Chris Cooke - CMU | the music business explained (Page 18)

Spotify customers forced into bundled plans says David Israelite as Senators urge FTC to intervene

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Spotify • 3 min read

Spotify customers forced into bundled plans says David Israelite as Senators urge FTC to intervene

US Senators have asked the FTC to investigate Spotify’s bundling trick, which saw it automatically opt premium subscribers into a music + audiobooks bundle that is more expensive and pays less to writers and publishers. The senators say they have “serious concerns” about this trick being employed…

Chris Cooke • 23 Jun 2025

Former Irish premier thought Keir Starmer’s Kneecap Glastonbury intervention must be a joke

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Kneecap • 2 min read

Former Irish premier thought Keir Starmer’s Kneecap Glastonbury intervention must be a joke

Kneecap are due to play Glastonbury this weekend and that fact is causing some controversy. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told The Sun the group shouldn’t be playing. The former Irish Taoiseach has responded, bemused as to why Starmer would express an opinion on Glastonbury’s booking policies…

Chris Cooke • 23 Jun 2025

Coldplay re-release catalogue on EcoRecords, as industry seeks eco-friendly discs that are cheaper to produce and sound better

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Coldplay • 2 min read

Coldplay re-release catalogue on EcoRecords, as industry seeks eco-friendly discs that are cheaper to produce and sound better

Coldplay will re-release all their albums on EcoRecords in August. A number of artists have been experimenting with more environmentally sustainable physical discs, and technological developments mean that approach is becoming cheaper, while audio quality issues are being addressed…

Chris Cooke • 23 Jun 2025

Budweiser boasts of “$0 spent on music rights” in “iconic songs” campaign, wins ad-land’s biggest prize

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Budweiser • 6 min read

Budweiser boasts of “$0 spent on music rights” in “iconic songs” campaign, wins ad-land’s biggest prize

Budweiser, the king of carbonated disappointment in a can, is proud that it’s found an apparent loophole that means it doesn’t need to pay for “music right$” when harnessing “the most iconic songs in the world” to shill its sad excuse for a beer. And now it’s won an award…

Sam Taylor & Chris Cooke • 20 Jun 2025

Notting Hill Carnival organisers ask culture ministry to step in with cash to implement new safety measures

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Notting Hill Music • 3 min read

Notting Hill Carnival organisers ask culture ministry to step in with cash to implement new safety measures

The Notting Hill Carnival has asked the UK government to provide funding for new crowd management operations at the annual event after a police chief said he feared the popularity of the carnival might result in a “mass casualty” incident. But government funding may prove controversial…

Chris Cooke • 20 Jun 2025

“Free Mo Chara” say protesters as Kneecap member is released on unconditional bail

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Kneecap • 2 min read

“Free Mo Chara” say protesters as Kneecap member is released on unconditional bail

Kneecap attended Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday, where band member Mo Chara faced a terror offence charge for displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London gig. Supporters gathered outside the packed courtroom, where the musician was released on unconditional bail and told to return on 20 Aug…

Chris Cooke • 19 Jun 2025

EU needs “ambitious report” on copyright and AI to address unresolved issues around creator and performer consent

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Artificial Intelligence • 7 min read

EU needs “ambitious report” on copyright and AI to address unresolved issues around creator and performer consent

The European Parliament’s JURI Committee is currently working on a report about copyright and AI. Groups representing creators and performers have written to MEPs urging them to make it an ambitious report that addresses issues including copyright exceptions, transparency and creator consent…

Chris Cooke • 19 Jun 2025

As Trump extends TikTok timeline yet again, will a ban or sale ever actually happen?

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TikTok • 4 min read

As Trump extends TikTok timeline yet again, will a ban or sale ever actually happen?

The latest deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok in the US, or face a ban, was today. But the White House has confirmed Donald Trump is pushing the deadline back for a third time. It makes you wonder if the law passed by Congress ordering a change in ownership or a ban will ever actually be enforced…

Chris Cooke • 19 Jun 2025

SoundExchange sues Sonos Radio over missing royalties apparently caused by departure of key Napster employee

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Sonos • 2 min read

SoundExchange sues Sonos Radio over missing royalties apparently caused by departure of key Napster employee

SoundExchange has sued Sonos over $3.3 million in unpaid royalties stemming from its Sonos Radio service in 2022 and 2023. Royalties went unpaid after Napster, which used to power Sonos Radio, was acquired. But SoundExchange insists it’s still Sonos’s responsibility to pay the money that’s owed…

Chris Cooke • 18 Jun 2025

Musician sues Suno and Udio, says indie artists have been “trampled the most” by unlicensed AI

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Artificial Intelligence • 3 min read

Musician sues Suno and Udio, says indie artists have been “trampled the most” by unlicensed AI

A musician has sued Suno and Udio, filing a class action lawsuit against the AI companies that seeks to represent all indie artists in the US. Although the majors are already suing both start-ups, Anthony Justice argues that it’s independent artists whose rights have “been trampled the most” by AI…

Chris Cooke • 17 Jun 2025

Kneecap pull together supporters and legal team ahead of Liam O’Hanna’s court hearing on terror charge

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Kneecap • 2 min read

Kneecap pull together supporters and legal team ahead of Liam O’Hanna’s court hearing on terror charge

Kneecap member Liam O’Hanna is due in court tomorrow on a terror charge over allegations he displayed support for Hezbollah at a London gig last year. The band say they are being targeted by the British establishment and have announced the legal team they hope will defeat the charge against O’Hanna…

Chris Cooke • 17 Jun 2025

Downtown deal part of Universal strategy to “undermine vitality and viability” of indie sector, cautions competition law expert

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Downtown Music • 4 min read

Downtown deal part of Universal strategy to “undermine vitality and viability” of indie sector, cautions competition law expert

The European Union is in the process of assessing Universal’s deal to buy Downtown, and whether it should undertake a more in-depth investigation. Competition law expert Amelia Fletcher says it definitely should, because the deal threatens competition, choice and innovation in the music industry…

Chris Cooke • 16 Jun 2025