CMU | the music business explained (Page 3)

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

Salt N Pepa • 3 min read

Universal sued after “tanking the value” of Salt N Pepa’s catalogue

Salt N Pepa are trying to regain control of their old recordings from Universal by exercising their termination right under US law. But the major has rejected their termination notices, arguing that their original deals were work for hire arrangements, meaning the termination right does not apply…

Chris Cooke • 20 May 2025

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧Approved: BIG WETT

BIG WETT stomps over the line between pop star and chaos agent. Her new single ‘No Regrets’ is a filthy, fun breakbeat track built for bad decisions and good nights. DIY visuals and barked-out mantras seal the deal…

Kaya Robertson • 20 May 2025

Ed Sheeran • 3 min read

No need for US Supreme Court to intervene in ‘Thinking Out Loud’ song-theft dispute, argues Ed Sheeran

When a US appeals court ruled that Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking Out Loud’ does not infringe the copyright in Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’, did it rely on guidance from the Copyright Office? If it did, that might be grounds for the US Supreme Court to review the case. Sheeran insists it did not…

Chris Cooke • 19 May 2025

Brockwell Live • 5 min read

Lambeth Council insists Brockwell Park festivals will go ahead despite High Court ruling saying they are unlawful

A series of festivals kicking off this Friday in South London’s Brockwell Park seemed to be in jeopardy last week when the High Court said the necessary planning permission was not in place. However, the local council says that the legal issues were administrative and can be easily dealt with…

Chris Cooke • 19 May 2025

CMU Selects • 1 min read

CMU Selects - the last week’s standout releases

This week: sea monsters, diaristic doom-pop, whisper-sharp collabs and post-punk with no time for nostalgia. King Gizzard wash up something orchestral and oceanic, RUBII x AMARIA BB bring late-night heat, and more - here’s what stood out from the past week’s releases.…

Kaya Robertson • 19 May 2025

Superstruct Entertainment • 3 min read

Superstruct festivals issue statements following backlash and boycotts over its owner KKR

London’s Field Day festival has faced a backlash in recent weeks because it is owned by Superstruct, in turn owned by KKR, which has investments in Israel. As other Superstruct events also come under fire, both Field Day and fellow London festival Mighty Hoopla have now issued statements…

Chris Cooke • 16 May 2025

Drake • 2 min read

Drake asking the court to assume Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics are “a factual representation” is “dangerous”, say legal experts

Four legal experts have intervened in the defamation legal battle between Drake and Universal. The experts say that the music community has been arguing for sometime that rap lyrics should not be treated as statements of fact in criminal cases, yet Drake now wants to do just that in a civil case…

Chris Cooke • 16 May 2025

Horizon Future Leaders • 6 min read

🌅 Horizon Future Leaders - Codie Childs

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. This week we spoke to Codie Childs, Senior Music Supervisor at PlayStation Studios.…

Horizon Music Jobs • 16 May 2025

The Leadmill • 3 min read

The Leadmill has three months to pack up and leave but vows to continue the fight for Sheffield’s music scene

The Leadmill has failed in its bid to stop an eviction order from landlord The Electric Group, which wants to take over the running of the Sheffield venue. The current Leadmill team sought permission to appeal the eviction order, but that request has been declined by the court…

Chris Cooke • 15 May 2025

SoundCloud • 2 min read

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

SoundCloud boss Eliah Seton has responded to concerns about an AI clause in the platform’s terms of service, insisting that the company will use AI for discovery and not various generative uses. The AI clause has been amended, but still isn’t clear enough according to Ed Newton-Rex of Fairly Trained…

Chris Cooke • 15 May 2025

Artificial Intelligence • 3 min read

Data Bill ping pong continues as government says ‘financial privilege’ trumps AI transparency

Earlier this week the House Of Lords reinserted an AI transparency obligation that is supported by the music industry into the Data Bill. The government has now said it will get the obligation removed from the final version of the bill by invoking the ‘financial privilege’ of the House Of Commons…

Chris Cooke • 15 May 2025

Explore topics

View all

Music industry legal news coverage

One Liners - quickfire news from the music business

Digital services and platforms news

Live industry news including ticketing, venues, festivals and more