Digital services and platforms news - CMU | the music business explained

Radio royalties back on US Congressional agenda - including a bizarre “do nothing” bill

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Radio royalties • 3 min read

Radio royalties back on US Congressional agenda - including a bizarre “do nothing” bill

The music industry has been campaigning for decades to end a quirk of US copyright law that means AM/FM radio doesn’t pay royalties to artists and labels. Proposals for ending the quirk have been reintroduced in Congress, as have rival proposals backed by the radio sector that promote the status quo…

Chris Cooke • 17 Feb 2025

Spotify super premium will offer better audio, remixing tools and pre-sale tickets according to latest rumours

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Spotify • 2 min read

Spotify super premium will offer better audio, remixing tools and pre-sale tickets according to latest rumours

Spotify has been promising a higher priced subscription product for ages. With both the majors and Spotify boss Daniel Ek now regularly talking up the potential of super-premium, sources say it will arrive later this year offering better audio, remixing tools and access to pre-sale tickets…

Chris Cooke • 17 Feb 2025

TikTok back in Apple and Google US app stores, as Trump says he may further postpone the ban

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TikTok • 3 min read

TikTok back in Apple and Google US app stores, as Trump says he may further postpone the ban

TikTok is back in the Apple and Google app stores in the US. They both removed the app when a ban went into effect in January, even though Donald Trump immediately paused the ban. Meanwhile, Trump says he’s confident he can still negotiate a deal that means the TikTok ban never needs to happen…

Chris Cooke • 14 Feb 2025

What next for TikTok in the US as April deadline looms on the horizon?

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TikTok • 4 min read

What next for TikTok in the US as April deadline looms on the horizon?

While the US TikTok ban was postponed for 75 days by Donald Trump, the app’s future in the country remains uncertain, despite lots of speculation about which American billionaires want to buy it. Meanwhile the UK government is now on TikTok, despite the app being banned on government devices…

Chris Cooke • 11 Feb 2025

Spotify says publishers issuing takedowns against podcasts is a “press stunt” in response to the MLC’s bundling lawsuit being dismissed

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Spotify • 3 min read

Spotify says publishers issuing takedowns against podcasts is a “press stunt” in response to the MLC’s bundling lawsuit being dismissed

Music publishers in the US have started issuing takedown notices in relation to unlicensed music in Spotify podcasts. Spotify says the move is a “weak response” to a judge last week dismissing the music industry’s lawsuit over its use of a bundling loophole to pay less to American songwriters…

Chris Cooke • 05 Feb 2025

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

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Spotify • 8 min read

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

Spotify has now been profitable for four quarters straight - a strong indication that its cost cutting and monetisation efforts are paying off. Now, says the company, it’s going to focus on high quality users and “accelerated execution” with AI playing a key part in its onward strategy…

Sam Taylor • 04 Feb 2025

Universal Music’s new Spotify deal could be a knock-out blow for streaming platform’s audiobook bundling trick

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Spotify • 4 min read

Universal Music’s new Spotify deal could be a knock-out blow for streaming platform’s audiobook bundling trick

Universal Music has signed a big new deal with Spotify, and it’s precisely what Lucian Grainge “envisioned” when he coined the buzzword “streaming 2.0”, apparently. More importantly, it seems to address the audiobook bundling dispute when it comes to Universal’s songs catalogue in the US…

Chris Cooke • 27 Jan 2025

Suno’s content “obviously infringes copyrights” of prominent German songwriters says GEMA lawsuit

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Suno • 3 min read

Suno’s content “obviously infringes copyrights” of prominent German songwriters says GEMA lawsuit

GEMA has sued another AI company for copyright infringement. Having sued OpenAI last year, it has now filed a lawsuit against music AI platform Suno. While Suno has already been sued by the major labels in the US, this lawsuit will test the copyright obligations of the AI company under European law…

Chris Cooke • 21 Jan 2025

UK government proposes copyright exception to help make UK attractive to AI companies as part of new consultation

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Artificial Intelligence • 4 min read

UK government proposes copyright exception to help make UK attractive to AI companies as part of new consultation

The UK government has formally proposed introducing a new copyright exception for AI companies that use existing content to train their models, but with an opt-out for copyright owners. The music industry will oppose that proposal via a consultation that the government has just opened…

Chris Cooke • 17 Dec 2024

Congress warns Apple and Google: get ready to boot TikTok from US app stores

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TikTok • 2 min read

Congress warns Apple and Google: get ready to boot TikTok from US app stores

After a Washington DC court declined to overturn or even pause the US law that says TikTok will be banned unless current owner ByteDance sells the app by 19 Jan, two Congress members have now told Apple and Google to prepare to remove TikTok from their respective app stores…

Chris Cooke • 16 Dec 2024

Creative industries demand copyright control as UK plans AI shake-up

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Artificial Intelligence • 3 min read

Creative industries demand copyright control as UK plans AI shake-up

With the UK government expected to launch another consultation on AI and copyright tomorrow, a new coalition has formed bringing together organisations from across the wider creative and copyright industries. It says that the UK must maintain a “robust copyright framework” in the AI era…

Chris Cooke • 16 Dec 2024

TikTok requests emergency injunction after judges warn app will be “effectively unavailable” in US from 19 Jan 2025

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TikTok • 5 min read

TikTok requests emergency injunction after judges warn app will be “effectively unavailable” in US from 19 Jan 2025

TikTok has failed to overturn a law passed in the US earlier this year that says China-based owner Bytedance must sell the app or it will be banned in the country. It will now take the matter to the US Supreme Court, and wants an emergency injunction to delay the current 19 Jan deadline…

Chris Cooke & Sam Taylor • 09 Dec 2024