canada’s music publishers have formally intervened…

Chris Cooke • 24 Jul 2026

Revamped UK government needs to do more than “tinkering around the edges” to deliver on promises regarding arts and music education

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Music Education • 2 min read

Revamped UK government needs to do more than “tinkering around the edges” to deliver on promises regarding arts and music education

With a new education secretary being appointed by newly installed UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, the Musicians’ Union, Equity and others have said it’s time for ministers to “fully restore the status of arts subjects” like music within English schools rather than just “tinkering around the edges”…

Chris Cooke • 24 Jul 2026

French Parliament passes a social media ban for under fifteens, as social media platforms face ramped up regulation across Europe

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• 3 min read

French Parliament passes a social media ban for under fifteens, as social media platforms face ramped up regulation across Europe

France has passed a law banning under fifteens from using social media that will go into effect in September. Other European countries are set to follow France’s lead while the EU is proposing other new social media regulation, all of which will impact on artists seeking to reach younger audiences…

Chris Cooke • 23 Jul 2026