Digital services and platforms news - CMU | the music business explained (Page 6)

TikTok owner is a gatekeeper subject to extra regulation, EU court rules

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TikTok • 2 min read

TikTok owner is a gatekeeper subject to extra regulation, EU court rules

Last year the European Commission said that TikTok should be deemed a ‘gatekeeper’ platform under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, and is therefore subject to extra regulation. TikTok disagreed, but an EU court has upheld that decision…

Chris Cooke • 18 Jul 2024

Majority of subscription websites and apps employ ‘dark patterns’, says two new reports

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Digital services and platforms news • 2 min read

Majority of subscription websites and apps employ ‘dark patterns’, says two new reports

Two new reports say that most subscription websites and apps employ dark patterns, design techniques that manipulate consumers when making buying or data decisions. The reports are published as criticism mounts over how Spotify is currently hiding its 10.99 audiobook free subscription product…

Chris Cooke • 12 Jul 2024

Songwriters welcome Copyright Office clarity on termination rights and streaming royalties

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US Copyright Office • 3 min read

Songwriters welcome Copyright Office clarity on termination rights and streaming royalties

The US Copyright Office has issued a final ruling regarding how collecting society MLC handles the payment of digital royalties when songwriters exercise the termination right and end old publishing deals. Previously publishers continued to get those royalties, but that shouldn’t have been the case…

Chris Cooke • 10 Jul 2024

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