Chris Cooke - CMU | the music business explained (Page 6)

No one seems to know if Kneecap are still banned from Canada - or whether they were ever actually banned at all

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Kneecap • 4 min read

No one seems to know if Kneecap are still banned from Canada - or whether they were ever actually banned at all

When Canadian MP Vince Gasparro announced Kneecap were banned from Canada last month he noted the criminal case against Mo Chara. With that case dismissed, it remains unclear if the ban is still in force, not least because it’s not clear in what capacity Gasparro announced the ban in the first place…

Chris Cooke • 01 Oct 2025

Paramore’s Hayley Williams says she “doesn’t know” why tracks are available in Israel after joining No Music For Genocide pledge

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Paramore • 2 min read

Paramore’s Hayley Williams says she “doesn’t know” why tracks are available in Israel after joining No Music For Genocide pledge

Last week Paramore joined No Music For Genocide, pledging to remove their music from streaming services in Israel. That seemed to happen, but then the music returned. The band’s Hayley Williams says she doesn’t know why, but she hopes label Atlantic will ensure the music is geo-blocked again…

Chris Cooke • 30 Sep 2025

Don’t say gruesome twosome: Ek steps sideways at Spotify to make way for not one but two new CEOs

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Spotify • 2 min read

Don’t say gruesome twosome: Ek steps sideways at Spotify to make way for not one but two new CEOs

Spotify is getting two new CEOs, with co-Presidents Alex Norström and Gustav Söderström being promoted to co-CEO roles as founder Daniel Ek steps aside to become Executive Chairman. Ek says the change in job titles more or less reflects the roles the three men are already performing at the company…

Chris Cooke • 30 Sep 2025

The MLC can submit amended lawsuit in battle over Spotify’s bundling tricks

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Spotify • 4 min read

The MLC can submit amended lawsuit in battle over Spotify’s bundling tricks

Earlier this year a judge dismissed with prejudice The MLC’s lawsuit over Spotify’s sneaky bundling tricks. However, the collecting society has other issues with how Spotify is using those tricks to reduce what it pays songwriters, and as a result the judge has said it can file an amended lawsuit…

Chris Cooke • 29 Sep 2025

‘Something Inside’ songwriter goes legal over Tommy Robinson’s use of his anti-apartheid anthem

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Labi Siffre • 3 min read

‘Something Inside’ songwriter goes legal over Tommy Robinson’s use of his anti-apartheid anthem

Right wing activist Tommy Robinson has been using the famous anti-apartheid anthem ‘(Something Inside) So Strong’ on his social media and at the recent ‘Unite The Kingdom’ political rally, which is ironic, but also copyright infringement, according to the writer of that song, Labi Siffre…

Chris Cooke • 29 Sep 2025

Ticketmaster heads off UK regulatory action with ‘voluntary’ transparency commitments after Oasis debacle

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Ticketmaster • 3 min read

Ticketmaster heads off UK regulatory action with ‘voluntary’ transparency commitments after Oasis debacle

Ticketmaster has made a number of commitments to the Competition & Markets Authority following the regulator’s investigation into the sale of tickets for the Oasis reunion shows. It has pledged to better communicate when it uses ‘tier pricing’ and to explain how different ticket types compare…

Chris Cooke • 26 Sep 2025

Kneecap terror charge thrown out as judge says prosecutors “defied logic”

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Kneecap • 3 min read

Kneecap terror charge thrown out as judge says prosecutors “defied logic”

Kneecap’s Mo Chara was back in court earlier today over the terror charge prompted by allegations he displayed a Hezbollah flag at a London gig last year. The judge ruled prosecutors made errors when charging the rapper and on that basis the case against him was “unlawful and null”…

Chris Cooke • 26 Sep 2025

Donald Trump signs executive order “saving TikTok”

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TikTok • 3 min read

Donald Trump signs executive order “saving TikTok”

Donald Trump has formally endorsed the plan to sell TikTok’s US operations to a new business majority owned by American investors. The President signed an executive order yesterday which says that plan complies with the sell-or-be-banned law passed by Congress last year over data security concerns…

Chris Cooke • 26 Sep 2025

US government set to side with Cox in court to overturn billion dollar damages judgement

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Cox Communications • 2 min read

US government set to side with Cox in court to overturn billion dollar damages judgement

Not only is the US government backing Cox Communications as it tries to overturn the billion dollar ruling in its long-running copyright battle with the major labels, but US Solicitor General D John Sauer now wants ten minutes to tell Supreme Court judges directly why they should side with the ISP…

Chris Cooke • 25 Sep 2025

New €1.8 billion EU culture programme must include “strategic policy action”, say music industry groups

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European Union • 2 min read

New €1.8 billion EU culture programme must include “strategic policy action”, say music industry groups

Earlier this year the EU announced AgoraEU, a new programme to support culture, media and civil society across Europe. Music industry organisations have welcomed the programme, but say it should be “viewed as a baseline, not a ceiling”, and must deliver “coherent policy strategy” as well as funding…

Chris Cooke • 25 Sep 2025

Indie artist suing Suno amends lawsuit with new arguments against AI company’s fair use defence

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Suno • 3 min read

Indie artist suing Suno amends lawsuit with new arguments against AI company’s fair use defence

After the major labels updated their lawsuit against Suno, adding allegations of stream-ripping, the indie musician who also sued the music AI company has done the same. Anthony Justice hopes that recent judgements in cases involving Anthropic and Meta can help him defeat Suno’s fair use defence…

Chris Cooke • 24 Sep 2025

Tabloid claims that Dua Lipa sacked agent over Glasto Kneecap letter are “categorically false” and “deliberately inflammatory”

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Dua Lipa • 3 min read

Tabloid claims that Dua Lipa sacked agent over Glasto Kneecap letter are “categorically false” and “deliberately inflammatory”

Reports have been circulating this week that Dua Lipa sacked either her manager or her agent after they signed a letter objecting to Kneecap playing Glasto. It was WME agent David Levy that signed the letter but he isn’t Lipa’s day-to-day agent at the agency and, in fact, nobody has been sacked…

Chris Cooke • 24 Sep 2025