CMU | the music business explained (Page 27)

Cornwall Council will hold meeting about ‘safety risks’ of Bob Vylan’s August Boardmasters performance - even through there weren’t any

Spotify finally adds lossless audio to premium

Anthropic will pay authors $1.5 billion to settle AI copyright case

Universal’s Downtown deal must be blocked by regulators before “cultural diversity is weakened irreversibly” says Dutch indie label group president

As EU hits pause on UMG Downtown investigation after “parties fail to provide important info”, Downtown boss whines about “misinformation”

More upheaval at Warner Music as UK label chiefs will report directly to US execs

Yet another senior exec out at Warner Music as UK boss Tony Harlow quits

Billion dollar piracy win for majors “defies common law and common sense” says Cox

Court dismisses Dave Rowntree’s black box lawsuit against PRS

Supertramp songwriter must continue to share publishing royalties with bandmates, US appeals court concludes

FTC sues ticket touting business that claims it is endorsed by Ticketmaster

Drake’s claims are “farcical” says Lucian Grainge as defamation battle rumbles on

Drake wants to trawl through Papa Grainge’s emails in ‘Not Like Us’ libel battle

Sony sues Napster over $9.2 million in unpaid royalties

Spotify age-checks could result in accounts being deleted, but only if you’re twelve

Increasing number of artists join Spotify boycott over CEO’s AI weapon investments

If China blocks TikTok deal app will “go dark” says US Commerce Secretary, but hints deal “coming soon”

Blackstone bails on consortium bidding to buy TikTok US - will a deal still be done by September deadline?

Anthropic’s ‘fair use’ win in AI copyright case could turn into a trillion dollar loss

No copyright exception for AI training in European law, says new report

Full scale anticompetition investigation on the cards after UMG’s Virgin Music fails to allay EU fears over Downtown merger

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?

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

Kneecap • 2 min read

Kneecap’s replacement for cancelled gig cancelled

Calls continue for UK festivals to pull Kneecap from their line-ups following the recent controversies, with MPs even discussing their planned Glastonbury set in Parliament. After an Eden Sessions show was cancelled the band booked a replacement gig in Plymouth, but that’s now also been axed…

Chris Cooke • 02 May 2025

Apple Music • 3 min read

Spotify welcomes Epic ruling ending the Apple Tax in the US

A US judge has ordered Apple to let developers link to alternative payment options from within their iOS apps without restrictions or fees. The ruling comes in the legal battle between Apple and Epic Games, but also benefits Spotify, which has welcomed the news…

Chris Cooke • 02 May 2025

Op-Eds • 4 min read

Op-ed: Becky Ayres on why Liverpool doesn’t just make music, it makes the people who make the music business

This Friday, Sound City+ in Liverpool unites top music execs. Read Becky Ayres’ op-ed on why it’s the place shaping the next generation of industry leaders.…

CMU Contributors • 02 May 2025

Horizon Future Leaders • 7 min read

🌅 Horizon Future Leaders - Mia Thornton

As part of our Horizon Future Leaders series of interviews, we are connecting with the music industry’s next generation of leaders to gather candid advice and insights into their career journeys.…

Horizon Music Jobs • 02 May 2025

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: Plato III

Plato III is the shape-shifting rap project of Ryan Silva - a former game show contestant, Dungeon studio pilgrim, and sharp-eyed chronicler of modern life. New single ‘I Want (Money) is a funk-laced bop paired with a vivid, surrealist video inspired by his own time on a game show…

Kaya Robertson • 01 May 2025

Artificial Intelligence • 2 min read

Seeking to keep copyright and AI out of the Data Bill, ministers promise an impact assessment of proposed copyright exception

When the UK House Of Lords considered a new Data Bill it added some lines about the copyright and transparency obligations of AI companies. The government got them removed, but some MPs are trying to get them reinserted. Ministers now hope to placate critics with the promise of an impact assessment…

Chris Cooke • 01 May 2025

Kneecap • 3 min read

Artists sign open letter supporting Kneecap and opposing “political repression of artistic freedom”

Politicians and pundits laying into Kneecap over controversial on-stage remarks is now resulting in shows being cancelled. Seeing that as an attack on free speech, a stack of artists have signed an open letter supporting the rap group and criticising a “concerted attempt to censor” the band…

Chris Cooke • 01 May 2025

Artificial Intelligence • 2 min read

Björn Ulvaeus tells British lawmakers that the “AI revolution” will be positive, but only if creator rights are respected

Björn Ulvaeus has been in Westminster this week in his role as CISAC President urging UK lawmakers to resist demands from AI companies to weaken copyright law. The “AI revolution” is to be welcomed, he told MPs and Lords, providing AI companies form “mutually-respecting partnerships” with creators…

Chris Cooke • 30 Apr 2025

TICKET Act • 4 min read

US House passes TICKET Act, but industry groups raise concerns about loophole in speculative selling ban

The US House Of Representatives has passed the TICKET Act, which will introduce new regulations for the American ticketing sector. The music community is mainly supportive of the new rules, though there are concerns that there’s a problematic loophole in the current version of the new legislation…

Chris Cooke • 30 Apr 2025

Isaac Hayes • 3 min read

The Isaac Hayes estate’s copyright lawsuit against Trump can proceed, but judge axes false endorsement claims

Attempts by Donald Trump to get a copyright lawsuit filed over his use of an Isaac Hayes song at his rallies dismissed have failed, meaning the litigation will now proceed. However, a separate claim that Trump’s use of the song also constituted false endorsement has been axed by the judge…

Chris Cooke • 29 Apr 2025

Kneecap • 3 min read

Kneecap distance themselves from past on-stage remarks, but remain forthright in response to critics

Kneecap have responded to the recent controversies about past on-stage remarks, which have become newsworthy following their Coachella sets. They insist they don’t support Hamas and would never incite violence, adding past comments are being misrepresented “to manufacture moral hysteria”…

Chris Cooke • 29 Apr 2025