Deals
Secretsundaze, the London-based electronic music event series and label, has launched a new imprint called 9FINITY focused on club-oriented releases. The label's debut release, a vinyl-only various artists compilation titled '9FINITY001', is set for release on 19 Sep and features tracks from Eoin DJ, DJ Life, Luca Attanasio, Coffintexts and E-Talking. A launch party for 9FINITY is scheduled at London's Pickle Factory on 28 Sep, with Secretsundaze, E-Talking and Lora Mipsum on the lineup. James Priestley of Secretsundaze says, "I'm super excited to be launching this new label which is direct, floor focused and represents and explores some of the sounds I'm enjoying playing out these days."
Track 88 Management has announced that pop artist Lo Lauren has signed to Believe with single 'Wonder' due out on 28 Aug. The firm is also launching a new Track 88 Creative division, which aims to represent artists working in visual and film mediums. Matt Voss, co-founder of Track 88, explains, "We are perfectly set up to further our artists' alternative endeavours, particularly in the visual arts with [co-founder of Track 88] John Paveley’s network of video commissioners and others through his time as a co-owner of JJ Stereo and his ongoing work at Eager Productions".
Legal
The US record industry’s copyright lawsuit against Altice, owner of internet service provider Optimum, has been permanently dismissed after eighteen months of litigation. It’s one of the many lawsuits pursued by the music industry against US ISPs. The case, filed in December 2022 by BMG, Universal Music and Concord, alleged that Altice failed to take action against repeat copyright infringers using its network. The parties have agreed to settle, with Altice confirming in SEC filings, "On 1 July 2024, we and the BMG plaintiffs settled this lawsuit and as part of the settlement we expect a stipulation of dismissal with prejudice to be filed by the parties on or before 20 Aug 2024."
A federal judge has dismissed a class action lawsuit against Adidas over its partnership with Kanye West. The suit, filed by HRSA-ILA Funds, accused Adidas of securities fraud related to West's volatile behaviour, alleging the company failed to disclose his inappropriate conduct between 2013 and 2018. Judge Karin J Immergut ruled there was insufficient evidence of misleading statements affecting investors. The Adidas-Yeezy partnership had been highly lucrative, generating over a billion dollars by 2021 and accounting for 8% of Adidas' revenue. Judge Immergut states, "This court is faced with a precise legal question: has [HRSA-ILA Funds] sufficiently pleaded facts showing that Adidas misled investors and thereby committed federal securities fraud? On the current record before this court, the answer is no."
Nicki Minaj has reached a settlement with gossip blogger Marley Green, known as Nosey Heaux, over defamatory statements made in 2022. The rapper initially sued Green in September 2022 for calling her a "cokehead" in a video and making offensive comments about Minaj's young son. As part of the agreement, Green admits to making false statements about Minaj using cocaine and has agreed to refrain from future false claims about the artist or her family. The settlement includes a provision that Green must pay Minaj $50,000 for any breach of the settlement agreement.
Apple has been sued for copyright infringement by American photographer and director Elizabeth Waterman over two photographs allegedly used without permission on Apple Music's website. Waterman claims the tech giant displayed her registered images of a stripper performing at Club W and a shattered CD on its music streaming platform without authorisation or compensation. The lawsuit, filed through Waterman's lawyers at Copycat Legal, states that Apple failed to remove the images promptly after receiving multiple DMCA takedown notices.
NVIDIA has defended its use of copyrighted books for AI training in a recent lawsuit. The company argues that the books represent mere "statistical correlations" to its AI models, not direct copies. In a joint case management statement filed in a California court, NVIDIA asserts that its AI training process is "highly transformative" and protected by fair use doctrine. The company says that the plaintiffs in the lawsuit "cannot use copyright to preclude access to facts and ideas”, adding that “the highly transformative training process is protected entirely by the well-established fair use doctrine."
Streaming, Digital & Broadcast
YouTube Music has emerged as the most adopted music streaming service in the second quarter of 2024, according to new data from Kantar. The report reveals significant growth potential in the industry, with 85% of current non-streamers expressing interest in listening to music. While YouTube Music leads in adoption, Spotify also maintained momentum, achieving a 2% increase in penetration year-on-year amongst all music streamers. Notably, 29% of streamers now consider podcasts an important part of their life, up from 26% last year. Craig Armer, Global Strategic Insight Director at Kantar, comments: "The challenge lies in convincing these audiences of the value of paid subscriptions. With many non-streamers interested in music but hesitant due to costs, services should focus on harnessing recommendations from satisfied users to attract this untapped audience."
TikTok has launched an in-app experience to celebrate Post Malone's new country album 'F-1 Trillion'. The social media platform is offering fans exclusive rewards and the chance to win concert tickets through interactive tasks. Users who complete all five tasks can enter a draw for tickets to the 'F-1 Trillion' tour, while those who use the #F1TRILLION hashtag may be featured in the official Fan Spotlight carousel. TikTok says the experience, which includes access to exclusive album artwork, will be available for two weeks from 16 Aug.
NetEase Cloud Music, one of the leading Chinese music streaming services, has experienced a two-hour outage due to "infrastructure failures". The company, a subsidiary of China's second-largest video gaming firm NetEase, reported that the service was fully restored by 6pm local time. As compensation, NetEase is offering users a free seven-day membership claimable on 20 Aug. The platform boasts 206 million monthly active users as of December 2023, with 44.12 million paying subscribers. In a statement on its official Weibo account, NetEase Cloud Music says, "The outage was caused by infrastructure failures”.
