CMU | the music business explained (Page 40)

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

Live Nation • 5 min read

Live Nation boss Michael Rapino says he’d “love” regulation of secondary ticketing including 20% price cap

Following controversies around the speculative selling of tickets for Oasis shows in North America, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino spoke about the ticketing business at a Bloomberg conference yesterday. Among other things, he announced he now supports a 20% price cap on ticket resale…

Chris Cooke • 10 Oct 2024

Proper Group AG • 4 min read

Lawyer previously convicted of embezzlement from bankrupt companies in Sweden is pulling the strings at Proper Group AG

Peter Löhr, a key advisor to the bankrupt Proper Group AG, was previously convicted of embezzling from bankrupt companies in Sweden. As Proper Group faces unprecedented scrutiny from the Swiss authorities sources associated with the company are asking why Löhr is still there…

Sam Taylor • 10 Oct 2024

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: Yoo Doo Right

Montreal-based trio Yoo Doo Right blend post-rock, krautrock, shoegaze and musique concrète to craft a distinctive, avant-garde sound. Their latest single ‘Eager Glacier’ has subtle echoes of ‘Kid A’-era Radiohead, as they balance tense soundscapes with moments of atmospheric calm…

Kaya Robertson • 10 Oct 2024

Spotify • 3 min read

Spotify committed to work-from-anywhere policy, except on the night shift

Spotify’s HR chief has revealed that the company’s work-from-anywhere policy, instigated during COVID, will stay in place, even though other tech companies are telling employees to return to their offices. She has also spoken about the impact of last year’s job cuts at Spotify…

Chris Cooke • 09 Oct 2024

TikTok • 2 min read

TikTok sued by multiple US states over design features that damage the health of young users

Multiple US states have been investigating the impact of TikTok on its users and, based on that investigation, more than a dozen states have now filed lawsuits claiming that addictive-by-design features manipulate young users in a way that damages their mental health…

Chris Cooke • 09 Oct 2024

Limp Bizkit • 4 min read

Fred Durst sues Universal over systems that are “deliberately designed to conceal artists’ royalties and keep those profits for itself”

Fred Durst has sued Universal Music over its alleged failure to report and pay royalties he was due from Limp Bizkit’s records and a former label joint venture. He claims the major’s systems are deliberately set up in a way that means artists don’t necessarily know they are owed money…

Chris Cooke • 09 Oct 2024

Utopia Music • 5 min read

Proper Group AG - the company formerly known as Utopia - is riddled with debt and has left its few remaining staff high and dry with salaries unpaid for months

Put into bankruptcy by the Swiss courts, riddled with debt, the proceeds of the Sentric sale still locked in escrow, another UK company in liquidation, and its few remaining staff left in the lurch yet again as they wait months for salaries… what’s really happening at Proper Group AG…

Sam Taylor • 09 Oct 2024

Naxos • 2 min read

Naxos sues Chinese classical music platform Kuke

Chinese classical platform Kuke Music entered into an eight year deal with Naxos in 2018, giving it access to a large catalogue of classical recordings. However, Naxos says Kuke stopped making payments under that deal at the end of 2021 and, with nearly $2 million owing, it has now filed a lawsuit…

Chris Cooke • 08 Oct 2024

Ticketmaster • 2 min read

Ticketmaster pauses ticket transfers on Taylor Swift shows following disappearing tickets problem

There has been a flurry of reports in US media recently of concert-goers seeing digital tickets disappear from their Ticketmaster accounts as hackers use transfer tools to steal those tickets. Ticketmaster has now paused ticket transfers for Taylor Swift shows until three days before the concert…

Chris Cooke • 08 Oct 2024

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: Konyikeh

Konyikeh first gained widespread attention at the 2022 BRIT Awards, where her bluesy voice stood out during a performance alongside Dave. Her latest single, ‘Lie To Me’, showcases that same vocal power - rich, textured and brimming with raw emotion…

Kaya Robertson • 08 Oct 2024

2 Live Crew • 3 min read

2 Live Crew termination rights dispute gets to court, puts work for hire argument to the test

Members of 2 Live Crew want to exercise the termination right under US law to reclaim the copyrights in their early albums. But the label that currently owns those rights, Lil Joe Records, says they don’t have a termination right because they were artists for hire. The dispute is now in court…

Chris Cooke • 08 Oct 2024