CMU | the music business explained (Page 175)

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 • 2 min read

⏩ One Liners: Four Tet, Merlin, Music Venue Trust + more

Reservoir and Believe deals; Merlin, Music Venue Trust and One Finnix Live appointments; new music from Four Tet, Bombay Bicycle Club, MGMT, Lynks, Gruff Rhys, Marika Hackman, Yasmin Hass, William Doyle, @ and Káryyn…

Andy Malt • 11 Jan 2024

AI • 2 min read

US Congress told to clarify AI training is not fair use and the market can sort out everything else

Another session on AI took place in US Congress yesterday, this time looking at the impact of AI on journalism - unsurprisingly the publishers taking part were adamant that training an AI model with existing content does not constitute fair use under American copyright law…

Chris Cooke • 11 Jan 2024

BPI • 7 min read

The year ahead: Jo Twist, CEO of BPI

BPI CEO Jo Twist looks ahead at 2024 in the latest of our series of interviews with the bosses of the music industry’s trade bodies. She discusses the organisation’s successes in 2023, the challenges it faces in the coming year, and the continued evolution of the BRIT Awards…

CMU • 11 Jan 2024

AI • 2 min read

Music industry welcomes proposed new laws to help performers protect their voices and likeness from AI clones

Proposals have been introduced in the US House Of Representatives - and in the state of Tennessee - that will allow artists to control the use of their voice in the context of AI…

Chris Cooke • 11 Jan 2024

CMU Approved • 1 min read

Approved: Astrid Sonne

Astrid Sonne returns with ‘Boost’, the latest track from her upcoming new album ‘Great Doubt’. Spanning a range genres from instrumental hip hop to baroque classical, the track stands out from but also bridges the previously released singles…

Andy Malt • 11 Jan 2024

Bauer Media • 2 min read

Bauer to phase out fifteen local radio brands as Hits Radio expands

Bauer Media will rebrand fifteen of its local radio stations under the Hits Radio name in April - it won’t change programming but does mean a number of local radio brands that have been on the air since the 1970s or 1980s will be phased out…

Chris Cooke • 11 Jan 2024

One Liners - quickfire news from the music business • 3 min read

⏩ One Liners: Sinead O’Connor, 21 Savage, Independent Venue Week + more

PRS, Deezer, SoundCloud and Copyright Alliance appointments; Apple Music Classical expands reach; IVW on 6 Music; Sinead O’Connor coroner report; Alan Moulder MPG award; new music from 21 Savage, The Smile, Waxahatchee, Torres, Yonaka, Bodega, Julia Holter, Louis Carnell, Folly Group, and Fat Dog…

Andy Malt • 10 Jan 2024

FAC • 7 min read

The year ahead: David Martin, CEO of the FAC

FAC CEO David Martin looks ahead at 2024 in the latest of our series of interviews with the bosses of the music industry’s trade bodies. He discusses the campaigns against venue merch commissions and increased US touring visa costs, and the biggest challenges for artists heading into 2024.…

CMU • 10 Jan 2024

Lucian Grainge • 4 min read

Universal “most successful company in the history of the music industry” hoots Grainge in 2024 memo

Universal Music CEO Lucian Grainge has sent out his start-of-the-year memo, formally welcoming the changes that have been made to the streaming model which he first demanded a year ago, and confirming that super-serving superfans will be a priority in 2024…

Sam Taylor • 10 Jan 2024

AI • 2 min read

SAG-AFTRA hails “groundbreaking” voice clone agreement with AI company Replica

American performer union SAG-AFTRA has announced “a groundbreaking AI voice agreement” with Replica Studios that, it says, “paves the way for professional voice over artists to safely explore new employment opportunities for their digital voice replicas”…

Chris Cooke • 10 Jan 2024

Viagogo • 2 min read

UK’s Advertising Standards Authority raps Viagogo over NME paid editorial

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has upheld complaints made against two advertorial pieces written by Viagogo and published by NME, because they failed to point out that touted tickets for the shows mentioned in the articles could be cancelled by the relevant promoters…

Chris Cooke • 10 Jan 2024

LA Reid • 2 min read

LA Reid wants Adult Survivors Act sexual assault lawsuit against him to be scaled back

LA Reid has formally responded to the sexual assault lawsuit filed by a former colleague from his time running Arista Records - he denies all the allegations and says that some of the claims in the litigation are barred by the statute of limitations…

Chris Cooke • 10 Jan 2024