Daily music business news from a UK perspective

Universal removed as defendant on explosive Diddy lawsuit

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

Utopia swings the axe again with significant job losses across remaining non-UK operations

📑 CMU Digest: SXSW London, Lucian's pay + more

Supreme Court ruling could boost damages payments in US lawsuits over historical copyright infringement

SXSW London could disrupt delicately balanced music ecosystem and should reconsider its date

TikTok sues the US government over sell-or-be-banned law

Lucian’s lunch money under threat as shareholder pressure mounts over “excessive” pay packet

Could Co-op Group terminate Manchester arena naming rights deal? Fury mounts as safety incident forces yet more Co-op Live show cancellations

Astroworld victims want first trial to be livestreamed

To the moon! Concord reaches for the high notes as it ups its SONG bid to $1.25

“Value, value, value!” is the mantra at Spotify as Ek downplays the negatives

The state of Hipgnosis

Believe board backs buyout bid - but company will remain listed on Paris exchange

MLC lawsuit is “wild overreach” says Pandora, accusing US mechanicals society of “legal frolics”

Universal relaxes TikTok boycott - but only if your name is Taylor Swift

Apple and Travis Scott companies remain as defendants in Astroworld litigation

Gee Davy to take over as head of indie label trade body AIM as Silvia Montello exits

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

Live Nation boss to sit for deposition in Astroworld litigation

Warner Music Group pulls out of Believe takeover race

An unexpected late night is not a “cognizable injury”, says Madonna in response to lawsuit over her slack timekeeping

Spotify planning another price rise in five markets

200+ artists sign letter urging tech companies to stop using AI to "devalue the rights of human artists"

Pharrell Williams accused of “committing fraud in securing trademarks” by Neptunes partner

Excessive spending, poor systems, missing documents and misleading statements: Shot Tower Capital’s blistering assessment of Hipgnosis Song Management couldn’t be much worse

French indie label body UPFI calls on French government to intervene in potential Warner Music Group takeover of Believe

Travis Scott seeks to be removed from Astroworld lawsuits, as lawyers query if performers should have crowd management training

Utopia! Whotopia? The Swiss music company has a Proper strategy…

As BMG’s 2023 numbers show continued growth, could a merger with Warner Music or Believe be on the cards?

Sean Combs properties raided in federal sex trafficking investigation

French regulator AMF knocks back Believe consortium’s accelerated bid, giving Warner Music a chance to make a formal offer

Mood music maker scores fifteen billion streams, and prompts yet another 'fake artists' debate

Night & Day ruling makes it “open season” on Manchester’s night-time economy says Music Venue Trust boss

BPI threatens to sue voice cloning site Voicify

📑 CMU Digest: Be sold or be banned says US Congress to TikTok

Think you understand the music industry’s revenue stats? Think again…

Labour commits to UK ticket touting price cap, as Ed Sheeran's team welcomes guilty verdict in ticket tout court case

Selling TikTok would be last resort for ByteDance, sources say as House votes through sell-or-be-banned law

Believe x WMG takeover dance warms up as financial regulator is called in

TikTok insists it isn't forcing Americans to phone politicians as ban proposal gets fast-tracked in Congress

CNM statement shows that Spotify’s rage about new French streaming levy misrepresents key facts

France has stood firm against Spotify’s bullying - and Spotify is having a tantrum

WMG is toying with an offer for Believe that would wipe out Warner’s cash reserves - but is it serious, would Believe shareholders sell and can WMG afford to bet the farm?

Mean Millennials scrap streaming subscriptions, mail order music is booming - and Apple Music might be making £500 million or more in the UK

Manchester City Council has spent nearly £90,000 fighting Night & Day legal battle

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

Dodgy distributor 3tone linked to company being investigated by Serious Fraud Office

€111 million in TikTok revenue is nothing when you’re Lucian Grainge - but, he says, “my phone is always open” if Shou Zi Chew wants to be friends again

Sound City’s Becky Ayres: “The music business’ talent pipeline is blocked by an image problem”

CMU Exclusive: Apple Music’s “spatial audio bonus” will favour major labels at the expense of small labels and creators

