📑 CMU Digest: Spotify damps supremium hype, PRS sues Live Nation, hammer falls on Utopia
CMU Digest is our weekly round-up of the most interesting music business news stories from the last seven days.…
Artificial Intelligence
EU AI Act
European Composer & Songwriter Alliance (ECSA)
International Artist Organisation
Henna Virkkunen
Glenn MIcallef
Music industry legal news coverage
EU AI Act can only provide a “temporary fix” to the “darker aspect” of AI’s “profound disruption” to creative industries says open letter
Tech sector wants EU to reform private copy levies, but GESAC says changes would only benefit foreign device manufacturers
With new EU Commissioners being appointed, tech sector trade group DigitalEurope has proposed a radical overhaul of the private copy levy across Europe. The music industry says the proposed changes would only benefit American and South-East Asian device manufacturers and shouldn’t be considered…
PRS files lawsuit against Live Nation over VIP ticketing saying live giant shows “disregard” for creators rights to proper payment
PRS is suing Live Nation, saying that it is not properly breaking down the way VIP ticketing works, meaning that music creators could be missing out on money due to them from live performances. In an exclusive statement to CMU, PRS said the live giant has shown “disregard” for licensing requirements…
Live Nation says ruling in Ticketmaster customer litigation threatens to block sensible measures for dispute resolution
The Ninth Circuit Appeals Court recently refused to force a dispute between Live Nation and some Ticketmaster customers to arbitration after raising concerns about the live giant’s arbitrator of choice. Live Nation now says that decision sets a dangerous precedent and should be reconsidered…
🌅 Horizon Future Leaders - Martha Cleary Q&A
As part of our 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 Martha Cleary, founder of Glow Artists.…
US Copyright Office boss says she’s “kept up” at night by the speed at which AI is developing
The US Copyright Office recently undertook a consultation on copyright and AI. In an update to Senators, the Office revealed that both AI companies and copyright owners think current US copyright law is fit for purpose. They just radically disagree on how those laws should be interpreted…
As Utopia’s bankruptcy appeal is denied investors threaten legal action, while former staff tell CMU of widespread “manipulation” of financial documents across shuttered subsidiaries
The implosion at the company formerly known as Utopia Music continues. After the Swiss court denied its bankruptcy appeal, investors begin to talk legal action, and former staffers tell CMU that they want top banana John Mitchell to say who was responsible for fake payslips as far back as July 2023…
UK government warns live sector: sort out ticket levy ASAP or we will force people to the negotiating table
Earlier this year Parliament’s culture select committee said the live sector should set up a ticket levy and the government introduce a VAT cut to support grassroots venues and shows. The government has responded agreeing the industry should swiftly set up a levy system, but rejecting the VAT cut…
🎧 Approved: Gia Ford
Gia Ford is the new indie it-girl to watch, captivating with a darkly atmospheric allure all her own. Her music has a timeless edge, blending dream-pop with touches of rock and synthwave. Her latest single, ‘Earth Return’, swells with her signature soft, smoky and theatrical vocals…
FanFair Alliance says “industrial level” touting fraud rife on Viagogo with touts selling thousands of tickets they don’t own
FanFair Alliance has identified thousands of tickets listed by supposedly ‘trusted sellers’ on resale platform Viagogo for seats that are still available on primary sites, meaning touts don’t own the tickets they are selling - a practice banned by Viagogo, and which possibly breaks the law in the UK…
Spotify’s Ek puts a damper on ‘super premium’ hype, bigs up AI and innovation as the future
The super premium opportunity maybe isn’t as exciting as some people would have you believe, and no one can really agree what it would even be anyway. That was a key takeaway from yesterday’s Spotify earnings call, as Daniel Ek doubles down on AI and innovation as the future of streaming…
GEMA sues OpenAI
German collecting society GEMA has sued OpenAI for copyright infringement, saying generative AI poses “fundamental legal questions that we absolutely must clarify” through litigation. It’s the first music industry lawsuit against an AI company within Europe rather than the US…
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