CMU | the music business explained (Page 69)

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

• 14 min read

Mitchell Asset Management boss says the future of the music business is kids “buying P Diddy skins” in Fortnite. Is it time for Proper Group's investors to ask for their money back?

John Mitchell - boss of Melbourne’s Mitchell Asset Management and top banana at zombie-unicorn shitshow Proper Group AG - waxes lyrical about the future of the music business and shows off his attention to detail where it really matters. Bonza!…

Sam Taylor • 25 Oct 2024

Greatest Hits Radio • 2 min read

Bauer utilises changes to broadcasting laws to remove regional shows from Greatest Hits Radio

The UK Media Act passed earlier this year removed the remaining obligations on commercial radio stations operating under local radio licences to broadcast locally-made programmes. As a result, Bauer has announced it is axing the regional afternoon shows that air on Greatest Hits Radio…

Chris Cooke • 25 Oct 2024

Secondary Ticketing • 4 min read

Culture minister tells ticket touting platforms to “get ready for change”

MPs took part in a debate on secondary ticketing yesterday, with culture minister Chris Bryant insisting the new government will make good on its pledge to introduce a ticket touting price cap, and will do so in a way that ensures this new regulation - unlike past regulations - is properly enforced…

Chris Cooke • 25 Oct 2024

TikTok • 3 min read

IMPALA urges TikTok to re-open Merlin negotiations as we reach the direct deal deadline for indies

IMPALA has written an open letter to TikTok over its decision to abandon licensing talks with Merlin and force indie labels and distributors to sign direct deals by today. It urges TikTok to return to the negotiating table with the global indie label digital licensing organisation…

Chris Cooke • 25 Oct 2024

Horizon Future Leaders • 8 min read

🌅 Horizon Future Leaders - Kit Muir-Rogers Q&A

As part of our new 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 Kit Muir-Rogers, Co-founder of GigPig.…

Horizon Music Jobs • 25 Oct 2024

Agents x Managers Conference • 7 min read

Matt Hanner, founder of live agency Runway, on this year’s Agents x Managers Conference

With the second edition of the Agents x Managers conference coming up in December, Matt Hanner, founder of live agency Runway, sat down with CMU’s Sam Taylor to talk about what being a live agent means today, not checking email at weekends, and why he wants his team to make more money than he does…

Sam Taylor • 24 Oct 2024

Diddy • 2 min read

Diddy lawyers say gagging order should restrict any government investigator with access to the case files

Diddy’s legal team have written another letter to the court about the gagging order they want issued restricting what anyone involved in the criminal case against the musician can say in public. There is currently a disagreement with prosecutors over who the gagging order should apply to…

Chris Cooke • 24 Oct 2024

Black Lives In Music • 1 min read

Black Lives In Music launches Anti-Racism code for the music industry

Black Lives In Music launched a new anti-racism code for the music industry at WOMEX this week. It also previewed a new software called EquiTrack which will help music companies track their diversity and inclusion work and assess the impact it is having…

Chris Cooke • 24 Oct 2024

CISAC • 3 min read

Live music booming, but songwriters still not feeling the benefits of streaming, say latest CISAC stats

A booming live music sector and continued growth in the digital music market both contributed to an €830 million increase in royalties collected by the world’s songwriter collecting societies in 2023, according to the latest Global Collections Report published by CISAC…

Chris Cooke • 24 Oct 2024

Op-Eds • 3 min read

Op-ed: Dorothea Thompson of Bray & Krais on the Morrissey + Marr trademark tensions

After Morrissey and Johnny Marr had a public set-to about the trademark THE SMITHS, Dorothea Thompson takes a look at the ins and outs of trademark registration and how to sort things out…

CMU Contributors • 23 Oct 2024

Artificial Intelligence • 4 min read

1000+ music creators back statement calling unlicensed AI training “major, unjust threat to livelihood”

Thousands of creators from across the creative industries have endorsed a statement saying that AI companies which train their models with existing content without getting permission first are posing an “unjust threat” to the livelihoods of people working in those sectors…

Chris Cooke • 23 Oct 2024