Artificial Intelligence and the music industry in 2023

Universal Music • 2 min read

Universal removed as defendant on explosive Diddy lawsuit

Universal Music and its CEO Lucian Grainge have been dropped as defendants in a sexual harassment and assault lawsuit brought against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Producer Rodney ‘Lil Rod’ Jones and his lawyer say that they now accept there was “no legal basis” for the claims made against the label…

Chris Cooke • 15 May 2024

One Liners • 3 min read

⏩ One Liners: Downtown Music, Take That, AIM Independent Music Awards + more

Big D Evans, Patrice Rushen, Broma16 deals; Ben Cooper to leave Bauer; Downtown financial services; Take That break AO Arena record; Co-op Live opens; AIM Awards submissions; Love To Be… festivals; new music from Berwyn, Kate Nash, John Grant, Colin Stetson, Bad With Phones, Cumgirl8, Mal Not Bad…

Andy Malt • 15 May 2024

TikTok • 2 min read

TikTok creators file lawsuit against US sell-or-be-banned law

Eight TikTok creators who make a range of content on the platform have sued the US government over the recently passed law to ban the video-sharing app. They argue that TikTok offers an “irreplaceable means to express themselves” and banning it will breach their First Amendment rights to free speech…

Chris Cooke • 15 May 2024

Zync • 2 min read

Zync accuses former business partner Round Hill of contract breaches, trademark infringement and executive bullying

Round Hill Music is being sued by sync agency Zync over a joint venture the two companies entered into in 2017. The legal filling makes a number of allegations, including misstating income and expenses, bullying, and trademark infringement…

Chris Cooke • 15 May 2024

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

One Liners • 3 min read

⏩ One Liners: Ella Eyre, FKP Scorpio, Nilüfer Yanya + more

NetEase x Kakao; Warner Music, Blake Cottage Trust, ADA Asia appointments; FKP Scorpio expands; Co-op Live set to open tonight; Skiddle publishes mental health research findings; Nilüfer Yanya tour dates; new music from Ella Eyre, Helen Love, Dilettante…

Andy Malt • 14 May 2024

Childish Gambino • 2 min read

Appeals court upholds Childish Gambino song-theft ruling because of copyright registration error

Childish Gambino has successfully defeated a song-theft lawsuit filed over his song ‘This Is America’ for a second time. An appeals court has also rejected a copyright infringement claim made by rapper Kidd Wes because of a copyright registration error…

Chris Cooke • 14 May 2024

BBC • 2 min read

Media companies hit out at plan for BBC to sell ads alongside its podcasts

The BBC wants to sell advertising alongside its podcasts when they are accessed on platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts. That plan is subject to regulatory review, and 20 media companies have now written to the government to explain why it’s a terrible idea…

Chris Cooke • 14 May 2024

Utopia Music • 4 min read

Utopia swings the axe again with significant job losses across remaining non-UK operations

More popcorn than Unicorn: the Utopian misadventure is effectively over. Utopia Music AG is now Proper Group AG with the company saying it is entering a “new era”…

Sam Taylor • 13 May 2024

One Liners • 2 min read

⏩ One Liners: Better Noise Music, Jimmy Eat World, The Quietus + more

Better Noise confirms 50% catalogue sale; Avex USA invests in S10 Entertainment; Huxley PR appointments; Axl Rose pushes to have sexual assault case dismissed; The Quietus relaunches; Jimmy Eat Worl announced uK shows; new music from Ghostface Killah, Role Model…

Andy Malt • 13 May 2024

Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee • 7 min read

MPs set September deadline for ticket levy to support grassroots venues and shows

The culture select committee in the UK Parliament has published its report on grassroots music venues. It says a system for charging a levy on arena shows to support the grassroots community should be in place by September, and that the government should instigate a temporary VAT cut on tickets…

Chris Cooke • 13 May 2024

UK Music • 5 min read

UK Music’s Director of Research Andy Edwards On The Value of Music Creators’ Economic Data

UK Music has launched its annual This Is Music Creators’ Survey. The trade body’s Director of Research Andy Edwards explains how responses are used, both in contributing to its calculation of the music industry’s overall contribution to the UK economy and identifying key issues facing creators…

CMU • 13 May 2024

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