The LA HQ of CAA, which is suing Range Media Partners for allegedly stealing confidential information to build its own business. Photo Credit: Minnaert

Range Media Partners “is an unlicensed talent agency built on deceit” – at least according to a firmly worded lawsuit filed by Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

CAA just recently fired off the complaint against nearly five-year-old Range Media Partners, which, as some know, is having a big 2024. In summary, the self-described “talent management and brand strategy” specialist scored a minority investment in April, finalized a UMPG admin deal via its publishing unit last month, and kicked off October by signing Rita Ora in all areas.

But as laid out by CAA, Range owes these feats to a foundation rooted in “stealing from and damaging” the plaintiff while simultaneously endeavoring to “improperly evade” the regulatory framework in place for talent agencies in California.

Beginning with the latter, the suit explores at length Range’s alleged effort to circumvent talent-agency requirements by operating as a management provider and then offering professional services well beyond the confines of that space.

“Put simply,” the legal text spells out, “Range’s business model is the pursuit of unlawful profit through deception: Range skirts rules that California legislators and artists’ guilds put in place to protect those working in the entertainment industry. The core ‘trick’ of Range is that it acts as a talent agency but labels itself a management company. Range thereby engages in lucrative transactions foreclosed to law-abiding talent agencies.”

That alleged move, the complaint explains (including by drawing from relevant emails sent by Range team members) in many more words, enabled Range to “avoid the rules designed to protect clients.”

Moreover, the same alleged failure to register as an agency allowed the five CAA vets who got Range off the ground to “claim to not be competing with CAA and try to continue to receive a share of CAA profits” despite “working to injure” the older firm.

Enter the second component of the action, which accuses Range co-founder and CEO Peter Micelli as well as fellow co-founder Jack Whigham and higher-ups David Bugliari, Michael Cooper, and Mick Sullivan, all CAA vets, of stealing confidential information.

In a nutshell, the individuals allegedly posed “as loyal CAA members, sitting shoulder to shoulder in confidential CAA meetings about clients and business, all while covertly working to benefit Range and themselves.”

And so it was that by the time Range officially announced its launch in August of 2020, the noted execs had for months been allegedly stealing CAA information, in violation of their confidentiality agreements to boot, for use at the new company, per the complaint.

This information refers in part to a variety of personal details about clients, “key entertainment industry relationships,” business plans, and data-analytics tools.

Additionally, the alleged information theft is said to have seen the mentioned persons send materials “from CAA’s systems to their personal email accounts and devices” and encourage multiple CAA employees to obtain sensitive details on their behalf. Some of the latter employees were later hired and “quickly” promoted at Range, per the text.

All told, CAA is accusing Range of violating California’s business and professions code, aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duties, and more. Among other things, the plaintiff is seeking damages and an injunction compelling Range to cease using and return the allegedly stolen confidential information.

DMN reached out to Range for comment but didn’t receive a response in time for publishing.

Photo Credit: Ken Caillat

Fleetwood Mac producer Ken Caillat has sued the makers of the hit Broadway play ‘Stereophonic’ with accusations of ripping off his memoir.

Ken Caillat, the music producer best known for his work with Fleetwood Mac, has sued the makers of the hit Broadway play “Stereophonic” in federal court, alleging they ripped off his memoir about his work on Fleetwood Mac’s classic album, Rumours.

According to the lawsuit, filed in New York federal court on Tuesday (October 1) and reviewed by DMN, the play infringes on Caillat’s copyright and that of his memoir’s co-author, Steven Stiefel, by copying “the heart and soul” of their book, “Making Rumours.” Both stories follow a young sound engineer recording an album with a five-member, mixed-gender, British-American rock band in California between 1976 and 1977.

Brian Williams of Greenberg Gross, an attorney for Caillat and Stiefel, said that the makers of “Stereophonic” have “happily accepted the accolades and profits the play has generated” for their “sponging off” his clients’ memoir. The play, written by David Adjmi, debuted on Broadway in April and has won five Tony Awards this year, including Best Play. According to the lawsuit, “Stereophonic” has grossed over $20 million since its release.

Caillat and Stiefel published “Making Rumours” in 2012, a memoir they say “vividly portrays the making of the Rumours album from Mr. Caillat’s viewpoint,” especially from within a recording studio. The lawsuit cites numerous instances of similarities between the memoir and the play, including characters, storylines, settings, and even dialogue.

“[Stereophonic] essentially places the audience in the very chair where Mr. Caillat sat,” the complaint reads. “The connections between the play and Fleetwood Mac and the Rumours album are so obvious that multiple news outlets have called out the numerous similarities,” continues the filing. “Simply put, any attempt by Mr. Adjmi to disclaim ‘Stereophonic’ as not being about Fleetwood Mac and Rumours is disingenuous.”

Further, the lawsuit alleges that Adjmi’s plans to adapt “Stereophonic” into a film directly interfere with Caillat’s plans to adapt his memoir into a film. Caillat and Stiefel are asking for an unspecified amount in monetary damages and an order to block the “copying, publication, release, broadcast, performance, and other exploitation” of the Broadway play.

Photo Credit: Netflix

Olivia Rodrigo teams up with Netflix to release the ‘Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour’ concert special on October 29.

Grammy award-winning singer Olivia Rodrigo is spilling her guts as she partners with Netflix for the release of her first concert special, “Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour.”

Launching on October 29 and filmed at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, the special will give fans a special peek inside Rodrigo’s sold-out arena tour. “Prepare to scream, cry, dance, and sing your heart out to songs from her latest album, GUTS, and her debut album, SOUR,” says Netflix.

“I am so excited to share the GUTS World Tour with my fans,” says Olivia Rodrigo. “For those of you who didn’t get a chance to rock out in-person, now you can have the best seats in the house! And to the fans who cheered, screamed, and danced with me, I am so glad we get to do it all over again!”

Directed by James Merryman and produced by BLINK Inc. in association with Lighthouse Management + Media and Interscope Films, the “Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour” concert special is executive produced by John Janick, Steve Berman, and Sam Wrench, alongside producers Aleen Keshishian, Michelle An, Tom Colbourne, Zack Morgenroth, and Merryman.

Rodrigo’s sophomore album, GUTS, was released in September 2023, featuring hits like “Vampire,” “Bad Idea, Right?” and “Get Him Back!” The album appeared on numerous ‘Best of 2023’ lists, including those by Rolling Stone, NPR, Pitchfork, and The New York Times. Rodrigo became the first female artist in nearly a decade to debut her first two albums atop the Billboard 200, with GUTS having skyrocketed to #1.

Five months after the album’s debut, Rodrigo embarked on a 93-date arena world tour, which is set to conclude in March 2025. The tour saw her stop across North American, Europe, the UK, Asia, and Australia.

A Glastonbury performance from The Last Dinner Party, one of the acts for which PPL collects international royalties. Photo Credit: Raph_PH

The U.K.’s Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) has announced a nearly $22 million Q3 2024 international royalties distribution, which it says is the largest third-quarter payout since 2020.

PPL just recently disclosed the details of its latest payment, which went out on September 30th and, as noted, encompassed compensation from the public use of recordings in non-domestic markets. Previously, though, June saw the entity make a payment of over $132.64 million/£100 million (for U.K. and global usages alike) for the first time.

Shifting back to the newer payout, the £16.5 million (currently $21.88 million) at hand marks an approximately 30% year-over-year increase and includes $3.05 million (£2.3 million) from the music-video-focused VPL. 55 global CMOs contributed to the sum, and the Indian Singers’ and Musicians’ Rights Association-partnered PPL pointed to particular growth throughout Asia.

Elaborating on the third-quarter results, PPL director of international Laurence Oxenbury touted the global agreements his organization has in place.

“We are proud to make this record payment to our members who invest so much of their talent, creativity, and time into recording music to be enjoyed by people around the world,” relayed the longtime PPL higher-up.

“Through our collaboration with over 110 collective management organisations globally, we are helping ensure performers and recording rightsholders get paid for their music when it is played in markets where public performance rights exist,” Oxenbury concluded.

Looking ahead to the remainder of 2024, PPL is set to make its final distribution of the year, encompassing international and domestic revenue alike, on December 17th. On the compositional side, PRS for Music is expected to send out its second-to-last member payment of the year on October 15th, per the appropriate website.

Beyond that forthcoming distribution, 2024 headlines haven’t been entirely positive for PRS, which was over the summer named in a lawsuit filed by Pace Rights Management, King Crimson founder Robert Fripp, and The Jesus and Mary Chain’s Jim and William Reid over alleged transparency shortcomings, admin rates, and more.

The legal dispute quickly devolved into a public war of words, with PRS firing back against the claims in a detail-oriented open letter and then receiving a separate open letter in response. While litigation from across the pond is comparatively difficult to track, it’ll be worth keeping an eye out for updates (and a possible resolution) across the final quarter of 2024.

Photo Credit: Morgan Wallen by Andrew Wendowski / CC by 4.0

Tennessee native Morgan Wallen donates $500,000 to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Helene relief following devastating flooding affecting Appalachia.

Country star and Tennessee native Morgan Wallen is donating $500,000 to the American Red Cross to help his home region of East Tennessee recover from devastating flooding damage caused by Hurricane Helene. The gift from the Morgan Wallen Foundation, initially announced on September 30, is one of the biggest donations to efforts helping those affected by the previously unheard of flooding that continues to devastate communities throughout Appalachia.

“My family in East Tennessee are safe, but I know many are absolutely devastated there and in multiple states,” said Wallen on his social channels. “Those hills and hollers are very important to me in so many ways. It is going to take a monumental effort, and I am in contact with my team and others working on ways I can help.”

Wallen contributes $3 to his foundation for every concert ticket sold. The foundation had donated over $500,000 in East Tennessee alone to other causes, prior to the flood relief donation, such as music and sports organizations in the region. These include $140,000 to the Gibbs Youth Sports program to renovate Ruritan Park.

“We can’t thank Morgan Wallen enough for his heart and generous $500,000 donation to impact help on the ground now in the areas affected by Hurricane Helene, including his beloved East Tennessee,” said Trevor Riggin, Red Cross’ National President for Humanitarian Services, in a statement to Tennessee’s Knox News.

Meanwhile, state officials have warned against potential donation scams, and encourage people to give to reputable organizations, including the American Red Cross.

As of September 30, more than 100 people have been reported dead from the hurricane, with hundreds of others still missing. Hurricane Helene is one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the mainland United States in the past 50 years, according to CNN. Additionally, over 1.5 million people across South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, remain without power in the hurricane’s wake.

Photo Credit: TikTok

TikTok taps Billie Eilish again to debut a new feature, this time for Flip Story, a photo feature where users can tap to ‘flip’ from one to the other.

Since TikTok resolved its licensing dispute with Universal Music Group, the social video platform has continually tapped UMG artist Billie Eilish to debut new features. She was the first to show off TikTok’s ‘Fan Spotlight’ feature back in May, and now she’s leading a new feature called ‘Flip Story.’

‘Flip Story’ is a photo feature where users can post a picture that their viewers can then tap to ‘flip’ to reveal a second photo. TikTok shows off the functionality for ‘how it started / how it’s going’ memes — and in Billie’s case, before and after pics from the preparations going into her “Hit Me Hard and Soft” tour.

To upload a Flip Story, tap the + button to open the Create page and toggle over to Story, or optionally, select the + button from your Profile photo. You’ll have the option to upload images to a Flip Story or snap new content to add to the Story. Flip Stories only support two images.

To view a Flip Story, press the ‘Hold to Flip’ button on the first side of a Flip Story to reveal the hidden content on the second side. Creators can also see a separate list of viewers for those who unveiled the second side of the Flip Story. Notably, all content shared in Flip Stories will be moderated through the same process as all Stories uploaded to TikTok.

Billie Eilish teamed up with TikTok back in May to launch the platform’s Fan Spotlight feature, which allows artists to showcase fan videos at the top of their music tab for up to a week.

And there’s more goodies for Eilish fans, with unlockable tour-themed profile frames and other content from completing tasks in TikTok’s in-app Billie Eilish experience. Each week throughout the North American leg of her Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour, fans can complete tasks to unlock these rewards and other exclusive content from Eilish.

Photo Credit: Music Cities Awards

The Music Cities Awards nominations have been revealed. Hearby, Music Innovation Hub, and Opulous were nominated for the ‘Best Digital Innovation to Support Musicians or Music in Cities’ category.

The Music Cities Awards Ceremony will take place December 7-9 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The award is a global competition designed to acknowledge and reward outstanding applications of music for economic, social, environmental, and cultural development in cities across the world. Since its launch in 2020, the MCA’s have become a global showcase of projects using music to make cities better.

The competition covers 11 categories from rewarding the ‘Best Global Music City,’ to spotlighting initiatives working at the intersection of music and technology, diversity, youth engagement, sustainability, real estate, health tourism, night time economy, city planning, and more. With over 300 applications from 19 countries across six continents, the year’s competition highlights the vital role that music plays in shaping the cultural, economic, and social fabric of cities.

Best Digital Innovation to Support Musicians or Music in Cities

The aim of this award is to showcase a leading innovation that is positively impacting the lives of musicians or supporting music in cities. Eligible initiatives include but are not limited to digital innovations that have improved the ability to musicians to make money, improved access to key information, improved how live music is showcased in a city, or improved the lives of musicians when touring. This year’s nominees include:

• Music Innovation Hub (ITA) — Supports Innovative Music Startups
• Hearby, By Area4 Labs (USA) — Reveals the Abundance of Live Music
• Opulous (SGP) — Help Artists Get Funding

The selection process for each category was led by a global jury of 10 high-level professionals working at the front end of music cities topics. They include:

• Annika Park (HKG), Freelance Strategist, Brand/Culture/Innovation
• Christina Ballico (GBR), Lecturer, Music and Visual Culture, University of Aberdeen
• Enrique Avogadro (ARG), Cultural and Creative Promoter, Pulmón Creativo
• Helen Glengarry (AUS), Music Industry Lead, City of Gold Coast
• Khadija El Bennaoui (UAE), Head of Performing Arts, Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi
• Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell (USA), GRAMMY Award-winning engineer, producer, composer, Owner, Royal Studios
• Nada Alhelabi (KSA), General Manager, MDLBEAST Foundation
• Panos A. Panay (USA), President, The Recording Academy
• Raoul Rugamba (RWA), Founder at Hobe Agency & Africa in Colors

Photo Credit: Merlin

The battle between indie collective Merlin and TikTok is heating up as the social media platform seeks to bypass Merlin’s collective bargaining power by striking individual deals with the indie labels it deems worthy.

Merlin sent a letter to its independent members over the weekend, stating that TikTok walked away from renegotiating its contract before those negotiations even began. TikTok says it wants to sign direct deals with the labels Merlin represents, which Merlin says is an attempt to license its members’ music at a cheaper rate than it could collectively with Merlin’s representation.

TikTok released a new statement about those allegations that it “does not want to pay a fair rate for the music that powers their platform. It accuses Merlin of lacking quality control and potentially delivering fraudulent streams in what it calls “operational challenges with Merlin in the past.”

“TikTok must be able to control the quality of the content being uploaded to its platform, and to ensure that all content delivered is legitimate,” a TikTok spokesperson says. “We have had operational challenges with Merlin in the past where music that is not quality controlled for copyright is delivered. It presents a big burden, and doing direct deals allows us to exercise better control and also to forge closer relationships with Merlin members.”

Merlin itself addressed those operational challenges in its letter to members, outlining the steps its taken to address “illegitimate activity and content.” They include automated systems that detect suspicious activity, a dedicated team to address issues and impose sanctions on bad actors, and the termination of repeat bad actors who manipulate the system.”

TikTok maintains that this is a business decision and it doesn’t want to get into a licensing dispute with Merlin. But Merlin (perhaps rightfully) views this as an attempt to fragment its membership, which accounts for 15% of the global recorded music market. Merlin members who negotiate individually could end up in worse deals than Merlin could bargain for collectively with its full weight.

So where do we stand right now? As of October 31, TikTok’s current deal with Merlin will end without a renewal. The social media giant is seeking deals with labels independently and they will have until October 25 to avoid disruptions on TikTok. It’s also unclear what the status of TikTok will be in the United States, as ByteDance has struggled in court to challenge the new law ahead of its tight deadline.

LiveOne has announced an “amended” Tesla partnership that includes the end of subsidized subscriptions to the music platform for certain vehicle owners. Photo Credit: Bram Van Oost

Tesla has retooled its partnership with music platform LiveOne (NASDAQ: LVO), shares in which suffered a double-digit slip following the new deal’s announcement.

LiveOne just recently described the pact’s key elements in a standalone release. The Los Angeles-headquartered audio-entertainment service has long been a big part of Tesla’s screen-dashboard music offering – with the vehicle company even subsidizing LiveOne subscriptions for those who pay for Tesla’s own Premium Connectivity subscription.

Under the adjusted tie-up, though, the subsidies are no more. Slacker-powered LiveOne spelled out that “Tesla will no longer subsidize LiveOne products to some of its customers.” Expected to go into effect on December 1st, the change is rather predictably eliciting less-than-positive feedback from impacted customers.

“Starting December 1, 2024, your LiveOne powered by Slacker Radio account will no longer be included with your Premium Connectivity subscription,” reads the message Tesla sent to these customers, per one of the many Reddit posts on the subject.

Closer to the present, Tesla has already replaced its “streaming button with LiveOne’s in perpetuity,” and “Tesla will continue to pay LiveOne monthly for grandfathered users in perpetuity,” per the music and podcast business. Said grandfathered users seemingly refer to individuals who received lifetime Premium Connectivity access after purchasing Tesla vehicles by certain dates years back.

Importantly, the “amended partnership” is poised to run through May of 2026, and Tesla owners will, of course, have the option of springing for LiveOne premium ($10.99 monthly in the States) on their own dime. The Kartoon Studios partner also intends to “offer all Tesla customers discounted LiveOne music packages.”

Emphasizing the potential conversions at hand, LiveOne pointed to the possibility of multiplying ARPU by three. But it goes without saying that the digital music landscape is highly competitive, with Spotify and other on-demand platforms standing out as viable replacements for LiveOne.

Moreover, while they might be knee-jerk reactions to the loss of a perk, a number of purported LiveOne users are signaling resistance, discount or no discount, to subscribing out of pocket.

Shifting to the precise fiscal fallout, LiveOne had previously driven home the significance of the Tesla union with regard to its own balance sheet. “Our business is dependent, and we believe that it will continue to depend, on our customer relationship with Tesla, which accounted for 53% of our consolidated revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2024,” LiveOne spelled out in its most recent earnings report.

Bearing that information in mind, LiveOne has substantially lowered its fiscal 2025 consolidated-revenue guidance to between $120 million and $135 million. At the time of this writing, LVO had rebounded slightly to 74 cents per share, which nevertheless marks a close to 40% falloff across the past five trading days.

Photo Credit: Towfiqu Barbhuiya

Numerous fans are discovering concert tickets suddenly disappearing from their Ticketmaster accounts within the past few weeks.

Fans are finding concert tickets suddenly disappearing from their Ticketmaster accounts within the past few weeks, costing ticketholders potentially thousands of dollars.

First reported by Virginia Lasky in Gig Harbor, Washington, who told local news outlet KIRO7 that her family is out more than $1,200 for 14 tickets that were transferred to another account. Lasky says she was getting ready for work when she received multiple emails from Ticketmaster notifying her that her tickets to several upcoming shows and musicals were transferred to someone else.

“When I clicked on the tickets, they had one-by-one all been transferred and claimed,” said Lasky, noting she didn’t recognize the stranger’s account that received them.

And the same thing happened to Amanda Shaffer in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who told WGAL News 8 that the Pink tickets she received as a Christmas gift from her husband last December were transferred to another account. “This morning when I woke up is when I saw an email saying, ‘Hey, your transfer to this person was successful,’” said Shaffer. “And I was like, ‘Wait, I’m sorry — what?’”

Shaffer says her tickets were transferred to an account called “bdbddh,” which, when she searched the exact seats on Ticketmaster, said they were being resold under “verified resale.”

Meanwhile, Blaine Heck in Connecticut had a pair of $3,500 Taylor Swift tickets taken from her account. She told MarketWatch that someone hacked her account and transferred the tickets to another account. Reportedly, those tickets were restored to their rightful owner within hours of the outlet reaching out to Ticketmaster for comment.

Another pair of Swift tickets swiftly vanished from the account of an Indiana resident who reached out to her local TV station WTHR after “numerous attempts” to contact Ticketmaster about the incident. Only when the TV station reached out to the company did Ticketmaster restore the tickets to her account.

The increasing number of reports of users having tickets taken from their accounts follow the massive data breach earlier this year by “hacker group” ShinyHunters. The group claimed to have accessed around 1.3 terabytes of data from Ticketmaster, including names, addresses, credit card numbers, phone numbers, and payment details. That information was reportedly up for sale on the dark web for an asking price of $500,000.

The incident led to a class action lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, with half a billion user accounts reportedly affected. Ticketmaster claims that user passwords were not exposed in the breach, telling KIRO7 “the vast majority of what we’re seeing is because scammers have accessed a fan’s email account.”

Ticketmaster has a lot on its plate. The antitrust lawsuit led by the Department of Justice, alongside 39 states and the District of Columbia, who aim to break up the Live Nation and Ticketmaster marriage for anticompetitive practices, still rages on.

Photo Credit: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs by Richard Burdett

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs faces dozens of new sexual assault allegations in a series of lawsuits soon to be filed.

When it rains, it pours, and rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs doesn’t have an umbrella since his arrest last month. With charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution, Combs is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.

But now, Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee revealed at a news conference on Tuesday (October 1) that he is representing over 120 accusers with allegations against Combs that occurred over 20-plus years ago.

“We will expose the enablers who enabled this conduct behind closed doors. We will pursue this matter no matter who the evidence implicates,” said Buzbee. “Many powerful people, […] many dirty secrets,” he added, noting that his team has collected “pictures, video, texts,” that cover allegations including “violent sexual assault or rape, facilitated sex with a controlled substance, dissemination of video recordings, [and] sexual abuse of minors.”

“It’s a long list already, but because of the nature of this case, we are going to make sure — damn sure — we are right before we [file suit],” Buzbee continued. “These names will shock you.”

Buzbee said he’s had over 3,000 individuals come to him with accusations against Combs, and that he plans to begin filing lawsuits in various states within 30 days. The other defendants will be named at a later date.

Further, the attorney said the new group of accusers hail from over 25 different states, with the majority from New York, California, Georgia, and Florida. Buzbee also said 25 of the accusers were minors at the time of the alleged incidents, with some having occurred as early as 1991. One of the accusers, Buzbee claimed, was as young as nine years old at the time of the alleged incident.

Combs and his legal team continue to deny any and all allegations against him — except those he fessed up to involving his ex-girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura, after video proof of the abuse he levied at her surfaced earlier this year and made his earlier denial moot.

“[Combs] cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus,” his lawyer, Erica Wolff, said in a statement. “Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexual abused anyone, including minors,” Wolff continued. “He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court if and when claims are filed and served.”

Notably, many of the lawsuits against Combs have been filed in New York City, where the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law allows people to file lawsuits alleging sexual abuse even when the statute of limitations has passed.

AccuRadio is facing a SoundExchange lawsuit for allegedly failing to make licensing payments. Photo Credit: SoundExchange

A little over two months following the start of their lawsuit, SoundExchange and AccuRadio have hammered out a temporary payments agreement and ceased battling over an injunction.

That agreement’s specifics were just recently finalized in an order from Judge Matthew F. Kennelly, after SoundExchange submitted the underlying complaint in late July. As we covered in greater detail at the time, the plaintiff accused the internet-radio defendant of failing to cough up allegedly owed royalty payments.

Besides pursuing the royalties themselves, SoundExchange moved to obtain a preliminary injunction barring the statutory license’s use on the part of AccuRadio, which described the suit to DMN as “a complete surprise.” But now, following ample back-and-forth over the amount allegedly owed and more, the litigants have reached a deal to dial things down while the action plays out.

First up under that deal, which has as noted been confirmed by the court, SoundExchange has withdrawn its preliminary injunction motion. However, the AI-minded entity can resume that push down the line if it so desires.

This leads us to the second component of the agreement and order, “adequate protection in the form of advance monthly payments” from AccuRadio to SoundExchange.

As laid out in the legal text, the defendant is specifically set to forward to SoundExchange a minimum of $210,000 on the first of every month “until a final judgment is entered in the” overarching case, with the initial payment due today.

Regarding potential changes to the amount, the payments plan can be altered sans court approval if AccuRadio and SoundExchange consent to the retooled terms in writing. Any adjustments would be based on “AccuRadio’s average number of performances” per month (which will still be tracked through monthly reports in any event) as well as “the current regulatory rate for non-subscription transmissions.”

AccuRadio, the order emphasizes for good measure, will “receive full credit for payments received by SoundExchange under this Order against liability owed to SoundExchange as determined by the Court.”

And should the defendant fail to make a payment, SoundExchange reserves the right to refile its preliminary injunction motion, hunt for an expedited briefing schedule, or “seek any other appropriate relief.”

The AccuRadio dispute isn’t the only unpaid-royalties litigation SoundExchange is currently spearheading; an increasingly convoluted showdown involving SiriusXM, complete with counterclaims from the satellite radio company, is also in full swing.

Photo Credit: Jay-Z by Daniele Dalledonne

Accounting firm BDO lost celebrity clients, including Jay-Z and Megan Thee Stallion after allegations of fraud affecting customer accounts.

A report from the Financial Times confirms that Jay-Z and Megan Thee Stallion are among the celebrities who have cut ties with accounting firm BDO’s Miami operation following allegations in 2022 that a staff member was stealing money from client accounts. The firm manages personal and business finances on behalf of celebrities and other wealthy clients, with services ranging from paying bills to filing taxes.

According to the report, Jay-Z’s departure stems from displeasure over the way BDO handled the fraud allegations in 2022, wherein a staff member stole funds from rapper Fat Joe, and partners failed to spot inconsistencies in his financial records at the time. The staff member, named Vanessa Rodriguez, is said to have used credit cards and bank accounts belonging to Fat Joe, his wife, and his businesses to withdraw thousands of dollars in cash.

Fat Joe, whose legal name is Joseph Cartagena, claimed BDO’s management of his affairs was “so chaotic” that his mortgage payments were often late. Further, he says it was impossible to reconcile different accounts, and it seemed his credit card bills were sometimes paid from accounts belonging to other celebrity clientele, such as Major League Baseball players.

Vanessa Rodriguez was indicted last month in Miami on four counts of fraud. She was accused of spending money on lines of credit that did not belong to her, but many details of the charges have remained under seal.

