CMU | the music business explained (Page 108)

“Misleading rhetoric and “deceitful buzzwords” not good enough, says Council Of Music Makers in call for creator consent, control and compensation in AI deals

Axing of controversial EBacc is a “step in the right direction” for music education says Ed Sheeran

Former Guns N Roses manager sues band over autobiography blocker clause

Judgement in Getty’s UK lawsuit against Stability “underscores growing gap” between copyright and tech, says leading lawyer

Spotify’s streaming fraud initiatives are “nothing more than window dressing” says rapper RBX as he files class action lawsuit

Streaming services don’t want French language quotas in Québec

Universal has settled its lawsuit with Udio, and signed AI deals with Udio and Stability

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

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

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

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

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

New Udio lawsuit hones in on the “significant and unequal harm” inflicted on independent musicians by music AI

Majors tell US Supreme Court to ignore ISP’s doom and gloom predictions and uphold billion dollar piracy ruling

Drake vows to appeal after judge throws out defamation lawsuit against Universal

High profile songwriters express concern about PRS transparency, accuracy and admin costs

Anthropic’s own guardrails revive full copyright lawsuit from litigious music publishers

Suno tells court to reject stream-ripping “gambit” by major labels in AI legal battle

As indie labels ramp up campaign for EU to block the UMG x Downtown merger, a French music lawyer says concerns around data are “fantasy or paranoia”

As FT says major labels are close to “landmark” AI licensing deals, is a new battle royale going to kick off within the music industry?

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

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

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

Donald Trump signs executive order “saving TikTok”

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

Major labels add piracy claims to Suno lawsuit after $1.5 billion Anthropic settlement

Live Nation colludes with ticket touts, says US government as it launches legal action

Cornwall Council will hold meeting about ‘safety risks’ of Bob Vylan’s August Boardmasters performance - even through there weren’t any

Spotify finally adds lossless audio to premium

Anthropic will pay authors $1.5 billion to settle AI copyright case

Universal’s Downtown deal must be blocked by regulators before “cultural diversity is weakened irreversibly” says Dutch indie label group president

As EU hits pause on UMG Downtown investigation after “parties fail to provide important info”, Downtown boss whines about “misinformation”

More upheaval at Warner Music as UK label chiefs will report directly to US execs

Yet another senior exec out at Warner Music as UK boss Tony Harlow quits

Billion dollar piracy win for majors “defies common law and common sense” says Cox

Court dismisses Dave Rowntree’s black box lawsuit against PRS

Supertramp songwriter must continue to share publishing royalties with bandmates, US appeals court concludes

FTC sues ticket touting business that claims it is endorsed by Ticketmaster

Drake’s claims are “farcical” says Lucian Grainge as defamation battle rumbles on

Drake wants to trawl through Papa Grainge’s emails in ‘Not Like Us’ libel battle

Sony sues Napster over $9.2 million in unpaid royalties

Spotify age-checks could result in accounts being deleted, but only if you’re twelve

Increasing number of artists join Spotify boycott over CEO’s AI weapon investments

If China blocks TikTok deal app will “go dark” says US Commerce Secretary, but hints deal “coming soon”

Blackstone bails on consortium bidding to buy TikTok US - will a deal still be done by September deadline?

Anthropic’s ‘fair use’ win in AI copyright case could turn into a trillion dollar loss

No copyright exception for AI training in European law, says new report

Full scale anticompetition investigation on the cards after UMG’s Virgin Music fails to allay EU fears over Downtown merger

Suno AI’s faulty guardrails mean its ‘ReMi’ lyric model will spit out entire lyrical works with basic prompting

Did Ticketmaster’s UK boss Andrew Parsons mislead MPs at a select committee hearing?

Trump must “weigh in” on AI copyright debate and pressure “less innovative countries” on copyright rules, says OpenAI

Everyone’s making loads of money but don’t point the finger at us if you’re not, says Spotify’s updated Loud & Clear

Andrew Tate course on ‘pimping’ and exploiting women remains on Spotify as petition passes 25,000 signatures

Universal will spend billions to dominate emerging markets, says Grainge during Q4 earnings call as major sets out its “eat the world” strategies

Liverpool “new heart of music business” says Sound City as major label execs and industry heavyweights head north

Live Nation boss dismissive of streaming platforms’ superfan ambitions as company reports record year

Spotify wants to be “the best in the world at building AI products” and is focused on “accelerated execution”... but still no super-premium launch

Judge throws out MLC’s audiobooks bundle lawsuit, says Spotify can keep cutting songwriter royalties through its “cynical trick”

Universal Music’s new Spotify deal could be a knock-out blow for streaming platform’s audiobook bundling trick

Universal put “corporate greed” before Drake’s safety, says defamation lawsuit filed over Kendrick Lamar diss track

Beware the “wolf under the cape” in Universal’s Downtown land grab, warns Beggars boss as IMPALA calls for regulators to block the deal

EU AI Act can only provide a “temporary fix” to the “darker aspect” of AI’s “profound disruption” to creative industries says open letter

AI generated music will suck €4 billion a year away from music creators by 2028 says CISAC

Village People founder loves Trump using YMCA, but hates people calling it a gay anthem

Executives from BMG, Absolute Label Services, Mahogany Music, Punch Records and more to join award winning female entrepreneurs in Liverpool as first Sound City+ 2025 speakers unveiled

AIF makes desperate call for government to “step up, and step up now” to get festivals through “devastating period”, as MVT launches new Liveline fund

New AI transparency proposal in US Congress will “pave the way” for creator compensation says ASCAP boss

SXSW ditches weapons sponsors to burnish brand - so why won’t it ditch its ties to Saudi Arabia?

