CMU | the music business explained (Page 6)

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 • 6 min read

🌅 Horizon Future Leaders - Grace Croucher

This week, we caught up with Grace Croucher – Senior Membership & Events Manager at The Ivors Academy - where she leads on strategy, programming and partnerships to support songwriters and composers at every stage of their careers.…

Horizon Music Jobs • 04 Jul 2025

Diddy • 2 min read

Diddy lawyer hails “victory of all victories” as disgraced mogul is denied bail

Although Diddy was found guilty on some charges yesterday, he was acquitted on the charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, prompting his lawyer to claim “a victory of all victories”. However, bail was denied because during the trial Diddy’s own team admitted there was a “pattern of violence”…

Chris Cooke • 03 Jul 2025

Downtown Music • 3 min read

European songwriter organisation ECSA joins call for EU to block UMG’s Downtown deal

Opposition to UMG’s deal to buy Downtown continues to build. Now ECSA has called on the EU to block the deal, sharing concerns expressed by indie labels, while also stressing that a more powerful Universal will have even more “influence” over collecting societies and how the digital pie is sliced…

Chris Cooke • 03 Jul 2025

BBC • 2 min read

Veteran DJ Tony Blackburn says OfCom’s decision to block BBC Radio 2 spin-off is “disgraceful”

The BBC’s plan to launch a new Radio 2 spin-off playing just golden oldies has been blocked by media regulator OfCom, a decision welcomed by commercial rivals, but criticised by the BBC and one of its presenters, Tony Blackburn. Three other new BBC spin-off stations have been given the go ahead…

Chris Cooke • 03 Jul 2025

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧Approved: PARADE

Mysterious new eight-piece PARADE fuse off-kilter electronics with live instrumentation, where woozy synths, cinematic brass flourishes and punk guitar lines move together in unexpected ways. New single ‘It Moves’ is a fittingly strange introduction to upcoming EP ‘Lightning Hit The Trees’…

Kaya Robertson • 03 Jul 2025

Ticketmaster • 6 min read

“Red-faced and sweaty” Live Nation executives face CMA legal action over Oasis tickets

Live Nation’s Phil ‘Brick Top’ Bowdery and Ticketmaster UK top banana Andrew Parsons arrived 15 minutes late last week to give evidence to MPs as part of the Business And Trade Committee’s ‘Rip-off Britain’ inquiry. Given how badly things went from there, they might regret having turned up at all……

Sam Taylor • 02 Jul 2025

Warner Music • 3 min read

Warner Music chief announces more job cuts in bid to save $170 million

Warner Music boss Robert Kyncl yesterday wrote to the major’s employees to announce a plan to cut the company’s annual costs by $300 million, with $170 million of the savings coming from job cuts. The CEO says the cuts are needed to “future-proof the company and unlock the next era of growth”…

Chris Cooke • 02 Jul 2025

Artificial Intelligence • 3 min read

Music industry welcomes removal of AI regulation moratorium from One Big Beautiful Bill

When Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill was passed by the House Of Representatives in May it included a provision pausing all state-level regulation of AI in the US. Critics saw it as an attempt by big tech to slow down and lessen AI regulation. The provision has now been removed by the Senate…

Chris Cooke • 02 Jul 2025

Diddy • 2 min read

Diddy guilty of “transportation to engage in prostitution”, but acquitted on sex trafficking and racketeering charges

Diddy has been acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges at the end of a dramatic seven week trial in New York, but he has been found guilty on two charges of “transportation to engage in prostitution”. That conviction could still result in a 20 year prison sentence…

Chris Cooke • 02 Jul 2025

Downtown Music • 3 min read

WIN says EU regulators must consider “the structure of the music industry as a whole” when investigating UMG’s Downtown deal

With EU regulators currently investigating Universal’s bid to buy Downtown, WIN has urged officials to consider “the structure of the music industry as whole”, arguing that it’s not enough to analyse market share, the EU should assess Universal’s aim to exert control across the digital supply chain…

Chris Cooke • 01 Jul 2025

Bob Vylan • 4 min read

As ministers demand answers from Glastonbury and BBC, Bob Vylan say it’s all a “distraction” from the government’s “criminal inaction” on Gaza

Controversy continues to build over Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury set. The duo are subject to a criminal investigation and have had US visas revoked, although the Jewish artist they were due to support there has backed his musical collaborators. Criticism of the BBC for broadcasting the set also continues…

Chris Cooke • 01 Jul 2025

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: Sylo

Rooted in alt-R&B, Toronto-born Korean-Canadian artist Sylo crafts music that edges into pop and electronic territory, always anchored in feeling. His new single, ‘Carve Me Out’, blends the spectral textures of The xx with the weight of a pop ballad…

Kaya Robertson • 01 Jul 2025