CMU | the music business explained (Page 18)

Guardrails aren’t proof of infringement says Anthropic as judge spanks AI company for “hallucinated” filin

Drake’s Super Bowl gripes in amended lawsuit show defamation action is really an attack on Kendrick Lamar’s success, says Universal

“I just don't understand how that can be fair use”, says judge in Meta AI trial

Pressure mounts for Universal Music Group’s $775 million Downtown acquisition as MEP highlights UMG’s “unprecedented control” of music ecosystem

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?

With the US record industry officially in recession can superpremium and superfans really save the major labels from streaming’s slowdown?

Record industry’s modest growth should make other industries jealous says IFPI boss, as labels weigh in on growth opportunities and AI threats

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

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: Neil Francis

Chicago-bred singer, songwriter and pianist Neal Francis channels the swagger of 70s icons. His latest single, ‘Need You Again’, is pulsing with the loose-limbed energy of late-70s proto-house, unspooling in sinewy riffs and rubbery funk grooves…

Kaya Robertson • 11 Feb 2025

Collective Licensing • 3 min read

Does the US really need so many performing rights organisations and are they doing a good enough job, asks US Copyright Office

The increase in the number of collecting societies representing the performing rights of songwriters in the US is set to be considered in a new US Copyright Office inquiry. It will also review how societies distribute royalties, and whether independent writers and publishers are disadvantaged…

Chris Cooke • 10 Feb 2025

CMU Selects • 1 min read

CMU Selects - last week’s standout releases

From Dean Blunt’s new lovestruck guitar ballads EP to Oklou performing her new single at a South London ice rink, last week brought everything from bliss pop to death metal. Here’s some picks you might have missed from last week.…

Kaya Robertson • 10 Feb 2025

Piracy • 2 min read

Web-blocks fail to “address the root causes of piracy”, VPN trade body tells copyright owners

French broadcaster Canal+ is trying to get web-blocking orders against a number of VPNs in a bid to block football piracy sites. However, VPN operators argue that forcing web-blocking onto their networks won’t stop piracy but will undermine “digital freedom for millions of French residents”…

Chris Cooke • 10 Feb 2025

Universal Music • 6 min read

Buzzword bingo ahoy! It’s Papa Grainge’s annual pat on the back, and he’s got a bone to pick with distributors

If you can’t buy them, beat them! Universal Music's top banana Sir Lucian Grainge is declaring war on nefarious behaviour and heinous practices in the non-major music company controlled recesses of the industry. If everyone did business as spotlessly as UMG, the world would be so much better! Right?…

Sam Taylor • 07 Feb 2025

NewJeans • 2 min read

NewJeans are now NJZ, as court dates set for Ador legal battle

K-pop group NewJeans have announced a rebrand as NJZ as a result of their legal dispute with former label Ador. They will start performing under the new name next month, just as legal action by Ador - which is seeking to enforce its contract with the group - arrives in court…

Chris Cooke • 07 Feb 2025

Jimi Hendrix • 3 min read

Court Of Appeal rejects Sony Music’s arguments for dismissing Jimi Hendrix Experience copyright case

In 2022, the estates of Jimi Hendrix’s bandmates in the Jimi Hendrix Experience sued Sony Music claiming their rights were being infringed. Sony has been trying to get the lawsuit dismissed, but the Court Of Appeal in London has knocked back those efforts, meaning the case will now proceed to trial…

Chris Cooke • 07 Feb 2025

Notorious BIG • 2 min read

Notorious BIG estate sues art print company over infringement of image “heralded” as the ‘Mona Lisa of hip hop’

Notorious BIG’s estate has filed a lawsuit against iCanvas, Home Depot, Nordstrom and Target over the sale of canvas prints that featured an iconic photo of the late rapper dubbed the ‘Mona Lisa of hiphop’, which allegedly infringing the copyright in the photo and the late rapper’s publicity rights…

Chris Cooke • 06 Feb 2025

Streaming Fraud • 2 min read

Danish High Court increases streaming fraudster’s sentence after appeal review

Last year a Danish music industry executive was convicted for running a streaming fraud operation that generated millions of kroner. He appealed to Denmark’s High Court, but it has not only upheld the ruling but also increased his sentence from eighteen months to two years…

Chris Cooke • 06 Feb 2025

Horizon Future Leaders • 6 min read

🌅 Horizon Future Leaders - Hadie Abido Q&A

As part of our Horizon Future Leaders series of interviews, we are connecting with the music industry’s next generation of leaders to gather candid advice and insights into their career journeys. This week we caught up with Hadie Abido, co-founder and director of The Jam Jar in Bristol.…

Horizon Music Jobs • 06 Feb 2025

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: Sophia Kennedy

Baltimore-born but now splitting her time between Hamburg and Berlin, Sophia Kennedy thrives in the space between mischief and melody. Her latest single ‘Rodeo’ is pure mischief - a ride of looping piano, shimmering synth bass and eerie, luminous choirs, jolted by a sudden, Kate Bush-esque scream…

Kaya Robertson • 06 Feb 2025

Artificial Intelligence • 3 min read

Max Richter tells MPs that artists “must have the right to determine” how their music is used by AI

Yesterday the UK Parliament put the spotlight on copyright and AI again, with Max Richter among those to speak on behalf of creators. He criticised the “erosion of copyright” being proposed by the government, which is considering introducing a new copyright exception for AI companies…

Chris Cooke • 05 Feb 2025

Explore topics

View all

Music industry legal news coverage

One Liners - quickfire news from the music business

Digital services and platforms news

Live industry news including ticketing, venues, festivals and more