SXSW London could disrupt delicately balanced music ecosystem and should reconsider its date

One Liners - quickfire news from the music business • 4 min read

⏩ One Liners: Lil Nas X, Killer Mike, Nuno Bettencourt + more

Nuno Bettencourt deal; Coldplay eco report, Motown Gospel appointments; Killer Mike, Live Nation, BTS legal news; Curve Royalty Services launch; Splice AI sample finder; Neil Young And Crazy Horse cancel shows; new releases from Lil Nas X, Mustard, The Kid Laroi, Cat Burns, Dizzee Rascal and more…

Andy Malt & Chris Cooke • 28 Jun 2024

SGAE • 2 min read

Spanish collecting society fined €6.5 million over its anticompetitive licensing approach

SGAE in Spain has been fined again by the country’s competition regulator. Previously it was fined for making it difficult for members to move to rival society Unison. Now the regulator has criticised its broadcaster licences which, it says, further hinder competition in the licensing marketplace…

Chris Cooke • 28 Jun 2024

And Finally • 7 min read

And Finally! Would you buy MIA’s $100 tin foil hat?

MIA launched new streetwear brand Ohmni this week. It’s quite pricey but does offer “up to 99.999%” protection from “electromagnetic waves”. Can you afford not to buy a brain-protecting durag and fertility-saving trousers? This and more of our favourite funny music news stories from this week here…

Andy Malt • 28 Jun 2024

Hipgnosis • 6 min read

Are hedge funds betting against Blackstone’s Hipgnosis deal?

When you’re living in a state of Hipgnosis, nothing is real until it's real. Just days away from the finish line, could Blackstone’s bid for Hipgnosis Songs Fund be blocked by a handful of well-dressed muggers looking to pluck a few more quid from the gazillionaire private equity fund’s wallet?…

Sam Taylor • 28 Jun 2024

Ticketmaster • 2 min read

Former Ticketmaster exec pleads guilty over Songkick server hacking

When Songkick sued Live Nation in the mid-2010s, it emerged that Ticketmaster execs had illegally accessed its rivals servers using logins of a former Songkick employee. The lawsuit was settled but a criminal investigation into the hacking continued. The former Songkick exec has now pleaded guilty…

Chris Cooke • 28 Jun 2024

Digital services and platforms news • 2 min read

55% of Nordic consumers pay to stream music, though number in Sweden has slipped

Polaris has published a new study on streaming trends in the Nordic markets. The total number of people streaming music in the region has increased since the last study in 2022. Radio remains a key discovery platform for the total population, though TikTok is more important for younger consumers…

Chris Cooke • 28 Jun 2024

One Liners - quickfire news from the music business • 2 min read

⏩ One Liners: EXO, Wasserman Music, beatBread + more

Ruel, Tokischa deals; Wasserman Music, Spirit Music Group, MSG Entertainment appointments; EXO dispute escalates; BSI Merch launches in Japan; beatBread launches Funding Network…

Andy Malt • 27 Jun 2024

SXSW • 8 min read

SXSW ditches weapons sponsors to burnish brand - so why won’t it ditch its ties to Saudi Arabia?

SXSW has ditched its relationships with the US Army and a bunch of weapons manufacturers, which has been positively received across the industry. But if those sponsors are a problem, what about SXSW’s ties to the Saudi Arabian government via its majority owner Penske Media Corporation?…

Sam Taylor • 27 Jun 2024

CMU Approved • 1 min read

Approved: Leyya

Alt-pop duo Leyya return with their latest single ‘Pumped Up High’, taken from their upcoming third album ‘Half Asleep’. The track finds them feeling euphoric on the dancefloor but wanting very much to be left alone - “to be in it, but not part of it”…

Andy Malt • 27 Jun 2024

YouTube • 3 min read

YouTube in talks with all three majors about the next phase in its AI experimentation

YouTube last year piloted a generative AI tool called Dream Track that generates vocals in the style of ten specific artists. The company is now plotting its next AI experiment and is in talks with all three major record companies, with the aim of involving dozens of artists next time…

Chris Cooke • 27 Jun 2024

American Music Fairness Act • 3 min read

US radio royalties back in the spotlight in Congress

The decades long campaign to force US radio stations to pay royalties to artists and labels continues. Representatives for the music industry - including Randy Travis - and the radio sector went back through the arguments for and against such a royalty at a hearing in US Congress yesterday…

Chris Cooke • 27 Jun 2024

AI • 2 min read

What is OK in the world of music AI? New organisation to develop industry standards

A panel of music industry professionals will be convened by a new organisation called AI:OK with the aim of agreeing global industry standards for the use of music in AI, and AI in music. Founder Martin Clancy says “we’re dedicated to making sure AI is used ethically”…

Chris Cooke • 27 Jun 2024