CMU | the music business explained (Page 22)

“History repeating itself” say music creators as majors start negotiations with Suno and Udio

NYC backs plan to hike streaming prices by 50% to pay musicians as much as $40k a year each

Major labels face setback as Trump’s pet DOJ legal beagle sides with Cox in piracy battle

We are just another victim in the shameful lineage of Apple intimidation and bullying, cries Musi

SoundCloud’s amended AI clause still “fundamentally terrible for artists” says Ed Newton-Rex

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

TikTok • 3 min read

TikTok back in Apple and Google US app stores, as Trump says he may further postpone the ban

TikTok is back in the Apple and Google app stores in the US. They both removed the app when a ban went into effect in January, even though Donald Trump immediately paused the ban. Meanwhile, Trump says he’s confident he can still negotiate a deal that means the TikTok ban never needs to happen…

Chris Cooke • 14 Feb 2025

Horizon Future Leaders • 5 min read

🌅 Horizon Future Leaders - Abby Meysenburg 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 freelance tour manager Abby Meysenburg.…

Horizon Music Jobs • 14 Feb 2025

Artificial Intelligence • 4 min read

MPs urge government to maintain AI and copyright amendments in Data Bill to “protect our creative industries”

Last month the House Of Lords amended the UK government's Data Bill to add some copyright obligations for AI companies. The bill was debated in the House Of Commons yesterday, where some MPs urged the government to retain those amendments in order to “protect our creative industries”…

Chris Cooke • 13 Feb 2025

Diddy • 3 min read

Diddy sues NBC for defamation over murder and child abuse claims in ‘Making Of A Bad Boy’ documentary

Last month NBC aired a documentary all about the scandals surrounding Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. In a new lawsuit, Combs says that allegations in the programme - and especially its claims accusing him of murder and child abuse - were defamatory, with those claims based on mere hearsay and speculation…

Chris Cooke • 13 Feb 2025

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: Leatherette

Italian post-punk band Leatherette bring a guttural, King Krule-esque vibe, blending the restlessness of post-punk with the charm of new wave. Their new single ‘Itchy’ is a feverish and fuzzy breakup song.…

Kaya Robertson • 13 Feb 2025

Artificial Intelligence • 3 min read

US judge demolishes fair use defence in what could be landmark AI lawsuit

An AI company’s fair use defence in a copyright legal battle filed by Thomson Reuters has been rejected by an American judge. It’s a significant ruling because of the numerous US lawsuits against AI companies, including those filed by the music industry, that centre on the fair use defence…

Chris Cooke • 12 Feb 2025

Kanye • 2 min read

YouTube boss Lyor Cohen says he is “deeply disappointed” by Kanye’s Nazi ranting as both Shopify and talent agent ditch rapper

Following Kanye West’s latest controversies, including a rant on X and him selling t-shirts featuring a swastika symbol, both Shopify and a talent agent have cut their ties with the rapper. Meanwhile record industry veteran Lyor Cohen has written an open letter urging West to take a different path…

Chris Cooke • 12 Feb 2025

TikTok • 4 min read

What next for TikTok in the US as April deadline looms on the horizon?

While the US TikTok ban was postponed for 75 days by Donald Trump, the app’s future in the country remains uncertain, despite lots of speculation about which American billionaires want to buy it. Meanwhile the UK government is now on TikTok, despite the app being banned on government devices…

Chris Cooke • 11 Feb 2025

Ozzy Osbourne • 2 min read

Ozzy Osbourne sued for posting photos of himself on social media

Ozzy Osbourne is the latest artist to be sued for posting photos of himself on social media. The copyrights in the images are owned by the photographer, who says no permission was granted to use the photos on social platforms that are “key components” of Osbourne’s “lucrative commercial enterprise”…

Chris Cooke • 11 Feb 2025

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

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