CMU | the music business explained (Page 37)

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

Spotify • 2 min read

Spotify super premium will offer better audio, remixing tools and pre-sale tickets according to latest rumours

Spotify has been promising a higher priced subscription product for ages. With both the majors and Spotify boss Daniel Ek now regularly talking up the potential of super-premium, sources say it will arrive later this year offering better audio, remixing tools and access to pre-sale tickets…

Chris Cooke • 17 Feb 2025

CMU Selects • 2 min read

CMU Selects - last week’s standout releases

From John Glacier’s introspective and amorphous new album to Kelela’s jazz-infused reworks, last week delivered everything from darksided club music to breathless pop. Here are some of last week’s releases you might have missed.…

Kaya Robertson • 17 Feb 2025

Jay-Z • 2 min read

Tony Buzbee’s Jay-Z lawsuit dismissal shows “system has failed” as “no repercussions” for lawyer, says rapper

Jay-Z has declared “victory” after a Diddy lawsuit that also accused him of rape was dismissed by the women who filed it. However, he said, the trauma his family have endured since he was named as a co-defendant can’t be dismissed, stressing again that the lawsuit should never have been filed…

Chris Cooke • 17 Feb 2025

Spotify • 2 min read

MLC asks judge to reconsider Spotify ruling, otherwise the “injustice will be manifest”

Last month a US judge dismissed the lawsuit filed by The MLC against Spotify over its decision to reclassify its premium subscription product as a music + audiobooks bundle, reducing what it has to pay to songwriters and publishers. The MLC now wants the judge to reconsider that ruling…

Chris Cooke • 14 Feb 2025

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