BDO has refuted the allegations against it in Fat Joe’s lawsuit, which was settled on undisclosed terms earlier this year. But that lawsuit and the details it contained have had wider reaching repercussions for the accounting firm, leading to the departure of several high-profile clients. Employees working for Jay-Z felt slighted at how BDO responded to accusations from Fat Joe, who is a client of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. Ultimately, that led to Jay-Z’s departure as a client of BDO, having left in 2023 — within months of Fat Joe’s departure.

Megan Thee Stallion is also said to have left BDO over the allegations, having departed as their client in 2022. BDO told Financial Times that the firm “does not comment on pending litigation or matters related to current or former clients.”

Photo Credit: Lauryn Hill by Peter Tea / CC by 2.0

Pras Michel sues fellow Fugees member Lauryn Hill for fraud and breach of contract over their canceled 2023 tour.

Lauryn Hill is being sued in federal court by her former Fugees bandmate Pras Michel for alleged breach of contract and fraud over their 2023 tour that was cut short.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday (October 1) in the Southern District of New York, alleges that Hill “grossly mismanaged” the planning, marketing, and budgeting of their failed 2023 tour, “actually a veiled and devious attempt to make a big score for herself.”

The list of claims includes fraud, fraud in the inducement, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, accounting, and refusal to permit an audit of the Fugees’ tour. In a statement to Variety, Hill called the lawsuit “baseless” and “full of false claims and unwarranted attacks.”

Pras’ lawsuit claims the 2023 Fugees tour should have been “a huge commercial success,” as most of the shows for the arena tour were “sold out in advance.” But because Hill controlled the budget tour, Michel says he came away empty-handed. “[The tour budget] was so bloated with unnecessary, and most likely fictitious, expenses, that it seemed designed to lose money.”

The tour was cut abruptly short when Hill canceled the second half in November, citing vocal strain. Michel asserts Hill has “narcissistic tendencies,” citing an incident in which she turned down a $5 million offer for the Fugees to perform at Coachella when she allegedly felt snubbed that the festival put No Doubt’s reunion at the top of the bill.

Pras claims she never told him about the offer, or that she had rejected it; he only learned about it after the fact, when Hill, “in an astonishing display of hubris,” asked Pras to perform some Fugees songs “for free” as the opening act for her son, YG Marley, who was also performing at Coachella.

According to the lawsuit, Hill exploited Michel’s financial situation, as he needed money for mounting legal fees in the middle of his four-year legal battle with the US Department of Justice as a co-defendant of Jho Low. Low allegedly stole $4.5 billion from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, IMDB, in what is now one of the world’s biggest financial scandals. Low remains on the run, believed to be hiding in China, while Michel was convicted in April last year for his role in the scandal, though he was not directly involved in the theft.

“Hill was taking 40% of the tour guarantees and tour net profits ‘off the top’ for herself, leaving the remaining 60% to be split equally between Hill, Pras, and Wyclef [Jean],” the lawsuit states, further alleging that Hill entered into a new agreement with Live Nation for a slew of Fugees shows this year, which she never disclosed to Michel. Ticket sales fell short of expectations, which Michel blames on Hill for having “taken far too long to close the deal,” and there was “little or no marketing for the tour.”

Live Nation pulled the US tour in August, which Hill blamed on the media. “Last year, I faced an injury that necessitated the rescheduling of some of my shows,” she said in a statement at the time. “Regrettably, some media outlets’ penchant for sensationalism and clickbait headlines have seemingly created a narrative that has affected ticket sales for the North American portion of the tour.”

The suit also asserts that Hill has “tarnished the Fugees brand” with her “chronic tardiness,” which has drawn the ire of fans. Hill reportedly arrived on stage over four hours late for a show this week in Nairobi, Kenya.

Photo Credit: Jeremy Erlich by Paul Smith Photography

Spotify’s Head of Global Music Jeremy Erlich is exiting the company after joining up back in 2019 following a stint at Interscope Records.

Jeremy Erlich will be leaving his position as Spotify’s Head of Global Music after five years, having joined the music streaming company back in 2019. Formerly, he was Executive VP, Business Development at Interscope Records.

Erlich will remain at the company in an advisory role through the end of February, sources confirm, after which he will depart to begin an entrepreneurial endeavor that is yet to be announced.

During his five-plus years at Spotify, Erlich was well-liked and known throughout the industry for building strong teams and solidifying operations while enhancing relationships with the worldwide business. Spotify more than doubled in size during his tenure.

Global Head of Editorial Sulinna Ong, Global Head of Music Partnerships & Audience Joe Hadley, and Global Head of Music Go-to-Market Madeleine Bennett — all of whom reported directly to Erlich — will report to VP Music and Audiobook Business David Kaefer.

Erlich confirmed the news with an email sent to staff as a final entry in his regular email series:

“In the past few months, I’ve been reflecting on what we’ve achieved as a team and as a company and the challenges that lay ahead,” wrote Erlich. “Through this reflection, I’ve decided that it’s time for me to turn a page on this chapter after 5.5 incredible years.”

“As I thought about the future, I found myself more and more excited about embarking on my own entrepreneurial journey. It’s been a goal of mine for a long time and now feels like the right time to pursue it,” he continues. “This was a very difficult decision but, as I’ve said many times before, you are the best team in the industry and I know you’ll be in good hands going forward.”

“While change can feel hard, I’m confident that this will only result in great things for the team and I’ll be here to help you all navigate through it,” Erlich concluded, thanking his team and expressing his gratitude.

More news about Jeremy Erlich’s entrepreneurial endeavors will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Nick Mason and David Gilmour performing live. Photo Credit: anyonlinyr

Several years, twists, and turns later, Pink Floyd has reportedly sold its recordings and more to Sony Music Entertainment in an approximately $400 million deal.

That long-awaited sale entered the media spotlight in a Financial Times report, and DMN received separate confirmations of a finalized transaction from parties with knowledge of the matter. However, neither Sony Music nor the almost six-decade-old band had acknowledged the deal via a formal statement or release at the time of writing.

But we’ve been tracking the high-profile (and high-value) IP selloff since the summer of 2022. For a time, evidence suggested that Pink Floyd was close to cashing in on the body of work – with BMG, Warner Music, and more mentioned as possible purchasers.

Subsequently, different evidence, including the contentious relationship and reported infighting between David Gilmour and Roger Waters, pointed to a fizzled-out attempt at a sale.

Following a decidedly quiet 2023, that changed earlier in 2024, when Gilmour last month rather conspicuously expressed renewed interest in selling. Of course, nearly half-billion-dollar transactions don’t come to fruition overnight; assuming today’s indications of a sealed sale are accurate, related talks had presumably been ongoing for a while before the public declaration.

In any event, the Times pointed to recording, name, and likeness rights’ (excluding compositional interests) being included in the deal, to which a more expensive $500 million price tag had previously been attached. (The reportedly encompassed song rights align with those connected to the sale back in November of 2022.) Beyond this top-level description, concrete specifics about the precise IP are few and far between at present.

Even so, the reported purchase marks the latest in a line of blockbuster buyouts from Sony Music, which, to put it bluntly, hasn’t been shy about pursuing valuable catalogs created by or tied to controversial figures.

Running with the point, multiple reports have cited certain of Waters’ remarks as another contributing factor to the slow Pink Floyd catalog sale. And while that may be true, there are presumably fewer PR headaches associated with contentious comments than serious allegations of wrongdoing.

Earlier in 2024, Sony Music scooped up a stake in the song rights of Michael Jackson, whose work remains commercially prominent despite the inherent baggage of sexual assault claims against the deceased singer. Moreover, the major label has battled opposition to the investment from the artist’s family as well.

Bigger picture, Sony Music in June reportedly scored a $1.3 billion deal for Queen’s IP. It’s unclear whether the play is officially final, but the involved rights, like those of Pink Floyd, had also reportedly been on the market for some time beforehand.

Photo Credit: Paco de Lucía by Manuel Nieto

BMG inks a worldwide administration agreement for the catalog of flamenco guitar legend Paco de Lucía.

BMG has announced a global agreement to represent the catalog of legendary flamenco guitarist and composer Paco de Lucía. The deal with de Lucía’s publishing company, Río de la Miel Ediciones, includes hits like “Entre Dos Aguas,” “Mediterranean Sundance/Rio Ancho,” and “Solo Quiero Caminar,” representing a major step in preserving and promoting the legacy of one of flamenco’s most influential artists.

“Paco’s music is timeless, and this agreement with BMG ensures that his legacy will continue to flourish and reach new generations of music lovers around the world,” said representatives of Paco de Lucía’s estate.

“We are honored to administer the publishing catalog of Paco de Lucía, a true legend whose music continues to inspire and captivate audiences worldwide,” said Javier Doria, BMG Managing Director Spain. “This partnership reflects BMG’s commitment to preserving and celebrating the rich cultural heritage of flamenco music.”

A four-time Latin Grammy winner, Paco de Lucía has left an indelible mark on flamenco guitar, transcending the boundaries of the genre. Throughout his illustrious career, de Lucía has collaborated with renowned musicians, like guitarist Carlos Santana, pianist Chick Corea, and guitarist Al Di Meola. In the 1970s, he formed an important musical alliance with singer Camarón de la Isla, which played a pivotal role in the emergence of the New Flamenco movement.

The deal follows the release of Pepito y Paquito, an album featuring 21 previously unreleased tracks by the young Pepe and Paco de Lucía. These recordings, released via BMG in collaboration with the Paco de Lucía Foundation, date back to 1959 and 1960, and provide a unique insight into the early musical endeavors of the legendary Spanish flamenco guitarist and his brother at the ages of 13 and 11, respectively.

In 2023, BMG released Paco de Lucía: The Montreux Years, a collection of Paco de Lucía’s best live performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival between 1984 and 2012.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Copilot

A letter from Merlin to its members has revealed TikTok is ‘walking away’ from licensing negotiations with the collective. Instead, the social media giant wants to seek direct deals from larger Merlin members—completely bypassing the collective.

The Merlin music collective negotiates digital licenses for more than 30,000 independent labels around the world. In a letter addressed to those members dated September 27, Merlin says “with no warning, TikTok walked away before negotiations even began. They informed us that (1) they do not want to renew our deal, which expires on October 31st, and (2) they intend to license some of our members directly.”

“To be even more clear, unfortunately, as of now, there will not be a Merlin-TikTok deal after October 31st,” the letter reads. TikTok pays less than other digital service providers (DSPs) to license music, so this move further undermines independent labels’ ability to negotiate better streaming rates for their music. Merlin alludes to such in their letter to members.

“We believe the most likely reason that TikTok did this is that TikTok does not want to pay a fair rate for the music that powers the platform. If this is right, then TikTok does not value independent music, the independent labels and distributors who support that music, nor the diverse artists who create it. They are unlike every other partner that Merlin works with.”

“Given that TikTok refused to negotiate with us, our view is that they must see the obligation to pay fair royalties as a nuisance. They must view Merlin — with its mission to protect and maximize the value of our members’ music — as too strong a negotiating partner for their liking. Their approach suggests that they believe their objectives can be better served by fragmenting the Merlin membership, in order, we believe, to minimize their payout.”

“TikTok has asked us for an ‘orderly transition’ to do direct deals with those members they deem worthy. As you know, Merlin was founded to stand up for and champion its members. We will not support an approach that devalues our community,” the letter continues.

Merlin outlines a plan to try and re-engage with TikTok as a collective to secure a renewal agreement before the current one expires on October 31. But it also reveals that one of TikTok’s concerns in walking away was potential fraud. “TikTok has also suggested they are walking away because of concerns about ‘fraud,’ but as we have told them on numerous occasions, we are incredibly pro-active on this issue.”

“We recognized early on, and communicated with TikTok, the concerning growth and impact of stream manipulation and fraudulent content both on TikTok and across the marketplace. We have worked productively and collaboratively with TikTok on this issue, and until now, no concerns have been raised about the approach Merlin is taking.”

“We have implemented measures to address illegitimate activity and content; automated systems to detect suspicious activity; and a dedicated team to address issues and impose sanctions, including ultimately, termination of membership for bad actors.”

Merlin represents around 15% of the global recorded music market, making this a big departure from TikTok’s music catalog if the deal falls through. Merlin licenses music from artists including The Lumineers, Wet Leg, Nirvana, Phoebe Bridgers, Mac Demarco, Coolio, Diplo, and many more. Without a collective agreement, each individual label would be responsible for negotiations with the platform.

Earlier this year, Universal Music Group saw its music temporarily removed from TikTok as the two sides struggled to come to an arrangement. UMG music disappeared from the platform until Taylor Swift struck a landmark deal in April to bring her music back—with the rest of UMG and UMPG music returning to TikTok on May 1.

Photo Credit: Alvaranstrong

After comments lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong made on-stage at a concert in San Francisco, two Las Vegas radio stations are refusing to play Green Day songs. Here’s why.

Armstrong publicly called out John Fisher and his decision to move the Oakland A’s to Las Vegas. “We don’t take shit from people like f*cking John Fisher… I hate Las Vegas,” Armstrong told the crowd. He also describes Las Vegas as “the worst sh*thole in America.”

Because of those comments, local Las Vegas radio stations decided not to play Green Day’s music for a while. Both KOMP 92.3 and X107.5 have posted on social media declaring they won’t play Green Day music on their stations. “In response to Armstrong’s inflammatory comments,” reads the X107.5 radio’s website, “the station is banning all Green Day music, effective immediately. Sin City heard him lout and clear—and X107.5 is not having it.”

Meanwhile, the KOMP 92.3 message on Instagram reads, “It’s not us, Billie…it’s you.” The message was shared with the typical red slash through the band.

X107.5 host Carlota Gonzalez also delivered her message to listeners on air, stating, “Maybe [Armstrong] should take a look at the city and the people involved in that transaction than talking smack about the city of Las Vegas,” after announcing she would no longer spin Green Day tracks.

“And hey, I hate to say it and as much as the Raiders suck but when they were in Oakland, they were worth a billion or two. Now they’re worth six. It was a good business decision and the A’s want some of that and I don’t blame that,” Gonzalez told listeners, addressing both the Raiders and the A’s move to Las Vegas. The A’s played their last season in Oakland and will now play in a newly planned $1.5 billion ballpark scheduled to open in 2028.

Photo Credit: ABBA Voyage

After strong ticket sales and economic indicators pointed to financial success for ABBA Voyage in 2023, the lucrative hologram show’s full-year financials have officially released.

Aniara Limited, the UK-based company behind London’s ABBA Voyage, just recently filed its complete 2023 financials. As mentioned, evidence was already suggesting solid commercial results for ABBA Voyage in 2023 (and the current year) – with other massive hologram shows possibly in the works to boot.

Now, however, we know the precise details of these commercial results. As laid out in Aniara’s full-year report, ABBA Voyage’s 2023 performances numbered 374 and attracted 1,097,597 attendees for an occupancy rate of 97.8%.

Adjacent to those figures, Aniara’s total revenue hit $137.58 million (£103.67 million) in 2023, with profit coming in at $10.68 million (£8.06 million), according to the document.

Both revenue and profit climbed year over year; ABBA Voyage only debuted in May of 2022. But thanks mainly to sizable non-ticketing sales in 2022, the prior year came close to matching 2023 revenue (at $128.70 million/£97.12 million for 2022) with a comparatively small 228 showings, the report states.

Sticking with 2023 revenue, the lion’s share of the figure, $134.61 million (£101.58 million), derived from ticket sales, per the text. The remaining sum came from the “sale of stage rights” (at $1.19 million/£899,416) and from film-rights sales ($1.57 million/£1.19 million)

Also in the annual report, Aniara confirmed indications of continued ABBA Voyage demand for 2024. As things stand in the year’s final quarter, the hunch looks to be proving correct. At the time of writing, fans had already purchased a substantial portion of the show’s tickets for October, with dates currently scheduled into May of 2025.

Shifting the focus to the bigger picture, the success of ABBA Voyage (for which an arena was custom-built at a reported cost of around $185.57 million/£140 million) almost certainly means other high-profile hologram concert series will come to fruition.

Running with the idea and the initially mentioned shows that could be forthcoming, June reports revealed discussions between Björn Ulvaeus-founded Pophouse, Sony Music, and Authentic Brands Group on an Elvis hologram.

Time will tell if the talks ultimately produce a new residency. Importantly, this rumored project shouldn’t be confused with the Elvis Evolution “immersive experience,” which a company called Layered Reality intends to bring to London in March of 2025, the appropriate website relays.

Meanwhile, Pophouse in April purchased a variety of KISS IP, about four months after the famed rock group confirmed an avatar concert of its own. KISS’ hologram show is reportedly set to kick off sometime in 2027.

Photo Credit: Levi’s

Levi’s has released a new ad campaign featuring Queen Bey and her song “Levii’s Jeans” in a classic re-imagining of a commercial from 1985.

The 30-second ad spot features Beyoncé washing her jeans at a laundromat with the song playing in the background. The ad is the first of several campaign spots to feature the pop star and Levi’s jeans. The campaign was directed by Melina Matsoukas.

“We have a history of outfitting the world’s change makers — we like to say we’re the unofficial uniform for progress — and this felt like it made a whole lot of sense,” says Kenny Mitchell, Levi’s Chief Marketing Officer. Beyoncé celebrated Levi’s, calling it the ultimate “Americana uniform.”

“Denim on denim has often been seen through a male lens, so this reimagining campaign, which celebrates the iconic female perspective, is important to me,” Beyoncé says about the ad campaign. She says she looks forward to “exploring innovative ways for our visions to align in empowering women and honoring their strength.”

The original 1985 Launderette ad spot featured British singer Nick Kamen walking into a laundromat and stripping down to boxer shorts. Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” plays in the background. The new campaign includes TV, out-of-home, digital, social media, print, and brand activations. Levi’s will also promote exclusive products coming out in 2025 through the activation, with other guest appearances. These other guest appearances have not been revealed yet.

Levis’ teased the new collaboration last week with social media posts, one of which showcased a billboard with the words, “Reimagined with Beyoncé.” Levi’s last quarterly report revealed $1.4 billion in revenue for the quarter ending May 26. The denim company’s direct-to-consumer business and wholesale businesses were up 8% and 7% respectively. Levi’s is hoping this brand collab with Beyoncé will push its direct-to-consumer business to new heights.

Photo Credit: Szabo Viktor

YouTube is reinstating its missing songs from SESAC-repped artists like Adele and Nirvana after reaching an agreement with the performing rights organization. That’s good news for everyone, though the strange incident is raising a bevy of questions.

It’s been about 24 hours since songs from SESAC-repped artists, including Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Green Day, Kanye West, and Nirvana, appeared blank on YouTube in the United States after the company failed to reach a renewal agreement with the PRO. But now, after making a deal with SESAC, those songs are being reinstated across the platform.

“We have reached an agreement with YouTube to equitably compensate SESAC’s songwriters and publishers for the use of their music. We appreciate the support and patience of our affiliates, as well as the artists who perform those songs,” said Scott Jungmichel, President & COO, SESAC Performing Rights, in a statement to Digital Music News.

“During our negotiations with YouTube, our affiliates’ works were unilaterally removed by YouTube ahead of the contract end date of October 1, 2024. YouTube has begun the process of reinstating videos featuring these songs.”

Strangely, YouTube actually removed the videos ahead of its contract expiration date, and only certain SESAC-repped artists’ work seemed to be affected, rather than the entire catalog.

Now that the short-lived impasse is over, Digital Music News is learning some strange details about the standoff. According to multiple sources with knowledge of the negotiation, SESAC never ordered that anything be taken down  nor does the PRO technically have the power to remove videos. That indicates the takedown was preemptive on YouTube’s end — though had a deal not been reached, those videos and others represented by SESAC would have been in breach of contract upon the previous deal’s expiration date.

“If you’re in the United States, we’re happy to share that YouTube has reached a deal with SESAC,” said YouTube in a statement on its social channels. “Content (that was previously blocked) will be restored to YouTube services over the next day or two. We appreciate all your patience.”

But why yank the content in the first place, then claim the deal had expired when it hadn’t? Addressing that riddle, sources close to the matter further told DMN that, while it’s unclear exactly why YouTube took the initiative to remove the content, it may have been a “show of force” to push the negotiation to an agreeable conclusion.

Another source pointed to aggressive takedown efforts driven by Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music at YouTube and Google, who also oversees YouTube Music. One source noted that Cohen took the unusual step of warning the labels that SESAC-repped content would be removed. Further, Digital Music News has learned that YouTube apparently rejected an interim license offered by SESAC, before a proper agreement was reached.

YouTube has not returned a detailed request for comment from DMN.

SESAC has existed as a performance rights organization since 1930. It currently licenses the public performance of over 1.5 million songs on behalf of more than 15,000 affiliated songwriters, composers, and music publishers. It was acquired by private equity firm Blackstone in 2017.

Photo Credit: Investigation Discovery

A new Investigation Discovery documentary will explore the abuse allegations and legal troubles of singer Chris Brown. A new accuser is featured in the documentary, which is arriving in October.

Investigation Discovery is the same network behind the ‘Quiet on Set’ documentary that outlined the Nickelodeon child abuse allegations. Now on October 27, ‘Chris Brown: A History of Violence’ will air as part of ID’s third annual ‘No Excuse for Abuse’ campaign. The documentary explores Brown’s legal issues, including domestic violence, assault charges, and sexual assault allegations.

Chris Brown’s extensive legal troubles started in 2009 when he beat then-girlfriend Rihanna to a pulp, causing extensive facial injuries. Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault in this case and accepted a plea deal. But the treatment Rihanna received wouldn’t be the last beating doled out by Brown’s hands. Other allegations include assault, sexual assault, and legal issues that were settled out of court.

“[The documentary] will chart Chris Brown’s past all the way back to his troubled childhood, explores the lasting impact of the cycle of abuse, and poses the question: how does a man with such a violent public record maintain his superstar status? With expert and cultural commentary layered throughout, the documentary provides thoughtful reflections into each survivor’s experience and the psychological destruction in the aftermath of their abuse.”

As made clear in the trailer, a new accuser whose identity will remain hidden has come forward to speak about their allegations against Brown. “I have not spoken about this matter publicly, but that’s the only way he can be stopped,” this new accuser says in the trailer for the documentary.

After the documentary airs in ID at 9 pm on October 27, ‘The View’ co-host Sunny Hostin will lead a conversation about intimate partner violence. “Domestic violence is a very close, personal issue to me as I reflect on my past as a prosecutor of these types of cases, and in my role as a mother and public figure whose actions inform and help shape the next generation. This issue is a prevalent epidemic which knows no socio-economic boundaries, so I am dedicated to expanding and continuing this crucial conversation,” Hostin said in a statement. “The more we know, the better we can help advocate for change as a society.”

Photo Credit: Reservoir Media

Reservoir Media stock (NASDAQ: RSVR) is “substantially undervalued” – at least according to Irenic Capital Management, which owns about 8.1% of shares and is now demanding “a full strategic review.”

New York City-headquartered Irenic Capital just recently expressed that clear-cut position in a regulatory filing. According to the document, the signatory entity possesses just shy of 5.3 million Reservoir shares, 83,513 of which were purchased in either August or September.

For additional background, Irenic per its website “invests in public companies and works collaboratively with firm leadership.” The overarching aim of said collaborations “is to produce improvements in operating and financial performance that create long-term value for the company and its owners,” the same source indicates.

And as described by Reuters, Irenic isn’t a stranger to rattling the cage or to demanding strategic reviews in particular. To be sure, one such push reportedly came earlier in September, when the hedge fund formally called on Kinaxis, an Ottawa-based developer of supply-chain-management software, to kick off a review of its own.

Bringing the focus back to Reservoir Media, Irenic is of the belief that the Golnar Khosrowshahi-led business’s shares “are substantially undervalued,” the filing spells out.

Moreover, Irenic has encouraged Reservoir “to undertake a full strategic review of all alternatives to maximize shareholder value and to form a special committee of the Board to oversee such review process.”

DMN reached out to Reservoir for comment and received a brief response: “The Reservoir Media Board of Directors values shareholder input and we remain focused on executing our strategy to drive value, in line with our fiduciary duty to all shareholders.”

While that statement doesn’t provide concrete answers about how the situation will unfold, it’ll be worth monitoring the episode – and especially the stock-purchase moves of Irenic – in the coming weeks and months. (Among other things, Reservoir reappointed several board members at its annual stockholder meeting last month.)

Closer to the present, we don’t lack insight into the strategy and financials of Snoop Dogg-partnered Reservoir, which in April unveiled an up to $100 million offering to pay down debt and scoop up more music IP. Without rehashing the details at length here, we previously covered the company’s Q2 2024 revenue growth, which was fueled by publishing gains and arrived despite a dip on the recorded side.

Wrapping with a recap of RSVR’s recent performance, the stock’s value grew 3.6% during today’s trading to finish at $8.11 per share. That’s up 14.4% from 2024’s beginning and nearly 36% from late September of 2023, but less than half a percent from the top of April of 2024.

Music industry funding suffered a double-digit year-over-year decrease in Q3 2024 despite some signs of a possible acceleration during the quarter’s second half. Photo Credit: Alexander Schimmeck

Music industry companies raised $425.28 million during Q3 2024, which brought a funding acceleration on a quarterly basis but fell far short of the sum attached to Q3 2023.

These stats come from an analysis of DMN Pro’s Music Industry Funding Tracker, a searchable and filterable database of raises from in and around the industry. While DMN Pro is set to release an in-depth breakdown of the third-quarter numbers later this week, even a top-level look at the figures provides telling insight.

In part, that’s because of the material funding slide attributable to 2024’s initial nine months. We’ve charted the apparent decrease in raise volume and size throughout the year, and DMN Pro’s forthcoming weekly report will also compare the first, second, and third quarters of 2024 with their 2023 counterparts.

Keeping the focus on Q3 2024 for the time being, the $425.28 million in cumulative funding was spread across 16 rounds for an average of $26.58 million apiece. TickPick laid claim to the largest of the rounds by securing a $250 million growth investment in late August.

Overall, Q3 2024’s funding was significantly beneath that delivered by Q3 2023, north of $2.56 billion across 30 rounds. The older period’s average round size was $85.43 million, in excess of three times more than the average for 2024’s third quarter.

However, there’s more to the story than the 83.4% YoY funding slip from Q1 to Q3 2023 and the same window in 2024. The one-stop Music Industry Funding tracker compiles raises from directly within the industry and from adjacent spheres. Falling squarely into the latter category for Q3 2023 were Amazon’s $1.25 billion Anthropic investment and the $760 million Partners IV fund.

Anthropic is, of course, an AI giant, and The Raine Group’s Partners IV may invest not solely in music companies, but in “sports, media, entertainment and gaming” businesses as well.

Nevertheless, after booting the two rounds’ combined $2.01 billion from Q3 2023’s total, we’re left with a little over $552.86 million – for a YoY falloff of 23.1% in any event.

Despite the decrease, Q3 2024 didn’t lack encouraging funding takeaways, including the mentioned strong showing between mid-August and mid-September, TickPick’s noted quarter-billion-dollar raise, and others that will be explored in the weekly report. Moreover, this momentum may translate into a higher-volume and larger-value funding landscape in Q4.

