CMU | the music business explained (Page 196)

Live Nation says everyone should shut up and stop asking questions about its cosy deal with Trump’s DoJ

Only humans can be ‘authors’ say Canadian music publishers in test case on copyright status of AI-generated works

AI-generated tracks now account for more than 50% of Deezer’s uploads

UK government publishes ‘Our Plan For Music’ - and announces new funding and licensing reforms

US industry groups raise “serious concerns” about EU royalty flow proposals, which many of their European counterparts support

Kneecap allowed to file defamation lawsuit in Ireland against Indigenous leader in Canada over antisemitism claims

BBC’s music boss Lorna Clarke outlines broadcaster’s AI transparency commitments - but can it actually meet them?

Spotify zaps half a million streams amid speculation Kalshi traders were behind boost for Malcolm Todd track ‘Earrings’

PRS defeats Rowntree black box class action at appeal - but is left £1.8m out of pocket

Live Nation boss Michael Rapino talked to Trump, hired Trump allies, reveals latest filing in antitrust case

StubHub fined £900,000 by UK regulator for illegal drip pricing

Google says any music uploaded to YouTube is fair game for AI training - and there’s nothing musicians can do

Suno really doesn’t want you to know how many audio files it copied when training its music AI model

Universal Music has found its backbone and told Bill Ackman to take a hike

BTS fans hate Live Nation over Aussie and Malaysian ticket pre-sales

Chance The Rapper and Pat The Manager back in court, over claims Pat improperly inserted himself into Chance’s deals

Gamma - which released Kanye’s comeback album - sues to unmask whoever is behind “coordinated and malicious” anonymous smear campaign

UK competition regulator should urgently investigate live music sector, MPs say, citing “climate of fear” around Live Nation’s dominance

Spotify’s transformation into an AI slop factory commences as it announces Universal “superfan” remix gimmick and Live Nation ticketing wheeze

Music industry welcomes revised NO FAKES Act, but Spotify says “still work to do”

Live Nation and Ticketmaster should still be split up, lawmakers told, as US government’s antitrust settlement criticised in Congress

Spotify increases subscription prices in Canada, but rolls back previous price increases in India

Op-ed: More than the Beatles: the quiet secrets behind Liverpool’s world-class music industry

BMG and Concord confirm merger

Universal and Sony must be allowed to see Warner’s deal with Suno, lawyers tell judge as AI legal battle continues

Music streaming services targeted as Texas Attorney General launches payola investigation

Live Nation pays $9.9 million to settle yet another investigation into dodgy ticketing practices

The European rule on whether samples need to be cleared moves to a “maybe” with latest Kraftwerk ruling

BTS lawyers go after album leaker and knock-off merch sellers

Eddie Dalton’s (actually quite modest) chart success sparks further debate about where AI music fits in

Grass needs more time to grow says AEG as it puts a pin in LIDO Festival

Universal CEO Lucian Grainge makes 764 times more than his employees - and female staff get 48% less than male counterparts

Major music publishers buy into termination rights lawsuit to take fight to Supreme Court

Spotify wants $300 million in damages from Anna’s Archive, and for court to go after piracy site’s service providers

Cox Communications celebrates as US Supreme Court overturns critical music piracy judgement

Claude’s AI lyrics cause market dilution, say music publishers calling for courts to reject fair use defence

Declare trademark claims bogus says FKA in Twigs vs Twigs

Chance The Rapper wins sunset clause dispute with former manager

American man pleads guilty to multi-million dollar streaming fraud, faces five years in jail

Cautious welcome for UK government’s latest AI copyright stance, as BMG files latest Anthropic lawsuit

DoJ’s Live Nation settlement “proof Trump Administration cannot be trusted to protect American consumers”, says new Senate report on Ticketmaster

StubHub to more clearly state prices and terms for touted tickets, and offer Taylor Swift fans refunds, but only in British Columbia

“Robbing them blind, baby - that’s how we do it”, boast Live Nation execs about “so stupid” ticket-buyers

New generation of British artists propel UK record industry to £1.5 billion high, says BPI

High Court sides with Kneecap, ending the Hezbollah flag criminal case against Mo Chara

Google had every opportunity to train its AI legally, but chose to do it on the cheap instead, say indie musicians in new lawsuit

Live Nation settles DoJ antitrust lawsuit - but state lawsuits may continue

Chance The Rapper and Pat The Manager bust-up heads to court over disputed sunset clause

Warner Music’s Robert Kyncl is betting the company on an AI future. Can he deliver?

Suno is a feral pig rampaging through a well-tended garden, say creator orgs

Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota said “independent music is not raw material for tech companies to exploit without consent” before quitting to join AI music scraper-in-chief Suno

Producer who accused Karol G of beat-theft dismisses his lawsuit, adding “we were wrong”

Anna’s Archive rolls out the red carpet for robots - and asks them to “persuade” their humans to make donations

After a Live Nation lobbyist boasted he got antitrust chief sacked, US Senators ask if company has hired a “bevy of cozy MAGA friends”

European Commission approves Universal’s $775 million Downtown acquisition - but did it ask the right questions?

