CMU | the music business explained (Page 8)

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

Universal Music • 3 min read

Universal’s Downtown deal must be blocked by regulators before “cultural diversity is weakened irreversibly” says Dutch indie label group president

The debate over Universal’s bid to buy Downtown continues. Kees van Weijen, President of Dutch indie label group STOMP and board member at IMPALA, has set out why he believes the EU competition regulator needs to step in before market consolidation irreversibly weakens cultural diversity in Europe…

Chris Cooke • 05 Sep 2025

LyricFind • 3 min read

Lyrics giants’ faceoff will proceed in US courts as judge refuses to dismiss LyricFind v Musixmatch lawsuit

Musixmatch has failed to get an antitrust lawsuit filed against it by rival LyricFind dismissed. As a result, the litigation will now proceed. LyricFind claims that an exclusivity deal between Musixmatch and Warner Chappell was anticompetitive and designed to scupper its deal with Spotify…

Chris Cooke • 05 Sep 2025

Horizon Future Leaders • 5 min read

🌅 Horizon Future Leaders - Isabella Mimi

This week we caught up with Isabella Mimi, Creative Strategy Lead at Your Culture and Four Four Digital, and part of a new generation redefining how artists connect with fans.…

Horizon Music Jobs • 05 Sep 2025

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: Milo Korbenski

Imagine a flickering arcade in Brighton at 2am: music seeps from the speakers, boxy torn-cone distortion and octave-dropped vocals coalescing with synths. That’s Milo Korbenski, a figure as enigmatic as his sound. New single ‘Bedrock’ shifts the pace into indie slacker-ballad territory…

Kaya Robertson • 04 Sep 2025

Downtown Music • 7 min read

As EU hits pause on UMG Downtown investigation after “parties fail to provide important info”, Downtown boss whines about “misinformation”

More Downtown drama as the EU says it has not received an “important piece of information” it needs to investigate UMG’s acquisition, while Downtown’s boss whines about indie “misinformation”. The real question is: why are Universal-aligned execs so scared of IMPALA and other indie trade bodies?…

Chris Cooke & Sam Taylor • 04 Sep 2025

Music Education • 1 min read

Music Industry + Music Education Conference to return to Manchester

CMU’s Pathways Into Music Foundation presents an annual conference bringing together music industry and music education. This year’s edition will put the spotlight on music career resources; accreditation in music education and the industry; and how music companies can best support future talent…

CMU • 04 Sep 2025

LIVE • 2 min read

UK live music spend reached £6.68 billion last year, but challenges remain

Trade group LIVE has published its annual report providing stats on the UK live music sector, in which consumer spend rose 9.5% to £6.68 billion last year. However, while the upper end of live is booming, those operating at the grassroots are struggling and need more government support…

Chris Cooke • 03 Sep 2025

Warner Music • 3 min read

More upheaval at Warner Music as UK label chiefs will report directly to US execs

Warner Music has announced a big rejig at its UK business, following the news CEO Tony Harlow is standing down. He won’t be replaced, with UK label bosses now reporting into their US counterparts, including Elliot Grainge, while operational teams will report into EMEA President Simon Robson…

Chris Cooke • 03 Sep 2025

The Police • 3 min read

Sting owes us £1.5m from 1970s song split deal, say former bandmates

It emerged last month that former members of The Police were locked in a legal battle, with Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland claiming that Sting owes them £1.5 million in publishing royalties stemming from a 1970s band agreement. More details about that dispute are now known…

Chris Cooke • 03 Sep 2025

Warner Music • 3 min read

Yet another senior exec out at Warner Music as UK boss Tony Harlow quits

As Warner Music continues its massive restructuring and downsizing exercise, the boss of the major’s UK business, Tony Harlow, has announced he is stepping down. No word yet on what that means for the structure of Warner UK, though we’ve been promised another update this week…

Chris Cooke • 02 Sep 2025

CMU Approved • 1 min read

🎧 Approved: Déyyess

Déyyess makes “sparkley grunge”, a sound that blends sapphic tenderness with 90s-indebted shoegaze shimmer. New single ‘She Knows’ is all quiet radiance and anxious crush energy, channelling the crystalline melancholy of The Sundays, while nodding to contemporary queer icons like Chappell Roan…

Kaya Robertson • 02 Sep 2025