CMU | the music business explained (Page 29)

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

Garth Brooks • 2 min read

Garth Brooks responds to allegations of sexual assault

A new lawsuit accuses Garth Brooks of sexual assault though he denies the allegations and claims a former employee is trying to extort money from him. His accuser sets out various incidents of alleged sexual harassment and assault and accuses Brooks of filing his own lawsuit in a bid to silence her…

Chris Cooke • 04 Oct 2024

Oasis • 4 min read

Oasis shows in the US put the spotlight on another ticket controversy: speculative selling

Thousands of tickets for Oasis shows in the US appeared on secondary ticketing sites days before any tickets were actually sold on the primary sites. Campaigners have said this demonstrates that US Congress needs to pass new laws to stop speculative selling by ticket touts…

Chris Cooke • 04 Oct 2024

Releases & Tours • 1 min read

⏩ Releases & Tours News Friday 4 Oct

New music from: KAYTRANADA, Confidence Man, The Smile, The Horrors, Maverick Sabre, Michael Kiwanuka, Allie X, Aitch, Auntie Flo, Maribou State, THUS LOVE, The Smashing Times, GRACEY, KSI…

CMU • 04 Oct 2024

Kesha • 3 min read

Kesha reveals “ten year plan to upend the music industry”

Kesha finally fulfilled all the obligations on her 2005 record deal with Dr Luke’s Kemosabe Records last year allowing her to release recent single ‘Joyride’ on her own label. Now in control of her recordings, she has a plan to address issues in the music industry, including unfair record contracts…

Chris Cooke • 04 Oct 2024

TikTok • 4 min read

Indie community reacts to TikTok circumventing Merlin

Following the news that TikTok has walked away from licensing negotiations with Merlin, various representatives for the indie label community have issued statements. They dismiss TikTok’s claim that it wants direct deals with indies to combat streaming fraud, arguing it’s all about paying less…

Chris Cooke • 03 Oct 2024

One Liners - quickfire news from the music business • 18 min read

⏩ One Liners music business news in brief: Sony’s Pink Floyd deal, Heatwave Records, Tomorrow’s Warriors, yet more UMG country chiefs appointed, Black Lives in Music mentorship + more

⚡Want your news to be included in the CMU One Liners round-up? Email [email protected] Deals Cooking Vinyl Publishing…

CMU • 03 Oct 2024

Range Media Partners • 2 min read

CAA accuses Range Media of stealing confidential information and masquerading as a management company to avoid talent agency regulations

In 2020, five former CAA agents set up Range Media Partners. CAA has now sued the company accusing its founders of stealing confidential information about the talent agency before launching Range. They also say Range is basically a talent agency, but pretends it isn’t to avoid regulation…

Chris Cooke • 03 Oct 2024

Ticketmaster • 2 min read

Disappearing tickets not the result of Ticketmaster hack, says Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster customers have reported tickets disappearing from their accounts as they are transferred to other people without permission. Some speculated this might be linked to the big Ticketmaster hack, but the ticketing company says the hacking of customers’ email accounts is behind the problem…

Chris Cooke • 03 Oct 2024

Horizon Future Leaders • 6 min read

🌅 Horizon Future Leaders series - Maria Torres Q&A

As part of our new 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. In this Q&A, we caught up with Maria Torres, Artist Manager at Mother Artists.…

Horizon Music Jobs • 03 Oct 2024

Fleetwood Mac • 2 min read

Fleetwood Mac producer says stage play about a fictional band rips off his memoir

In 2012, producer Ken Caillat published a memoir about his work on Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’. He reckons that book formed the basis of the Broadway play ‘Stereophonic’, about a band working on a new album. The writer of the play denies that’s the case, but Caillat has sued for copyright infringement…

Chris Cooke • 03 Oct 2024

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: A Place To Bury Strangers

A Place to Bury Strangers have cemented the be-all-end-all space for over-the-top post-punk/shoegaze destruction. Their latest single ‘Fear Of Transformation’ is a snarling, gothic techno-punk track; a jagged dialogue between the temptation to retreat and the drive to shatter self-imposed limits…

Kaya Robertson • 03 Oct 2024

TikTok • 5 min read

TikTok’s stance on direct licensing is “disingenuous” and risks harming the digital supply chain say industry insiders

TikTok wants to do direct licensing deals with Merlin members, cutting Merlin out of the equation. It claims this is to help tackle copyright issues but industry sources have told CMU that in fact it could make things worse, not better - and potentially harm the whole digital supply chain…

Sam Taylor • 02 Oct 2024