CMU | the music business explained (Page 24)

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

Sony Music • 3 min read

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

Sony has loads of fancy toys, and that’s making it easier than ever to create content. In particular, the major is keen to talk up how quickly, easily and cheaply it can whack out immersive content for artists who want to dip their toes - or other virtual bodyparts - into the world of Fortnite…

Sam Taylor & Chris Cooke • 22 Oct 2024

Diddy • 3 min read

Diddy wants gagging order to stop media “carnival” of accusations as his lawyers say constitutional right to fair trial is at risk

Everyone and their dog has an opinion about the Diddy lawsuits, and that could stop him getting a fair trial. That’s what lawyers repping the rap mogul say, and they’re calling for a gagging order to shut up everyone involved in the lawsuits, to stop the “shockingly prejudicial” media coverage…

Chris Cooke • 22 Oct 2024

Astroworld • 2 min read

Astroworld bellwether cases pushed to next year as more than 300 injury lawsuits settled

A whole raft of Astroworld injury lawsuits have been settled days before three ‘bellwether’ cases - which could influence the others - were due to start in court. Everything has been pushed back to February 2025 - though not Michael Rapino’s deposition, which the live giant was desperate to avoid…

Chris Cooke • 22 Oct 2024

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: ILĀ

Multifaceted artist ILĀ pushes sonic boundaries in their new single ‘murmur’, co-produced with Imogen Heap and her AI counterpart, AI.Mogen. Almost the entirety of the single comes from this AI hybrid of ILĀ’ and Heap’s voice, giving the track an otherworldly quality that prickles the senses…

Kaya Robertson • 22 Oct 2024

Ador • 3 min read

Min Hee-jin formally reappointed as Ador director, but legal battle to reclaim CEO role continues

HYBE label Ador has formally reappointed founder Min Hee-jin as a director, but she still wants to be CEO. HYBE’s boss, meanwhile, has urged staff to not stress too much about the public feud with Min nor the fact the K-pop company has to pay £223 million to investors who previously bought bonds…

Chris Cooke • 21 Oct 2024

ECSA • 4 min read

Songwriter group sets out policy priorities of EU law-makers

Clarity on how EU law helps creators protect their rights in the context of AI and new laws to stop buy-out contracts are among the requests of pan-European songwriter and composer group ECSA, in a new manifesto setting out it current policy priorities…

Chris Cooke • 21 Oct 2024

Ador • 3 min read

Astroworld victims say Travis Scott’s “last minute attempt” to delay their trial should be rejected

Victims of the Astroworld crowd surge have urged a Texas appeals court to reject a motion filed by Travis Scott that could further delay their lawsuits from getting to trial. They say Scott motion is based on a “supposed ‘emergency’ of his own creation and an incorrect argument”…

Chris Cooke • 21 Oct 2024

Releases & Tours • 2 min read

⏩ Releases & Tours: Oct 2024 (Week 42)

Each week CMU rounds up standout releases and tour announcements from the last seven days. This week: Confidence Man, FKA twigs, 070 Shake, Bon Iver, TAAHLIAH, Ab-Soul + more, while tour announcements include Sam Fender, Osees + more.…

Kaya Robertson • 21 Oct 2024

[PIAS] • 3 min read

IMPALA says Universal’s “creeping dominance” and “pursuit of key independent players” is a cause for concern after [PIAS] deal

After the news earlier this week that Universal Music has bought [PIAS] outright, indie label trade group IMPALA has urged regulators to investigate the deal, while also calling for a “new competition approach” from regulators to address concerns around the “creeping dominance” of the three majors…

Chris Cooke • 18 Oct 2024

Festicket • 4 min read

£5 million still locked in Festicket’s Stripe account after promoters raise trust claims

Ticketing company Festicket collapsed in 2022. Many promoters said money from their ticket sales should have been held in trust, but a judge ruled their contracts with Festicket didn’t establish a trust. Some now claim to have an implied trust arrangement with Festicket’s payment processor Stripe…

Chris Cooke & Sam Taylor • 18 Oct 2024

Horizon Future Leaders • 7 min read

🌅 Horizon Future Leaders series - Trina Smith Q&A

This week, we caught up with Trina Smith, a powerhouse in the music industry who wears many hats, from managing producers and composers to co-owning a label and serving on the executive board at the Association For Electronic Music, or AFEM.…

Horizon Music Jobs • 17 Oct 2024

Liam Payne • 2 min read

Music community pays tribute to Liam Payne

Liam Payne’s family has published a statement following the news that the former One Direction member has died, aged 31, after falling from a balcony in Argentina. Artists from across the music community have been paying tribute to Payne on social media ever since the news first broke…

Chris Cooke • 17 Oct 2024