And while even an overwhelmingly positive fourth quarter will almost certainly prove unable to boost 2024’s industry funding above 2023 levels, continued trends in the right direction could lay the groundwork for a big 2025.

Photo Credit: Suga by Yun_Q for Dispatch

A Seoul court fines BTS’ Suga $11,500 for driving an electric scooter while under the influence of alcohol.

BTS member Suga has been fined by a Seoul court an amount totaling $11,500 (15 million KRW) for driving an electric scooter while under the influence of alcohol. The issue has sent ripples throughout South Korea and in the BTS fandom, with Suga taken in for questioning on August 6 after he fell while driving an electric scooter near his home in Seoul.

Suga was the first to break the news, owning up to the incident and apologizing on the fan platform Weverse. The Korean media reported that his blood alcohol level was measured at 0.227%, which is far above the 0.08 percent threshold for having his driving license revoked.

It was later revealed that Suga received a “summary indictment,” a system used in Korea for minor offenses which also sees a court “impose a fine or confiscation through an expedited process without a full trial.”

The Seoul Western District Court imposed a fine on Friday (September 27) of the exact amount the state prosecutors had requested. Notably, Suga can challenge the sentence by filing for a full trial within seven days of the court’s decision.

Due to the prominence of BTS, Suga’s DUI has attracted tons of media coverage, some of which seemed to be based on information leaks from law enforcement, and some of which was simply fan speculation.

Specifically, it has raised questions about Korean law enforcement’s use of a “press line,” a perp walk type of public shaming that takes place before a suspect is convicted. It has also raised questions about the unrealistically high standards to which Korean stars are expected to maintain, even in private.

Director Bong Joon-ho, known for the film “Parasite,” organized a press conference early this year to warn against police tactics, media, and social media pressure following the death by suicide of actor Lee Sun-kyun after a lengthy investigation.

Photo Credit: Vinyl Group

Australia’s Vinyl Group has completed an agreement to acquire the assets of London-based Web3 platform Serenade.

Vinyl Group, the only music company listed on Australia’s Securities Exchange (ASX), has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of London-based Serenade, a Web3 pioneer of physical and digital collectibles, through a business deed sale which includes 100% of the shares of Serenade’s UK subsidiary.

Serenade’s digital marketplace has served over 200 global artists, including Liam and Noel Gallagher, Muse, Sum 41, Twenty-One Pilots, and Thirty Seconds to Mars. Sales of their NFC-enabled Smart Formats have grown 56% month-over-month since launching in January, with a total of 12,000 units sold in the first half of the year.

Further, Serenade has commercial partnerships with over 100 record labels, including Warner Music Group, Beggars Group, Concord, Glassnote, FUGA, and PIAS. It will operate alongside the Vinyl brand with the goal of improving the gross margins of its fastest growing division.

Vinyl Group has acquired 100% of Serenade’s assets (excluding their R&D receivable) in exchange for $800,000 in shares, valued at the 15 day volume weighted average price (VWAP) of Vinyl Group shares on the ASX for the period immediately preceding the completion date, for a total of 8,214,274 ordinary shares. These shares will be subject to a 12-month escrow from the date of issue.

A further $1,500,000 in shares will be paid to the shareholders of Serenade, contingent on the combined business of Vinyl.com and Serenade achieving a minimum revenue target of $4,000,000 and Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT) of $500,000 in the 12 months following the completion date.

The company will also purchase Serenade’s UK subsidiary on a debt-free, cash-free basis, free of any and all encumbrances, for $1.00 with a one-month put option, for the purposes of expediting the expansion of the business into the UK and European markets.

As part of the deal, key Serenade employees have joined Vinyl Group, with Serenade CEO Max Shand entering into a full-time employment agreement with Vinyl Group, to both lead Serenade to achieve its performance goals while also helping to rapidly accelerate the Vinyl business. This will aid in expanding its product offerings into physical and digital collectibles while launching into additional markets.

To incentivize performance, Shand will receive five million options upon sale completion, vesting in two equal tranches. The first vests upon the combined business of Vinyl and Serenade achieving 12 month post completion goals of $4,000,000 in revenue and $500,000 in EBIT, aligned with the performance stock offered to Serenade shareholders. The second tranche vests on the second anniversary of an employee’s employment. These options will have a seven-year term and will have an exercise price to be agreed between the purchaser and Shand prior to the issue of the options.

“Max Shand has built Serenade into a business with significant potential, and through our acquisition of the platform, we’ll put the resources into Serenade to allow it to reach that potential,” said Vinyl Group CEO Josh Simons. “Vinyl Group is, at its core, a tech business, and this was a great opportunity to expand our tech offering. We look forward to welcoming Max and other key members of the Serenade team to Vinyl Group.”

Serenade CEO Max Shand concludes, “I’m thrilled to announce the acquisition of Serenade by Vinyl Group, Australia’s only ASX-listed music company. From our very first conversation, it was clear that Josh […] and the board shared our vision for supporting artists and audiences through outstanding music products, and so I’m excited to see how this partnership accelerates our impact. I also want to acknowledge the incredible Serenade team, whose passion, integrity, talent, and dedication made this all possible.”

The deal was completed over the weekend, with the buying giving notice to the seller that due diligence had been satisfied. Vinyl Group has agreed to pay the verifiable legal and accounting costs of Serenade capped at $20,000.

Photo Credit: 9to5Google

Google’s built-in Song Search is getting easier to access with a new Quick Tile setting. Here’s how it works.

Google Pixel devices currently detect when a song is playing and offer a button to show the song title and artist on the lock screen. But there’s no easy way to access the feature beyond turning off the phone to get to the lock screen. Now Google is bringing a quick tile setting for ‘Song Search’—essentially making Shazam on Android obsolete.

9to5Google spotted the new feature in the Google app 15.39 version, with its new ‘Song Search’ quick tile. Tapping the icon launches the full screen effect with Google listening for the song. A Google search page loads once the match is found. The shortcut comes as the Google app on iOS introduced a customizable search widget to make song search easier on iOS.

Apple’s Shazam has taken a page out of Google’s book with a recent feature update. Now users can long-press the Shazam tile to quickly access the song search history on iOS. This feature has existed for years on Pixel devices, making it easy to detect songs playing at a grocery store, live venue, or coffee shop.

Google’s Song Search has a widget that can be placed on a user’s home screen, or you can use your voice to ask Google what song is playing. It also works with Google’s new Circle to Search feature. The idea is to make identifying songs more readily accessible (while boosting Google search results to boot).

How To Add Song Search Quick Tile on Pixel Devices

1. Open the Quick Settings menu.
2. Tap the pencil icon.
3. Scroll down to find the ‘Song Search’ tile.
4. Drag the tile where you’d like it to appear in your menu.
5. Tap the tile when a song is playing that you want to identify.

Photo Credit: Julia Michaels by Raul Romo

Jonas Group Publishing and Jonas Catalog Holdings have acquired the publishing rights and recordings of singer-songwriter Julia Michaels.

Jonas Group Publishing has announced the acquisition of publishing copyrights and recordings of singer-songwriter Julia Michaels. Michaels’ body of work includes the hits “If the World Was Ending” with JP Saxe, Selena Gomez’s “Lose You to Love Me,” Maren Morris’ “Circles Around This Town,” and Dua Lipa’s “Pretty Please.” She has also penned hits for Lady Gaga, Shawn Mendes, Maroon 5, Diplo, Britney Spears, Nick Jonas, Justin Bieber, Keith Urban, and many more.

“Julia Michaels is a known master of songwriting and is revered across multiple genres of music,” said Jonas Group Publishing president Leslie T. DiPiero. “Julia, along with her manager Beka Tischker and their amazing team, have a choice on who they trust to represent her works. We here at Jonas Group Publishing are truly honored that they have chosen us. Listening to her catalog of songs makes us feel like kids in a candy store!”

“Music is all about passion, and I’m so happy this music lives with Lesie, Kevin [Jonas Sr.], and their passionate team that values songwriters and creators,” added Michaels. “I look forward to working with them and growing the reach of these songs.”

“My family and I have been big fans of Julia Michaes for years,” says Kevin Jonas Sr., Founder and Chairman, Jonas Group Entertainment. “Her music has been a part of our journey, and we’ve been fortunate enough to experience the magic of her songs firsthand. We’re excited to work with her and her team to continue sharing these incredible songs with the world and to build on the success they’ve already seen.”

“This catalog is truly special for Jonas Catalog Holdings and Jonas Group Publishing,” Jonas continues. “It’s not just about the hits she’s created; it’s about the heart and soul in each track. We could not have acquired this catalog without the support and expertise of our financial partner, Corrum Capital Management, who we thank and look forward to many more acquisitions together. We must also thank our trusted partners, Access Media Advisory and Teresa Miles Walsh, as well as Moghan Music, for providing valuable assistance throughout the purchase of the catalog.”

Photo Credit: Simon Emmett (Oasis)

Oasis has finally announced the beginning of their North American tour dates for the Oasis Live ‘25 world tour. The North American leg is produced by Live Nation and SJM and will see the band head to Toronto, Chicago, East Rutherford, Los Angeles, and Mexico City for now.

It has been 16 years since the last Oasis performance in North America. Cage The Elephant will join the duo as a special guest across all dates. “America. Oasis is coming. You have one last chance to prove that you loved us all along,” says the duo.

Previously announced dates on the Oasis Live ‘25 tour sold out immediately in the largest concert launch ever in the UK and Ireland. More than 10 million fans from 158 countries queued to buy tickets to those UK shows.

Oasis remain a huge draw in the streaming era, with over 32 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone—an increase of 50% since their announced return. The duo has achieved nearly 12.5 billion streams to date across all streaming platforms.

Registration for pre-sale is currently open on the Oasis website until October 1 at 8 am EST. General ticket on-sale will begin on October 4 at 12 local time at Ticketmaster.com. It’s worth noting that Oasis has confirmed the group will not use Ticketmaster’s controversial dynamic pricing feature for these upcoming North American tour dates.

OASIS LIVE ’25 TOUR DATES

JULY

04 | Principality Stadium — Cardiff, UK
05 | Principality Stadium — Cardiff, UK
11 | Heaton Park — Manchester, UK
12 | Heaton Park — Manchester, UK
16 | Heaton Park — Manchester, UK
19 | Heaton Park — Manchester, UK
20 | Heaton Park — Manchester, UK
25 | Wembley Stadium — London, UK
26 | Wembley Stadium — London, UK
30 | Wembley Stadium — London, UK

AUGUST

02 | Wembley Stadium — London, UK
03 | Wembley Stadium — London, UK
08 | Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium — Edinburgh, UK
09 | Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium — Edinburgh, UK
12 | Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium — Edinburgh, UK
16 | Croke Park — Dublin, IE
17 | Croke Park — Dublin, IE
24 | Rogers Stadium — Toronto, ON (NEW)
28 | Soldier Field — Chicago, IL (NEW)
31 | MetLife Stadium — East Rutherford, NJ (NEW)

SEPTEMBER

06 | Rose Bowl Stadium — Los Angeles, CA (NEW)
12 | Estadio GNP Seguros — Mexico City, MX (NEW)
27 | Wembley Stadium — London, UK
28 | Wembley Stadium — London, UK

Though Goldman Sachs’ Music in the Air report has forecasted solid 2024 global industry revenue of over $100 billion, it’s also illustrated a dramatic paid-streaming slowdown in major markets. Photo Credit: Goldman Sachs

Despite an ongoing streaming-growth slowdown in established markets, global music industry revenue is on track to top $100 billion during 2024, according to Goldman Sachs’ “Music in the Air” report.

Goldman just recently pointed to insights from its latest analysis of the music space, including revenue from recordings, publishing, live events, and more. We last checked in on Music in the Air data this past May, when a slimmer “redacted” version shed light on a decidedly bullish forecast of almost $164 billion in global industry revenue for 2030.

Now, the investment bank has elaborated on the prediction in a fresh streaming-focused update. Like with past coverage of the annual report, it’s worth reiterating Goldman’s clear-cut financial interest in strong industry growth. At the top level, the business advised BMI on its sale and has stakes in companies including but not limited to Fever, Splice, and Complex.

That should be kept front of mind with regard to the long-optimistic nature of Music in the Air. Similarly important is the well-documented streaming-growth slowdown in leading markets (see the RIAA’s 2024 half-year summary) and the comparatively explosive buildout in emerging industries.

The latter’s been driven home by multiple IFPI reports, Spotify’s quarterly user-geography breakdowns, and, more generally, the major labels’ massive investments in China and Hong Kong, Brazil, and several MENA nations.

At the intersection of the points – reduced revenue improvements in leading markets and double-digit annual growth in quick-rising industries – Goldman’s banking on continued contributions from emerging spaces.

Per the latest Music in the Air analysis, this refers specifically to developing markets’ making “up 70% of new streaming music subscribers by 2030.” Behind the percentage, the resource foresees 48% paid-streaming penetration in established markets by 2030 – UMG has emphasized that it’s also looking for bolstered streaming results in the countries – and 13% in emerging markets.

As things stand, monetization is less lucrative and relatively difficult in these emerging markets, referring both to smaller subscription costs and cheaper advertising rates. (To the growing dismay of the majors, ad-supported listening isn’t particularly lucrative even in the States.)

Following Goldman’s prediction (complete with the above graphic showing single-digit YoY subscriber growth in the U.S., Canada, South Korea, the U.K., and more) to its logical conclusion, however, substantial streaming-revenue expansions are said to be forthcoming on the emerging-markets side.

“Our analysts see an opportunity for pricing in emerging markets to improve as incomes rise,” the document spells out.

Time will tell whether that opportunity materializes – especially given, among other things, stiff competition from regional players as well as the historical difficulty associated with convincing fans to pay for music access.

In any event, Goldman has also reduced its expected streaming compound annual growth rate from 11% to 10% – or identical to Universal Music’s high-end anticipated subscription-revenue CAGR through the 2028 fiscal year.

Certain “lower assumptions for revenue from ads and emerging platforms” prompted Music in the Air’s streaming CAGR reduction, with growth still in the cards from superfan plans, further price increases, AI monetization, and “new payment models for artists,” according to the text.

Photo Credit: HE.SHE.THEY.

HE.SHE.THEY. Records partners with Too Lost, further cementing their position as the industry standard in inclusivity and diversity.

Global music and technology distribution platform Too Lost announces a new partnership with HE.SHE.THEY. Records, which has been setting the industry standard for diversity and inclusion for the past six years.

The brand has toured across 40 cities globally, staging the biggest talent from the underground, and platforming the most exciting emerging artists — all while curating one of the most forward-thinking label rosters in the industry and earning a nomination for Best Label at DJ Mag’s 2023 Best of British Awards.

Independently owned by co-founders Sophia Kearney and Steven Braines, HE.SHE.THEY. has releases from Catz ‘n Dogz, Sister Bliss, Cakes da Killa, Hammer, Alinka, Anja Schneider, Chloe Robinson x DJ ADHD, Meg Ward, Giulia Tess, and many more.

In partnership with Too Lost, and with a rich history of championing diversity and inclusivity, HE.SHE.THEY. are ready to expand the label’s reach and spotlight diverse voices on an even wider scale, while they continue to be a home for the most cutting-edge artists from the global underground and beyond.

“Too Lost is proud to represent HE.SHE.THEY. as the leading inclusivity brand in dance and electronic music, and look forward to building a lasting future together,” said Too Lost CEO Gregory Hirschhorn.

Too Lost is a music and technology company providing software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions for independent music rights holders. Their distribution and publishing services deliver, monetize, and protect songs across the globe for over 300,000 musicians, record labels, studios, brands, investors, and platforms.

The news comes on the heels of HE.SHE.THEY.’s announcing their return to ADE 2024, with their biggest run of shows to date, taking in four venues over three days. These feature artists like Indira Paganotto, DAX J b2b SPFDJ, Jennifer Cardini b2b Gabriel Kwarteng, SNTS, Eats Everything, Chippy Nonstop, Roi Perez, BELLA, SYREETA, Cinthie, Elisa Elisa, Wax Wings, and many more.

Following another summer of sell-out shows, including their third years at Ibiza superclub Amnesia, HE.SHE.THEY. make their return to Amsterdam Dance Event, at which they have been a key player since their debut in 2019. The announcement contains four shows, including two simultaneous daytime parties — Dockyard Festival and Mystic Garden Festival — and a boat party.

HE.SHE.THEY. kicks things off on Wednesday, October 16, returning to the Duke of Tokyo for their renowned ‘Wet Your Whistle Mixer,’ soundtracked by a lineup of artists including Abel, Nyra, The Menendez Brothers, and a very special secret guest. RSVP here.

Thursday sees the club brand take their first foray into the waterways of Amsterdam for the inaugural HE.SHE.THEY. boat party, featuring a first-ever back-to-back between London-based DJ/producer and HE.SHE.THEY. resident, SYREETA, and brand favorite Cinthie. Further, the show will feature the talents of Eats Everything and rising Dutch artist, BELLA.

On Friday, the HE.SHE.THEY. crew will bring the party simultaneously to two iconic venues — the Dockyard Warehouse Festival Mainstage and Mystic Garden Festival — for an immersive experience of light and dark. Dockyard is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and to mark the occasion, HE.SHE.THEY. is bringing a selection of underground heroes as well as some of the biggest bubblers on the international scene.

The dark prince of the UK queer club scene, Wax Wings, kicks things off at midday, with a kaleidoscope of sounds encompassing the darker side of techno, while PEP Rally co-founder and Rinse FM resident, Chippy Nonstop, is sure to bring her high-energy techno to the lineup.

DJ-producer Adiel goes back-to-back with Vault resident and local artist, Grace Dahl, while Barcelona-based Cera Khin will be joined across the day by German DJ SNTS, followed by Artcore Records boss, Indira Paganotto, as night falls. To close out, DAX J kicks off a set with a very special back-to-back with Swedish hard techno queen, SPFDJ.

Meanwhile, the fairytale-esque Mystic Garden Festival will play host to a cornucopia of artists, including Berghain resident, Roi Perez, alongside queen of the dancefloor Jennifer Cardini going back-to-back with Lot Radio’s Gabrielle Kwarteng. Other b2b sets to come from HE.SHE.THEY. include SYREETA and Dutch party starter Benny Rodrigues, alongside Amsterdam locals Carlos Valdes and Kyra Khaldi, and Berlin-based DJ-producer Elisa Elisa.

Photo Credit: Tim Wildsmith

California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoes the AI safety bill SB 1047 despite its overwhelming Hollywood support.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that took aim at the ever-increasing risks of advanced generative artificial intelligence models. The bill, SB 1047, became the most hotly debated topic at the session, as numerous opponents and supporters lined up on either side.

Newsom wrote an accompanying letter with his veto, explaining that while the bill addresses a genuine issue, it does not establish the appropriate regulatory framework. “I do not believe this is the best approach to protecting the public from real threats posed by the technology,” Newsome wrote. “Ultimately, any framework for effectively regulating AI needs to keep pace with the technology itself.”

While announcing the veto over the weekend, Newsom also said he would convene experts to develop regulations to promote the safe development of AI. He says he will continue working on the issue in 2025.

Still, the news is devastating to the bill’s many supporters, which include the Hollywood actors’ union SAG-AFTRA, which has been perhaps the most outspoken on the looming threat of AI using actors and creatives’ likenesses and work without their consent.

Additionally, a group known as Artists For Safe AI released an open letter last week in support of the bill, which includes signatories J.J. Abrams, Rob Reiner, Jane Fonda, Mark Hamill, and numerous other actors, writers, and directors.

“It really stems from the fact we have experienced firsthand the dangers of one aspect of AI,” said Jeffrey Bennett, general counsel for SAG-AFTRA. “This bill seems to be the one bill that targets only the incredibly powerful expensive systems that have the capability to cause a mass critical problem. Why not regulate at that level? Why not build in some sensible, basic safety protocols at this stage of the game?”

SAG-AFTRA has supported two other AI-related bills in California this year designed to regulate the use of AI in the entertainment sector. Newsom signed both earlier this month.

Photo Credit: Kris Kristofferson by Stefan Brending (2eight) / CC by 3.0

Singer-songwriter and actor Kris Kristofferson has passed away at age 88, surrounded by his family at his Maui home.

Kris Kristofferson, singer-songwriter, country star, and Hollywood actor, has passed away, confirmed by his family spokesperson Ebie McFarland. He was 88.

According to McFarland, Kristofferson died at his home in Maui, Hawaii, on Saturday. He died peacefully, surrounded by his family. No official cause of death was provided.

The Brownsville, Texas native started writing music in the late 1960s, penning such standards as “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” “For the Good Times,” “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” and “Me and Bobby McGee.” While he was a singer himself, many of his songs are better known as performed by others, like Janis Joplin’s version of “Me and Bobby McGee,” and Ray Price’s cover of “For the Good Times.”

“There’s no better songwriter alive than Kris Kristofferson,” said Willie Nelson at a 2009 BMI award ceremony for Kristofferson. “Everything he writes is a standard and we’re all just going to have to live with that.”

Kristofferson also enjoyed a successful acting career, starring in films like Martin Scorsese’s 1974 film “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” opposite Barbra Streisand in “A Star Is Born” in 1976, and alongside Wesley Snipes in Marvel’s 1998 vampire flick “Blade.”

In 1973, he married songwriter Rita Coolidge, and the two enjoyed a successful duet career that earned them a pair of Grammy awards before they divorced in 1980.

In the mid-1980s, Kristofferson created the country supergroup The Highwaymen alongside Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Waylon Jennings. The group released three albums between 1985 and 1995. Jennings died in 2002, while Cash passed away a year later.

Though he retired from performing and recording in 2021, Kristofferson made occasional guest appearances on stage, such as a performance with Johnny Cash’s daughter Rosanne at Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday celebration in 2023.

Photo Credit: American Music Awards

The AMAs announce the lineup ahead of the 50th anniversary event, featuring Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Mariah Carey, Brad Paisley, and more.

The American Music Awards is gearing up to celebrate its 50th anniversary, and CBS has announced the lineup alongside Dick Clark Productions for the star-studded event. Brad Paisley, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Green Day, Jennifer Hudson, Kane Brown, Mariah Carey, RAYE, and Stray Kids will all perform for the AMAs 50th Anniversary Special.

The two-hour event will also feature appearances by Carrie Underwood, Gloria Estefan, and Jennifer Lopez, as well as a special appearance by Jimmy Kimmel. More performers and guest appearances will be announced in the coming days.

Airing on Sunday, October 6, at 8:00-10:00 PM ET and 5:00-7:00 PM PT on CBS and streaming on Paramount+, the AMAs 50th Anniversary Special celebrates half a century of “groundbreaking music, iconic moments, unforgettable performances, and rich pop culture history.”

Two-time AMA winner Brad Paisley will honor the late Charley Pride, the first AMA winner for Country Male and Country Album, as well as perform his new single. Chaka Khan will celebrate 50 years of achievements by female artists at the AMAs with a special performance of her classic hit, “I Am Every Woman.”

The incomparable Gladys Knight — a seven-time AMA winner who first performed at the event in 1974 — will return to the stage for a performance of “Midnight Train to Georgia.” Three-time AMA winners Green Day will perform their latest No. 1 hit, “Dilemma,” to celebrate the history of rock music at the AMAs.

Jennifer Hudson will honor 22-time AMA winner Whitney Houston — one of the top AMA winners of all time — with a tribute performance. Five-time AMA winner Kane Brown will celebrate the legacy of country music at the AMAs with a performance of classic and current hits.

Meanwhile, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Emancipation of Mimi, ten-time AMA winner Mariah Carey will perform a medley of hits from her album. Singer-songwriter RAYE will perform the James Brown classic, “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” for a retrospective on the American Music Award of Merit. Finally, K-pop sensations Stray Kids will deliver a special performance honoring the legacy of boy bands at the AMAs.

The program will feature themed highlights from the AMAs’ expansive show archives, with segments looking back at the evolution of specific artists and genres, as well as award and performance milestones.

The world’s largest fan-voted award show, the American Music Awards, will return in May 2025.

Photo Credit: Oasis

For North American fans who couldn’t stomach the high dynamic pricing for Oasis tickets in the United Kingdom—good news! Oasis is ready to embark on their North American tour dates.

The duo recently shared several photos of large advertisements on buildings in New York City, Chicago, and Toronto. “Be careful what you wish for,” the advertisement reads, with images of both Noel and Liam Gallagher gracing the huge billboards. The advertisement teases an announcement tomorrow (September 30) at 8 am ET.

The Times Square billboard in New York also appeared to reveal that Amazon Music will be a sponsor of their North American tour. “If we need to put up a billboard to get these guys to come to the States, here it is,” the message reads. These teasers follow the massive surge in interest for Oasis following the announcement of their reunion tour dates in August.

The Gallagher brothers have slated multiple dates in the United Kingdom, including visits to Manchester, London, Edinburgh, Dublin, and Cardiff for what are described as their only shows in Europe for 2025. Both Liam and Noel have teased an extended international tour. “Plans are underway for Oasis Live ‘25 to go to other continents outside of Europe later next year,” the statement says.

Oasis split in 2009 after several years of in-fighting between the brothers. Noel Gallagher officially left the band just before a performance at a festival near Paris that year. Both Gallagher brothers have long had an antagonistic relationship, leaving many fans to joke that the group will break up again before this reunion tour is over.

“People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer,” Noel wrote in a statement about his departure at the time. While the brothers never worked together again since that breakup, both often featured Oasis songs at their solo gigs. One catalyst for the reunion could be Noel’s recent divorce.

Noel Gallagher and Sara MacDonald announced their divorce in January 2023 after 22 years of marriage. Speculation from fans suggest Noel is seeking to rebuild his fortune, or that he wanted to reunite with Liam post-wife since she reportedly did not like Liam. Liam himself has blamed Sara for the group’s split. “”[Noel’s] desperate to get Oasis back but he knows he’s crossed that bridge. I know for a fact, deep down, he wants to be playing stadiums… You can only play stadiums when I’m there,” Liam said.

Photo Credit: YouTube

This weekend YouTube claimed that its SESAC contract expired without a renewal, resulting in some of the most popular music being pulled from YouTube and YouTube Music.

Searching for music from Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Britney Spears, Green Day, Kanye West, Burna Boy, and many more stars simply returns an error. “Video unavailable,” the error begins. “This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country.”

YouTube told DMN that its licensing deal with SESAC expired this weekend without renewal. “Our music license agreement with SESAC has expired without an agreement on renewal conditions despite our best efforts,” the YouTube Support account on X/Twitter told a frustrated user. “For this reason, we have blocked content on YouTube in the US known to be associated with SESAC—as in line with copyright law.”

