CMU | the music business explained (Page 45)

Kneecap sue MP who “lied to the world” about group’s Canada ban

Johnny Cash estate uses ELVIS Act to sue Coke over tribute act ad soundtrack

Suno picks up Songkick as part of AI licensing deal with Warner Music

Live Nation and AEG provide a “disgusting service”, says Olivia Dean, after for-profit touting of tickets

Fugee Pras Michel jailed for fourteen years after illegal lobbying

Ticket touting platforms start frantic lobbying campaign claiming new anti-tout laws will increase ticket fraud

StubHub share price craters as UK prepares to announce ticket touting ban

Regulators must consider UMG’s AI deals in Downtown case, says IAO President

North American songwriter groups join call for transparency and creator consent as music companies start signing AI deals

Starmer must “honour his pledge” to cap prices in “extortionate and pernicious” secondary ticketing market

Downtown accused of planning “calculated destruction” of a short-lived YouTube music client in bombastic new lawsuit

No “self-service buffet” for AI companies says GEMA CEO as OpenAI loses landmark lyrics lawsuit

Manchester Evening News pays damages after incorrectly labelling Bob Vylan’s “sun salutation” as a Nazi salute

Slipknot.com owner hires domain name specialist to fight back against band’s cybersquatting claims

“Misleading rhetoric and “deceitful buzzwords” not good enough, says Council Of Music Makers in call for creator consent, control and compensation in AI deals

Axing of controversial EBacc is a “step in the right direction” for music education says Ed Sheeran

Former Guns N Roses manager sues band over autobiography blocker clause

Judgement in Getty’s UK lawsuit against Stability “underscores growing gap” between copyright and tech, says leading lawyer

Spotify’s streaming fraud initiatives are “nothing more than window dressing” says rapper RBX as he files class action lawsuit

Streaming services don’t want French language quotas in Québec

Universal has settled its lawsuit with Udio, and signed AI deals with Udio and Stability

Spotify questions MLC’s “motivations” in pursuing audiobook bundling dispute lawsuit

Lizzo is being sued over an uncleared sample - on a track she never released

Viagogo is unfair, opaque and violates EU law, consumer group tells regulator

Bobby Vylan says he has no regrets about “death to the IDF” chant at Glastonbury

Ticketmaster says FTC allegations it colluded with touts “nonsensical”, but it is changing some of its rules and shutting down TradeDesk

New Udio lawsuit hones in on the “significant and unequal harm” inflicted on independent musicians by music AI

Majors tell US Supreme Court to ignore ISP’s doom and gloom predictions and uphold billion dollar piracy ruling

Drake vows to appeal after judge throws out defamation lawsuit against Universal

High profile songwriters express concern about PRS transparency, accuracy and admin costs

Anthropic’s own guardrails revive full copyright lawsuit from litigious music publishers

Suno tells court to reject stream-ripping “gambit” by major labels in AI legal battle

As indie labels ramp up campaign for EU to block the UMG x Downtown merger, a French music lawyer says concerns around data are “fantasy or paranoia”

As FT says major labels are close to “landmark” AI licensing deals, is a new battle royale going to kick off within the music industry?

No one seems to know if Kneecap are still banned from Canada - or whether they were ever actually banned at all

Don’t say gruesome twosome: Ek steps sideways at Spotify to make way for not one but two new CEOs

‘Something Inside’ songwriter goes legal over Tommy Robinson’s use of his anti-apartheid anthem

Donald Trump signs executive order “saving TikTok”

Tabloid claims that Dua Lipa sacked agent over Glasto Kneecap letter are “categorically false” and “deliberately inflammatory”

Major labels add piracy claims to Suno lawsuit after $1.5 billion Anthropic settlement

Live Nation colludes with ticket touts, says US government as it launches legal action

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

Horizon Future Leaders • 4 min read

🌅 Horizon Future Leaders - Camille Lummis

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 caught up with Camille Lummis, Copyright & Catalogue Manager at Involved Publishing.…

