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

Australian government blocks potential AI copyright exception

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Artificial Intelligence • 3 min read

Australian government blocks potential AI copyright exception

Australia’s Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has said that the country will not introduce a new copyright exception for the benefit of AI companies. It’s news that has been welcomed by the music and wider copyright industries, which want similar commitments from other governments around the world…

Chris Cooke • 27 Oct 2025

Spotify questions MLC’s “motivations” in pursuing audiobook bundling dispute lawsuit

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Spotify • 3 min read

Spotify questions MLC’s “motivations” in pursuing audiobook bundling dispute lawsuit

Last month a judge said The MLC could restart its lawsuit over Spotify’s use of a controversial bundling discount to reduce payments to songwriters, but only in relation to how the discount is applied. Spotify now says that’s a “peripheral issue” that will make little difference to writer royalties…

Chris Cooke • 27 Oct 2025

Another blow for Apple’s in-app payments as company loses £1.5 billion competition lawsuit

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Apple • 3 min read

Another blow for Apple’s in-app payments as company loses £1.5 billion competition lawsuit

Apple has lost a class action before the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal over its App Store fees, which have long been criticised by Spotify. The tribunal ruled Apple exploited its market dominance to charge excessive fees, which impacted on consumers. It could now face damages of £1.5 billion…

Chris Cooke • 24 Oct 2025

Lizzo is being sued over an uncleared sample - on a track she never released

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Lizzo • 3 min read

Lizzo is being sued over an uncleared sample - on a track she never released

Lizzo has been sued over an uncleared sample in a track she never released, but which appeared in a social media post responding to Sydney Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle Jeans ad campaign. And that’s enough to constitute copyright infringement, according to the owner of the sampled work…

Chris Cooke • 23 Oct 2025

Viagogo is unfair, opaque and violates EU law, consumer group tells regulator

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Viagogo • 2 min read

Viagogo is unfair, opaque and violates EU law, consumer group tells regulator

Viagogo is violating the EU’s Digital Services Act, according to Euroconsumers, which has filed a complaint with the regulator in Ireland. A Viagogo spokesperson insists the company is DSA compliant, but Euroconsumers says it violates various rules, including know your business customer requirements…

Chris Cooke • 22 Oct 2025

Suno doesn’t understand copyright law and is wrong about stream-ripping rules, say major labels

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Suno • 3 min read

Suno doesn’t understand copyright law and is wrong about stream-ripping rules, say major labels

The majors have made another filing in their legal battle with Suno. They want to add claims that the AI company sourced its training data by illegally stream-ripping audio from YouTube. Suno insists it didn’t violate stream-ripping rules in US law, but the majors say Suno is misreading those rules…

Chris Cooke • 22 Oct 2025

DSW Shoe Warehouse lawsuit over TikTok copyright infringement is nothing more than “forum-shopping”, says Sony Music

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Sony Music • 2 min read

DSW Shoe Warehouse lawsuit over TikTok copyright infringement is nothing more than “forum-shopping”, says Sony Music

Earlier this year DSW Shoe Warehouse filed a lawsuit against Sony Music asking a judge to rule it didn’t infringe the major’s copyrights by putting pop music into its TikTok videos. That sneakily preempted Sony’s own infringement lawsuit against DSW. Sony now wants the DSW litigation dismissed…

Chris Cooke • 22 Oct 2025

Bobby Vylan says he has no regrets about “death to the IDF” chant at Glastonbury

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Bob Vylan • 4 min read

Bobby Vylan says he has no regrets about “death to the IDF” chant at Glastonbury

Bobby Vylan has spoken to Louis Theroux about his controversial BBC broadcast Glastonbury performance, insisting he doesn’t regret leading the crowd in a chant of “death, death to the IDF”. The BBC Editorial Complaints Unit recently concluded that the set breached rules relating to harm and offence…

Chris Cooke • 21 Oct 2025

Attorneys bicker as the big ‘dembow riddim’ copyright case progresses

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Steely & Clevie • 3 min read

Attorneys bicker as the big ‘dembow riddim’ copyright case progresses

Last year a US judge declined to dismiss a lawsuit that accuses thousands of reggaeton releases of infringing the copyright in the ‘dembow riddim’, which originates in a 1989 track from Steely & Clevie. Attorneys working on the case are currently busy accusing each other of bad conduct…

Chris Cooke • 21 Oct 2025

Ticketmaster says FTC allegations it colluded with touts “nonsensical”, but it is changing some of its rules and shutting down TradeDesk

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Ticketmaster • 4 min read

Ticketmaster says FTC allegations it colluded with touts “nonsensical”, but it is changing some of its rules and shutting down TradeDesk

Last month the US Federal Trade Commission sued Ticketmaster, accusing the Live Nation company of colluding with dodgy ticket touts. That prompted a letter from concerned senators. In response, Ticketmaster denies collusion and rejects the FTC’s claims, but says it is changing some of its own rules…

Chris Cooke • 20 Oct 2025

Slipknot sue cybersquatter that has controlled the band’s dotcom domain since 2001

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Slipknot • 3 min read

Slipknot sue cybersquatter that has controlled the band’s dotcom domain since 2001

Slipknot have never owned the dotcom domain that uses their band name, an unknown third party having registered it back in 2001. But the band now claims that that third party is using the domain in bad faith and therefore violating US cybersquatting laws, as well as infringing their trademarks…

Chris Cooke • 20 Oct 2025

Spotify promises “artist-first AI music products” as it announces alliance with majors, Merlin and Believe

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Spotify • 2 min read

Spotify promises “artist-first AI music products” as it announces alliance with majors, Merlin and Believe

Spotify has pledged to “put artists and songwriters first” when developing music AI products, committing to work in partnership with the music industry and ensuring that its AI ventures are fully licensed. The three majors, Merlin and Believe are all on board for some Spotify-led AI experimentation…

Chris Cooke • 17 Oct 2025