SESAC is a performance rights organization that has been around since 1930. It currently licenses the public performance of more than 1.5 million songs on behalf of 15,000+ affiliated songwriters, composers, and music publishers. In 2017, SESAC was acquired by the private equity firm Blackstone. It’s unclear how long contract negotiations for YouTube have been ongoing—but for now SESAC-represented content is blacked out in the United States.

What makes the situation worse is that not all works appear to have been blacked out. The Verge reports that Kanye West’s song “Power” is blocked, but the music video version plays just fine. An unnamed source speaking to Variety about the issue claims it could be a negotiating tactic on YouTube’s part, as the actual SESAC licensing deal does not expire until next week. This wouldn’t be the first time YouTube has attempted to strong-arm a rights agreement.

In 2017, YouTube pulled music in Finland while negotiating witih the local copyright society Teosto. That happened around the same time as the Finnish Independence Day celebration, leaving Finns unable to listen to performances of their national anthem on YouTube. The result was lots of anger directed at Teosto for the removals—but not much redirected at YouTube for the removal in the first place.

Spotify stock cooled slightly during trading on Friday, September 27th, after cracking a record high earlier in the week.

Spotify stock (NYSE: SPOT) has cooled after touching a record high of nearly $400 per share following TikTok Music’s shutdown announcement. Ahead of the streaming giant’s newly scheduled Q3 2024 earnings release, where will shares go from here?

That question is front of mind for many – including the long list of analysts who are banking on continued SPOT growth in the coming months. We’ve already covered the corresponding ratings and target prices, some of which anticipate Spotify stock cracking $500 per share, in detail.

But we’ve also acknowledged the smaller number of less enthusiastic SPOT positions, which, generally speaking, stem from concerns about subscriber growth and content costs. Furthermore, when trading wrapped today, Spotify stock was worth $369.20 per share – down nearly 3% from open and roughly $20 from the initially mentioned 52-week high.

It is, of course, too early to tell whether the dip is a sign of things to come. There’s always a degree of uncertainty in the market, and particularly today’s market. Previously, SPOT in 2021 found itself in a similar value position, complete with bullish analyst forecasts, before tumbling beneath its IPO price the next year.

Focusing on what we do know, however, there are a couple key differences between the 2021 version of Spotify and its comparatively lean operation today.

In short, much (but not all) wasteful spending has been trimmed, profitability is now a key objective as opposed to an essential impossibility, management has embraced price increases, and multiple expansions (audiobooks, video, and more) are underway.

On the other side of that coin, though, SPOT’s latest ascent looks to be fueled in large part by expectations of continued subscriber growth and profitability. Few took notice of Spotify’s monthly-user miss in Q2 (probably because subscribers topped guidance), but user additions may be slowing for the business.

Running with the point, a Spotify profit and/or subscriber miss in Q3 would, to put it mildly, be a very big deal. The company yesterday disclosed that it would post those third-quarter financials after market close on Tuesday, November 12th.

(While not necessarily worth reading into, the last time Spotify revealed quarterly earnings after market close as opposed to before trading’s start was Q3 2022, when it missed guidance for both margin and operating income/loss).

As we await that earnings release, with Spotify insiders prohibited by company policy from selling shares at present, tracking high-value SPOT sales could prove insightful.

(For another pertinent parenthetical, Spotify’s insider-trading blackout policy specifically prevents execs and board members from buying or selling shares beginning on “the fifteenth day of the last month of each fiscal quarter” – or, for Q3, the current month – until “the open of the market of the first trading day after the public release of the quarter’s earnings.”)

In the second quarter, Select Equity Group decreased its Spotify holdings by 17.9% to approximately 141,000 shares, a regulatory filing recently indicated.

Photo Credit: Myznik Egor

For the first time in 46 years, the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) musicians have called a strike against their employer, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Here’s the latest.

More than 90 musicians have joined the strike after negotiations began in May but have not progressed as both parties remain far apart on wages and other important issues. The musicians are supported by their union, the DC Federation of Musicians, Local 161-170, American Federation of Musicians. They are seeking reasonable wage increases that average a 6.25% increase over the next four years.

Those increases recognize that the musicians have seen their pay decrease by about 15% since the beginning of their last contract, which took effect September 2019 and expired September 2024. The 15% decline in real wages does not account for the fact that each NSO musician voluntarily gave back a minimum of $60,000 in salary during the pandemic.

After walking off the job this morning, the musicians set up a picket line outisde the Kennedy Center. They are taking advantage of their unique talents to supplement the demonstration with musical performances. The strike imperils the musicians’ Season Opening Gala this Saturday, and it will continue until the Kennedy Center agrees to fair terms in a new collective bargaining agreement.

“All across the country, we’ve seen employers agree to contracts with substantial wage increases in recognition of the impact that inflation has had on employees’ cost of living,” says Ed Malaga, President of the DC Federation of Musicians, Local 161-170, American Federation of Musicians. “The music world is no different. Just a few weeks ago, the New York Philharmonic demonstrated its commitment to compensating its musicians in the manner they deserve, agreeing to wage increases of 10% per year over three years.”

“The Boston Symphony negotiated a similar contract last August. The musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra are standing together and demanding that the Kennedy center show the same respect.”

AFM President Tino Gagliardi also released a statement in support of these striking musicians. “The full resources of the AFM will be utilized in maximum to support the musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra in their strike,” Gagliardi told Digital Music News. “I find it particularly abhorrent that Deborah Rutter, President of the Kennedy Center, feels she deserves to be paid commensurate with her peer group but does not respect the orchestra similarly.”

“Nobody pays to see Deborah Rutter perform; they pay to see the world-class musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra. We have bargained in good faith with the Kennedy Center, but it is clear they have no respect for the orchestra and Rutter and her team do not recognize the value of the musicians. The musicians bring cultural integrity to the United States and world audiences, and Rutter and the Kennedy Center bring disappointment and embarrassment to their iconic cultural organization. Shame on them.”

Santa Monica is famous for many things, but three popular landmarks top the city’s list of must-see spectacles: the pier, the beach, and TrueTone Music. Run by musicians, for musicians, TrueTone is an independently owned and operated guitar shop that attracts local and touring musicians alike. Over three decades in business, TrueTone has established itself as a destination spot for the greater Los Angeles area—and the rest of the world as well. 

The following comes from Crewest Studio, a company DMN is proud to be partnering with.

Welcome to The Conduit, a podcast featuring candid conversations with professional musicians who give listeners the unvarnished truth about being an artist in the music business today. In today’s episode, host and LA-based DJ, producer, and musician Dan Ubick (aka Constantine “Connie” Price) sits down with TrueTone co-owners Sunir Patel and Paul Flynn to discuss the success story behind their legendary guitar shop. “[TrueTone Music] really is the people,” says Paul. “We can put whatever gear [we want] up on the walls. You can’t just get a room and put gear in it, and people will come in and buy it. It does not work that way.” 

“The vast majority of the [staff] has been there for 10-plus years,” Sunir adds. “That’s a really big thing. The most important part of the vibe and the culture of the store are all the guys working there.”

In today’s conversation, Paul and Sunir discuss TrueTone’s origin story, the timeless quality of guitar-based music, and the major differences between their indie shop and the big-box retailers. Tuning in, you’ll also gain insight into the inner workings of TrueTone, including their commitment to creating a welcoming community that treats regular customers like celebrities and celebrities like regular people. (That said, TrueTone has seen its fair share of musical luminaries, including Prince, Andy Summers, Reverend Billy Gibbons, Tenacious D, Tom Petty, and Steely Dan, among others.

As you’ll discover in today’s episode, both Paul and Sunir harbor a deep love for music and the people who craft it, regardless of their celebrity status. They believe it’s the people, not the gear, who make TrueTone Music the special place it is. “If we keep making customers happy, we can keep doing this,” says Paul on their plans for the future. “It’s as simple as that. We like what we do, we like the customers, we like the gear. It’s generally a very nice work environment!”

Music festivals in the States and Down Under are still grappling with the consequences of the abrupt Lyte implosion. Photo Credit: Hanny Naibaho

The Lyte shutdown’s fallout isn’t finished yet, as two music festivals are pushing back against claims that they used the defunct platform to scalp their own tickets. Meanwhile, the episode’s ripples are still being felt all the way in Australia.

These developments stem from the well-funded ticketing company’s abrupt cessation of operations earlier in September. We’ve covered the trainwreck situation every step of the way since then, including with a deep-dive analysis, multiple looks at the impacted festival organizers’ responses, and a breakdown of lawsuits filed by Lost Lands as well as North Coast Music Festival (NCMF).

In brief, the companies behind those happenings are suing Lyte for owed ticket-sale payments that failed to go out due to the platform’s shutdown. DMN obtained the Lost Lands suit, much of which is redacted, and conveyed the brass-tacks takeaways.

Beyond that analysis of the actual complaint, we also cited allegations made in a report from Billboard, which maintained in more words that the events’ organizers had transferred certain passes to Lyte, marked up the prices, and then taken a piece of the resulting revenue.

However, that’s not actually how things went down, according to statements from NCMF and Lost Lands as well as remarks forwarded to DMN by a rep for the former. Long story short, Billboard has updated its piece “to more accurately describe NCMF’s lawsuit against Lyte,” while The Festive Owl, another early coverer, then offered a clarification on its Billboard citation.

Stated bluntly, though the festivals are ticked off about the situation and concerned with potentially negative coverage, the ticket-scalping claims don’t appear too damaging in a sub-sector where astronomically inflated prices are in many ways the norm.

Furthermore, ongoing fan demands to receive compensation for passes sold via Lyte seem comparatively pressing for Lost Lands, which announced a related reimbursement program earlier this week. Despite warning of the “very high cost” and many moving parts involved with coughing up cash for Lyte’s apparent operational failure, Lost Lands is still facing a steady stream of related fan complaints on social media.

In the interest of leaving no stone unturned on the scalping-allegation side, Lost Lands also addressed the topic, writing: “Each year of the festival, there are some payment plans that fail close to the event date.

“This year, there were a very small number of tickets released in this process due to the event being sold out. LYTE had a significant waitlist of people hoping to attend the event, so instead of relaunching tickets on [Live Nation’s] Front Gate, we fulfilled a few hundred tickets to this waitlist on LYTE at final tier pricing,” proceeded the event.

Admittedly, that statement might seem curious in light of the estimated $600,000+ Lost Lands’ organizer said it could be owed from Lyte in the appropriate complaint. Nevertheless, there are, as noted, bigger fish to fry for the festival than any scalping claims.

Shifting to the initially mentioned Lyte-related ripples hitting Australia, we’ve provided several updates on the ticketing struggles of Lost Paradise (set to kick off on December 28th) and Rabbits Eat Lettuce (teed up for an April 17th start).

With more time to spare before its next edition, Rabbits Eat Lettuce promptly pivoted its tickets to Humanitix; Lost Paradise, on the other hand, had tapped Lyte for primary ticketing and has seen its sales paused as a result.

Lost Paradise doesn’t appear to have revealed new ticket-sale plans of its own, but per Pollstar, the 5,000-capacity event has about 500 unsold passes at present.

Photo Credit: Proper Music Group

Proper Group, formerly Utopia Music, appeals against Swiss bankruptcy proceedings over an unpaid invoice.

Proper Music Group, the Swiss company formerly known as Utopia Music, has been hit with bankruptcy proceedings in Swiss court after the group failed to attend a court hearing related to a debt of 23,000 Swiss Francs ($27,360). The provisional announcement of bankruptcy was filed on Tuesday, September 24.

“We are disappointed that bankruptcy proceedings have been triggered. Our company was unfortunately unaware that legal proceedings over a minor debt were taking place, and as a result we were not represented at the court hearing,” said Proper Group in a statement to Digital Music News. “Our debt has now been settled, and we are, of course, appealing this decision. Recent positive developments in the business have placed us on track to near-term cash flow positivity, with clear prospects of profitability by 2025, so we expect to reach a favorable outcome.”

The company’s inability to represent itself at the court hearing stems from industry-wide downsizing that left no appropriate staff in Proper Group’s Swiss offices to receive and process the hearing notice. As a result, Proper is ensuring mechanisms are in place to prevent something similar happening again.

Regardless, the bankruptcy proceedings will require the company to demonstrate in court that not only has this debt been settled, but the company is more “generally solvent.” This isn’t the first financial or legal challenge faced by Proper Group this year, following an intense acquisition spree that cooled significantly and left many companies across Europe forced into insolvency proceedings.

But changes in leadership and direction at the company following a boardroom coup initiated by its key investors late last year have worked to stabilize Proper and correct its heading. Even so, the company is still dealing with significant legal and financial difficulties, including multi-million pound insolvency proceedings in the UK related to its subsidiary Utopia UK, and a court judgment related to its failed acquisition of US royalty finance firm Lyric Financial. The latter still leaves Proper Group owing over $1.8 million to Lyric’s founders, with daily mounting interest.

Proper has until October 7 to file its appeal with the Swiss courts in order to stop bankruptcy proceedings.

Photo Credit: Killphonic Rights

Killphonic Rights raises $3 million and forms a partnership with Stilwell Creative Capital.

LA-based management company Killphonic Rights has announced a partnership with Stilwell Creative Capital, who is investing $3 million in working capital for a proportional stake of equity in Killphonic. The new partnership and investment will go toward expanding services for the company’s rapidly growing roster of artists, songwriters, labels, and publishers.

Through this partnership, Stilwell will tap into Killphonic’s deep knowledge base and staff of industry veterans to increase collections and licensing opportunities for the growing catalog of rights the fund has acquired.

“Throughout this process, we were incredibly impressed by the Killphonic leadership team’s innovative approach to right management and the depth of their industry knowledge,” said Stilwell CEO Brian Baum. “In the near term, we feel that Killphonic will be an invaluable partner in monetizing the songs in our catalog. In the long term, we are excited about Killphonic’s potential to build the music industry’s preeminent rights management business.”

The partnership was orchestrated by Amanda Schupf of MAX Music Management and Consulting, who played a pivotal role in both connecting and advising the parties throughout the process. This ensured that both sides aligned on critical terms, market vision, and the future role of Killphonic and Stilwell in the evolving music rights landscape. As part of this partnership, Amanda will be joining the Advisory Boards of both organizations, where she will continue to provide strategic guidance and industry expertise.

“When we went seeking investment, we thought that as a modern music company, we would have to compromise something fairly large for the greater good of our artists and songwriters,” added Killphonic CEO Caleb Shreve. “We can’t believe that we found everything we wanted in Stilwell Creative Capital. CEO Brian Baum is a distinguished financial veteran with an equally top-tier passion for music. In my 25+ years in music, I haven’t met anyone with a stronger love for the art of music. There isn’t a partner other than Stilwell that we could imagine sharing the value and dedication to the art and its artists like we do.”

Before the end of 2023, CEO Caleb Shreve took an overwhelming majority stake after finalizing the repurchasing of equity from the company’s former founders.

Photo Credit: Musi

After ruffling some serious major label feathers, YouTube wrapper app Musi has now been removed from the App Store. The app provided a way for users to create playlists and stream music without paying for YouTube Premium. The app likely went against the YouTube developer terms of service for its API, with both Apple and Google/YouTube closing down the free lunch.

The YouTube API terms of service is very clear that ‘YouTube wrapper’ apps that enable features of YouTube Premium break its terms of service. “Your API client will not encourage or create functionality for your users or other third parties to separate, isolate, or modify the audio or video components of any YouTube audiovisual content made available through the YouTube API.”

That’s exactly what the Musi app permitted, allowing users on iOS to create playlists of their favorite songs with an option for ‘audio only’ for music videos uploaded to YouTube. Now the app appears to have been removed from the App Store, with developers posting in the reddit community three days ago to confirm the app’s removal.

“The app is currently unavailable while we address some comments relating to the App Store. We don’t have an estimated time as to when it’ll be back but rest assured this has our top attention!,” the comment from the musi_app_support account reads. They have not addressed the concerns, but it’s also worth noting that Musi contained in-app purchases to remove ads from the app.

It’s worth noting that most people responding in the reddit thread concerning the removal are clearly using the app to avoid paying for services like Apple Music, Spotify, or YouTube Music. “I have been using Musi for almost seven years so far. And this is the first time Musi is not available for me. I really hope Musi soon becomes available again. I do not want to go back to Apple Music and pay $10 a month. No thanks. Musi please come back,” reads one comment asking for the return of the app.

YouTube is taking steps to crack down on wrapper apps like Musi, but they are a dime a dozen on both iOS and Android. Yet another app advertising the same features as Musi is called Demus and it offers the ability to bookmark favorite songs and music videos, sort songs, create playlists, view annual listening statistics (much like Spotify Wrapped), view song lyrics and artist bios, and stream content via AirPlay.

Are the original creators of musical works used to train AI models entitled to a stake in the resulting derivative songs? Germany’s GEMA believes so, and it’s announced a new licensing model in pursuit of the objective. Photo Credit: Luca Bravo

Once-off payments are inadequate for authors whose works have been used to train generative AI models – at least according to Germany’s GEMA, which says it’s created the “first licensing model” tackling royalties racked up by derivative songs.

The Berlin-based collecting society and PRO reached out with an overview of the royalties framework, which it initially unveiled at the Reeperbahn Festival earlier in September. At the top level, it’s worth noting that this push for bolstered author protections has arrived amid the implementation of the EU’s sweeping AI Act.

Among many other things, the latter is expected to compel generative-model developers to disclose precise details about the media used to train their systems. That will presumably set the stage for the relevant recording and compositional rightsholders to seek payments for their IP’s (unauthorized) use.

But what about when AI factors prominently into works performed in public establishments? Just scratching the surface here, far-reaching questions remain with regard to measuring the percentage of each creation that’s attributable to AI.

That’s a departure from the comparatively straightforward existing process of identifying public plays (preferably with exact measurements as opposed to extrapolations) and then compensating the appropriate authors accordingly.

Perhaps more pressingly on the AI side, what about the public performance of derivative works that only exist thanks to generative models that were trained (with or without permission) on protected music?

Of course, there aren’t any direct answers at present – with even larger unknowns when it comes to developing a system to register the usages, particularly in light of the ongoing legal battles over where the AI-training copyright line will be drawn.

Nevertheless, GEMA says it’s “the first collecting society worldwide to develop a licensing approach aiming to balance technological progress and the protection of creative work.”

“Pure remuneration through a buyout, i.e. a one-off lump sum payment for training data,” the organization proceeded, “is not nearly sufficient to compensate authors in view of the revenues that can be generated. The model provides for fair remuneration at a high level while keeping in mind that the market and its technical developments can change dramatically and rapidly.”

Rather, “authors must be adequately involved in the subsequent generation of AI content based on their creative work,” the entity emphasized.

It’d be an understatement to say that fleshing out, implementing, and ensuring compliance with this system will prove a tall task. DMN requested additional details from GEMA, which offered an overview in its formal release, but didn’t receive a response in time for publishing.

In any event, the push raises interesting questions about yet another component of the AI explosion. Pre-cleared music for use in public establishments (and specifically those that are unconcerned with playing today’s top hits) is more widely available than ever, and many of the involved companies are harnessing AI.

But multiple AI developers say their models didn’t train on protected media at all, and in the bigger picture, AI tracks will undoubtedly make a mainstream commercial splash at some point.

Flou’s legal drafting process in action.

Earlier this year, we first profiled Flou, an upstart company founded by Puerto Rican music attorney Alexiomar Rodríguez. Flou has a strikingly sensible mission: to transform the generally chaotic way music contracts and agreements are created, negotiated, and maintained throughout their life cycles. Several months later,  the company has successfully road-tested its platform with several early takers – and shared the early results with Digital Music News.

As any DMN reader can attest, the music industry is rife with legal warfare. Copyright battles, contract disputes, and even corporate espionage cram our pages daily, spanning the frivolous to the momentous. Garnering less attention is the contracting process itself, which can often devolve into a chaotic mess of wasted time, expensive legal bills — and if you’re really unlucky, full-blown legal battles that mar the creativity and partnerships involved.

Alexiomar Rodríguez, a music attorney who’s been in the weeds of these contracts for years, has set out to change that reality. Rodríguez’s answer is Flou, an all-in-one platform designed to streamline music contract management — from creation to execution and beyond. The company offers industry-specific templates, AI-assisted collaboration features, e-signature approvals, centralized storage, deliverables tracking, and a range of reminders during the pre- and post-signature phases of a contract’s lifecycle.

As part of its pitch, the company paints a stark contrast between the messiness of current contractual processes and the relaxed orderliness of automated templates, collaborative drafting, and AI-assisted agreement terms. On Flou’s site, the former features a stressed-out dragon surrounded by a swirl of papers; the latter features a happy dragon with a neatly arranged document interface. It’s Flou’s model in a nutshell.

Of course, the music industry is complex and demands a lot of different legal contracts to cover that complexity. But Flou and Rodríguez are determined to address that complexity with a wide range of music industry contracts, including work-for-hire agreements, production contracts, and artist-label contracts. Part of the company’s challenge will be to address all of those scenarios and their nuances, while staying on top of constant changes in agreements and partnership structures.

Regardless of the specific contracts, the game plan is the same: by translating complex legal obligations into manageable tasks, Flou simplifies compliance and reduces legal risks. The platform also offers educational resources to help users navigate the complexities of music agreements.

“The value proposition is the same for indie labels, publishers, and artists’ teams,” Rodríguez told DMN.  “Flou saves money on legal fees, saves time by automating your music contracts, and eliminates all the stress and sleepless nights.”

All of that sounds great in theory. But is it working?

Partnering with Digital Music News, Flou decided to share their early client stories with us. It’s a rare look into the early steps of a young company, with some early success metrics suggesting broader industry-wide changes.

So who were the first takers? 

Flou has the backing of mega-companies like Warner Music Group and Concord Music. But the real proof-of-concept is coming from smaller shops that desperately need simplified legal solutions.

For starters, larger companies are understandably hesitant to trigger extreme overhauls in their contracting processes, while smaller companies have the luxury of being more flexible.

Flou’s initial focus isn’t industry giants, but that’s exactly the point. Rodríguez says Flou is working closely with smaller outfits as its platform grows, an approach that also allows the company to refine its offerings during its developmental and ramp-up phases.

With that, here’s a look at two companies that have thoroughly road-tested Flou and relayed back some serious savings (and gains): Sash Media Group and One Music Global Publishing.

Case Study One: Sash Media Group

Sash Media Group, an Atlanta-based company focused on music production and record label services, faced a common challenge for new businesses: managing legal contracts without incurring exorbitant fees and extreme time drains. Founded by Grammy-winning producer Samuel Ash, the company works with top-tier artists in the US and Latin America, necessitating well-crafted contracts that protect all parties involved.

The Giant Challenge of Legal Organization

As a startup record label, Sash Media Group desperately needed a streamlined, affordable way to create and manage contracts. Traditional legal services, while comprehensive, often come with hefty price tags. Recognizing the importance of legally sound agreements, Ash tapped Flou as a potentially cost-effective solution that would equal the contractual quality that a serious attorney or law firm could offer.

Adding to the complexity for Flou, Sash’s unique business model required customized contracts that deviated from standard templates. There were numerous variations and special cases that demanded a flexible and adaptable legal solution.

Not an easy first client, but Sash Media Group initiated a partnership with Flou in an attempt to resolve those easily-stage issues. Fast-forward a few months, and the pilot has produced some substantive benefits, including lowered legal costs.

Despite being at an earlier stage of development, Flou has an extensive library of pre-approved templates in both English and Spanish. That met Sash’s initial contractual needs to get the partnership started.

“Creating agreements is quick and easy, allowing us to focus on working with the artists instead of trying to figure out all the paperwork,” Samuel Ash described.

Right off the bat, there was the classic challenge of dealing with PDF contracts. “Like many of our users, Sash had contracts they had previously paid a lawyer to draft, which were sent in PDF format,” Rodríguez relayed. “We helped convert those contracts into templates, turning them into automated Q&A forms so they no longer had to rely on manual ‘find and replace’ edits.”

Overall, the newfound efficiency enabled Sash to prioritize its core mission of producing and marketing music, resulting in a nice win. Focusing on the game plan, Rodríguez detailed how Flou’s platform met a number of Sash Media Group’s specific requirements.

Here’s what Rodríguez emphasized in the partnership:

An Ever-Growing Library of Templates: Flou provided a considerable selection of up-to-date, lawyer-approved contract templates in plain language, ensuring clarity and legal compliance.

One System for Contracts: Flou offered an all-in-one solution, covering the entire contract lifecycle from drafting to signing and beyond, eliminating the need for multiple tools and streamlining the process.

Lots of Support: Flou’s implementation team provided a considerable level of support, assisting Sash Media Group in creating a customized template within its first week of signing up.

And the Big Win: Lower Legal Costs: By leveraging Flou’s self-serve platform, Sash Media Group significantly reduced their reliance on external legal counsel, resulting in substantial cost savings.

That last gain is a big win for smaller outfits, many of which lack the big-level budgets of their larger competitors. It’s a major part of the Flou model and why Rodríguez initially wanted to focus on smaller plays.

The real kicker is that Samuel Ash reported saving over $3,000 in legal fees, a significant amount for a fledgling business. That’s not a six-figure windfall, though it offered a nice savings start that can be scaled – with the company planning to reinvest those funds into music production and marketing efforts.

Beyond the monetary savings, Flou’s platform simplified the contract management process, saving valuable time and resources. Samuel Ash emphasized the platform’s ease of use: “We saw the value within the first week of subscribing.”

Case Study Number Two: One Music Global Publishing – A Powerhouse In Latin Christian Music

In the vibrant Latin Christian music scene, One Music Global Publishing has emerged as a serious player for the genre’s top songwriters. This boutique publishing company, based in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, currently boasts a catalog of over five million monthly listeners on Spotify alone.

Already representing a range of established and up-and-coming songwriters, One Music is now focused on solidifying its position in the Latin Christian genre. That means continuing to build strong partnerships with the songwriters that are connecting the most with this audience.

One Music’s popularity has been growing in a solid genre – that’s the good news. But the company also found itself drowning in the complexities of managing contracts and ensuring the equitable distribution of royalties. The company felt that the traditional manual contract process was time-consuming and prone to errors, hindering the company’s efficiency and diverting valuable resources from strategic initiatives.

This is a growth-stage mess that Rodríguez was seeing first-hand while practicing law in Puerto Rico. The situation made One Music an obvious choice for an early client.

Taking things further, One Music also wanted to get its songwriters more involved in the contracting process itself. In short, One Music wanted a tool to empower its publishing team to take control of contract creation and management.

One Music’s requirements were clear: a self-service platform that would streamline the entire contract lifecycle, from drafting to signing and beyond. The platform needed to be user-friendly while enabling quick adoption and integration into their existing workflow. Additionally, real-time visibility into the status of contracts was crucial for identifying and addressing any bottlenecks.

At this point, Flou was already gaining traction as a contract management solution, so they were plucked as the answer to One Music’s needs. Flou’s implementation team jumped in with an onboarding process that included heavy support to get things off the ground.