Horizon Music Jobs • 11 Apr 2025

Viagogo • 4 min read

Ad regulator criticises Viagogo over Ed Balls advertorial

Viagogo has been given yet another slap on this wrist - this time over a misleading promotional segment as part of the ‘Political Currency’ podcast from Westminster double act Ed Balls and George Osborne. Unsurprisingly it turns out that “over half the events” on Viagogo are not, in fact, a steal…

Chris Cooke • 10 Apr 2025

Artificial Intelligence • 4 min read

Music industry, movie studios and tech companies welcome reintroduction of digital replica right creating NO FAKES Act in Congress

The music industry has welcomed the reintroduction of the NO FAKES Act in US Congress, which will introduce a new right allowing performers to control their voice and likeness in the context of AI. Some tech and digital companies are supportive too, though others still have some concerns…

Chris Cooke • 10 Apr 2025

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧Approved: DBA!

DBA! slither between lo-fi indie rock and fractured psych-folk, with vocals that feel like they’re floating in from a neighbour’s house party. Their latest single ‘D.P.D.’ is a woozy, low-stakes toe-tapper.…

Kaya Robertson • 10 Apr 2025

Diddy • 4 min read

Diddy lawyers want to block testimony from additional accusers in sex trafficking trial

Diddy’s criminal trial kicks off next month. Four alleged victims are involved in the case, but prosecutors want to call other people who accuse the musician of sexual assault to the witness stand. His lawyers object, saying the prosecution just wants to “pollute the trial with decades of dirt”…

Chris Cooke • 09 Apr 2025

Jet Set • 2 min read

Popular Dominican artist Rubby Pérez among those who died in venue roof collapse tragedy

Merengue artist Rubby Pérez was among those who died when the roof collapsed at the Santo Domingo venue where he was performing in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Officials confirmed today that at least 113 people died during the tragedy at the Dominican Republic capital’s Jet Set night club…

Chris Cooke • 09 Apr 2025

CTS Eventim • 2 min read

Eventim plays down court ruling restricting how it promotes ticket insurance

A German court recently told ticketing company CTS Eventim to change the way it promotes ticket insurance when people buy tickets on its platform after a consumer rights group argued it was breaching EU law. However, Eventim says the ruling only relates to the specific language it has used…

Chris Cooke • 08 Apr 2025

Musicians’ Union • 3 min read

Orchestral players call on UK culture minister to ensure all musicians earn when their music is streamed

Musicians from over 20 UK orchestras have backed a letter to culture minister Chris Bryant asking him to ensure that any performers who appear on a recording that is streamed share in the revenue that is generated. Achieving that will require an industry-wide agreement or changes to copyright law…

Chris Cooke • 08 Apr 2025

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: Disiniblud

Disiniblud drifts between ambient minimalism and emotional maximalism. Glitchy textures intertwine with neoclassical flourishes, anchored by an undercurrent of melodic pop. Their first two releases feel like spellwork - delicate, immersive and quietly transformative…

Kaya Robertson • 08 Apr 2025

TikTok • 4 min read

Yet another reprieve for TikTok as Trump pauses ban after tariffs up-end deal to sell US operations

The latest deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok in the US was this weekend. It was not met, because officials in China were in no mood to approve a deal after Trump ramped up the tariff on Chinese imports. But Trump has extended the deadline by another 75 days in the hope a deal can still be done…

Chris Cooke • 07 Apr 2025

NewJeans • 3 min read

NewJeans rebrand socials to mhdhh_friends as “unique” legal battle with Ador rumbles on

The legal battle between NewJeans and HYBE’s Ador was in court in Seoul last week, with the judge observing that this is a “unique” dispute because it centres on a loss of trust rather than unpaid royalties. Shortly after the hearing NewJeans removed their new name, NJZ, from social media accounts…

Chris Cooke • 07 Apr 2025