Spotify is all in on AI, its best engineers haven't written a single line of code since December - and why that should worry the music industry

Adding “hot takes” to unlicensed music is not fair use, judge confirms in rockumentary copyright case

IMPALA report warns European music diversity will erode without intervention on ownership, market access and infrastructure

European Commission must tackle “coercive buy-out practices” when US video streamers commission music, says MEP

Charlie Puth got musician to provide vocals for ‘Furious 7’ track, then Warner cheated him out rights and royalties, says lawsuit

Music publishers file new Anthropic lawsuit, adding in piracy claims and $3 billion mega-damages

Meta dropped songs from Reels library to bully Wixen into accepting lower royalty rates, says lawsuit

Horizon Future Leaders: Four issues shaping the industry

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

• 9 min read

In Conversation: MMF Accelerator alumni - Frances Barber Shillito, Leon Wright, Sadé Lawson

With the application deadline for this year’s Accelerator Programme coming up, CMU’s Sam Taylor sat down with three Accelerator alumni to find out more about the programme and how it helps managers.…

Sam Taylor • 23 Feb 2024

Live Nation • 3 min read

Live Nation figures show a live music boom, yet crisis at the grassroots results in another UK festival cancellation

Live Nation published its year-end figures yesterday, with CEO Michael Rapino stating that “the live music industry reached new heights in 2023”. Yet the UK grassroots live sector is still in crisis, with another independent festival cancelling its 2024 edition…

Chris Cooke • 23 Feb 2024

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

⏩ One Liners: Kilimanjaro Live, Central Cee, Lola Young + more

Bauer Media and CALM appointments; Ivors Academy Songwriting camp; rejig at Kilimanjaro Live; new music from Central Cee, Lola Young, JD REID, James Vincent McMorrow, Bugzy Malone, Justin Timberlake and Frank Turner…

Chris Cooke • 23 Feb 2024

Internet Archive • 2 min read

Internet Archive’s crackle based ‘fair use’ defence in copyright case is perverted, say labels

The Internet Archive recently filed a motion to dismiss the copyright lawsuit filed against it by the record industry over its Great 78 Project. The record labels have now responded, with a fun debate over whether crackles in a recording makes copying it fair use on historical preservation grounds…

Chris Cooke • 23 Feb 2024

Vice Media • 1 min read

Vice Media to cut hundreds of jobs and stop publishing on Vice.com

After filing for bankruptcy protection last year and being bought by its money lenders, Vice has now told staff that it will stop publishing content on its main website, moving to a studio model where it makes content for other media…

Chris Cooke • 23 Feb 2024

Ticketmaster • 3 min read

Ticketmaster incentivised TQ Tickets' touting operation, says former employee in fraud trial

The fraud trial of former employees at ticket touting company TQ Tickets continues, with one defendant insisting that Ticketmaster knew about the firm’s operations, because they were using resale platforms then owned by the Live Nation ticketing company…

Chris Cooke • 23 Feb 2024

And Finally • 7 min read

And Finally! Ed Sheeran has let British music down, and now everyone only likes K-pop

You know who’s popular? Taylor Swift. The IFPI confirmed it this week with its annual Global Recording Artist Of The Year list. Ed Sheeran’s dropped out of the top ten though, as have BTS, although only one of them has a decent excuse. This and a selection of this week’s funniest music news awaits……

Andy Malt • 23 Feb 2024

Streaming Fraud • 2 min read

Man accused of £500,000 streaming fraud operation fighting criminal charges in Danish court

What is thought to be the first criminal trial over streaming fraud is set to reach court in Denmark. A man is accused of uploading copyright infringing tracks to streaming services and then using manipulation tools to boost their plays in order to pull £500,000 in royalty payments out of the system…

Chris Cooke • 22 Feb 2024

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

⏩ One Liners: Machine Gun Kelly, BRIT Awards, Jordan North + more

EYC and Glass Beams deals; Moonbug, Wise and PULSE appointments; Nickelback ruling; Jordan North and McFly media moves; BPI innovation unit; Tate McRae at BRITs; Nadine Shah gig; new music from Machine Gun Kelly, Jack Savorietti, Perfume Genius, Richard Hawley, Allie X, Bodega and USA Nails…

Andy Malt • 22 Feb 2024

CMU Approved • 1 min read

Approved: Lubiana

Emerging artist Lubiana has employed some interesting methods for gaining attention - including setting up a stall on Portobello Market in London, where she traded cups of tea for pre-saves of her debut single, ‘Respect’. Now that single is out and fully establishes her as an artist worth watching…

Kaya Robertson • 22 Feb 2024

Spotify • 1 min read

Spotify launches in-house brand partnerships agency

Still searching for ways to boost revenues towards consistent profit, Spotify has launched its own in-house brand partnerships agency AUX. It will facilitate putting brands and artists together for marketing campaigns, and has kicked things off by pairing up Coca-Cola with Peggy Gou…

Andy Malt • 22 Feb 2024

NTWRK • 2 min read

Jimmy Iovine and Universal-backed NTWRK buys Complex to capitalise on the superfan opportunity

Buzzfeed has sold youth culture media company Complex to NTWRK, which plans to build a digital hub that can capitalise on the superfan opportunity. Universal Music is a backer of NTWRK, and its Interscope Geffen A&M and Capital labels will be the first to utilise the combined NTWRK/Complex platform…

Chris Cooke • 22 Feb 2024

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