CMU Selects - the last week’s standout releases
Our selection of five releases that cut through the noise last week, from Charli xcx, Holy Fuck, Flea, Thom Yorke, Shy One, George Riley, Sophia Stel + Mura Masa…
Artificial Intelligence
EU AI Act
European Composer & Songwriter Alliance (ECSA)
International Artist Organisation
Henna Virkkunen
Glenn MIcallef
Music industry legal news coverage
EU AI Act can only provide a “temporary fix” to the “darker aspect” of AI’s “profound disruption” to creative industries says open letter
Pulp will play Adelaide Festival despite threatening to join creator boycott following change in leadership
Pulp are set to play the Adelaide Festival, which has been embroiled in controversy since it axed Palestinian Australian academic Randa Abdel-Fatta from its programme. Jarvis Cocker has revealed Pulp planned to pull out in protest, but will now perform after the Abdel-Fatta decision was reversed…
Horizon Future Leaders: Four issues shaping the industry
We asked 2025’s Horizon Future Leaders a simple question: what’s the most pressing issue in your corner of the industry?…
🎧 Approved: Rusty Santos
Rusty Santos pulls from psych folk, outsider pop and spiritual songwriting, but never in a way that feels archival. His music sits slightly askew, shaped by unusual tunings, soft dissonance and a sense of curiosity about sound itself. New single ‘Are You A Portal’ leans into that suspended feeling…
Kneecap say UK government has wasted over £1 million on Mo Chara flag case, as prosecutors ask High Court to reinstate terror charges
Kneecap were back in court yesterday, with UK prosecutors wanting the High Court to reinstate criminal charges for alleged terror offences against band member Mo Chara, which were dismissed last year on a legal technicality. The band said the hearing was “a waste of public time and public money”…
After Sting coughs up £647k in royalty dispute, former bandmates say there could be millions more missing
Legal reps for The Police were in court this week in a dispute over how Sting shares his publishing income with former bandmates Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland. Lawyers for Summers and Copeland revealed they plan to expand their claims, arguing Sting owes well over £8 million in unpaid royalties…
Songwriter groups hail “unequivocal win for creator rights” as US appeals court upholds landmark termination rights ruling
A US appeals court has upheld a ruling that rejects music industry convention regarding how the termination right in American copyright law works - in a way that majorly benefits music creators. The ruling has been hailed by songwriter groups as an “enormous victory for the creator community”…
🎧 Approved in 2025
Listen to every track we featured in CMU’s ‘Approved’ slot in 2025 in our Spotify playlist wrapping up all our featured tracks for the year…
Five interesting music business stats to start 2026
As 2025 ended and 2026 began we had the customary flurry of stats from various music industry sources, providing some insights on revenues and trends across the music business. Here are five of the more interesting numbers..…
EU’s Digital Fairness Act provides “one-off chance” to tackle “fraudulent” ticket touting practices
The European Union will this year draft a new Digital Fairness Act that seeks to “strengthen protection and digital fairness for consumers”. The music industry has published an open letter urging EU lawmakers to introduce new pan-European regulations for ticket touting as part of that process…
Five key developments over the Christmas break
With the Christmas break now well and truly over and forgotten, here are five key developments in the music business since the last CMU Daily of 2025, including X suing the music publishers, a judge dismissing Salt N Pepa’s UMG lawsuit, Lucian Grainge’s memo, and TikTok and Spotify developments…
Music and AI: 2025’s developments that will shape 2026’s disputes
AI will remain a major talking point in the music industry throughout 2026. Pretty much all the big copyright questions and disputes relating to generative AI remain unanswered and unresolved. However, as major labels sign a flurry of AI deals, future disputes are likely to be within the industry…
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