Music publishing news

One Media iP releases first half numbers, goes big on vinyl revival

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One Media iP • 4 min read

One Media iP releases first half numbers, goes big on vinyl revival

One Media reports steady but unremarkable numbers for the first six months of its new financial year. The company highlights the challenges presented by its TCAT subsidiary, and talks up opportunities presented by a new vinyl label to further monetise evergreen catalogue assets…

Sam Taylor • 01 Jul 2024

US music publishers ramp up the rhetoric against Spotify's royalty reducing bundling trick

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Spotify • 3 min read

US music publishers ramp up the rhetoric against Spotify's royalty reducing bundling trick

US music publishers are ready to “fight again” as they attempt to halt efforts by Spotify to reclassify its subscription package. The streaming service wants to say that its main subscription product is a ‘bundle’ of music, podcasts and audiobooks. This would allow it to pay less to songwriters…

Chris Cooke • 14 May 2024

GEMA says German song right income is booming, but digital growth is lacking

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GEMA • 2 min read

GEMA says German song right income is booming, but digital growth is lacking

GEMA has published stats detailing song rights income in Germany in 2023. While it was a financially successful year, the collecting society says that digital growth was disappointing in the country, especially when compared to gains enjoyed by the record industry…

Chris Cooke • 09 Apr 2024

Music publishers lawsuit against X cut back but allowed to proceed

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X • 2 min read

Music publishers lawsuit against X cut back but allowed to proceed

A lawsuit filed by a group of music publishers against X will proceed, although with some claims removed. The social media firm wanted the case dismissed outright, but a judge says that allegations of contributory infringement stemming from the unlicensed music on its platform should go to trial…

Chris Cooke • 06 Mar 2024

Hipgnosis Songs Fund takes a haircut - and might have bigger problems to come

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Hipgnosis • 5 min read

Hipgnosis Songs Fund takes a haircut - and might have bigger problems to come

When City types talk about haircuts they might mean a short back and sides - but might also mean something has tanked in value. “My hedge fund took a haircut last week, so the new Ferrari will have to wait”. Hipgnosis has opened the wine, reached for the clippers and gone for a number two all over.…

Sam Taylor • 05 Mar 2024

Universal splurges almost quarter of a billion dollars to buy KKR out of Chord Music

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Chord Music Partners • 2 min read

Universal splurges almost quarter of a billion dollars to buy KKR out of Chord Music

Universal Music has acquired a 25.8% interest in Chord Music, replacing KKR as private equity firm Dundee Partners’ partner in the company. Since launching in 2021, Chord has built a catalogue including songs by The Weeknd, Ryan Tedder, David Guetta, Lorde, Kid Cudi, Ellie Goulding, and John Legend…

Andy Malt • 21 Feb 2024

Supertramp in court over song royalties dispute

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Supertramp • 1 min read

Supertramp in court over song royalties dispute

Four former members are in court in a dispute over a 1977 agreement outlining royalty splits between them. Co-founder Roger Hodgson says that the deal that gave Dougie Thomson, John Helliwell and Bob Siebenberg a share of songwriting royalties was never supposed to be permanent…

Chris Cooke • 21 Feb 2024

Hipgnosis Songs Fund goes legal to indemnify itself in relation to a different Hipgnosis v Hipgnosis legal battle

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Hipgnosis • 2 min read

Hipgnosis Songs Fund goes legal to indemnify itself in relation to a different Hipgnosis v Hipgnosis legal battle

The Hipgnosis Songs Fund has filed legal action against its investment advisor Hipgnosis Song Management in a dispute relating to a lawsuit filed by another Hipgnosis company, the defunct Hipgnosis Music Limited…

Chris Cooke • 19 Feb 2024

Setlist Podcast: AI developments cause celebration and concern

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Artificial Intelligence • 5 min read

Setlist Podcast: AI developments cause celebration and concern

The music industry welcomes the final draft of the EU AI Act but sees plans for the UK to develop an AI code of conduct collapse, and allegations that the BBC is going head to head with its commercial rivals by launching new decade and genre specific music radio stations…

Andy Malt & Chris Cooke • 09 Feb 2024

Setlist Podcast: Universal and TikTok accuse each other of “bullying” and “greed”

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TikTok • 4 min read

Setlist Podcast: Universal and TikTok accuse each other of “bullying” and “greed”

The collapse of licensing talks between Universal Music and TikTok, UK Parliament's 'Misogyny In Music' report that calls for new legislation to end the cycle of harassment and abuse in the "boys' club" industry, and more…

Andy Malt & Chris Cooke • 02 Feb 2024

The F-List’s Vick Bain on UK Parliament’s Misogyny In Music report and the industry’s next steps

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Industry Issues • 5 min read

The F-List’s Vick Bain on UK Parliament’s Misogyny In Music report and the industry’s next steps

Researcher and consultant Vick Bain welcomes the new report from Parliament’s Women And Equalities Committee on Misogyny In Music and outlines how the industry should respond to it…

Vick Bain • 31 Jan 2024

71% of music creators fear multi-billion dollar music AI business could stop songwriters from earning a living, says new report

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Artificial Intelligence • 3 min read

71% of music creators fear multi-billion dollar music AI business could stop songwriters from earning a living, says new report

Music industry collecting societies GEMA and SACEM have published a report on music and AI, based on a survey of 15,000 songwriter and publisher members. It sets out the opportunities and the threats posed by AI to the music-making community…

Chris Cooke • 31 Jan 2024

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