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Setlist Podcast: Music publishers go to war with Spotify
The dispute over Spotify's audiobook bundle goes legal, media companies hit out at BBC's podcast adverts plan…
Chris Cooke
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The MLC is suing Spotify over audiobook bundling
The audiobooks bundling dispute between the US music industry and Spotify has gone legal. This is about how the streaming service is classifying its main premium subscription product - which now includes audiobooks - as a bundle, which lets it reduce royalty payments to publishers and songwriters…
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Sony Music tells 700+ AI companies to respect its copyrights
More than 700 AI companies have been sent a letter by Sony Music which demands that they respect the major music company’s rights and seek permission before using any of its recordings or songs to train their AI models. It’s basically a wide-ranging ‘reservation’ of rights…
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Viagogo will ditch FOMO panic pop-ups after EU pressure
Viagogo has agreed to make changes to its website across Europe to deal with some common customer complaints. The changes are the result of talks between the ticket resale site and the European Commission…
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Publishers accuse Spotify of licensing gaps in letter the streaming service has dubbed a “misleading press stunt”
The music publishers in the US have sent a letter to Spotify accusing the streaming service of having gaps in its licences in relation to lyrics, videos and podcasts. But Spotify says it’s just a “misleading press stunt” as part of the building beef over audiobooks…
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TICKET Act passed by US House Of Representatives
The TICKET Act - which mandates all-in pricing and bans speculating selling in the US ticketing market - has been passed by the House Of Representatives. It’s “an important step towards restoring trust in the ticketing ecosystem” says Fix The Tix Coalition…
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Universal removed as defendant on explosive Diddy lawsuit
Universal Music and its CEO Lucian Grainge have been dropped as defendants in a sexual harassment and assault lawsuit brought against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Producer Rodney ‘Lil Rod’ Jones and his lawyer say that they now accept there was “no legal basis” for the claims made against the label…
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TikTok creators file lawsuit against US sell-or-be-banned law
Eight TikTok creators who make a range of content on the platform have sued the US government over the recently passed law to ban the video-sharing app. They argue that TikTok offers an “irreplaceable means to express themselves” and banning it will breach their First Amendment rights to free speech…
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Zync accuses former business partner Round Hill of contract breaches, trademark infringement and executive bullying
Round Hill Music is being sued by sync agency Zync over a joint venture the two companies entered into in 2017. The legal filling makes a number of allegations, including misstating income and expenses, bullying, and trademark infringement…
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US music publishers ramp up the rhetoric against Spotify's royalty reducing bundling trick
US music publishers are ready to “fight again” as they attempt to halt efforts by Spotify to reclassify its subscription package. The streaming service wants to say that its main subscription product is a ‘bundle’ of music, podcasts and audiobooks. This would allow it to pay less to songwriters…
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Appeals court upholds Childish Gambino song-theft ruling because of copyright registration error
Childish Gambino has successfully defeated a song-theft lawsuit filed over his song ‘This Is America’ for a second time. An appeals court has also rejected a copyright infringement claim made by rapper Kidd Wes because of a copyright registration error…
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Media companies hit out at plan for BBC to sell ads alongside its podcasts
The BBC wants to sell advertising alongside its podcasts when they are accessed on platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts. That plan is subject to regulatory review, and 20 media companies have now written to the government to explain why it’s a terrible idea…