CMU | the music business explained (Page 156)

Five key developments over the Christmas break

Music and AI: 2025’s developments that will shape 2026’s disputes

Artists from South East Europe at risk of “cultural erasure” as a result of Spotify’s 1000 stream threshold

As indie community calls again for Universal’s Downtown deal to be blocked, will UMG flog off Curve to get over regulators?

MIT study “marks a new anchor for meaningful actions” to make live music more environmentally sustainable

Indie publishers make demands of collecting societies as they start to negotiate AI deals

Bob Vylan sue RTÉ over claims they instigated “antisemitic chant” during Glastonbury set

After King Gizzard boycotted Spotify, tracks by an AI-clone of the band started streaming

Ador founder wants to develop alternative K-pop management model with new agency

Indie publisher trade body says members should reject AI deals that do not value songs properly

“Creators are collateral damage” in AI race says Jorja Smith’s label, after AI voice clone track goes viral

Kneecap sue MP who “lied to the world” about group’s Canada ban

Johnny Cash estate uses ELVIS Act to sue Coke over tribute act ad soundtrack

Suno picks up Songkick as part of AI licensing deal with Warner Music

Live Nation and AEG provide a “disgusting service”, says Olivia Dean, after for-profit touting of tickets

Fugee Pras Michel jailed for fourteen years after illegal lobbying

Ticket touting platforms start frantic lobbying campaign claiming new anti-tout laws will increase ticket fraud

StubHub share price craters as UK prepares to announce ticket touting ban

Regulators must consider UMG’s AI deals in Downtown case, says IAO President

North American songwriter groups join call for transparency and creator consent as music companies start signing AI deals

Starmer must “honour his pledge” to cap prices in “extortionate and pernicious” secondary ticketing market

Downtown accused of planning “calculated destruction” of a short-lived YouTube music client in bombastic new lawsuit

No “self-service buffet” for AI companies says GEMA CEO as OpenAI loses landmark lyrics lawsuit

Manchester Evening News pays damages after incorrectly labelling Bob Vylan’s “sun salutation” as a Nazi salute

Slipknot.com owner hires domain name specialist to fight back against band’s cybersquatting claims

“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: SXSW, Official Charts Company, Nightwish + more

Nightwish, Dickson Mbi deals; Interscope Geffen A&M and Absolute Label Services appointments; Official Charts Company launched Top Ten Award; SXSW showcases; Chaka Khan’s Meltdown; Real Estate tour dates; new music from Noga Erez, Walt Disco, Divorce, Luci…

Andy Malt • 12 Mar 2024

CMU Approved • 1 min read

Approved: Karin Ann

Karin Ann is back with new single ‘She’ as she gears up for the release of a new album later this year. The track sees her working with Joan As Police Woman producer Benjamin Lazar Davies…

Andy Malt • 12 Mar 2024

SXSW • 2 min read

Kneecap among the bands boycotting SXSW over involvement of US army and defence companies

Belfast rap group Kneecap are among 60 artists who have pulled out of this week’s South By Southwest festival in protest at the presence of the US Army and defence companies at the event, because of those organisations’ connections to the conflict in Gaza…

Chris Cooke • 12 Mar 2024

Bad Bunny • 2 min read

Bad Bunny sues fan over unofficial concert recordings on YouTube

A Bad Bunny fan who uploaded recordings of full songs from a recent US concert to YouTube has claimed his videos constitute fair use and therefore can’t be blocked by the rapper. That has prompted Bad Bunny’s team to sue the YouTuber for copyright and trademark infringement…

Chris Cooke • 12 Mar 2024

Drake • 2 min read

Drake asks to be removed from Astroworld lawsuits

Drake was named as a defendant on some of the hundreds of lawsuits filed following the 2021 Astroworld tragedy, because he had a guest spot during festival founder Travis Scott’s headline set. In a new legal filing, he has asked the court to dismiss all the claims made against him personally…

Chris Cooke • 12 Mar 2024

Believe • 10 min read

Believe x WMG takeover dance warms up as financial regulator is called in

We’re not calling it a takeover battle - yet. After Warner quietly threatened to get the French financial markets authority to step into its maybe/maybe-not bid for Believe the independent committee at the French indie giant has gone straight for the throat and called them in itself…

Sam Taylor • 12 Mar 2024

TikTok • 3 min read

TikTok insists it isn't forcing Americans to phone politicians as ban proposal gets fast-tracked in Congress

Last week’s proposals in US Congress that could result in TikTok being banned are being fast-tracked through the House Of Representatives. Attempts by TikTok to rally its users to campaign against the proposals don’t seem to be working…

Chris Cooke • 11 Mar 2024

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

⏩ One Liners: Academy Music Group, Slipknot, Rina Sawayama + more

New Academy Music Group CEO; Satellite414 promotion; PRS Foundation launches UK music export hub; The Oscars; Rina Sawayama “can’t release another album under my current conditions”; Slipknot teases new drummer announcement; new music from Girls In Synthesis…

Andy Malt • 11 Mar 2024

Vince Power • 2 min read

Live industry veteran Vince Power dies, aged 76

Veteran music promoter Vince Power has died, aged 76, it was confirmed over the weekend. Opening his first venue, Mean Fiddler, in London in 1982, he built an empire than included numerous venues and festivals…

Andy Malt • 11 Mar 2024

Lizzo • 2 min read

US appeals court lets Lizzo keep $5 million from festival that never happened

Lizzo was paid $5 million after committing to play the LA Virgin Fest in 2020. COVID then caused the festival to be cancelled, but Lizzo’s agent said that amendments made to her contract meant she didn’t have to return the fee. A US appeals court has concluded that the agents are right…

Chris Cooke • 11 Mar 2024

Vinyl • 3 min read

Popcorn, rotisserie chickens and lattes are out; air fryers, women’s socks and vinyl are in say ONS boffins

Did you know that you can buy heated ponchos that you plug in and wear? Us neither. They are increasingly popular - though not as popular as air fryers, which saw 1175% YoY growth to September 2023. Meanwhile, the ONS has added vinyl music to the consumer price index for the first time in 32 years.…

Sam Taylor • 11 Mar 2024

Epic Games • 2 min read

Epic declares DMA victory after EU intervention forces speedy change in Apple policy position

The EU Digital Markets Act went properly into effect last week impacting Apple’s App Store rules. App developers have criticised how Apple plans to comply with the act, although Epic Games says that it has already seen the benefit thanks to an intervention by the European Commission…

Chris Cooke • 11 Mar 2024