Digital services and platforms news - CMU | the music business explained (Page 5)

Streaming giants sue to block Canada's 5% revenue levy

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Digital services and platforms news • 2 min read

Streaming giants sue to block Canada's 5% revenue levy

Spotify, Apple and Amazon are taking legal action against Canada’s new 5% streaming levy. The music industry welcomes the cash injection, but platforms argue it’s “unsustainable” and may hike prices. Meanwhile, Netflix and Disney+ are fighting the levy’s use for local news funding. Legal drama ahoy!…

Chris Cooke • 09 Jul 2024

Warner Music fires AI warning shot: ‘Get a licence or face the consequences’

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Warner Music • 2 min read

Warner Music fires AI warning shot: ‘Get a licence or face the consequences’

Warner Music has written to AI companies setting out its position that licences must be secured before its music is used to train AI models. The stern letter, which follows Sony’s lead, extends to artist likeness and voice, and formally opts out of the EU data mining exception…

Chris Cooke • 04 Jul 2024

Sony Music Japan hunts pirate site operators through US courts

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Sony Music • 1 min read

Sony Music Japan hunts pirate site operators through US courts

The people behind a piracy service that specialises in Japanese music could be about to run into some legal challenges. Sony Music Japan has secured a US court order which forces Cloudflare to provide info about the site’s operators, with the aim that Sony can identify and pursue the individuals…

Chris Cooke • 04 Jul 2024

Lawsuit? What lawsuit? Suno thumbs nose at majors as it launches mobile app

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Suno • 2 min read

Lawsuit? What lawsuit? Suno thumbs nose at majors as it launches mobile app

With Suno facing the mother of all copyright lawsuits, the AI music company is riding the wave of publicity brought by its legal woes and has launched its first mobile app - only available to iPhone users in the USA - which allows users to create songs from text or audio…

Chris Cooke • 03 Jul 2024

YouTube cracks down on AI deepfakes: new rules allow takedowns of unauthorised vocal clones

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YouTube • 3 min read

YouTube cracks down on AI deepfakes: new rules allow takedowns of unauthorised vocal clones

YouTube has updated its privacy policies to allow the removal of AI-generated deepfakes and vocal clones, responding to growing concerns about unauthorised use of likeness and voice…

Chris Cooke • 03 Jul 2024

After suing Apple, the EU is going after Meta for DMA breaches

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Meta • 2 min read

After suing Apple, the EU is going after Meta for DMA breaches

The European Commission has published a second preliminary finding in relation to big tech and the EU Digital Markets Act, having previously ruled on Apple. This time it’s Meta’s personal data policies in the spotlight which, the Commission says, are not compliant with the DMA…

Chris Cooke • 02 Jul 2024

55% of Nordic consumers pay to stream music, though number in Sweden has slipped

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Digital services and platforms news • 2 min read

55% of Nordic consumers pay to stream music, though number in Sweden has slipped

Polaris has published a new study on streaming trends in the Nordic markets. The total number of people streaming music in the region has increased since the last study in 2022. Radio remains a key discovery platform for the total population, though TikTok is more important for younger consumers…

Chris Cooke • 28 Jun 2024

Udio responds to record label lawsuit insisting its AI model ‘listens’ rather than ‘copies’

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Udio • 3 min read

Udio responds to record label lawsuit insisting its AI model ‘listens’ rather than ‘copies’

Udio has responded to the lawsuit filed by the record companies earlier this week. It insists that its AI model only ‘listens’ to existing recordings, learning the art of music-making just like a human creator. The record industry maintains that that listening involves unlicensed copying…

Chris Cooke • 26 Jun 2024

Stability AI raises new finance, appoints Sean Parker as Chair

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Stability AI • 2 min read

Stability AI raises new finance, appoints Sean Parker as Chair

Cash-strapped AI company Stability has announced it has raised $80 million in new finance. It has also appointed Napster co-founder and early Spotify investor Sean Parker as Chair, who says the new cash will allow “the creation of even more powerful AI models”…

Chris Cooke • 26 Jun 2024

SiriusXM breaches consumer rights by charging an extra music royalties extra fee, says lawsuit

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Sirius XM • 3 min read

SiriusXM breaches consumer rights by charging an extra music royalties extra fee, says lawsuit

SiriusXM charges its users in the US an extra Music Royalty fee - on top of the advertised price of its subscriptions - to cover payments to the music industry. But, says a new lawsuit, music royalties are a core expense for a music service and shouldn’t be paid for out of a mysterious add-on fee…

Chris Cooke • 25 Jun 2024

Apple’s amended app rules still don’t comply with Digital Markets Act, EU confirms

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Apple Music • 2 min read

Apple’s amended app rules still don’t comply with Digital Markets Act, EU confirms

Apple recently changed its rules around the sign-posting of alternative payment options within iOS apps in a bid to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act. Spotify, among others, say the changes are not good enough, and - in a newly published preliminary view - the European Commission agrees…

Chris Cooke • 25 Jun 2024

Suno boss accuses music industry of “reverting to its old lawyer-led playbook”

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Suno • 3 min read

Suno boss accuses music industry of “reverting to its old lawyer-led playbook”

The US record industry yesterday sued AI companies Suno and Udio for copyright infringement. Suno’s CEO says that the labels are just coming out guns blazing without first having a proper conversation. The RIAA says that labels are quite happy to do that with people who don’t first steal their stuff…

Chris Cooke • 25 Jun 2024