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Five key developments over the Christmas break

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Music industry legal news coverage • 6 min read

Five key developments over the Christmas break

With the Christmas break now well and truly over and forgotten, here are five key developments in the music business since the last CMU Daily of 2025, including X suing the music publishers, a judge dismissing Salt N Pepa’s UMG lawsuit, Lucian Grainge’s memo, and TikTok and Spotify developments…

Chris Cooke • 12 Jan 2026

Indie publishers make demands of collecting societies as they start to negotiate AI deals

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Independent Music Publishers Forum (IMPF) • 3 min read

Indie publishers make demands of collecting societies as they start to negotiate AI deals

Indie music publishers are becoming more vocal about AI licensing as the majors start to announce their big AI deals. With collecting societies set to do the deal-making for many song repertories, the IMPF has distributed key principles that it says those societies should adopt when doing the deals…

Chris Cooke • 11 Dec 2025

Songwriter CMOs collected €12.59 billion in 2024, but AI "threatens future of creative sector”, says CISAC

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CISAC • 2 min read

Songwriter CMOs collected €12.59 billion in 2024, but AI "threatens future of creative sector”, says CISAC

CISAC has published its annual ‘Global Collections Report’, showing that songwriter CMOs collected €12.59 billion in 2024, with total collections up 7.2% year-on-year. However, CISAC chief Gadi Oron says, despite the growth, challenges caused by AI “threaten the future of the creative sector”…

Chris Cooke • 06 Nov 2025

BMG is the latest publisher to agree direct licence with Spotify in the US

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BMG • 2 min read

BMG is the latest publisher to agree direct licence with Spotify in the US

BMG has agreed a direct licensing deal with Spotify covering its songs catalogue in the US. It follows the majors and Kobalt in agreeing a direct deal that circumvents the MLC-administered compulsory licence in the US market, in response to Spotify exploiting a bundling discount in that MLC licence…

Chris Cooke • 09 Oct 2025

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PRS For Music • 2 min read

High profile songwriters express concern about PRS transparency, accuracy and admin costs

A group of high profile songwriters have written to PRS questioning admin costs incurred by the collecting society, and expressing concerns over transparency. PRS says it has met with representatives of the writers and “will continue to explore all practical changes” to further improve its systems…

Chris Cooke • 08 Oct 2025

Judge says Zync’s falling out with Round Hill Music should not be in court

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Round Hill Music • 4 min read

Judge says Zync’s falling out with Round Hill Music should not be in court

Earlier this year sync agency Zync sued Round Hill Music in a dispute over a former joint venture business. At the core of the dispute was the valuation of the rights acquired by that JV. A judge has now said that that issue should be decided through an ‘appraisal process’ rather than in court…

Chris Cooke • 25 Nov 2024

US PRO AllTrack launches mechanical royalties collection service

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AllTrack • 2 min read

US PRO AllTrack launches mechanical royalties collection service

US performing rights organisation AllTrack this week formally launched a new mechanical rights division, meaning independent creators can collect both performance and mechanical royalties via one platform. It’s the first PRO in the US to also represent its members’ mechanical rights…

Chris Cooke • 22 Nov 2024

US rights organisation SESAC welcomes 10% increase in radio royalty rate

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SESAC • 2 min read

US rights organisation SESAC welcomes 10% increase in radio royalty rate

Songwriters allied to American collecting society SESAC will see an increase in royalties from radio airplay after an arbitration panel ruled on a new licensing agreement between the rights organisation and the US radio sector…

Chris Cooke • 05 Nov 2024

Live music booming, but songwriters still not feeling the benefits of streaming, say latest CISAC stats

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CISAC • 3 min read

Live music booming, but songwriters still not feeling the benefits of streaming, say latest CISAC stats

A booming live music sector and continued growth in the digital music market both contributed to an €830 million increase in royalties collected by the world’s songwriter collecting societies in 2023, according to the latest Global Collections Report published by CISAC…

Chris Cooke • 24 Oct 2024

PopArabia's rights agency announces licensing deal with Anghami

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PopArabia • 1 min read

PopArabia's rights agency announces licensing deal with Anghami

Anghami, the MENA focused streaming service, has agreed a licensing deal with ESMAA, the rights management entity owned by PopArabia. It brings to an end a legal dispute between PopArabia and Anghami, and also includes rights from a number of other independent music publishers…

Chris Cooke • 13 Sep 2024

Warner Chappell is “hindering” Shaboozey’s efforts to buy himself out of his deal, alleges lawsuit

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Shaboozey • 3 min read

Warner Chappell is “hindering” Shaboozey’s efforts to buy himself out of his deal, alleges lawsuit

On the back of two Beyonce co-writes and a global hit, Shaboozey wants to negotiate a new deal around his publishing. However, he first needs to buy himself out of an existing deal with Warner Chappel and, he claims, his old label is stopping him from doing that…

Chris Cooke • 27 Aug 2024

Eight Mile Style’s rights had “fallen into confusion” says judge in damning dismissal of Eminem publisher’s lawsuit

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Eminem • 4 min read

Eight Mile Style’s rights had “fallen into confusion” says judge in damning dismissal of Eminem publisher’s lawsuit

In 2019, Eminem’s publisher sued Spotify for failing to properly license the rapper’s songs. A court has now dismissed the lawsuit, saying that although Spotify’s management of song royalties was “seriously flawed”, the publisher should have done more to rectify the issues before going legal…

Chris Cooke • 16 Aug 2024