With a focus on self-servicing, One Music’s publishing team gained the autonomy to create split sheets and other essential contracts using pre-approved templates and simple Q&A forms. This eliminated the need for constant legal intervention, freeing up valuable time and resources. The platform’s real-time tracking capabilities also provided a clear overview of contract statuses, enabling the One Music team to address any delays proactively.

Sounds great, though Rodríguez told DMN that One Music presented some unique challenges that tested Flou’s model.

For example, the label manages both authorized and unauthorized versions of their music, particularly those involving language translations (Spanish and Portuguese are favorites) and remixes (welcome to the modern fan economy).

Flou also helped One Music continue expanding into label and distribution services, which demanded more contractual support. “We had to add more contract templates,” Rodríguez explained.

After the transition towards automation and templating, One Music relayed some early-stage wins.

The biggest win was this: One Music witnessed a staggering 50% reduction in contract turnaround time. This newfound efficiency translated into a significant boost in productivity, allowing the team to focus on strategic initiatives rather than administrative tasks.

Joan Bonilla, founder and CEO of One Music, is now looking to expand the partnership. “Flou has revolutionized our contract management process,” he remarked. “Creating split sheets is now quick and foolproof, allowing us to focus more on expanding our songwriters’ business and less on paperwork.”

The benefits extended beyond time savings. Flou’s centralized platform eliminated the need to juggle multiple systems and manual filing, reducing errors and enhancing overall efficiency. Joan himself found more time to engage in high-value activities such as attending industry events and negotiating favorable deals for his clients.

Rodríguez says that Flou has enabled One Music to focus on its core mission: championing the voices of Christian Latin songwriters and building enduring legacies in the world of music.

Where Flou Is Headed Next

After working with these initial clients, Rodríguez is understandably pleased with the proof-of-concepts. Substantial cost and time savings are core to Flou’s model, but big wins also came in the form of self-service functionality, collaboration, and template flexibility.

In many cases, Flou quickly encounters the exact problem its model is trying to solve: a mountain of disorganized paperwork, digital or otherwise. “Most music companies still use MS Word, DocuSign, and spreadsheets to manage contracts, which leads to missed renewals, decentralized storage, and bottlenecks,” Rodríguez described.

“Our goal is to be the go-to solution for managing all contract-related paperwork in the music industry. So we are open to collaborating and integrating with all types of music companies and solutions.”

That said, Rodríguez feels the biggest challenge for companies is the growing volume of legal and contractual paperwork, based on initial client feedback and what he’s witnessing in the marketplace. That problem is particularly acute for companies that are shrinking in size in response to investor and Wall Street demands.

After working ‘in the wild’ and hearing actual client needs, the model is now expanding substantially towards developing APIs, white label solutions, and a self-service portal that labels and publishers can offer to their artists, producers, and songwriters.

Flou has also been focusing on AI applications, particularly around clause-specific training, advanced contract reviews, and deal suggestions driven by music data analytics.

“Music companies are shrinking in size, but still have to manage a huge amount of paperwork,” Rodríguez said. “Right now, Business & Legal Affairs departments are paying $65,000 to $75,000 a year, plus benefits, bonuses, and profit-sharing programs, to hire contract administrators.”

“Our overarching goal is to shrink the workload around contracts and shift companies more towards their core competencies – developing great music from legendary artists!”

Photo Credit: Level Music

A Warner Music Group-owned distribution company, Level Music, is shutting down next year as cutbacks continue.

Level Music, a Warner Music Group-owned distribution imprint, has announced this week it will be shutting down next year. The company is no longer accepting new songs for distribution and will discontinue all operations on July 31, 2025. Level made the announcement on its Instagram on Thursday (September 26) as well as in a letter to its clients.

“We’re honored to have supported all of the talented people who have used Level to share their music with the world over the years,” said Level Music.

Per the letter, the company said all live releases will automatically be taken down on November 18, but artists may request a takedown of any or all of their content before that date. Access to Level Wallet, which the company uses to pay out artist royalties, will cease operation on July 11.

Several Level Music artists and former employees revealed in 2022 that the company was having operational issues, which included the random removal of content, and difficulty receiving customer service to address the issues. Former employees told Billboard at the time that they believed this to be due to reduced headcount at Level Music.

WMG launched Level in 2018 to work more closely with young artists who weren’t already signed. The platform was known for releasing early music by Boyish, brakence, Dreamer Isioma, Remi Wolf, and Stephen Sanchez.

The shutdown comes amid a widespread round of restructuring at WMG, specifically Atlantic Music Group, including Atlantic Records, Elektra Records, 300 Entertainment, Fueled By Ramen, Roadrunner, and 10K Projects. Approximately 150 employees under the Atlantic Music Group banner have been let go over the last several weeks, while a number of executives are also stepping down. Further, Atlantic Music Group will be headed by 10K Projects founder and CEO Elliot Grainge.

“We’re focusing all of our efforts behind the ADA brand, as we continue to strengthen our global suite of services for artists and label partners across the independent community,” Warner Music Group told Billboard. “We’re taking a truly global approach, and investing in our team and technology, with some exciting announcements in the works.”

Lost Lands has announced a program to compensate fans who are owed ticket-sale cash from Lyte following its abrupt shutdown. Photo Credit: Krists Luhaers

As music festivals grapple with continued fallout from ticketing platform Lyte’s abrupt shutdown, Lost Lands is now offering to compensate fans for owed payments.

Lost Lands took to social media to reveal the support plan, with less than a week having passed since its 2024 edition’s start. As we previously covered, the Apex-organized event is one of the many festivals affected by Lyte’s sudden cessation of operations.

DMN Pro’s latest weekly report provides a deep-dive analysis into the multifaceted situation, including the circumstances surrounding Lyte’s apparent implosion and the far-reaching consequences it’s bringing about.

Long story short, several festivals say they received no notice whatsoever before Lyte went dark. For Lost Lands and others that have already taken place, this means fans are out cash for sold passes (justifiably irked individuals are still penning related posts on Reddit) and organizers are seemingly awaiting their share of sizable ticket-sale payments.

(Forthcoming festivals are facing different but equally pressing problems. Australia’s similarly named but distinct Lost Paradise, set to kick off on December 28th, confirmed on Tuesday that the sale of passes remains “on hold” due to the absence of Lyte.)

At an especially difficult time for festivals, the missing revenue is, of course, a very big deal. Lost Lands’ Apex organizer is suing Lyte for its share of allegedly due ticket-sale revenue (over $600,000), besides damages and more to boot.

But against the backdrop of slipping festival attendance and recession concerns, perhaps just as important for organizers is keeping attendees and would-be attendees happy. And on this front, one needn’t look far to find frustrated social-media comments directed at festivals affected by the Lyte shutdown.

That these festivals aren’t responsible for the turn of events appears to be of little concern to the complaining customers, whose various remarks, making for a steady stream of less-than-positive feedback when considered as a whole, are hardly good for business.

Enter Lost Lands’ decision to reimburse fans who “are stuck in limbo as their money is being held by the company which has ceased operations.”

The same image message emphasizes that Lyte “has gone silent” and drives home the “very high cost” of the payments move for Lost Lands itself.

Fans who sold passes via Lyte can now submit to Lost Lands “a claim with proof of what they are owed.” From there, the festival’s team will take until November 6th “to review and verify” the submissions “due to the complexity of this issue.” Eligible parties should then receive payments by November 20th, according to Lost Lands’ post.

“We hope this will be received as a gesture of goodwill from us to our community, who we want to support through this situation,” the text indicates closer to its end. (Incidentally, it’s unclear whether the plan is, in fact, being received as a gesture of goodwill from the entirety of the Lost Lands community, certain members of which are currently taking aim at the festival’s email response times.)

As for the fate of Lyte, a liquidator is reportedly working to find a buyer for the business’s assets – though the results of this process, not to mention fan and festival reimbursements as well as creditor recoupments, remain to be seen.

Despite its recent forecast of solid subscription-revenue growth through 2028, Universal Music Group has yet to see shares rebound to their pre-Q2-earnings price. Photo Credit: Coolcaesar

Earlier in September, on the heels of a Q2 subscription-growth slowdown, Universal Music Group forecasted solid paid-streaming increases through 2028. But at least for now, investors aren’t rallying behind the major label’s stock.

At the time of writing, Universal Music shares (UMG on the Euronext Amsterdam) were hovering around $26.22/€23.44 apiece – reflecting a small gain on the day and from late August. However, the value is well beneath the $31/€28 or so UMG was fetching towards July’s end but ahead of its second-quarter earnings release.

In that Q2 performance breakdown, the professional home of Taylor Swift, Ice Spice, and Drake pointed to comparatively modest year-over-year subscription-revenue growth of 6.5% to $1.27 billion (€1.14 billion) on the recorded side. Ad-supported recorded revenue slipped 4.2% YoY to $383.44 million/€343 million, per the analysis.

Evidently, the relative subscription-expansion plateau didn’t sit right with the market. UMG plummeted by nearly 25% following the report’s release, and as noted, shares have yet to fully recover.

That’s particularly interesting in light of the revamped growth forecast put out by the business on September 17th, directly before its 2024 Capital Markets Day presentation. As described in this resource, Universal Music is targeting a minimum 7% compound annual growth rate for total revenue through its 2028 fiscal year, fueled in part by an 8% to 10% CAGR specifically for subscription-streaming revenue.

Of course, the forecast represents a boost from the subscription-revenue improvement delivered by Q2 – and, at the high end of the new estimate, the improvement associated with H1 2024. Time will tell whether the prediction comes to fruition and whether UMG shares regain their lost ground.

Closer to the present, it’s worth reiterating a couple noteworthy points on this front. First is the just 2.7% YoY subscriber expansion the RIAA attributed to the U.S. music market for H1 2024. Though paid on-demand streaming also brought a 5.1% YoY recorded-revenue jump as laid out in the same report, both figures fell short of those tied to all of 2023 (5.7% subscriber growth and 10.6% subscription-revenue growth).

Next, Warner Music Group, still making sweeping organizational and personnel changes under Robert Kyncl, posted noticeably different Q2 earnings details than UMG and took the opportunity to drive home its bullish streaming-buildout vision.

Meanwhile, the majors’ relative streaming-growth woes haven’t come at the expense of Spotify (NYSE: SPOT). Notwithstanding its core product’s reliance on the catalogs of Universal Music, Warner Music, Sony Music, and other rightsholders, the platform is riding high in terms of its own subscriber-expansion forecasts and stock price.

The latter cracked a day-end record yesterday and, despite dipping a bit during Thursday’s early trading, has almost doubled since the top of 2024.

Photo Credit: Live Nation

Live Nation has plans to build a temporary, open-air music venue for 50,000 people on the grounds of the former Downsview Airport (YZD) in north Toronto.

“This was a natural response to an unprecedented level of stadium-level artists on the road today,” said President, Music, Live Nation Canada Erik Hoffman at a press conference alongside Premier Doug Ford and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. “We now have another home for them to perform. The Rogers Stadium will host its first concerts in June 2025.

Live Nation says there will be an emphasis on catering to the diverse communities of the greater Toronto area, with some of the acts scheduled including some of the biggest names in K-pop, Afrobeats, Latin, and Punjabi music. The new venue is being positioned as a major upgrade from the current stage at Downsview, which has a capacity of 40,000. Hoffman described the new venue as a “premium music festival.” Live Nation has declined to share the expected cost of the project.

Rogers Stadium will operate seasonally and is expected to provide a boost to the province’s arts, culture, and tourism sectors. The 150-hectare Downsview Airport Lands are in the early phases of a three-decades long residential and commercial redevelopment plan led by Northcrest Developments. The Rogers Stadium will operate for several years before the land is turned into neighborhoods intended to house more than 55,000 people.

“The number of stadium-level acts touring today is unprecedented, with more acts than available nights at existing venues,” Hoffman continues. “That’s why we’re making this investment—to ensure Toronto fans don’t miss out on world-class artists. Rogers Stadium will not only meet this demand but also offer a premium stadium show experience, combined with the festival vibe that our fans love.”

“This is a natural evolution of our stadium programming and we’re excited to bring this new venue to life with our partners at Rogers while continuing to book world-class shows at Rogers Centre as well.”

“I’m so pleased to welcome Live Nation and the future Rogers Stadium to YZD,” adds Premier Doug Ford. “This exciting venue will bring even more tourists and investment to our province, boosting local business, creating new jobs, and drawing in artists and events from around the world.”

Rogers Stadium will be strategically positioned at the north end of the former airport’s runway, serving as the temporary live venue as the $30 billion construction masterplan unfolds over the coming years. The stadium is centrally located, with easy access to highways and public transit connections. Live Nation expects the stadium to inject an estimated $80-$100M into the local economy during its operation.

An aerial shot of Vancouver. Photo Credit: Aditya Chinchure

Major streaming platforms and record labels are once again pushing back against Canada’s controversial Online Streaming Act as well as wider broadcasting reforms, purportedly including an effort to apply radio regulations to on-demand services.

Music Canada (which counts as members the major labels’ Canadian divisions) and DIMA (which reps streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music) expressed these concerns in a letter to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

That’s the Canadian government agency tasked with enforcing the mentioned Online Streaming Act, an amendment to and expansion of the existing Broadcasting Act. In brief, the majors and leading streaming services have for some time been challenging the law, which is complete with a 5% tax for on-demand platforms.

(We previously took a closer look at the tax’s specifics and the mentioned parties’ legal challenges, besides providing a detailed breakdown of what exactly the voluminous Online Streaming Act means for services.)

Said challenges have coincided with an apparently involved implementation process, which is mapped out on the CRTC website. Most recently, this process earlier in September brought multiple “engagement sessions,” several of which drew participation from Music Canada and DIMA members.

Now, having been encouraged to provide written feedback on the sessions, the organizations are taking the opportunity to drive home their belief that “radio and audio streaming are not the same.”

“Out of context,” they wrote, “it might seem odd for the largest streaming services and major music labels in Canada to write to a regulator asserting a truism, but we believe that the recent workshops have made this necessary.

“From the discussion guide to the moderated questions, there was a clear attempt to place the continuation of radio regulations on audio streaming services as an obvious next step. We do not agree.”

As the implementation inches forward, the organizations are calling on the CRTC to “think of the streaming services and their interactions with Canadians for what they are today and not as a proxy to the broadcasting system of the 1900s.”

Streaming, the entities indicated in more words, is tailored to personal listening preferences, encompasses a wide variety of content and features, supports more discoverability than radio, and drives global consumption as opposed to only local listening.

Moving forward, it’ll be worth monitoring the impact of these and other comments from DIMA and Music Canada. However, as alluded to, the wider broadcast-framework reform won’t happen overnight. The CRTC’s website describes several unfinished steps, with the agency seemingly “targeting launch late 2025” for the new full-scale regulatory structure.

Photo Credit: Ye by Pieter-Jannick Dijkstra / CC by 2.0

The class action lawsuit against Adidas over the company’s partnership with Kanye West, despite his erratic behavior, has been dismissed with prejudice.

The investor class action litigation against Adidas over their alleged prior knowledge of Kanye West’s “erratic behavior” has been officially dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. The lawsuit was initially dismissed back in August, citing insufficient evidence.

Filed by the HRSA-ILA Funds, the lawsuit asserted that Adidas failed to reveal to investors Kanye’s inappropriate behavior between 2013 and 2018 and their own internal apprehensions about working with him. But the court found insufficient evidence to show misleading statements that may have affected investors.

“Certainly, that [Kanye] allegedly engaged in such behavior while working with Adidas is troubling,” said Judge Karin J. Immergut at the time. “This Court does not condone what the Plaintiff allegedly did. But the question before this Court is not whether to admonish [Kanye] or hold Adidas accountable for his conduct.”

“Has [HRSA-ILA Funds] sufficiently pleaded facts showing that Adidas misled investors and thereby committed federal securities fraud? On the current record before this Court, the answer is no,” concluded Judge Immergut. “Based on the Court’s Opinion and Order granting Defendants Adidas AG’s […] Motions to Dismiss, it is ordered and adjudged that this action is dismissed with prejudice.”

Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, was bringing in over a billion dollars with his Adidas-Yeezy partnership by 2021, which accounted for 8% of Adidas’ revenue and over 40% of its profits. But beginning in 2013, investors alleged that the company was aware of the “troubling potential” of its partnership with the rapper.

Ye’s erratic behavior escalated with his antisemitic rants on social media in 2022, which led to Adidas cutting him loose despite the financial trepidation in doing so. Last year, the company’s revenue had dropped by $1.3 billion over the decision to sever ties with West.

Photo Credit: Edgar Barrera & Jorge Mejia (Sony Music Publishing)

Sony Music Publishing Latin announces the renewal of its global publishing deal with Edgar Barrera.

Sony Music Publishing Latin has announced the renewal of its global publishing deal with songwriter, producer, recording engineer, and musician Edgar Barrera. The agreement extends the company’s longstanding partnership with Barrera, which began in 2014.

The news coincides with Barrera’s latest achievement as the leading nominee for the 2024 Latin Grammy Awards for the second year in a row, with a total of nine nominations in categories including Songwriter of the Year and Producer of the Year.

“I am very grateful and excited to extend my relationship with Sony Music Publishing, to start a new chapter on a journey that started 10 years ago. Jorge [Mejia] and Jon [Platt] have always supported all of my crazy ideas and given me a safe space to continue growing as a writer and music executive,” says Barrera.

Edgar Barrera has penned songs for top artists including Camila Cabello, Becky G, Ariana Grande, Shakira, Karol G, Peso Pluma, Selena Gomez, Marc Anthony, and countless others. With 21 Latin Grammy awards under his belt, some of his biggest hits include “un x100to” by Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny, “La Bachata” by Manuel Turizo, “Hawái” by Maluma, “Mi Ex Tenia Razon” by Karol G, and “Bam Bam” by Camila Cabello and Ed Sheeran.

“Edgar is one of the most hardworking, versatile, talented, and smart songwriters I’ve had the pleasure to work with, period,” shares Sony Music Publishing President and CEO, Latin America and US Latin, Jorge Mejia. “Most importantly, over the years, I’ve learned that for Edgar, it’s not about the accolades or the records or barriers that he breaks time and again — it is about the music. With that mindset, I know Edgar is possibly just getting started. We are beyond honored to be part of his team and can’t wait to see what’s next.”

Barrera has continued to earn critical acclaim and prestigious accolades, having been nominated for Songwriter of the Year at the 2024 Grammys, making history as the only Spanish-language artist to appear in a general category at this year’s awards. His work also achieved Grammy wins in categories, including Best Música Urbana Album with Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito.

Last year, Barrera also broke records by becoming the most nominated artist at the 2023 Latin Grammys and took home three awards, including Songwriter of the Year and Producer of the Year. Additionally, he spent a record-setting 32 weeks as Billboard’s No. 1 Latin producer, was named BMI’s 2023 Regional Mexican Songwriter of the Year, and was a recipient of BMI’s Latin Impact Award.

Edgar Barrera was represented in the deal by his long-time counsel, Brian Alvarez.

Photo Credit: The Verge YouTube

Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg is betting big on AR glasses as the next tech accessory to take over our lives after smartphones. He recently debuted the Orion augmented reality glasses, which the company says is too complicated and expensive to take to market at the moment. But that will change.

Orion AR glasses are a custom-built computer for your face, which has become the new focus for many tech companies. (What happened to the metaverse?) It was designed by Meta and features micro LED projectors inside the frame that beams graphics in front of your eyes via waveguides in the lenses. Zuck says he believes people will want AR glasses for two purposes—communicating with each other through digital information overlaid in the real world, and interacting with AI.

Zuckerberg also sat down for an interview with The Verge, discussing the potential applications for this current prototype. During that interview, he was asked about AI training data and how it’s used and whether or not he sympathizes with creators who see their work used without adequate compensation.

“I think that in any new medium in technology, there are concepts around fair use and where the boundary is between what you have control over,” Zuckerberg told The Verge during that interview. “When you put something out in the world, to what degree do you still get to control it and own it and license it?”

“I think that all these things are basically going to need to get re-litigated and re-discussed in the AI era. I get it. These are important questions. I think this is not a completely novel thing to AI, in the grand scheme of things. There were questions about it with the internet overall too, with different technologies over time. But getting to clarity on that is going to be important, so that way, the things that society wants people to build, they can go build.”

When asked if he sees a scenario where creators get directly compensated for the use of their content to train AI models, Zuck became a bit cagey.

“I think there are a lot of different possibilities for how stuff goes in the future. Now, I do think that there’s this issue. While, psychologically I understand what you’re saying, I think individual creators or publishers tend to overestimate the value of their specific content in the grand scheme of this.”

Photo Credit: Connyct

Warner Music Group licenses mobile short-form video app Connyct as potential US TikTok ban looms large.

As TikTok faces a potential ban in the United States, a new platform appears hoping to seize the opportunity to fill TikTok’s role. Startup short-form video app Connyct is taking a slightly different approach in targeting a specific demographic — college students.

Like the earliest days of Facebook, signing up for a Connyct account requires an .edu email address. The platform aims to “meet the market demand for closer connections and streamlined community coordination.” Users can “plan adventures and parties together,” and “seamlessly blend online connection with real-world activities.”

But to meet its goals and grab its core audience, Connyct knows it’s going to need music. To accomplish that, ahead of its launch, the platform has announced a partnership with Warner Music Group (WMG).

“Music is the heartbeat of the college experience, and Warner Music Group is committed to ensuring that our artists’ music is available wherever their fans are,” explains Rachel Scarpati, Vice President of Digital Strategy & Business Development at WMG.

“Connyct has created an innovative platform that amplifies this connection, offering students a space to integrate music into their social lives. We’re excited to see how this partnership will bring music and community together in a whole new way.”

At the heart of the app beats its Events Center, powered by video and featuring an extensive library of licensed music clips, where users can create videos promoting their events.

“We created Connyct to spark joy and excitement around real-life experiences, a digital reflection of your favorite times,” says CEO and co-founder Matthew Berman. “We’re all about connection and discovery, meant to help users find people who share the same passions and want to publicize events to enjoy them with their friends. Our partnership with WMG takes this vision to the next level, allowing students to soundtrack their college experiences with an incredible array of music.”

“Connyct is more than just a playground for music-loving content creators,” adds David Polinsky, Chairman and Founder. “Connyct is a purpose-built technology platform that champions user rights, safety, privacy, transparency, and fosters authentic engagement. Connyct prioritizes giving users full control over their content and visibility and never selling or sharing their personal data.”

Connyct will be available on the iOS App Store in the coming weeks, exclusively for “select universities” upon launch. Currently, it’s unknown when an Android app will be available, or when the platform will be expanded to other schools, or those outside academia.

Photo Credit: Marcus Reubenstein

Australian music company Vinyl Group is set to acquire events and brand activations company Funkified. Here’s the latest on this deal.

According to details tipped to Digital Music News, Vinyl Group will acquire Funkified Entertainment for $2.5 million AUD ($1.71 million US); $1.8 million AUD ($1.24 million US) cash, $200,000 shares, and $500,000 deferred performance shares. Funkified was founded in 2009 and has served as The Brag Media’s in-house events arm since 2021. It also serves as a brand activation agency for some of the largest advertising and creative houses in Australia.

Breaking the buyout down a bit, Vinyl Group will acquire 100% of the issued capital in Funkified Entertainment in exchange for the aforementioned $1.8 million AUD in cash and $200,000 in shares valued at the 15 day volume weighted average price of Vinyl Group shares on the ASX for the period immediately preceding the completion date. These shares will then be subject to a twelve month escrow from the date of issue.

The cash portion will be paid in two equal tranches of $650,000 AUD, the first at the completion date and the second no later than six months after completion. A further $500,000 AUD will be deposited into an escrow account as security for 12 months from the completion date.

A further $500,000 in Vinyl Group shares will be paid to the shareholders of Funkified, contingent on Funkified achieving a minimum earnings before interest and taxes target of $500,000 in the twelve months following the completion date. Upon completion, Funkified Founder & CEO Gus Stephenson will enter into a full-time employment agreement with Vinyl Group to lead Funkified to achieve its performance goals.

To incentivize performance, Stephenson will receive five million options upon commencing employment with Vinyl Group, vesting in four equal tranches following each subsequent anniversary of his employment and provided his ongoing employment during this term. These options will have a seven-year term and will have an exercise price to be agreed between the purchaser and Mr. Stephenson prior to issue of the options.

Funkified unaudited revenues for the 2024 financial year amounted to $4.03 million with an EBITDA of $430,000. Integrated under The Brag Media operation, Vinyl Group expects to realize immediate margin improvement as a result of this acquisition. Group operational efficiencies will include Funkified managing the Mediaweek events schedule.

Completion is dependent on certain completion deliverables including the buyer giving notice to the seller that due diligence has been completed, obtaining any necessary shareholder, ASX, and/or ASIC consents and approvals, and no material adverse changes occurring between now and completion. Completion is expected by no later than December 31, 2024.

“The acquisition of Funkified completes our acquisition strategy aimed at fully realizing the opportunities identified in The Brag Media business, while improving group company margins, revenue and driving growth,” says Vinyl Group CEO Josh Simons. “Additionally, it accelerates our path to profitability. We look forward to welcoming the Funkified team and working closely together on opportunities to grow.”

“Following several years of working closely with the incredible team at The Brag Media and Vinyl Group, creating some of the country’s largest and most innovative events and activations, it is an exciting step in our 15-year history to officially join Vinyl Group,” adds Funkified Founder & CEO Gus Stephenson. “We look forward to bringing our expertise and accelerating the growth and profitability of events and activations across the wider organization.”

Spotify has officially brought its AI Playlist feature to the U.S. and other markets. Photo Credit: Spotify

Almost six months after launching an AI Playlist beta in the U.K. and Australia, Spotify is bringing the feature to the U.S. and other nations.

The streaming platform just recently announced AI Playlist’s availability expansion, which has arrived roughly nine months following initial rumblings of auto-generated playlist tests. Especially in light of the strong consumer reception behind Spotify artificial intelligence offerings like AI DJ and Daylist, the AI Playlist embrace didn’t exactly come as a surprise.

Now, paid subscribers in the States, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand can also access the tool, which, as its name suggests, auto-generates playlists based on text prompts. A number of fans are already taking to social media to weigh in on the more widely available feature.

Beyond these early AI Playlist comments, the newest artificial intelligence buildout is important on multiple levels for Spotify. First, the development of AI Playlist, AI DJ, and Daylist has quietly expanded the service’s sway in the recommendation and promotion departments.

While many know streaming platforms generally favor major label acts, there’s relatively little discussion about the spots contractually guaranteed to high-profile artists on lucrative editorial playlists. In short, despite the comparatively pressing nature of the AI music deluge that’s hitting streaming platforms, the point could prove significant amid the evolution of recommendations.

