Chris Cooke - CMU | the music business explained (Page 2)

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

Rights management company says it boosted Dionne Warwick’s royalties “sixtyfold”, then she unilaterally cancelled its contracts

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Dionne Warwick • 2 min read

Rights management company says it boosted Dionne Warwick’s royalties “sixtyfold”, then she unilaterally cancelled its contracts

A New York music rights company has sued Dionne Warwick, seeking to enforce past contracts that grant it 25-50% of her royalty income. It says it helped Warwick handle legal and admin issues, boosting her label royalty payments “sixtyfold”, but now she wants to terminate her deals with the company…

Chris Cooke • 16 Dec 2025

As indie community calls again for Universal’s Downtown deal to be blocked, will UMG flog off Curve to get over regulators?

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Universal Music • 3 min read

As indie community calls again for Universal’s Downtown deal to be blocked, will UMG flog off Curve to get over regulators?

Universal Music has proposed a remedy to allay the European Commission’s concerns over its bid to buy Downtown Music. That may involve the major proposing to sell off Downtown’s Curve business. But the indie sector remains adamant that no remedies will work and the EC should block the deal outright…

Chris Cooke • 15 Dec 2025

UK government must rule out new AI copyright exception after “overwhelming” consensus in consultation

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Artificial Intelligence • 3 min read

UK government must rule out new AI copyright exception after “overwhelming” consensus in consultation

The UK government has published an update on its consultation on copyright and AI, revealing that 88% of respondents said AI companies should be forced to get licences before making use of existing works. Ed Newton-Rex says ministers should now formally abandon plans for a new AI copyright exception…

Chris Cooke • 15 Dec 2025

MIT study “marks a new anchor for meaningful actions” to make live music more environmentally sustainable

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Massachusetts Institute Of Technology • 2 min read

MIT study “marks a new anchor for meaningful actions” to make live music more environmentally sustainable

MIT has published the results of its study into the carbon emissions of live music in the US and UK, part of an initiative backed by Coldplay. The academics behind the study say their stats and report should be used to inform “a new era of sustainability practices across all of live music”…

Chris Cooke • 12 Dec 2025

Pro Music Rights threatens litigation over Congressman’s letter and BMI’s criticisms

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Pro Music Rights • 3 min read

Pro Music Rights threatens litigation over Congressman’s letter and BMI’s criticisms

Earlier this week US Congress member Scott Fitzgerald asked the FTC to investigate if collecting society Pro Music Rights was guilty of “deceptive practices”. The rights organisation says it is now considering legal action in relation to that letter and documents it cited, including one from BMI…

Chris Cooke • 12 Dec 2025

Recording studios and music venues face closure if government doesn’t revise business rates, industry tells ministers

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Business Rates • 2 min read

Recording studios and music venues face closure if government doesn’t revise business rates, industry tells ministers

The UK music industry wants reforms to business rates to protect studios and venues. In two letters to the government, the industry says studios should be eligible for rates relief, while ministers need to mitigate the negative impact of recent changes made to business rates on venues big and small…

Chris Cooke • 11 Dec 2025