Chris Cooke - CMU | the music business explained (Page 3)

American TikTok users link technical issues to last week’s change in ownership

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TikTok • 4 min read

American TikTok users link technical issues to last week’s change in ownership

There were technical issues on TikTok in the US this weekend following the change in ownership at TikTok USA last week. There has been much speculation that the issues and change in ownership were connected, adding to concerns about what having Trump allies in charge of TikTok in the US might mean…

Chris Cooke • 26 Jan 2026

Chad Hugo sues Pharrell Williams in dispute over Neptunes and NERD companies

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Pharrell Williams • 3 min read

Chad Hugo sues Pharrell Williams in dispute over Neptunes and NERD companies

Chad Hugo has sued Pharrell Williams in a dispute over the running of two companies the Neptunes duo co-own. Williams manages the companies day-to-day and, Hugo claims, has failed to provide proper financial reporting and to pay him all the money he is due. Williams says the lawsuit is “premature”…

Chris Cooke • 26 Jan 2026

Hundreds of US creators tell big tech: “stealing isn’t innovation”

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Artificial Intelligence • 2 min read

Hundreds of US creators tell big tech: “stealing isn’t innovation”

The Human Artistry Campaign has rallied hundreds of American creators to back a new declaration on AI. Noting that some tech firms are now licensing content when training AI models, rather than using existing works without permission, the declaration calls on the entire AI sector to follow that lead…

Chris Cooke • 23 Jan 2026

Dismissal of Drake’s ‘Not Like Us’ defamation claim sets “dangerous” precedent, says Drake

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Drake • 2 min read

Dismissal of Drake’s ‘Not Like Us’ defamation claim sets “dangerous” precedent, says Drake

Drake has filed an appeal in his defamation legal battle with Universal Music over Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’. A judge dismissed Drake’s lawsuit last year concluding lyrics in a rap diss track do not constitute ‘statements of fact’. Drake’s lawyers argue that that has set a “dangerous” precedent…

Chris Cooke • 23 Jan 2026

Music industry sues Anna’s Archive over Spotify hack

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Anna's Archive • 4 min read

Music industry sues Anna’s Archive over Spotify hack

Just before Christmas pirate activist group Anna’s Archive announced it had hacked Spotify and grabbed 86 million music files which it planned to make available in ‘bulk torrents’. Unsurprisingly, the majors and Spotify have gone legal, filing a lawsuit and getting the group’s .org domain blocked…

Chris Cooke • 22 Jan 2026

Salt N Pepa ruling could “pose a threat” to artists seeking to reclaim rights in the future, say lawyers

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Salt N Pepa • 3 min read

Salt N Pepa ruling could “pose a threat” to artists seeking to reclaim rights in the future, say lawyers

Salt N Pepa recently lost a termination rights dispute with Universal - they were trying to reclaim rights in their early recordings. Analysing the judgement, law firm Wobble Bond Dickinson says the ruling could “pose a threat to artists’ abilities to reclaim sound recording rights in the future”…

Chris Cooke • 21 Jan 2026

GEMA sells distributor Zebralution to DistroKid investor

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Zebralution • 2 min read

GEMA sells distributor Zebralution to DistroKid investor

GEMA has announced it is selling digital distributor Zebralution to investment outfit Insight Holdings Group, which is already an investor in rival distributor DistroKid. The German collecting society says it is now “concentrating even more strongly” on its core rights management operations…

Chris Cooke • 21 Jan 2026

Universal’s Downtown deal likely to be approved by EU regulator, according to sources

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Universal Music • 2 min read

Universal’s Downtown deal likely to be approved by EU regulator, according to sources

Universal’s Downtown deal likely to be approved by EU regulator, according to sources…

Chris Cooke • 21 Jan 2026

UK schools to go phone-free as government considers Australian-style social media ban

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Digital services and platforms news • 2 min read

UK schools to go phone-free as government considers Australian-style social media ban

Australia’s social media ban for the under sixteens went into effect last month. Now the UK government has opened a consultation to consider a similar intervention to protect young people from possible online harms. Though ministers also want time to assess whether the Australian ban is working…

Chris Cooke • 20 Jan 2026

AI music creation platform Udio signs deal with indie label licensing body Merlin

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Udio • 2 min read

AI music creation platform Udio signs deal with indie label licensing body Merlin

Udio has announced a licensing deal with Merlin, which means many indie labels and distributors will now be able to participate in the relaunch of the AI platform as an industry-endorsed service. Merlin says the deal shows it is “committed to participating in shaping the opportunities AI promises”…

Chris Cooke • 20 Jan 2026

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Drew Barrymore • 2 min read

Drew Barrymore sued over unlicensed music in Instagram Reel pushing her cosmetics brand

Drew Barrymore is on the receiving end of the latest lawsuit over unlicensed music in a social media post. She included the track ‘My Sun And Stars’ in an Instagram Reel promoting her cosmetics brand FLOWER Beauty. Brands need to secure their own licences when including music in social media videos…

Chris Cooke • 19 Jan 2026

AXS sues over touting tool that allows ticket resellers to avoid transfer restrictions

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AXS Europe • 3 min read

AXS sues over touting tool that allows ticket resellers to avoid transfer restrictions

AXS has sued SecureMyPass, a tool that allows touts to clone tickets they source via the primary ticketing platform, so that they can circumvent resale restrictions when selling them on for profit. AEG-owned AXS claims that SecureMyPass breaches the terms of its platform and infringes its trademarks…

Chris Cooke • 19 Jan 2026