Also worth keeping in mind is the way that AI Playlist and more will potentially fit into Spotify’s forthcoming “Deluxe” package. It’s not by chance that AI Playlist is available only to paid users, and reports have connected more advanced AI options yet, like mixing support, to Deluxe. (A long-elusive launch date for the tier, also referred to as “Supremium” and “Music Pro” in recent years, still hasn’t been nailed down.)

Bigger picture, Spotify is hardly alone in capitalizing on AI products, which are becoming increasingly prevalent in the ultra-competitive streaming arena.

Amazon Music jumped into AI playlist generation with Maestro in April, for instance. Not to be outdone, Deezer joined the AI party by rolling out “Playlist with AI” in July, YouTube Music began experimenting with AI radio stations that same month, and Apple Music reportedly started testing the AI artwork waters.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Apple will invest in OpenAI as suggested by multiple reports about one month back. Of course, this and other AI giants are embroiled in several copyright infringement lawsuits centering on their training processes and adjacent outputs.

Photo Credit: Christina Aguilera’s YouTube / Spotify

Christina Aguilera is celebrating 25 years since her debut album with a revamped reimagining featuring Sabrina Carpenter and MGK.

Christina Aguilera released her breakthrough debut album 25 years ago, and to celebrate, she’s dropped a special reimagining for her fans. On Monday, September 23, the pop star released a project on her YouTube channel, teaming up with Spotify for the platform’s Spotify Anniversaries series. In the 26-minute special, Aguilera welcomes guests including Machine Gun Kelly and Sabrina Carpenter.

The video features MGK for a “Genie in a Bottle” guitar solo, as well as Aguilera’s reunion with producer Ron Fair and songwriter Heather Holly from the original album. Holly also joins Aguilera for a performance of “Obvious,” which the two penned together. The special ends with pop newcomer and “Espresso” singer Sabrina Carpenter for a duet of “What a Girl Wants.”

Carpenter tells Aguilera that she was a huge inspiration to her as a child. She explains that her mother showed her a video of Aguilera singing as a young child when she appeared on Star Search in 1990. The show was hosted by Ed McMahon and was a stepping stone for many future stars including ALanis Morisette, Ray Romano, Martin Lawrence, LeAnn Rimes, Dennis Miller, and Sinbad.

“That was just the most inspiring thing to me ever as a young girl who wanted to sing but didn’t know I could do it at that age at all.” She continues, “You were a child! I was like, ‘How is that [voice] coming out of that body?’ It was the main reason I started singing and wanted to become a singer.”

Christina Aguilera’s self-titled debut album was released on August 24, 1999, reaching #1 on the Billboard 200 with three chart-topping hits on the Billboard Hot 100 — “Genie in a Bottle,” “What a Girl Wants,” and “Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You).”

Photo Credit: 50 Cent’s Instagram

Netflix is producing a docuseries from 50 Cent about the sexual assault allegations and federal trafficking and racketeering charges against Diddy.

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson sold his docuseries about federal charges and sexual assault allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs to Netflix to produce, with Alexandria Stapleton directing the project. The series is currently in production.

50 Cent executive produces the project through his G-Unit Film & Television banner, with Stapleton executive producing for House of Nonfiction. Fiddy first announced back in December that G-Unit would produce the series, shortly after Combs had been sued by four different women, including ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.

When he first announced the project, 50 Cent shared a clip on the former Twitter showing Bad Boy Records rapper Mark Curry alleging that Combs would spike bottles of champagne at his parties before women drank from them.

Last week, Combs was arrested in New York and charged on counts of racketeering, sex trafficking, fraud, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He pleaded not guilty, but was denied bail at his appeal hearing and remains in custody.

“This is a story with significant human impact. It is a complex narrative spanning decades, not just the headlines or clips seen so far,” said 50 Cent and Stapleton in a statement to Variety.

“We remain steadfast in our commitment to give a voice to the voiceless and to present authentic and nuanced perspectives. While the allegations are disturbing, we urge all to remember that Sean Combs’ story is not the full story of hip-hop and its culture. We aim to ensure that individual actions do not overshadow the culture’s broader contributions.”

Proceeds from the documentary, 50 Cent said, will be used to support victims of sexual assault.

“I been telling y’all about all this weird shit,” said the rapper-producer on his Instagram with a picture of Variety’s story. “I don’t do NO Puffy Party’s [sic]. You didn’t believe me, but I bet you believe me now!”

Even as the lawsuits and allegations against him continue to stack up, Combs has denied any wrongdoing. The only thing he has admitted to thus far was his assault of Cassie Ventura when a leaked video showing an assault in a hotel hallway proved her account to be true. But he only took “full responsibility” for his actions after the video surfaced, having settled Ventura’s lawsuit against him just a day after it was filed.

Aside from Ventura’s lawsuit, Combs has been hit with countless others, including those from Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, Grace O’Marcaigh, Crystal McKinney, Dawn Richard, Joi Dickerson-Neal, Liza Gardner, April Lampros, Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, multiple Jane Does, and most recently, Thalia Graves.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Copilot

A private music torrent tracker has experienced an attack that could reveal the identities of said music pirates. Orpheus Network reported the intrusion to its user base of 19,000.

Orpheus Network is a private music torrenting site that requires an invite to join—so the community who utilizes the service is somewhat close knit. 404 Media reports that administrators for the website posted a message on the site on September 18 that disclosed the intrusion.

“With great displeasure we need to inform you that a malicious actor has successfully carried out a massive peer scraping attack on our tracker on Thursday,” the note reads. “The unknown actor has downloaded the majority of our torrent files and corresponding peer lists. This means the malicious third party is now in possession of most of our users’ torrent client information (seeding IP, client port, torrents seeding). As far as we can observe their immediate goal is downloading a huge part of our library, but we do not know if they have further plans with the collected data.”

The scraping attack against Orpheus Network is an interesting one because of just how close knit the community is. It requires a user be invited by someone who is already a member, or an interview with the site administrators to gain access. It’s unclear who the attacker is at this point, but major industry bodies like the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) often trawl torrent sites. A private tracker is a treasure trove of people who are sharing music amongst themselves illegally.

As Digital Music News covered just a few months ago, major labels are cracking down on the source of leaks. Job postings seeking people knowledgeable with the dark corners of the internet suggest they’re seeking out talent to help root out where music leaks originate or proliferate—sometimes from private music trackers such as Orpheus.

Orpheus Network admins who spoke to 404 Media said they believe the attack is the responsibility of a single person seeking access to the torrented music. The admins claim to have detected the attack within six hours of it happening. It’s also worth noting that AI scraper bots like OpenAI deploys are notorious for hoovering up massive amounts of data—whether the data was released legally onto the internet or not.

For now, the Orpheus Network is still active, but this could be the beginnings of a case built against what many consider one of the more popular music-dedicated torrenting sites. Defunct sites like Oink’s Pink Palace and What.cd were shut down. OiNK’s demise came in 2007 after an investigation by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and the British Phonograph Industry (BPI). What.cd was shut down in 2016 when French authorities seized twelve servers belonging to the site’s operators.

Photo Credit: Tingey Law

The latest lawsuit against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs comes from a woman who alleges he drugged and ‘viciously’ raped her in a recording studio in 2001.

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sued by a woman who alleges he and his bodyguard “viciously” raped her in a New York City recording studio over 20 years ago after Combs had drugged her. The lawsuit, filed by Thalia Graves in federal court on Tuesday, also claims the men recorded the encounter on video, about which she only recently learned.

Graves is seeking a trial by jury in the lawsuit, which appears to be the first against Combs since his indictment last week by federal authorities in New York on charges including sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Graves’ lawsuit also names Combs’ former bodyguard and head of security, Joseph “Big Joe” Sherman, who denies raping or even knowing Graves, and claims he was not employed by Combs at the time.

According to the lawsuit, Graves met Combs around late 1999 or early 2000 through her boyfriend at the time, who was an executive at Combs’ Bad Boy Records, and had a close relationship with the rapper and producer. Graves says she frequently visited her boyfriend, who is curiously not identified in the complaint, at Combs’ Bad Boy studio in New York City, and attended events hosted at Combs’ properties.

In the summer of 2001, the suit claims Combs called the then-25-year-old Graves and asked her to meet with him to discuss her boyfriend’s “performance issues.” Combs picked her up in an SUV which Sherman was allegedly driving, where Graves was offered a glass of wine that she says later caused her to “feel lightheaded, dizzy, and physically weak.” They drove to the Bad Boy studio in Manhattan, and Graves says she found it difficult to walk upon exiting the vehicle. She says she was escorted to a couch in a private room in the studio, where she then lost consciousness.

When she came to, Graves says she was naked, with her hands tied behind her back with what felt like a plastic grocery bag. She shouted for help, after which Sherman lifted her from the couch and was said to have forcefully slammed her, face-down, on a pool table. Soon, Combs entered the room naked, the suit continues.

Graves says Combs applied lubricant to himself and then raped her, while she was “unable to move, totally overpowered physically, in addition to being drugged and bound.” She then lost consciousness again and awoke to Sherman slapping her in the face and sexually assaulting her. Graves then lost consciousness yet again.

According to the suit, when she finally awoke, she was alone on the couch, naked and terrified, and quickly got dressed and fled the studio. She says she called a livery driver she knew, who drove her to the hospital and tried to convince her to report the assault and get a rape kit. Graves said she was shaking and crying hysterically, and was unable to leave the vehicle, “terrified of what Combs would do to her and her family if she reported him.”

Last November, when the first lawsuit against Combs surfaced, filed by his ex-girlfriend and R&B singer Cassie Ventura, Graves says her former boyfriend revealed to her that, years earlier, Combs and Sherman showed him “and a group of men — some of whom were also employed by Combs’ companies” the video of her being raped.

Graves also alleges both Combs and Sherman to have contacted her in the years since the assault, warning her to stay silent and threatening her with repercussions if she did not, including that she could lose custody of her son.

“Plaintiff lives in constant fear,” the suit explains. “She struggles with hyper-vigilance and experiences anxiety and panic attacks in social settings, preferring to be alone. Her need to hide to feel safe has strained her relationships with friends and family.”

Sherman denies the allegations in Graves’ suit, saying he was employed by Combs from 1998 to 1999, and was not associated with Combs by the time the alleged assault would have taken place.

Spotify stock hit a record high on September 25th, 2024, the day after TikTok Music announced its shutdown. Photo Credit: Gizmodo

TikTok’s music streaming loss is evidently Spotify’s gain, as the latter’s stock price today hit a record high before finishing at what appears to be its largest-ever closing value.

TikTok Music’s shutdown plans entered the media spotlight yesterday with a confirmation that the standalone app, having only launched in 2023, would cease operating in November. As things stand, the precise reason(s) for the abrupt move are unclear. However, licensing hurdles, lingering friction from the TikTok-Universal Music impasse, and/or slower-than-expected TikTok Music adoption all come to mind as possibilities.

Whichever factors contributed to the streaming app’s demise, the news is a welcome surprise for competitors like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. Of course, if TikTok Music had possessed an unlikely path to commercial success, its shutdown wouldn’t have made much of a difference.

But given the many examples of TikTok proper’s discovery and promotion effectiveness, there was seemingly an opportunity to convert users into subscribers via the main app – and more directly spur streams on particular tracks in the long run. Additionally, the service was operating in nations where substantial streaming market share is up for grabs: Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, and Mexico.

In any event, as initially mentioned, Spotify stock (NYSE: SPOT) is riding higher than ever in the wake of TikTok Music’s closure announcement, to the tune of a record per-share price of $386.96 today. Subsequently, SPOT settled to a best-ever $383.96 trading-end price, reflecting a $77.10 billion market cap.

While these accomplishments arrived the day after TikTok Music revealed plans to shut down, it goes without saying that other factors are also at play. Spotify is continuing to expand its well-received AI tools, rate cuts arrived earlier in September, and all manner of analysts are voicing decidedly bullish SPOT forecasts and target prices.

2021 looks to have been the last time these targets were so aggressive – but much has changed since then and since SPOT’s subsequent falloff. At the time of Spotify stock’s first ascent to almost $400 per share, the broader tech sector was benefiting from a curious amount of market optimism, and the streaming platform was separating itself mainly by throwing around huge sums on podcasts.

Now, though, Spotify has tightened the belt in multiple areas and expressed a commitment to remaining in the black. Additional price increases are on the table, an audiobook expansion (despite receiving a less-than-positive music industry reception) could drive further growth, and evidence strongly suggests that the company is plotting a major entry into video as well as UGC.

Digital Music News was out first on the latter development in April, when we reported on clear-cut evidence of a UGC and/or video embrace at Spotify. July then brought full TV episodes and comedy specials to Spotify under a Cineverse pact, and reports earlier in September indicated that the service was offering video creators seven-figure deals to begin uploading their content.

Believe has officially completed its multimillion-dollar acquisition of Doğan Music Company, which is said to be the largest indie label operating in Turkey. Photo Credit: Believe

Believe has officially completed its acquisition of Doğan Music Company, which is billed as Turkey’s largest indie label.

The Paris-headquartered buyer reached out with word of the deal’s wrap today, after first announcing the play closer to the top of August. At the time of the latter disclosure, the investment was still subject to regulatory approval in Turkey, where Believe had taken a 60% stake in Doğan in 2020.

With that years-old move having evidently proven lucrative, Believe exercised a call option for the remaining 40% or so. This purchase for the outstanding piece brought a $42.65 million (€38.3 million) price tag, according to the expansion-minded business, which didn’t hesitate to drive home its “full ownership” of the Turkish label.

Said label’s roster features a number of artists across a variety of genres, with rock band Yüksek Sadakat, pop singer Yonca Evcimik, and rapper Reckol alike part of Doğan, per its website.

Meanwhile, on Believe’s side, the company pointed to a nearly 25% year-over-year revenue increase in Europe (excluding France and Germany) for H1 2024, at $169.22 million/€152 million. In Asia-Pacific and Africa, Believe experienced a roughly 4% YoY revenue improvement at $129.57 million/€116.4 million, the appropriate report shows.

And as described by the Sentric owner, which opened an Istanbul office in 2012, it’s poised to work towards “supercharging the growth and global reach” of the Doğan roster.

Elaborating on that objective, Believe president for META, East and Southern Europe, and the Americas Viktoria Siniavskaia emphasized the continued development of Turkey’s music market.

“The Turkish music industry has undergone a massive change since Believe’s launch in the market back in 2012,” relayed the 13-year Believe exec, “with a solid growth of streaming and countless artists and labels reaching new and wider audiences both locally and beyond.

“On Spotify alone, the Top 100 list went from 11 local artists in 2013 to 91 in 2023! I couldn’t be prouder of Believe having been a key driver in this evolution, alongside DMC and our digital partners, boosting the digitalization of the market and that of local music genres,” concluded Siniavskaia.

Closing with a recap of Believe’s other 2024 buildout initiatives, July saw the business take a 25% interest in Romanian dance label Global Records and move forward with Greater China executive appointments ahead of a wider expansion in the increasingly lucrative region.

Photo Credit: Macklemore by Amanda Rhoades / San Francisco Foghorn / CC by 2.0

Less than a week after he was announced as a headliner at the debut Neon City Festival in Las Vegas, Macklemore has disappeared from the lineup following his ‘f—k America’ remark.

After being announced as a headliner at the inaugural Neon City Festival in Las Vegas just last week, rapper Macklemore is now absent from the lineup “due to unforeseen circumstances” coinciding with his recent anti-America comment.

The music festival opted not to disclose a specific reason as to the “Thrift Shop” singer’s sudden absence. But the change comes a few days after Macklemore’s “f—k America” remark while on stage performing at a pro-Palestinian benefit concert, Palestine Will Live Forever, in Seattle. Neon City Festival’s headliners were announced on September 19; Macklemore made headlines on September 21 for his comments at the benefit concert. By September 24, he was dropped from the Las Vegas festival’s roster.

Today (September 25), Macklemore released a statement on his social channels. “My thoughts and feelings are not always expressed perfectly or politely,” he began. “Sometimes I slip up and get caught in the moment. Saturday night was one of those times.”

“Unfortunately, the historic event in my hometown that brought thousands of people together to raise awareness and money for the people of Palestine has become overshadowed by two words,” he continued in part, explaining his frustration and disappointment in the United States in the face of ongoing violence in the Middle East.”

“But do not misconstrue the word ‘f—k’ for the word ‘hate.’ It’s different to be angry than to disown,” Macklemore’s statement went on. “I’ve lost endorsements, I’ve lost business ties. I am still here, unwavering in my support for a Free Palestine.”

The musician has been outspoken in his support of Palestine amid the war between Hamas and Israel. His signature was among those on an open letter calling for a ceasefire, and he released a protest song in May, “Hind’s Hall,” in support of the student protestors on college campuses. Proceeds from the song have gone toward the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

The inaugural Neon City Festival takes place in downtown Las Vegas from November 22 through the 24. Headliners now include Seven Lions, Alison Wonderland, Russell Dickerson, and Neon Trees.

Photo Credit: Justin Bieber by Joe Bielawa / CC by 2.0

An AI-generated Justin Bieber song with lyrics referencing Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs begins circulating on social media, fooling many listeners into believing its authenticity.

Back in April, a new AI-generated song emerged, made to sound like Justin Bieber, and began circulating on social media. At first, the song, which features lyrics referencing Sean “Diddy” Combs, tricked many listeners into believing it was an authentic Justin Bieber release.

With lyrics like “Lost myself at a Diddy party / Didn’t know that’s how it goes / I was in it for a new Ferrari / But it cost me way more than my soul,” the song’s release coincided with the legal troubles mounting against Combs, who is now in federal custody for racketeering and sex trafficking offenses. This certainly contributed to the song’s viral spread and highlights the potential for AI to spread misinformation at a break-neck pace.

The song was identified conclusively as a deepfake, but that hasn’t curbed its wide circulation. It’s been used heavily as a background track in thousands of TikTok videos, and it first emerged at a time when speculation was ripe over the ever-growing mountain of charges against Diddy.

To make matters even more confusing for fans, the 30-year-old Bieber developed a close relationship with Combs early in his career. The two even collaborated as recently as 2023 on the track, “Moments.” Old clips of a then-teenaged Bieber spending time with Combs have also resurfaced, and Justin Bieber has yet to publicly comment on any of the allegations against the 54-year-old rapper and producer.

Combs was arrested last week and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. The latest lawsuit against him was filed yesterday (September 24), accusing him and his bodyguard of “viciously” raping a woman in a New York City recording studio over 20 years ago.

Photo Credit: Federal Bureau of Prisons

Indicted music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is living in the same unit of the Metropolitan Detention Center as notorious crypto fraudster, Sam Bankman-Fried.

Diddy has pleaded not guilty to all charges, which include racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Diddy’s lawyers argued that the mogul should be released on bail, with a proposal of a $50 million bond and a security team that monitors him at all hours. However, the judge rejected this proposal, saying he believed Diddy would engage in witness tampering. He was sent to a special housing unit in the Brooklyn jail that houses high-profile inmates.

Sam Bankman-Fried has been in this unit since last year, when his bail was revoked after a judge found that he violated the conditions of his release. Bankman-Fried was the founder of the notorious FTX cryptocurrency exchange, which imploded in 2023 after siphoning away billions of customers’ money into venture capital investments, political donations, and lavish spending for both himself and his parents. Mr. Bankman-Fried has received a 25-year sentence.

After his conviction, Bankman-Fried requested he stay at the MDC while pursuing an appeal. Meanwhile, Diddy’s lawyers have attempted to argue that the conditions at the MDC facility are ‘too horrific’ for a defendant awaiting trial. The jail holds around 1,200 inmates and has a long history of complaints about overcrowding, rank conditions, and potentially unsafe living conditions.

Diddy’s lawyers are pushing for a speedy trial, with his lawyer Marc Agnifilo says his team is working to arrange Diddy’s ability to access discovery provided by the government while incarcerated. The government says this case involves massive amounts of evidence including witnesses, photos, videos, and text messages.

“My view is if the government wants to arrest him and hold him in jail, despite a massive bail package and despite his repeated offers to turn himself in, we are all going to have to move this along with unprecedented urgency,” Mr. Agnifilo told The New York Times. So far, Diddy’s lawyers have not requested a transfer away from the MDC.

TikTok Music is officially set to shut down on November 28th. Photo Credit: Rubaitul Azad

R.I.P., TikTok Music: The namesake video-sharing giant’s standalone music streaming platform is now set to shut down at November’s end.

ByteDance-owned TikTok confirmed its streaming service’s cessation of operations via a statement as well as an update on the appropriate website. The latter underscores the permanent nature of the move; users’ “account information and personal data will be automatically deleted following the closure of TikTok Music,” per the text.

Said users have until October 28th to transfer their playlists to different services and until November 28th to request refunds for any unused subscription time. Absent from TikTok Music’s website is any mention of the precise cause(s) of the shutdown. Similarly, TikTok global head of music business development Ole Obermann in a statement confirmed the cessation of operations but didn’t provide much insight into the decision.

“Our Add to Music App feature has already enabled hundreds of millions of track saves to playlists on partner music streaming services,” relayed the longtime ByteDance/TikTok exec Obermann. “We will be closing TikTok Music at the end of November in order to focus on our goal of furthering TikTok’s role in driving even greater music listening and value on music streaming services, for the benefit of artists, songwriters, and the industry.”

However, it’s possible that licensing problems (or at least friction) of some sort contributed to the decision. TikTok set its standalone streaming ambitions in motion in 2022, and even back then, reports suggested the majors were concerned with the service’s monetization potential.

Nevertheless, the offering replaced ByteDance’s existing music app, Resso, in Brazil and Indonesia during the summer of 2023 – complete with smaller monthly costs than Spotify, which currently charges the equivalent of about $4 and $3.60, respectively, for Individual in the nations.

Shortly thereafter, the platform reached Australia, Mexico, and Singapore. In retrospect, the layoff round that hit the division responsible for TikTok Music the following month, August of 2023, wasn’t an encouraging sign for the service.

Closer to the present, it was only earlier in 2024 that TikTok proper was entangled in a licensing dust-up with Universal Music. The since-resolved dispute, in many ways a distant memory now, saw UMG pull its catalog from TikTok for a time.

In any event, notwithstanding the possibility of licensing hang-ups behind the scenes, TikTok Music’s exit from the streaming arena might simply reflect weak adoption rates and the considerable resources required to maintain the non-core product. Of course, competition is stiff from the likes of Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, Deezer, SoundCloud, and others yet.

Moreover, TikTok is still spearheading music expansions (the app last month welcomed a Bandcamp channel) and has far bigger fish to fry when it comes to fending off a quick-approaching ban in the world’s largest economy.

DJ Excision, the founder of music festival Lost Lands, the organizer of which is now suing ticketing platform Lyte for breach of contract and more. Photo Credit: Live Nation/Terrence Blanton

Seemingly shuttered ticketing platform Lyte is now grappling with multiple lawsuits filed by festival organizers who say they’re owed sizable sums following the company’s abrupt shutdown.

Lost Lands organizer Apex Event Management and the team behind North Coast Music Festival just recently fired off those complaints, amid continued operational woes for Lyte. We first covered the ticketing platform’s apparent issues last week, after its website was taken down for purported maintenance.

This maintenance process is still underway – as is a rapid-fire selloff of the assets owned by Lyte, which has parted with its founder and reportedly laid off its team to boot. Evidently without the resources to continue operating, the well-funded business looks set to find a new owner sometime next month.

Closer to the present, though, the unexpected turn of events has left multiple festivals and ticket sellers in a decidedly difficult spot. With Lyte completely offline, several happenings have lost access to their primary and/or secondary ticket sales as well as the resulting revenue.

Also on the resale front, a number of ticked-off Reddit users are claiming that they’re owed payments for transactions carried out via Lyte pre-shutdown. Running with the point, Billboard has described in more words Lyte’s alleged business practice of receiving VIP tickets directly from organizers, marking up the prices, and then cutting in said organizers on the inflated proceeds.

While time should reveal additional details about that arrangement – which isn’t surprising given the potential for event passes to fetch sizable sums – it’s worth keeping in mind when it comes to the initially highlighted lawsuits.

(Regarding those additional details, days after this piece was published, Billboard updated its original coverage “to more accurately describe NCMF’s lawsuit against Lyte.” North Coast Music Festival, the edited piece clarified, had actually been selling passes on Lyte “below their original check out price.” We then covered the update, pushback against similar scalping allegations from Lost Lands, and more about the ongoing Lyte meltdown on Friday, September 27th.)

To be sure, a substantial portion of the action from Excision’s Lost Lands has been redacted pending a formal application to seal. Nevertheless, the available details tell us quite a bit about the positioning of Lyte-partnered festivals.

According to the legal text, Lost Lands 2024 kicked off on September 17th – or shortly after Lyte, its “exclusive seller of secondary market tickets,” appeared to go belly up.

In “essentially shutting down the secondary ticket market” for the event, per the breach of contract and fraud suit, the defendant allegedly inflicted “untold damage” on the organizer and on the “many thousands of consumers who” were using the service to buy, sell, and/or access passes.

Whatever the precise terms of its Lyte agreement, Lost Lands says it ceased receiving the contractually outlined payments in August. That refers specifically to $79,773.81 due as of August 21st, $330,917.07 due as of September 4th, and an estimated total of over $600,000 due with the festival’s latest installment now in the books.

Apex/Lost Lands is further seeking interest on the sum, damages, and an order preventing the sale-minded defendant “from transferring assets that may be used to satisfy any judgment.”

Snoop Dogg and his Death Row Records label have inked publishing deals with Reservoir Media. Photo Credit: Dah Dah

Reservoir Media has officially inked publishing pacts with Snoop Dogg and his Death Row Records label.

New York City-based Reservoir reached out today with word of the tie-ups, which represent the latest in a line of hip-hop deals and investments for the company. As described by the involved parties, the union extends to Snoop Dogg’s domestic publishing (existing works as well as futures) and the entire Death Row catalog.

February of 2025 will mark the third anniversary of Snoop Dogg’s Death Row purchase – minus certain underlying song rights, it’s worth reiterating. Building on the included body of work, however, the 16-time Grammy nominee has since taken to releasing fresh projects like 2022’s BODR and more recent collaborations with Tha Dogg Pound.

Addressing the Reservoir union with a brief statement, the longtime Dr. Dre collaborator Snoop Dogg communicated: “I’m so honored to have them as a partner and excited for all the great things to come with the catalogue as well as new music.”

And in remarks of her own, Reservoir founder and head Golnar Khosrowshahi touted the varied career accomplishments of 52-year-old Snoop Dogg.

“Being in business with Snoop is an exciting opportunity to support his legendary catalog, leveraging his massive stardom to further embed his music across mainstream media,” indicated Khosrowshahi, whose company generates about 68% of its revenue from publishing and another 28% from recordings.

