CMU | the music business explained (Page 46)

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

Bad Boy Chiller Crew • 2 min read

Bad Boy Chiller Crew sue House Anxiety for £400,000 in royalty dispute

Indie label House Anxiety has been sued by Bad Boy Chiller Crew who say they are owed around £400,000 in unpaid royalties, a claim the label says it “totally refutes”. It follows a dispute earlier this year when House Anxiety said the group self-releasing new music breached their record contract…

Chris Cooke • 12 Dec 2024

Internet Archive • 3 min read

Corporate profiteering is destroying music history says letter signed by 600+ musicians demanding majors drop Internet Archive lawsuit

An open letter signed by more than 600 musicians strongly criticises a lawsuit filed by Universal and Sony against the Internet Archive. It says the majors should work with the non-profit on archiving old recordings. The letter also sets out various grievances about the state of the music industry…

Chris Cooke • 12 Dec 2024

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: Monobloc

Monobloc excels at delivering music that feels warm and wistful, almost nostalgic, a merging of pop sensibilities, with a distinctly metropolis post-punk attitude. Their latest single, ‘Take Me’, serves as both the final release of their breakthrough year and a defining statement for the band…

Kaya Robertson • 12 Dec 2024

Jay-Z • 2 min read

Lawyer instigating Diddy lawsuits is using “unfounded and heinous allegations” to get settlements from stars says Jay-Z lawyer

After Jay-Z was added as a defendant on one of the Diddy lawsuits last weekend, he and his legal team have been lambasting the lawyer leading on that litigation, Tony Buzbee. Now Jay-Z’s team have accused Buzbee’s law firm of misconduct in its bid to work on as many Diddy lawsuits as possible…

Chris Cooke • 11 Dec 2024

EMMA • 4 min read

“Patchwork” of withholding tax rules across Europe is “unfair and discriminatory” and makes European touring “financially precarious”, says EMMA boss

International tax is always complex, but when it comes to withholding taxes for artists touring in the EU, there is a patchwork of rules that’s almost impossible for artists to navigate, something which harms the European live ecosystem, says a letter signed by a group of pan-European music bodies…

Sam Taylor • 11 Dec 2024

Musi • 3 min read

Apple colluded with music industry while pretending to be neutral in app dispute, claims Musi

Music streaming app Musi is still working hard to get itself reinstated on Apple’s App Store, having been kicked out in September following complaints by YouTube and the music industry. In a new filing, Musi says Apple failed to follow its own process for dealing with app disputes…

Chris Cooke • 11 Dec 2024

European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA) • 6 min read

A New European Vision for Touring: The Impact of Withholding Tax

Read the text of the letter co-signed by EMMA, EMEE, FIM, IAO, IMPALA, LIVE DMA and Liveurope about the impacts of Withholding Tax…

CMU • 11 Dec 2024

Boomplay • 2 min read

Sony pulls catalogue from Boomplay as sources claim streaming platform has not paid royalties since April 2023

African streaming service Boomplay has lost access to Sony Music’s catalogue, seemingly in a dispute over unpaid royalties. It raises concerns about the the financial position of Boomplay, which is a key streaming service in a number of African markets…

Chris Cooke • 10 Dec 2024

Ticket Levy • 2 min read

Culture Minister demands “tangible progress” from live music industry on ticket levy, convenes meeting of stakeholders

The UK government last month told the live sector to get a ticket levy system to support grassroots shows up and running “as soon as possible”. The culture select committee asked for more clarity on timings, with ministers now saying they want “tangible progress” during the first quarter of 2025…

Chris Cooke • 10 Dec 2024

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: KILIMANJARO

London-based Zambian-Scottish DJ and producer KILIMANJARO thrives at the intersection of weight and bounce. Anchored by his signature Afro-centric percussive energy, his latest single, ‘The Seeker’, overflows with dark, atmospheric synth patterns…

Kaya Robertson • 10 Dec 2024

Nation Broadcasting • 2 min read

FM radio shutdown looms closer as stations begin handing back licences as DAB audiences grow

Broadcaster Nation will stop broadcasting on four of its FM frequencies. It’s a sign that - although the UK government has said radio stations will continue to broadcast on FM until at least 2030 - an increasing number of broadcasters will leave FM as consumption continues to shift to DAB and online…

Chris Cooke • 10 Dec 2024