Shape+, a European Union-funded platform for innovative music and audiovisual art, has launched a new radio station network to boost visibility for its artists. The network, which debuted on 15 Aug, comprises fourteen stations across fourteen countries, including Fade Radio (Greece), The Lake Radio (Denmark) and Resonance FM (UK). Each month, two Shape+ artists will create hour-long broadcasts to be aired across the network, with formats ranging from mixes to new works and live recordings. John Chantler, a Stockholm-based electro-acoustic composer, and Sofi Zaiceva, a Latvian-Estonian sound artist, are the inaugural featured artists for August, with their mixes set to air across the participating stations.
Australian collecting society APRA AMCOS has released a report on the potential impact of AI in the music sector, revealing significant concerns among Australian and New Zealand music creators. The study, conducted by Goldmedia GmbH, surveyed over 4200 APRA AMCOS members and projects that, by 2028, 23% of music creators' revenues could be at risk due to generative AI, potentially causing cumulative damage of AUD$519 million. The report also highlights cultural concerns, with 89% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music creators believing AI will lead to increased cultural appropriation. Dean Ormston, CEO of APRA AMCOS, says, "Creators invest significant time and effort into their work, yet their intellectual property is exploited by AI platforms without credit, consent or compensation. This unauthorised use poses a serious threat to the economic and cultural landscape, potentially damaging careers and businesses, including those of First Nations creators."
OfCom has awarded £205,479 in grants to eleven community radio stations across the UK as part of the Community Radio Fund's first round. The grants, ranging from £4320 to £33,854, were distributed among stations including The Beat London 103.6, an urban community radio station for young people in London and BGFM, which promotes Welsh language programming in Blaenau Gwent. The fund, allocated by the Department For Culture Media And Sport and managed by media regulator OfCom, aims to support core operational costs for not-for-profit stations delivering specific social benefits to their communities. OfCom says that the total funding requested across 81 applications was £1,542,694.29, significantly exceeding the amount available for distribution in this round. See the full list of successful applicants here.
Live
London's O2 Arena has apologised for refusing entry to a man wearing a 'Free Gaza' shirt at a Peter Kay comedy show on 10 Aug. The venue initially cited its 'prohibited items' policy, which bans items that may cause danger or disruption. However, after a video of the incident went viral online, the O2 Arena issued a statement acknowledging its error, saying, "We don't get every decision right, all of the time, and on this occasion we made a judgement call and got it wrong. For that, we apologise." The venue has committed to reviewing its policies and procedures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
At least 23 people have been injured in a fire on a Ferris wheel at the Highfield Festival near Leipzig, Germany on 17 Aug. The blaze started in one gondola of the amusement ride at the 35,000-capacity music event, before spreading to a second car at the top of the wheel. German police are investigating the cause, with a statement on X noting, "By means unknown, material underneath the Ferris wheel caught fire. As a result, the fire spread to a gondola. The investigation is still ongoing." Ski Aggu, a German rapper performing during the incident, said in an Instagram Story that he was told to continue his set "to avoid a mass panic situation in the crowd."
Artist News
Donald Trump has posted fake AI-generated photos suggesting Taylor Swift has endorsed him for president. The former US president shared doctored images on social media platform X on 19 Aug, including one of Swift dressed as Uncle Sam with the caption "Taylor wants YOU to vote for Donald Trump". However, Swift has not publicly endorsed any candidate for the 2024 election. In 2020, Swift criticised Trump directly, stating on X, "After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? 'When the looting starts the shooting starts'??? We will vote you out in November."
Dr Dre has announced his intention to try out for archery at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The legendary hip hop producer and rapper revealed his Olympic ambitions in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, stating he's "deadass serious" about competing. Dre explained his connection to the sport, saying, "I started playing around with archery in junior high. My son bought me a setup - I'm not sure if it was for my birthday or Father's Day - but it's set up in my backyard now."
Bob Dylan has recorded a cover of 'Don't Fence Me In' for the upcoming Ronald Reagan biopic, set for release in late August in the US. The film, titled 'Reagan', stars Dennis Quaid as the former president and has been in development since 2020. Other musical contributions include Gene Simmons of KISS covering 'Stormy Weather' and country singer Clint Black performing John Denver's 'Country Road'. Commenting on Dylan's involvement, Quaid says, "Bob is a great lover of the American Songbook and we were delighted with the way he delivered the song. He's a national treasure and was the perfect addition to the film."
Releases & Tours
Flying Lotus has released his new single ‘Garmonbozia’.
Post Malone has released his new album ‘F-1 Trillion’.
Jodie Harsh has released her new single ‘Hit Me Up’, featuring Bryn Christopher.
Tinashe has released her new album ‘Quantum Baby’.
Charly Bliss have released their new album ‘Forever’.
Chuck Johnson has released his new album ‘Sun Glories’.
Wishy have released their debut album ‘Triple Seven’.
Horse Jumper Of Love have released their new album ‘Disaster Trick’.
Peach PRC has released her new single ‘Time Of My Life’.
Hozier has released his new EP ‘Unaired’.
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars have collaborated on new single ‘Die With A Smile’.
Peggy Gou has released her new single ‘Find The Way’.
Maxïmo Park have released their new single ‘Quiz Show Clue’.
Wasia Project have announced their UK tour, including a show at Manchester Academy on 13 Nov. Tickets go on sale this Friday here.
Blossoms have announced their UK headline tour, including a show at Brighton Dome on 5 Nov. Tickets go on sale this Friday here.
Catfish And The Bottlemen have announced two stadium shows for summer 2025; Cardiff Principality Stadium on 1 Aug and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 3 Aug. Tickets go on sale this Friday here.