“This deal also marks a unique moment to help further the legacy of an important and valuable brand like Death Row. Snoop has come full circle with Death Row, showcasing his ongoing dedication to upholding its rich history – something Reservoir has proven as a core value and area of expertise across our business,” the exec concluded.

Earlier this month, Reservoir scored a catalog-acquisition agreement with the estate of Billy Strange, including interests in Elvis Presley’s “A Little Less Conversation,” “Memories,” and more. Meanwhile, after posting a calendar Q2 revenue increase to close out July, the publishing home of Joe Walsh in August delivered an investor presentation at its annual shareholder meeting.

Per that resource, The Isley Brothers’ “It’s Your Thing” topped Reservoir’s list of top-10 works by net publisher share during calendar 2023, followed by the same group’s “Shout,” Labelle’s “Lady Marmalade,” John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” and then Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” respectively.

And on the recording side, in keeping with the company’s previously mentioned hip-hop presence, first-ranked “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio, Naughty by Nature’s “Hip Hop Hooray,” and J. Cole’s “Middle Child” found spots on Reservoir’s list of top-10 tracks by net label share.

Photo Credit: Dickon Stainer by Carsten Windhorst

Universal Music UK announces the appointment of Dickon Stainer as Chairman and CEO, following the departure of David Joseph after 17 years.

Universal Music Group Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge has announced appointing Dickon Stainer as Chairman and CEO of Universal Music UK. Stainer follows longtime Chairman and CEO David Joseph, who held the position for nearly 17 years and recently announced his departure.

In this new role, Stainer is in charge of the overall management and strategic direction of Universal Music UK. Divisions including the newly-created Island EMI Label Group and Polydor Label Group, as well as Decca Records and Abbey Road Studios, will report to him. Stainer served as President and CEO of Universal Music Group’s Global Classics and Jazz division, splitting his time between London and New York.

Further, Stainer will also continue in the capacity of Chairman of Global Classics and Jazz. Announcements regarding new leadership roles and internal promotions will be made in the coming weeks.

The changes come on the heels of UMG announcing it was merging its EMI label divisions as part of a broader restructuring. This restructuring created two new divisions: Island EMI Label Group (with president Louis Bloom), and Polydor Label Group (headed by Ben Mortimer), which itself followed some divisional realignments in the US-based UMG label group.

“Dickon has embraced an expansive musical worldview throughout his career, taking artists from a wide variety of genres and bringing them to audiences globally,” said Grainge. “He not only has deep experience in leveraging our worldwide organization on behalf of our artists, but a track record that includes global commercial and creative artist successes and countless awards in many countries.”

“I would also like to thank David Joseph for his many contributions,” Grainge adds. “He leaves with our gratitude.”

Stainer said, “It is an honor to be asked by Sir Lucian Grainge to lead Universal Music UK. The depth of talent that we have at the company, coupled with our remarkable roster of artists, gives me tremendous confidence in what we can achieve together. Having worked in both the international and domestic divisions of UMG, I know how central the UK is to the global music industry — a vital repertoire source that provides the world with great artists and great music. I can’t wait to get started.”

Stainer has enjoyed success on the global stage, consistently championing a generation of international talent. That includes Grammy wins for Jon Batiste for Album of the Year in 2022, and Samara Joy for Best New Artist in 2023.

Photo Credit: Jimmy Fontaine (Gregg Nadel)

With Warner Music Nashville now firmly under the Warner Records umbrella, there are some changes to leadership at the top. Ben Kline is stepping down after a decade with the company, while Gregg Nadel was appointed Co-Chair & Co-President alongside Cris Lacy.

Based out of the Nashville office, Nadel and Lacy will report to Warner Records CEO & Co-Chairman Aaron Bay-Schuck and COO & Co-Chairman Tom Corson, who both direct report to WMG CEO Robert Kyncl. The move is effective October 1, while Nadel, Lacy, and their teams will continue to work with Nashville artists co-signed to Atlantic Music Group.

Gregg Nadel has three decades of music industry experience under his belt, most recently serving as the President of Elektra Entertainment. He has signed or championed acclaimed country and roots-based artists including Zac Brown Band, Brandi Carlile, The Highwomen, Sturgill Simpson, Bailey Zimmerman, and Brittney Spencer, among many other artists across multiple genres.

“Gregg grew up at WMG, and over the past three decades, he’s brought his impeccable taste, wisdom, and guidance to an exceptional array of original, powerful voices,” adds Aaron Bay-Schuck. “He’s an ambidextrous A&R marketing expert with a global perspective, which will be a tremendous asset at a time when Nashville artists are crossing boundaries and reaching the world stage like never before.”

“Like Gregg, Cris has expanded from her roots as an A&R force into a true multi-dimensional leader, and together, they’ll be a phenomenal team to take Warner Music Nashville into a dynamic future,” Bay-Schuck concludes.

“I’ve had the honor of working with incredibly talented artists across many sounds and styles, and through it all, I’ve always felt a deep connection to the heartfelt music that comes from Nashville’s rich creative culture,” adds Gregg Nadel. “I’m excited to be diving deeper into this brilliant community of musicians and storytellers, and I’m especially excited about working alongside Cris Lacy and the entire team. Thank you to Tom and Aaron for this incredible opportunity.”

“Thanks to WMG’s cross-label and cross-genre philosophy, Gregg and I have been collaborating within the company for over a decade,” adds Cris Lacy. “We’re both rooted in a deep love of the music that comes into and out of Nashville. Gregg brings a unique, wide-ranging perspective to what will be a fantastic partnership. He has long invested in the culture and the community of this town, and together, we are fiercely committed to amplifying what makes its music so special. My heartfelt thanks and admiration go to Ben. It’s been a great ride, and his expertise, leadership, and friendship have made it all the more gratifying. I wish him the very best in all things to come.”

“Together, we’ve grown Warner Music Nashville to new heights and played vital roles in the development of so many artists,” adds Ben Kline. “Thanks to WMG leadership for all of the opportunities, faith, and guidance along the way. And thank you to Cris Lacy for her never-wavering support for the artists and their musical visions. I’m excited for the next adventure.”

Prior to being named President of Elektra Entertainment in 2017, Nadel served as General Manager of Elektra Records and before that was SVP, A&R and Marketing, for Atlantic Records. A 27-year veteran of WMG, Nadel joined Atlantic straight out of college in 1997.

In his marketing capacity, he has spearheaded high-profile campaigns for global superstars such as Ed Sheeran, who he’s worked with since the early days of Sheeran’s career.

Photo Credit: Apple Music Classical

Apple Music Classical’s version 2.0 update adds thousands of full album booklets and new features.

Apple Music’s classical music streaming service introduced last year, Apple Music Classical, has received a version 2.0 update today featuring album booklets for thousands of albums with multi-language liner notes, composer biographies, information about the orchestra, conductors, soloists, and more.

The update also adds a new Recently Added section to the Library. Users can download the booklet available for an album by selecting the album and tapping the open book icon in the top-right corner. The booklet can then be viewed by using zoom gestures and scrolling.

The Apple Music Classical app brings Apple Music subscribers access to over five million classical music tracks, as well as new high-quality releases, and hundreds of curated playlists, exclusive albums, and additional features like composer bios. The app has a more simplistic interface specifically for interacting with classical music. Users can search by composer, work, conductor, catalog number, and more.

Apple also commissioned high-resolution digital portraits of famous composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Frédéric Chopin for the app, which utilize color palettes and artistic references from the relevant period. More unique artwork is added all the time, with more on the way.

Apple first made its classical music app available to all Apple Music subscribers back in March last year, following the launch of iOS 16.4. The service is based on Primephonic, a classical music streaming service Apple obtained in 2021. The company released its own version of the app after two years of development.

As Apple Music Classical is an app designed specifically for iOS, you initially must have used an iPhone or iPad to use it. The iPad version was released in November 2023. But an Android version soon followed, available on the Google Play Store, though users will still require an Apple Music subscription to access Apple Music Classical.

Photo Credit: Iron Maiden

Heavy metal rockers Iron Maiden have announced their 50th anniversary tour for 2025-26, with a note that dynamic pricing is not enabled. Resale value for tickets is also capped through approved vendors.

The ‘Run For Your Lives World Tour’ will see the band performing hits from their first nine studio albums. That includes their 1980 debut, Iron Maiden, to 1992’s Fear of the Dark—which is the last album vocalist Bruce Dickinson performed on before exiting the band (he returned in 1999).

“Next year is a very special one for Iron Maiden and we’re going to be giving our fans a once-in-a-lifetime live experience,” says Bruce Dickinson. “This is a tour that’s gonna put a smile on your face and a cheer in your throat. If you’ve seen us before, then get ready to take that experience to a whole new level. If you’ve never seen us before, then what the hell have you been waiting for? Now’s your chance to find out what you’ve been missing!”

A recent post on Instagram revealing the dates also included an interesting note. “FYI there will be no dynamic ticket pricing for the 2025 Run For Your Lives Tour. Ticket resale in the UK will be capped at face value and won’t open until much closer to the start of the tour. As always, we urge fans to only purchase tickets from approved outlets.”

It’s unclear if the U.S. tour dates will see capped resale value tickets, but many artists are taking a stand against dynamic pricing as it sours the artist-fan relationship. Coldplay recently announced $20 tickets for its upcoming show with a blind grab for seats—you’ll only pay $20 for the tickets but you don’t get to pick where they’re located.

Iron Maiden — ‘Run For Your Lives World Tour’ 2025-26

MAY

• 27 | Budapest Aréna — Budapest
• 31 | Letnany Airport — Prague

JUNE

• 01 | TIPOS Arena — Bratislava
• 05 | Trondheim Rocks (Festival) — Trondheim
• 07 | SR-Bank Arena — Stavanger
• 09 | Royal Arena — Copenhagen
• 12 | 3Arena — Stockholm
• 13 | 3Arena — Stockholm
• 16 | Olympic Stadium — Helsinki
• 21 | Utilita Arena — Birmingham
• 22 | Co-op Live — Manchester
• 25 | Malahide Castle — Dublin
• 28 | London Stadium — London
• 30 | OVO Hydro — Glasgow

JULY

• 03 | Eurockéennes Festival — Belfort
• 05 | Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano — Madrid
• 06 | MEO Arena — Lisbon
• 09 | Hallenstadion — Zurich
• 11 | Veltins-Arena — Gelsenkirchen
• 13 | Stadio Euganeo — Padova
• 15 | Bürgerweide — Bremen
• 17 | Ernst Happel Stadium — Vienna
• 19 | Paris La Défense Arena — Paris
• 23 | GelreDome — Arnhem
• 25 | Deutsche Bank Park — Frankfurt
• 26 | Cannstatter Wasen — Stuttgart
• 29 | Waldbühne — Berlin

AUGUST

• 02 | PGE Narodowy — Warsaw

Photo Credit: Daily Journal

Rapper T.I. and his wife ‘Tiny’ Harris win a $71 million judgment against toy maker MGA Entertainment, which they say violated their IP rights.

Rapper T.I. and his wife, singer-songwriter Tameka “Tiny” Harris, just won a $71 million judgment in their lawsuit against toy company MGA Entertainment, whom they alleged violated their intellectual property rights with the popular L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. line of blind box dolls.

According to The Daily Journal, who first reported the news, the couple was awarded $17.8 million in real damages and $53.6 million in punitive damages following a three-week trial in federal court in Santa Ana, California.

The ruling was unanimous, finding that of the seven dolls presented, all copied the Atlanta-based OMG Girlz’s likeness and trade dress, in violation of the Harris’ IP rights. Of the 32 dolls in total, some of them were found to have copied other artists, like Lady Gaga and Beyoncé.

T.I. and Tiny formed the OMG Girlz in 2009, with Tiny’s daughter Zonnique “Star” Pullins as a member. The group has disbanded several times, but its members (Pullins, Bahja “Beauty” Rodriguez, Breaunna “Babydoll” Womack) reunited last year and are currently on tour. All three members testified at the trial.

This was the couple’s third attempt to sue — the initial trial last year ended in a mistrial when jurors heard barred testimony that accused the company of cultural appropriation. The second trial actually ended in MGA Entertainment’s victory, but a Supreme Court ruling in June 2023 allowed the case to be retried with the belief that consumer confusion about a product should carry more weight in an infringement case.

John R. Keville, a partner at Sheppard Mullin who represented the group and the Harris family, suggested the jury penalize the toy company further “to send them a message,” given the amount of likenesses they infringed. “You found seven, plus about seven more, I think,” he said, referring to the dolls which copied the likeness of other musicians. He argued MGA should be penalized an extra $35 million to $72 million.

In contrast, MGA’s counsel said if the jury awarded an extra penalty, a range between $500,000 and $1 million was more appropriate since the $17 million verdict already reflected 100% of the dolls’ profits.

Photo Credit: Blacktree TV YouTube (Kim Porter)

Singer-songwriter and producer Al B. Sure! has called for an investigation into the 2018 death of Diddy’s former partner, Kim Porter.

The producer made the claims on Instagram, stating he believes her death may have been arranged because of the knowledge she had of Diddy’s criminal enterprise. “In a nutshell, Kimberly was allegedly taken from us because she was set on a course to accomplish what Mrs. Cassie Ventura did by igniting the bonfire which brings us here today,” the R&B singer writes.

“I am writing this post to formally request an investigation into an entire group of individuals who worked at or around the residence of Ms. Kimberly Porter, including the publicists who assisted drafting this,” the post begins. “It has come to my attention that these persons were also instructed to steal her computer and mobile devices, which contained her original book notes. Original notes are distinct from the fabricated bullshit and offensive pages circulated via Amazon which depict graphic sexual acts involving me that NEVER took place and were edited and added after Ms. Porter’s tragic murder.”

“I urge you to consider who authorized such a fictitious publication without categorizing it as ‘Calculated Fiction.’ The publicists and conspirators worked in concert, from separate camps launching this campaign which appears to be a very personal and deliberate distraction from their involvement in covering horrific crimes, assisted in, and perplexed the public for many years, which I have personally experienced and cautiously deemed just a ‘medical crisis’ for legal reasons until the rest of these atrocities were uncovered by authorities making it more believable to a gullible public that has been fooled for so long,” he continues.

“Ms. Porter’s missing devices, allegedly already in evidence unquestionably contain the critical evidence that have been concealed. I’m convinced that evidence corroborates closely with details outlined in the recently released public indictment document,” he continues. “Additionally, it is pertinent to note that the individuals involved in this matter may also be connected to also concealing the alleged murders of several prominent artists, a situation that has left many bewildered, yet those who are immersed in the culture and familiar with the intricacies of the entertainment industry may have a clearer understanding of the obvious.”

His references to the stolen devices and original notes are about Porter’s memoir. Kim Porter was found dead in her home in Toluca Lake, California in 2018. She reportedly had days of flu-like symptoms and the coroner initially listed her cause of death as ‘deferred’ but later changed it to lobar pneumonia. Porter dated Diddy throughout 2017 and was the mother of three of his children.

Photo Credit: Sound Royalties ( The Sound Royalties team with El Alfa)

Sound Royalties, the music industry’s leading finance firm, is celebrating its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of growth and innovation in providing creative-friendly funding solutions for artists. Since its 2014 launch, Sound Royalties has redefined music finance through flexible funding options that never put copyright ownership at risk.

The following was created in partnership with Sound Royalties.

Since its launch ten years ago, Sound Royalties has served thousands of music creatives and businesses worldwide to help them fund music and business ventures. The company advances anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000,000+ on any type of royalty stream, including sound recording or composition royalties, with flexible tailored options and terms chosen by the creative. The company works with over 160 labels, publishers, distributors, and performance rights organizations (PROs) across the globe—highlighting its growth as a leading provider of funding solutions in the process.

In 2015, initial transactions began with ASCAP and BMI, but Sound Royalties quickly added funding with SESAC streams in 2016. That same year, it landed its first deal with distributor income, as well as its first publishing income deal. From there, Sound Royalties began working with label income deals in 2017 and expanded to co-publishing deals in 2018. That year also marked the first year Sound Royalties went international, funding its first deal through the UK’s established PRO, PRS.

2018 was a big year for several major artists funded by Sound Royalties including Lil Wayne, followed by funding Wyclef Jean and DJ Khaled in 2019. So what’s the reason those big names in music trusted Sound Royalties to fund their projects? Sound Royalties does not take ownership of copyrights or a percentage of futures. Customers can still receive regular royalty income instead of 100% recoupment and the deals are structured as a fixed fee over a fixed term. That means if a project is hugely successful, Sound Royalties still only receives the previously agreed upon fixed payment–all of the gains are yours. The company does not become your partner or take a percentage of those increased profits.

Sound Royalties also doesn’t require personal guarantees, collateral, or financial statements for its deals. It works alongside labels, publishers, distributors, and PROs—it doesn’t replace them. Instead, Sound Royalties provides a non-biased option for funding that gives artists and creatives access to smart and savvy royalty financing while maintaining full ownership of copyrights, creative freedom, and direction for the project.

One highlight of how these deals are structured is that there is no interest rate because the deal is not a loan. No matter what funding option a creative chooses, the repayment from the creative to the company is clearly outlined. Sound Royalties offers live, one-on-one consulting with proven analytics to help provide creatives with the right funding solutions for all opportunities.

“As we celebrate 10 years at Sound Royalties, I am incredibly proud of how far we’ve come in pioneering a new model for music finance,” adds Alex Heiche, Founder & CEO of Sound Royalties. “Our goal from the very beginning was to offer an alternative financial solution that empowered music creators. A decade later, we have successfully helped thousands of artists achieve their financial goals without sacrificing their creative control.”

“As we look ahead to the next ten years, we remain focused on helping creatives maximize their potential—on their terms. We’re here to ensure that they have the financial resources they need to pursue their passions without compromising their vision. I am excited about what the future holds for both Sound Royalties and the music community we proudly serve,” Heiche tells Digital Music News.

Photo Credit: Sound Royalties (Sound Royalties CEO & Founder Alex Heiche, Vice President of Marketing Allison Portlock, and President Michael Bizenov)

Over the last ten years, Sound Royalties has experienced rapid growth, mostly through referrals and word-of-mouth from creatives as well as industry managers, attorneys, and business managers. Sound Royalties works in tandem with labels, publishers, distributors, and PROs rather than replacing them—which means the company is continuing to expand. It now operates in 18 countries and offers additional services including Catalog Bridge Financing and Tour Financing. It also provides capital for film and TV production and advances for distributors, labels, and publishers.

Sound Royalties offers a relentless commitment to ongoing funding support for its clients. Each client receives personalized attention from real people, with live representatives and customized funding solutions.and guaranteed response times for inquiries. “When I started to look at getting a royalty advance, I quickly realized it was a rapidly growing market,” says singer-songwriter Josh Gilligan about his experience. “That’s why I’m grateful that I found Sound Royalties early on in my search for a financial partner.”

“After a couple of calls with my rep, it was apparent to me that I wasn’t just working with an algorithm or a bank, but that I had found friends and people I could trust in my career as an independent artist. They made the process easy, and I hope we get to work together again in the near future,” Gilligan concludes.

Photo Credit: Sound Royalties (Dominican rapper El Alfa and Sound Royalties executives in their HQ Office)

At the end of 2023, the company completed an 8-figure deal with El Alfa, allowing him to invest in music projects without losing ownership of his copyrights or a percentage of his future earnings. “The best advice I ever received was from Sound Royalties, telling me to register and organize my royalty streams and that whatever I do—don’t sell,” says Dominican rapper El Alfa. “It was because I didn’t sell that I am now able to leverage my back catalog to invest in my future.”

Creatives around the world have used their financing for a variety of reasons—from building the recording studio of their dreams to funding their next project. “We understand that every creative is unique,” adds Sound Royalties President, Michael Bizenov. “That’s why we tailor our funding options to fit the individual needs of each artist, ensuring they have the support they need to thrive.”

To learn more about how Sound Royalties can tailor its financial services for your needs, visit www.soundroyalties.com.

Photo Credit: AllTrack

AllTrack launches performing rights API tools for creator-centric platforms, with TIDAL the first to integrate.

Performing rights organization AllTrack, built to serve the independent sector, has launched a suite of APIs that are now available to creator-centric platforms like streaming services, UGC platforms, distributors, and publishing administrators. In a first-of-its-kind integration between a streaming service and a PRO, TIDAL recently became the first platform to integrate AllTrack’s APIs.

The benefit of the APIs include direct single-click PRO registration capabilities for unaffiliated creators from within a partner’s platform, authentication of songwriter profiles and account details, access to detailed song-level metadata, the ability to display songwriter credits to end users, immediate clearance of performing rights, and many more. The APIs can be used individually or as a suite of tools based on the specific needs of each platform.

“These tools were built to enable platforms to enrich their feature sets and deepen their relationships with their creators,” says AllTrack founder and CEO Hayden Bower. “If platforms can provide enhanced services that help their creators earn more, everyone wins. Creators benefit from being able to easily claim their performing rights royalties, while platforms benefit from increased creator retention and satisfaction.”

As the first platform to integrate with AllTrack, TIDAL has unlocked the ability for unaffiliated creators to manage their works catalog by offering direct PRO registration capabilities. TIDAL has also enabled creators to authenticate their AllTrack profiles through TIDAL Artist Home, which seamlessly populates their TIDAL accounts with essential metadata.

“At TIDAL, we’re focused on creating new ways for artists and songwriters to grow their careers on their own terms,” says Agustina Sacerdote, Global Head of Product at TIDAL. “In AllTrack, we found a partner with the right technology to enable songwriters to quickly and easily manage the registration of their works. TIDAL and AllTrack both ultimately believe that independent artists and contributors shouldn’t struggle to get paid the royalties they have earned.”

These proprietary API tools underscore AllTrack’s mission to be an innovation-based PRO that develops and offers transformative technology to the music rights ecosystem.

Elliot Grainge (Photo Credit: Logan Mock)

Warner Music heralds ‘a new era’ after intense layoffs at Atlantic Music Group, announcing a new leadership team with a focus on ‘cultural impact and creative expertise.’

Atlantic Music Group (AMG), part of Warner Music Group, has announced its new leadership team and structure following a deep round of layoffs. Designed to “maximize AMG’s cultural impact and strengthen its creative expertise,” these changes aim to empower dedicated A&R and marketing teams at Atlantic Records, 300 Entertainment, and 10K Projects. Beginning October 1, Elliot Grainge assumes the role of CEO of Atlantic Music Group, as Julie Greenwald passes the torch after two decades.

“Atlantic Music Group is home to the most extraordinary artists and executives in the world. This great label has moved through a meaningful transition, and emerged with a world-class team, made up of ambitious innovators and veteran visionaries,” said Grainge. “We have a plan to build on the extraordinary achievements of the last twenty years, honor the independent DNA of our labels, and collaborate with artists to pioneer a future filled with opportunity. To all our artists, managers, and partners, we are committed to a single principle — maximum impact for original artists. We’re looking forward to doing big, bold, brave things together.”

Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl added, “AMG will be lean, agile, fiercely creative, and deeply passionate about artists and their fans. We’re opening an exciting new chapter in the story of an iconic label. Elliot’s thoughtfully chosen a team that combines a wealth of experience, a diversity of expertise, and a commitment to excellence.”

Atlantic Records, 300 Entertainment, and 10K Projects will all be helmed by forward-thinking leaders, with 10K operating within AMG as a standalone venture controlled by WMG. The Elektra, Fueled By Ramen, and Roadrunner imprints will continue under the AMG banner.

Atlantic Records

Lanre Gaba is promoted to President of Hip-Hop, R&B, and Global Music. Lu Mota is EVP, Head of A&R, Hip-Hop, R&B, and Global Music, while Marsha St. Hubert is EVP, Head of Marketing, Hip-Hop, R&B, and Global Music. They have supported and helped develop acclaimed artists like Cardi B, Jack Harlow, Lil Uzi Vert, Burna Boy, and many others. Kevin Weaver is President, West Coast. The longtime Atlantic leader was most recently behind the record-breaking “Barbie: The Album,” as well as the “Twisters” soundtrack.

In addition, Brandon Davis and Jeff Levin are EVPs and Co-Heads of A&R, Pop & Rock. Marisa Aron is promoted to EVP, Head of Marketing, Pop & Rock. The trio has managed a roster that includes Lizzo Charli XCX, Charlie Puth, Ava Max, Melanie Martinez, and many others.

300 Entertainment

Rayna Bass and Selim Bouab are Co-Presidents. Under their guidance, 300 has supported marquee names like Young Thug, Mary J. Blige, and Gunna, among others.

10K Projects

Nicholas Ziangas and Molly McLachlan are promoted to Co-Presidents, having been instrumental with breakout stars like Artemas, Trippie Redd, and Rich Amiri. Atlantic Music Group will combine the strengths of key functions at Atlantic, 300, and Elektra, to create one central set of artist development services. These functions at the group level include Creative, Legal & Business Affairs, Promotion, Press & Media Strategy, Digital Marketing & Analytics, Sales & Streaming, A&R Research, A&R Administration, and Marketing Operations.

Atlantic Music Group

Craig Kallman is elevated to Chief Music Officer, expanding his remit to bring his wealth of expertise to artists and projects across the group, while enabling him to mentor the next generation of executives. Zach Friedman and Tony Talamo are promoted to Chief Operating Officer and General Manager, respectively. Friedman and Talamo joined 10K Projects in 2018 and their company Homemade Projects was acquired in 2022.

Erica Bellarosa is promoted to General Counsel, heading legal and business affairs efforts across the entire group. Dave Rocco is appointed President of Creative, with responsibilities spanning creative strategy, video, artwork, advertising, and more. He most recently served as Chief Creative Officer at Republic Records and held the title of Global Head of Artist Marketing and Label Relations at Spotify.

Gregg Nadel has been appointed to a new role within WMG’s Recorded Music division, which will be announced soon. More appointments regarding department heads will be made over the coming weeks.

Photo Credit: Gary Chan / Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group launches Universal Music China Greater Bay Area (UMCGBA) in Hong Kong and Macau.

Universal Music Greater China (UMGC), a division of Universal Music Group (UMG), has announced the launch of a new label division — Universal Music China Greater Bay Area (UMCGBA), covering China’s Greater Bay Area which includes Hong Kong and Macau.

This initiative marks the first time a major music company has established a division in China’s Greater Bay Area (GBA), the world’s largest and most economically vibrant urban cluster, with its new headquarters in Shenzhen. One of the world’s most dynamic music markets, Universal Music Greater China now has offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Taiwan to fully support the next phase of growth across the region.

Spearheaded by Gary Chan, who currently serves as Managing Director of Universal Music Hong Kong and Senior Vice President of UMGC, the new division will help enrich the Greater Bay Area’s music scene by embracing its economic and cultural vibrancy, elevating both the local and global appeal of the region’s diverse musical heritage.

A bustling megalopolis encompassing nine cities in Guangdong Province along with the twp special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau, the Greater Bay Area is the world’s most populous urban area and a significant cultural hub. With a combined GDP contributing 11.1% to China’s total in 2023 and a population surpassing 86 million, the Greater Bay Area is a formidable economic powerhouse and cultural epicenter, accounting for nearly a quarter of China’s music performance revenue.

