Sony Music news

Sony Music artists front campaign to get young EU residents voting

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Sony Music • 2 min read

Sony Music artists front campaign to get young EU residents voting

A number of Sony Music artists are fronting a multi-language campaign around Europe to try to boost the number of young people voting in the upcoming European Union elections.…

Andy Malt • 02 May 2024

Setlist Podcast: Make big shows fund grassroots music, politicians told

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Setlist • 3 min read

Setlist Podcast: Make big shows fund grassroots music, politicians told

UK politicians hear possible solutions to the grassroots venues crisis, Nirvana logo dispute back in court…

Andy Malt & Chris Cooke • 29 Mar 2024

Rapper ordered to pay $800,000 to Sony over TikTok hit with unlicensed sample

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Sony Music • 4 min read

Rapper ordered to pay $800,000 to Sony over TikTok hit with unlicensed sample

A US court has ordered rapper Trefuego to pay Sony Music over $800,000 in damages after he used an uncleared sample in a track that went viral on TikTok. However, the judge declined to issue an injunction banning future distribution of the track…

Chris Cooke • 28 Mar 2024

Michael Jackson’s son moves to block grandmother from funding legal battle from estate

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Michael Jackson • 2 min read

Michael Jackson’s son moves to block grandmother from funding legal battle from estate

Michael Jackson’s son Blanket has filed legal papers attempting to block his grandmother from drawing money out of the late musician’s estate to fund a legal battle over a catalogue deal. The family members previously teamed up, but Blanket now thinks Katherine Jackson’s appeal is doomed to failure…

Andy Malt • 21 Mar 2024

Black Eyed Peas sued for licensing interpolation but not sample of Scatman

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Black Eyed Peas • 2 min read

Black Eyed Peas sued for licensing interpolation but not sample of Scatman

The label that owns Scatman John's 'Scatman' has sued Black Eyed Peas over an uncleared sample. Iceberg Records provided a licence that allowed the interpolation of the ‘Scatman’ composition into their song 'Bailar Contigo', but says the original recording was also sampled, which was not licensed…

Chris Cooke • 18 Mar 2024

Sony Music settles big termination rights test case

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Sony Music • 2 min read

Sony Music settles big termination rights test case

Another lawsuit aiming to test whether the US termination right can be applied to record contracts has been settled. A group of musicians including The New York Dolls’ David Johansen agreed to drop his case against Sony Music after it was taken to arbitration…

Chris Cooke • 27 Feb 2024

Sony Music sues over unpaid sync fees from Whitney Houston biopic

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Sony Music • 2 min read

Sony Music sues over unpaid sync fees from Whitney Houston biopic

The producers of the Whitney Houston biopic 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' have been accused on infringing the copyright in her recordings after failing to pay the fees due on a sync deal negotiated with the late musician’s label, Sony Music…

Chris Cooke • 19 Feb 2024

Sony fails to get Experience Hendrix lawsuit thrown out of UK court

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Experience Hendrix • 2 min read

Sony fails to get Experience Hendrix lawsuit thrown out of UK court

A UK judge has said that a dispute over the rights in the Jimi Hendrix Experience catalogue can proceed to trial - the estates of two of Hendrix’s former bandmates, Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding, claim they are due royalties from those recordings…

Chris Cooke • 30 Jan 2024

Kesha formally parts company with Dr Luke's label and her long-term manager

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Kesha • 2 min read

Kesha formally parts company with Dr Luke's label and her long-term manager

Kesha has parted company with her label, Dr Luke’s Kemosabe, and her management company Vector. This follows the settlement of her long running legal battle with Dr Luke earlier this year…

Chris Cooke • 20 Dec 2023

US ISP Altice sued for failing to deal with repeat infringers

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Altice • 1 min read

US ISP Altice sued for failing to deal with repeat infringers

Altice is the latest US ISP to be sued by the record industry - Warner Music and Sony Music argue that it didn’t do enough to deal with repeat infringers among its customer base and is therefore liable for those users’ copyright infringement…

Chris Cooke • 13 Dec 2023

Quad9 hails appeals court win in its legal battle with Sony Music

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Quad9 • 1 min read

Quad9 hails appeals court win in its legal battle with Sony Music

DNS resolver Quad9 has welcomed a ruling in the German courts that says it is not required to block access to a piracy site at the request of Sony Music - although a new web-blocking demand has now come in from the majors in Italy which may require another court battle…

Chris Cooke • 11 Dec 2023

Setlist Podcast: Sony Music tells US politicians to act on AI loopholes

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Sony Music • 3 min read

Setlist Podcast: Sony Music tells US politicians to act on AI loopholes

Sony Music's call for US Congress to act on AI legal loopholes, the big bust up between Hall & Oates over “the ultimate partnership betrayal” and more…

Andy Malt & Chris Cooke • 01 Dec 2023