CMU | the music business explained (Page 2)

📑 CMU Digest: Spotify damps supremium hype, PRS sues Live Nation, hammer falls on Utopia

PRS files lawsuit against Live Nation over VIP ticketing saying live giant shows “disregard” for creators rights to proper payment

Mitchell Asset Management boss says the future of the music business is kids “buying P Diddy skins” in Fortnite. Is it time for Proper Group's investors to ask for their money back?

Triller brings in former VEVO exec to kickstart “transformation journey” as vertical video’s poor cousin licks its lips at prospect of TikTok ban

Sony Music shows off “next-generation immersive technologies”, trails upcoming Myles Smith Fortnite event

The music industry is entering the era of “Streaming 2.0” and could be on course for 2 billion paying subscribers says Universal Music boss Lucian Grainge

The 1975 respond to Malaysian festival promoter’s lawsuit

New York District Attorney brings criminal charges against man accused of sophisticated streaming fraud that raked in more than $10 million

Hipgnosis “fraudulently induced” Barry Manilow to sell his artist royalties with “false promises”

Michael Rapino knew about Travis Scott’s “dangerous concert antics” says court filing as Live Nation desperately tries to avoid CEO’s deposition in Astroworld case

Rachel Chinouriri cancels US support shows, putting the spotlight back on the ‘cost of touring crisis’

Isaac Hayes estate sues Donald Trump for copyright infringement

📑 CMU Digest: Cox takes major label dispute to Supreme Court + court dismisses Eminem publisher's Spotify lawsuit

Anthropic’s “tired arguments” and “scare tactics” should be rejected, say music organisations

TikTok forced to ditch “addictive” Lite rewards scheme in the EU

Suno admits it trained on major-owned music, accuses labels of misusing copyright

Lucian Grainge is back on the win-win, but which DSP is off his christmas card list? It’s not hard to guess.

Major label trade group criticises Canada’s 5% streaming levy

Spotify’s Q2: Cost cutting is paying off, Ek teases Supremium launch, hints at secret features beyond hi-res audio

SXSW London could disrupt delicately balanced music ecosystem and should reconsider its date

Could Co-op Group terminate Manchester arena naming rights deal? Fury mounts as safety incident forces yet more Co-op Live show cancellations

CNM statement shows that Spotify’s rage about new French streaming levy misrepresents key facts

France has stood firm against Spotify’s bullying - and Spotify is having a tantrum

WMG is toying with an offer for Believe that would wipe out Warner’s cash reserves - but is it serious, would Believe shareholders sell and can WMG afford to bet the farm?

Mean Millennials scrap streaming subscriptions, mail order music is booming - and Apple Music might be making £500 million or more in the UK

Manchester City Council has spent nearly £90,000 fighting Night & Day legal battle

Hipgnosis Songs Fund takes a haircut - and might have bigger problems to come

Dodgy distributor 3tone linked to company being investigated by Serious Fraud Office

Artificial Intelligence and the music industry in 2023

Private Copy Levy • 5 min read

Tech sector wants EU to reform private copy levies, but GESAC says changes would only benefit foreign device manufacturers

With new EU Commissioners being appointed, tech sector trade group DigitalEurope has proposed a radical overhaul of the private copy levy across Europe. The music industry says the proposed changes would only benefit American and South-East Asian device manufacturers and shouldn’t be considered…

Chris Cooke • 15 Nov 2024

PRS For Music • 7 min read

PRS files lawsuit against Live Nation over VIP ticketing saying live giant shows “disregard” for creators rights to proper payment

PRS is suing Live Nation, saying that it is not properly breaking down the way VIP ticketing works, meaning that music creators could be missing out on money due to them from live performances. In an exclusive statement to CMU, PRS said the live giant has shown “disregard” for licensing requirements…

Sam Taylor • 15 Nov 2024

Live Nation • 3 min read

Live Nation says ruling in Ticketmaster customer litigation threatens to block sensible measures for dispute resolution

The Ninth Circuit Appeals Court recently refused to force a dispute between Live Nation and some Ticketmaster customers to arbitration after raising concerns about the live giant’s arbitrator of choice. Live Nation now says that decision sets a dangerous precedent and should be reconsidered…

Chris Cooke • 15 Nov 2024

Horizon Future Leaders • 7 min read

🌅 Horizon Future Leaders - Martha Cleary Q&A

As part of our Horizon Future Leaders series, we’re 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 Martha Cleary, founder of Glow Artists.…

Horizon Music Jobs • 15 Nov 2024

Artificial Intelligence • 3 min read

US Copyright Office boss says she’s “kept up” at night by the speed at which AI is developing

The US Copyright Office recently undertook a consultation on copyright and AI. In an update to Senators, the Office revealed that both AI companies and copyright owners think current US copyright law is fit for purpose. They just radically disagree on how those laws should be interpreted…

Chris Cooke • 14 Nov 2024

Utopia Music • 7 min read

As Utopia’s bankruptcy appeal is denied investors threaten legal action, while former staff tell CMU of widespread “manipulation” of financial documents across shuttered subsidiaries

The implosion at the company formerly known as Utopia Music continues. After the Swiss court denied its bankruptcy appeal, investors begin to talk legal action, and former staffers tell CMU that they want top banana John Mitchell to say who was responsible for fake payslips as far back as July 2023…

Sam Taylor • 14 Nov 2024

Ticket Levy • 5 min read

UK government warns live sector: sort out ticket levy ASAP or we will force people to the negotiating table

Earlier this year Parliament’s culture select committee said the live sector should set up a ticket levy and the government introduce a VAT cut to support grassroots venues and shows. The government has responded agreeing the industry should swiftly set up a levy system, but rejecting the VAT cut…

Chris Cooke • 14 Nov 2024

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: Gia Ford

Gia Ford is the new indie it-girl to watch, captivating with a darkly atmospheric allure all her own. Her music has a timeless edge, blending dream-pop with touches of rock and synthwave. Her latest single, ‘Earth Return’, swells with her signature soft, smoky and theatrical vocals…

Kaya Robertson • 14 Nov 2024

Viagogo • 5 min read

FanFair Alliance says “industrial level” touting fraud rife on Viagogo with touts selling thousands of tickets they don’t own

FanFair Alliance has identified thousands of tickets listed by supposedly ‘trusted sellers’ on resale platform Viagogo for seats that are still available on primary sites, meaning touts don’t own the tickets they are selling - a practice banned by Viagogo, and which possibly breaks the law in the UK…

Chris Cooke • 13 Nov 2024

Spotify • 5 min read

Spotify’s Ek puts a damper on ‘super premium’ hype, bigs up AI and innovation as the future

The super premium opportunity maybe isn’t as exciting as some people would have you believe, and no one can really agree what it would even be anyway. That was a key takeaway from yesterday’s Spotify earnings call, as Daniel Ek doubles down on AI and innovation as the future of streaming…

Sam Taylor • 13 Nov 2024

GEMA • 3 min read

GEMA sues OpenAI

German collecting society GEMA has sued OpenAI for copyright infringement, saying generative AI poses “fundamental legal questions that we absolutely must clarify” through litigation. It’s the first music industry lawsuit against an AI company within Europe rather than the US…

Chris Cooke • 13 Nov 2024