UMCGBA will assemble a robust local team dedicated to marketing, A&R, and artist management, with the vision to discover and cultivate local talent across the GBA. Additionally, its mission is to transform the local music scene by blending global musical trends with the Greater Bay Area’s vibrant and youthful energy. This approach not only taps into the region’s rich musical heritage but also engages with the expansive entertainment landscape, offering entertainment experiences for audiences worldwide.

Timothy Xu, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Greater China said, “The launch of UMCGBA represents a strategic expansion, leveraging the vast market potential and unique cultural atmosphere of the Greater Bay Area. We eagerly anticipate welcoming the outstanding talents from this region to join us in driving forward the next era of Chinese pop music. In this pursuit, we are setting our sights on transforming the GBA into a trendsetting hub that epitomizes creativity, vitality, and connectivity, crafting fresh musical expressions and innovative entertainment experiences.”

Adam Granite, Executive Vice President, Market Development of Universal Music Group concluded, “Our commitment to the Greater Bay Area is part of UMG’s global strategy to invest in local and regional music scenes, particularly in rapidly growing markets like China. By deepening our roots in local cultures and enhancing support for local artists, we aim to elevate the Chinese music landscape and introduce its unique sounds on the world stage.”

Photo Credit: Quavo’s Instagram

Quavo faces a copyright infringement lawsuit over his 2018 track, ‘Bubble Gum,’ from his debut solo album.

Former Migos rapper Quavo is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit filed in California on Friday by Lamount London, known professionally as rapper L.Mont. London alleges Quavo copied parts of his own track “Bubblegum,” which he says he wrote in 2015, in 2018’s “Bubble Gum,” released on Quavo’s debut solo album, Quavo Huncho.

London claims his song was registered with the US copyright office back in 2015 when he released it, and that it was released on all major streaming platforms. Quavo would therefore have had ample opportunity to have heard the earlier track — but London also says he performed as an opening act for 2 Chainz and Migos, whose members included Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset, in New Orleans.

It was after that show that L.Mont claims he attended an afterparty with Quavo and the other members of Migos, where he gave them a demo CD featuring the allegedly copied track, hoping he would be able to collaborate with the other rappers in the future. The lawsuit says Quavo “accepted the CD” from London and that he would consider working with him in the future.

But the collaboration never came to fruition, and L.Mont says Quavo “without express authorization” copied protected elements of the song in his own track of the same name. Quavo’s “Bubble Gum” was released and distributed by Universal Music Group, which is named as a co-defendant, through Quality Control Music, Capitol Records, and Motown.

“Defendants, without authority, have willfully copied and sampled many protected elements of the Plaintiff’s copyrights and further infringed upon those copyrights by acts of reproduction, distribution, publish, display, and unauthorized creation of derivative works,” the lawsuit adds.

London’s lawsuit seeks an injunction to prevent further distribution of the song, as well as damages and attorney fees.

Photo Credit: YouTube

YouTube Premium is getting a price hike for international subscribers—with the hike determined by region. The price hikes differ per region, with some regions seeing between 30% and 50% increases in the price of YouTube Premium.

YouTube has raised its prices several times since 2020. The last major YouTube Premium price hike in the United States happened in July 2023—with an international price hike following in November 2023. Now prices are going up outside the United States again—which could signal a future price hike stateside.

Users on reddit have begun reporting receiving notice of a price hike in their region. The price of a YouTube Premium Family subscription is rising from €17.99 to €25.99 starting November. A Swiss user reports a 40% hike from 23.90CHF to 33.90CHF. Norway is reporting a raise of 60% from 179kr to 269kr for the family plan. Needless to say, many people are pissed and are canceling their subscriptions and committing to using a browser that supports ad block.

“I will not pay 44% more for the same mediocre service,” reads one reddit comment about the price hikes. “Everything has a price and 25.99EUR per month is not the correct amount for this service. I would have considered a 10% price increase. Good luck losing customers and revenue—I’m moving our music library to Spotify Duo next weekend and will find a way around the YouTube ads.”

Most of the disgruntled reddit reports come from European users, but the price hike appears to be impacting the Middle East, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia. It’s also worth noting that anyone who pays for YouTube Premium through the iOS App Store will see a higher price subscription due to Apple’s 30% tax—which is passed on to the user.

With these latest price hikes, both Spotify and Apple Music are more attractive to users who don’t care about losing ad-free YouTube. YouTube rolled out unskippable ads on smart TVs last year and this year it introduced pause ads that pop up when a video is paused.

Photo Credit: Ice Spice’s Instagram

Ice Spice has reached a settlement to end the copyright infringement lawsuit against her over the hit song, ‘In Ha Mood.’

Ice Spice has reached an agreement to settle a copyright infringement lawsuit filed against her by a Brooklyn rapper who claimed her hit song, “In Ha Mood,” was copied from his earlier song, “In That Mood.”

The case, filed earlier this year by Duval Chamberlain, who released a song in 2021 as rapper D.Chamberz, claimed that Ice Spice’s 2023 hit was “strikingly similar” to his track. But attorneys for both sides said in a motion filed in federal court over the weekend, that they had agreed to resolve the lawsuit. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, and neither side has responded to media requests for comment.

D.Chamberz claimed the two songs were so similar that it “cannot be purely coincidental,” asserting that those similarities are at “the core of each work,” and that listeners had identified those similarities as well. “By every method of analysis, ‘In Ha Mood’ is a forgery,” his attorneys wrote in the lawsuit filed in January. “Any proper comparative analysis of the beat, lyrics, hook, rhythmic structure, metrical placement, and narrative context will demonstrate that ‘In Ha Mood’ was copied.”

Further, the lawsuit claimed that Chambers’ song received “significant airplay” on New York City radio stations, including Hot 97, where Ice Spice’s frequent producer RiotUSA’s father is a longtime DJ. Therefore, the filing says, Ice Spice and others involved in her song’s creation would have had plenty of opportunity to have heard the earlier track.

Ice Spice, under her legal name Isis Naija Gaston, was named as a defendant in the lawsuit, as well as RiotUSA (Ephrem Lopez, Jr.), Universal Music Group, Capitol Records, and 10K Projects. Defendants formally denied the allegations back in April, but the case remained in its infancy until Friday, when the agreement was reached.

“In Ha Mood” debuted early last year after Ice Spice’s breakthrough the prior year and spent 16 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached No. 58 on that chart and No. 18 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song was included on her debut EP, Like..?, and saw a live performance on Saturday Night Live during Ice Spice’s October appearance as the show’s musical guest.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Copilot

Cybersecurity defense firm Mandiant is stalking the Ticketmaster hacker known as Judische who was behind the massive Snowflake breach. This breach impacted Ticketmaster, AT&T, Lending Tree, and more than 165 companies who utilized Snowflake’s services.

A new 404 Media report highlights the cat-and-mouse game that cybersecurity experts are playing with the hacker in an attempt to track them down. The hacker, using the pseudonym Judische, spoke with 404 Media about the hack. Judische says he’s made around $2 million by stealing data from these companies and extorting them to pay up for the data’s supposed deletion.

Judische has published tranches of data from companies who refused to give in to the extortion scheme, including a tranche of Ticketmaster tickets for live shows including Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour.’

In these extortion attempts, Judische would contact the victim company and offer to produce a video proving the heisted data was deleted in exchange for payment. “But Judische often made terrible mistakes in those videos,” the report says. “In at least one case, the video showed his system’s hostname, which is how the computer identifies itself on a network.”

“Armed with that information, Austin Larsen, a senior threat analyst with Mandiant, identified where the server hosting some of Judische’s data was located. Larsen provided information to the relevant parties and the server was removed—delaying Judische from publishing a victim’s stolen data.”

Mandiant is coordinating with both U.S. and international law enforcement to take down Judische, who says he’s not too worried about what he calls “civilian law enforcement.”

While we don’t know if Ticketmaster paid Judische any ransom (he asked for $8 million), we do know that AT&T ponied up at least $370,000 to the hackers to delete the data they obtained. Mandiant has build a ‘moderate confidence’ profile of the hacker, saying they believe it is a male in his 20s who possibly lives in Canada. The hacker has an interest in video games, geopolitics, and catgirls. The cat-and-mouse game resulted in servers hosting stolen data in Moldova being taken down and moved to Ukraine—with Ukrainian officials eventually seizing those servers.

Mixcloud has announced the acquisition of Encore, through which clients can book musicians to play private events. Photo Credit: Mixcloud

Superfan-geared streaming platform Mixcloud has announced the acquisition of Encore, through which clients can book musicians for live performances.

The London-based companies just recently revealed their agreement, pointing out as well that the transaction coincides with Mixcloud’s 15th anniversary. Decade-old Encore, on the other hand, bills itself as today’s “fastest way to find and book great musicians.”

Offering access to talent across a variety of categories, genres, and event types, per its website, UK-focused Encore is said to have facilitated north of 50,000 bookings to date.

Now, the businesses (which opted against publicly disclosing the sale’s financial specifics) say they’re poised to coordinate on a “united effort to build tools for communities to grow, monetize and connect through music.”

At the top level, that will see Encore keep on operating independently while Mixcloud drives “the next stages of the company’s product.”

Additionally, Mixcloud co-founder Nikhil Shah (who first backed Encore half a decade ago) is set to sign on as Encore’s chairman. In this role, the longtime angel investor is expected to “provide strategic guidance as Encore enters a new phase,” the involved parties indicated.

Addressing the deal, Encore co-founder and CEO James McAulay touched on the inherent opportunities associated with uniting the community and talent-booking platforms.

“Teaming up with Mixcloud,” the exec communicated in part, “a company we’ve long admired who have made an enormous impact on music culture, feels like the perfect next step. I’m excited about unlocking the next chapter of Encore’s growth with the support of Mixcloud to build a larger ecosystem and deliver more opportunities, earnings, and tools to our incredible musicians.”

In comments of his own, Mixcloud co-founder and longtime CEO Nico Perez emphasized an objective of capitalizing on his company’s “global reach and resources” to help musicians “earn a living and connect with their audiences in new and innovative ways.”

Especially amid the continued industry-wide embrace of superfan monetization, it’ll be worth monitoring the byproducts (possibly including an expansion into new markets) of Mixcloud’s Encore buyout. Of course, it stands to reason that a portion of diehard supporters are interested in booking proper musicians for various special occasions and events.

And particularly in light of the eye-watering costs attached to attending certain gigs at present, it might prove easier than ever for prospective customers to justify tapping talent for private happenings.

Spotify stock (NYSE: SPOT) has officially hit yet another all-time high – raising questions about its potential upside through the remainder of 2024 and into the new year.

That record price, $371.11 per share, is just the latest in a line of positives for SPOT. Even at its current roughly $370 price point, the stock has almost doubled its value since the year’s start. Of course, though it perhaps goes without saying, newly reduced rates are contributing to the current surge.

But said rates aren’t solely responsible for the months-in-the-making ascent – or many investors’ decidedly bullish SPOT ratings and target prices. Despite shares’ having climbed by nearly 138 percent from late September of 2023, for a present market cap of around $75 billion, several financial professionals are of the belief that there’s still room to grow.

We recapped a portion of the appropriate forecasts earlier in September, but the number of bullish SPOT positions has spiked in the interim. As things stand, Bank of America has settled on a $380 target, against $400 for UBS, $425 for Goldman Sachs, $440 for KeyCorp, and a whopping $510 for Pivotal Research.

The shorter list of less enthusiastic SPOT assessments consists of forecasts from Seeking Alpha’s Gary Alexander and more recently Cantor Fitzgerald. However, even the latter’s $340 target, while well beneath Spotify stock’s current value, represents a material boost from the approximately $188 price point SPOT was commanding at the top of 2024.

The contrasting positions are intriguing with regard to where SPOT goes from here – whether that’s an apparent decline (like that anticipated by Cantor Fitzgerald) or a staggering $140-per-share increase (as expected by Pivotal Research).

Lacking a crystal ball, we can’t tell exactly what the future holds for Spotify and its stock. But it should be reiterated that the platform’s 2024 market gains have arrived in tandem with an enhanced focus on profitability and operational efficiency. Consequently, the bullish SPOT forecasts mentioned above are presumably banking on the company remaining in the black.

Though net earnings are easier to plot out given the subscription-based business model and serious belt-tightening efforts at hand, user and subscriber additions are harder to predict. Evidently more focused on Spotify’s total subscribers (which exceeded guidance at 246 million for Q2), Wall Street seemingly took little notice of the company’s second-quarter MAUs miss (626 million versus 631 million forecasted).

Stated concisely, it’ll be interesting on multiple levels to see how Spotify’s users and subscriptions fare during Q3. Also important are the results associated with enhanced monetization efforts. As spelled out by stateside data and the majors’ earnings reports, much of Spotify’s subscriber growth is deriving from emerging markets where on-demand music access costs comparatively little.

And while that’s not the company’s only incentive to continue expanding, it’s definitely worth keeping front of mind amid an audiobook push, a growing emphasis on advertising, an ongoing AI buildout, and rumblings of a video embrace.

Photo Credit: Range Music

Range Music Publishing inks an exclusive global admin deal with Universal Music Publishing Group.

Range Music Publishing, a division of Range Media Partners, has inked an exclusive global administration deal with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), expanding on Range’s existing relationships with Universal Music group’s Capitol Music Group and Virgin Music Group. Range Media Partners is one of the most disruptive new representation businesses in entertainment, with a foothold in music, film, television, production, comedy, and sports, with offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Nashville.

The deal with UMPG comes on the heels of publishing client Sean Cook scoring his tenth straight week at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” Range Music Publishing launched in 2023 with the goal of building a curated, full-service, boutique music publishing company to take advantage of synergies within the Range ecosystem.

In the past six months, they’ve celebrated five top-charting songs across multiple radio formats and genres, including #1 hits in country, top 40, rhythmic, hot AC, and dance radio, and the longest-running Billboard Hot 100 #1 of 2024. Beyond Cook’s work on “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and Paul Russell’s “Lil Boo Thang,” Range has also found success with Geoff Warburton (Tyler Hubbard’s “Back Then Right Now,” Luke Bryan’s “But I Got a Beer in My Hand”) and Tyler Dopps (“Young & Foolish” by Loud Luxury featuring Charlieonnafriday).

Range Publishing’s roster includes Cook, Warburton, Luke Grimes, Dylan Gossett, Grant Averill, Tyler Dopps, Two Fresh, Luke Niccoli, Simon Oscroft, and Rudey, the latter six of whom will be included in this new deal. Range Music represents a wide range of talent including Jack Harlow, Shaboozey, Tanya Tucker, Cordae, Pentatonix, Saweetie, Midland, Murda Beatz, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Lauv, Alec Benjamin, Dylan Gossett, MAX, Bazzi, Sean Douglas, Paul Russell, Wondagurl, Russell Dickerson, and more.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with our friends at UMPG as we build Range Music Publishing and grow our global footprint,” says Range’s Casey Robison, previously co-president and partner of Big Deal Music Group and Executive Vice President, A&R at Hipgnosis Songs Group. “UMPG’s impressive team will help us maximize creative opportunities while providing first class administration for our growing roster of artists and songwriters. We couldn’t be more proud to call UMPG our partners.”

Range Media Partners co-founder and Managing Partner Matt Graham continues, “On behalf of our partnership we are thrilled to be formalizing our longstanding relationship with UMPG. The collaboration ensures greater creative support and administration for our writers, producers, and artists. Together, we are committed to connecting the dots across our myriad of talent as well as the varying facets of our film, TV, sports, and gaming relationships.”

Jennifer Knoepfle, UMPG EVP and Co-Head of A&R, concluded, “In the short time Range has focused on publishing, they have already made a strong impact in the marketplace. Casey, Sam, Matt, and team have a great ethos and vision and we are happy to be their admin partner on current and future endeavors.”

Photo Credit: Microsoft Copilot

SoundExchange is developing a global artificial intelligence (AI) registry for sound recording creators and rights owners. But most AI companies have scraped copyrighted data already to train their models. Is this too little, too late?

SoundExchange President & CEO Michael Huppe shared the information during a discussion with artist Timbaland about music rights at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in Manhattan last week.

This new registry will provide a much-needed resource for creators and rights owners to protect their rights related to the use of their content in AI models. It will allow them to reserve those rights, if they so choose, against training by AI algorithms. While U.S. law does not require such a reservation to protect creators’ rights, the global registry will be another tool to help AI companies properly handle their training data and to help facilitate similar protections in Europe and elsewhere.

SoundExchange says it plans to launch this registry in Q1 2025, as an evolution of systems purpose-built by SoundExchange for the collection and distribution of recording royalties. The registry will utilize SoundExchange’s authoritative and comprehensive international standard recording code (ISRC) database. Companies building AI training models will be able to reference the database of authorization declarations before ingesting recordings.

“The rapid proliferation of companies building and leveraging AI music models demands creators have an ability to declare easily whether or not they want their work used in that process,” says SoundExchange CEO Michael Huppe. “Our driving mission is to simplify the music industry and protect the value of music.”

“because of our role in the music industry and our authoritative data, SoundExchange is in a unique and trusted position to create an AI sound recordings registry. We see this as another opportunity to bridge the information gap while keeping control in the hands of creators and rights owners and providing AI companies with a centralized resource for researching consent.”

Record labels and other rights owners would still have the ability to undertake a reservation of rights individually with each AI company. The SoundExchange AI registry will supplement that ability and facilitate economies of scale in the notification process. The database will be a voluntary tool, and rights owners will maintain all legal rights to their recordings regardless of their listing in the registry.

While the effort is a noble one, it feels a bit like creating a registry of horses to ride after they’ve already been let out of the barn. AI companies like Anthropic are arguing in court that training their AI models on copyrighted music falls under “fair use,” with the outcome of that argument remaining to be seen.

Photo Credit: Claudio Schwarz

Jay-Z and Roc Nation are among a long list of suitors hoping to claim a lucrative Times Square casino license. Now the music mogul appears to be sweetening the bid with a $250M grant for Hell’s Kitchen if he’s selected. Here’s the latest.

New York City was recently approved for the casino license and Jay-Z jumped at the chance to make his case. In an Instagram post titled, “It’s Time, Times Square” the mogul laid out his argument for why Roc Nation should be granted the license. “Some conflicted parties have attempted to spread misinformation, so we wanted to speak to you, New York City, directly.”

“The winning group must have a track record of turning words into deeds—of putting New York City and its residents first—people of all races, religions, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and socio-economic statuses. New Yorkers in every corner of every borough—all of us. The winning organization must have a history of campaigning for fair hiring, representation, and reform. Hate, as well as groups that have a history of oppressing the most vulnerable, have no place in New York.”

“The winning licensee must always put the well-being of New Yorkers at the top of their agenda and do right by its residents. This is too important of a moment in our city’s illustrious history. Times Square, the epicenter of entertainment with a palpable energy, is unmatched. Roc Nation and our partners are here to ensure Times Square remains connected to all facets of culture. There’s no better location for a Caesar’s Palace entertainment destination than the Crossroads of the World.”

“Our proposal lays out an innovative plan that will not only draw additional tourists to our city but will also enhance the lives of everyday New Yorkers.”

Jay-Z says his proposal for the Times Square casino gives back to surrounding businesses, benefits mass transit, invests money into sanitation and security from the bowtie all the way into Hell’s Kitchen, develops and delivers a much-needed transportation plan, protects the interests of the actors, producers, theatre staff, writers, and patrons that represent the true heart and soul of Broadway, and provides opportunity for all.

“Our bid commits $115 million for diverse theater programs that include daycare for Broadway workers and their families. Our bid honors the city of dreams, New York City, and the people that have made this place we call home the cultural and entertainment capital of the world.”

Now Page Six reports that Roc Nation will commit more than $250 million in grant money for Hell’s Kitchen if it lands the bid to create a Caesars Palace Times Square casino. The plan would see the group giving a $15 million grant to the local community, plus regular grants based on .5% of the casino’s performance. Roc Nation says its bid is getting support from over 150 organizations and businesses including restaurants, hotels, residents, unions, and Broadway stakeholders.

Photo Credit: Lyte

Last week, warning signs pointed to major operational trouble for Quincy Jones-backed ticketing platform Lyte. Now, new evidence is continuing to suggest a meltdown at the well-funded Ticketmaster competitor.

DMN first reported on the apparent woes of 11-year-old Lyte six days ago, when, among other things, the business’s website was down. At the time of this writing, that less-than-encouraging issue hadn’t resolved; navigating to Lyte.com brought up a “scheduled maitenance (sic)” message and an indication that the site “should be back shortly.”

To put it mildly, that’s a problem for multiple parties – including the investors who’ve pumped north of $50 million total into Lyte in recent years.

Unfortunately, though, there’s even more to the fallout than potentially lost investments. At a particularly precarious time for many in the live entertainment sector, large and small music events alike “have hundreds (if not thousands) of tickets currently stuck in Lyte’s system with no resolution,” according to Festive Owl.

The same source cited Michigan’s Big Fam Music & Arts Festival, set to kick off on October 4th, as one such event. DMN reached out to Big Fam for comment on the extent of the Lyte-related turmoil but didn’t immediately receive a response.

Not helping the situation is the seeming radio silence from Lyte, the founder and CEO of which, Antony Taylor, departed the company last month, according to his LinkedIn profile. Once again at the time of writing, Taylor didn’t appear to have publicly elaborated on the precise circumstances surrounding his departure.

Predictably, a closer look at the LinkedIn profiles of other (now-former) Lyte higher-ups shows that Taylor isn’t alone in exiting the company.

These September (not August) departures include but aren’t limited to head of sales Chandler Abbott, head of commercial for APAC Tim Glenane, and operations director Jeanette Savell. Furthermore, in what was in retrospect a far-from-positive sign, execs like Lyte president Andy Donner had stepped away earlier in 2024.

Shifting the focus back to the present, TheTicketingBusiness today described an already-underway “quickfire sale” process for Lyte and the assets at hand. This bankruptcy alternative will reportedly field closed offers until October 11th.

Ironically, as some will recall, it was only about two years ago that Lyte itself scooped up the distressed assets of Festicket and Event Genius. (TicketingBusiness noted Lyte employees’ belief that the multimillion-dollar deal was a mistake and marked the start of the purchasing company’s decline.)

The developments underscore the stiff competition in the live arena and especially ticketing. Most obviously, that refers to Live Nation’s Ticketmaster.

But CTS Eventim’s See Tickets, Tixr, DICE (which could be exploring a sale of its own), TickPick (now boasting $250 million in investor capital), Seat Unique, OPEN (formerly GET Protocol), and StubHub (evidently still delaying its long-awaited IPO) are also hunting for bigger pieces of the ticketing pie.

Photo Credit: Mark Alexiou, Yoram Ben-Israel, Rebekah Pennington / Ampollo

Music platform Ampollo raises $3.1 million ahead of its official launch, allowing musicians at all levels to collaborate and more.

Ampollo, a new music collaboration platform to enable artists, songwriters, and producers of all levels to practice, record, collaborate, network, and drive revenue, has raised $3.1 million ahead of its official launch.

Co-founded by CEO entrepreneur Yoram Ben-Israel, CMO Mark Alexiou, creator of multiple music-oriented business ventures, and former Sony and Universal artist and startup specialist Rebekah Pennington, the company will provide a range of user-friendly tools and engagement opportunities.

Ampollo empowers musicians and artists to grow their audiences while utilizing the platform’s proprietary studio tools to remix, create with others, and unlock creator and audience rewards. Artists, labels, and other rights holders can also market and distribute music to their already engaged fans to enjoy in an immersive, gamified way, opening up additional revenue streams for the wider music industry.

Some of Ampollo’s key features include stem separation to enable easy remixing of tracks, video and audio recording, stackable audio, preset filters, customizable mixing desks, and social media and audience engagement tools. The platform also serves several other functions, including assisting producers with toplines, beats, and collaboration opportunities, helping songwriters and performers find session players and producer collaborations, providing discovery opportunities for A&R professionals and increasing revenue opportunities for rights holders.

So far, the company has raised $3.06 million (£2.3 million) in early-stage funding from a range of investors across the tech sector, including specialists in music, gaming, community, content, and VR. The company is in discussion with a number of major music companies about further funding partnerships and licensing deals.

In addition to providing resources to individuals, Ampollo has entered agreements and partnered on a range of initiatives with several music industry companies and organizations, including BIMM, The Royal Academy, Studiospares, and Pirate Studios. These will allow members and clients of those bodies to access the full range of services offered by Ampollo. The company has also pledged to support the charitable work of Help Musicians with fundraising activity and donations.

Ampollo has been in beta testing since summer last year, with a wide range of both amateur and professional musicians and artists helping refine the platform and offering. Following this successful process, the platform will formally launch in December. There are still opportunities for exclusive pre-launch invitations and interested parties can email Ampollo to request an access code.

“Everyone deserves the chance to find aligned talent to collaborate with,” says CEO Yoram Ben-Israel. “Utilizing emerging technologies enables the creative process to be accessible to everyone, not limited by their location or network. Ampollo’s core aim is to create new opportunities, find undiscovered talent, enable human connection with both collaborative partners and music fans, and to deliver access to new revenue streams in fun and engaging ways through intuitive tools and resources.”

Photo Credit: Kevin Mazur (YouTube)

YouTube is borrowing a page from Twitch’s promotional catalog with its new hype feature. While Twitch hype works only while the creator is live (encouraging active donations), YouTube Hype allows fans to boost the video to virality for small-time content creators.

The new feature was one of several debuted during the Made on YouTube conference, where upcoming product updates are showcased. The feature is intended to help emerging YouTube channels reach more people thanks to the efforts of their dedicated fans. If a video has been out for less than seven days and the channel has fewer than 500,000 subscribers—videos can be hyped.

YouTube Hype goes beyond liking and sharing a video. The higher hype level a video receives, the higher it climbs on the new Hype Leaderboard displaying the top 100 hyped videos of the week. YouTube accounts can only hype up to three times per week the channels that meet these requirements—so it’s not a system that can be gamed from a single account. YouTube says in the future, they will allow fans to purchase additional hypes—unlocking a new revenue stream for creators in the process.

Hyped videos won’t influence YouTube recommendations and search results. Creators see benefit through a ‘small creator bonus’ built-in, which YouTube says helps ensure everyone gets a chance at the spotlight. Top hyped videos will earn a special badge, showcasing that it’s a fan-favorite video to viewers.

“In the first four weeks of our beta tests in Turkey, Taiwan, and Brazil, users hyped over five million times across more than 50,000 unique channels,” YouTube reports. “The largest age group hyping videos in the beta is the 18-24 age range, making up over 30% of all beta testers.”

That’s important, since ‘hyping’ videos is a normal part of Twitch culture called the ‘hype train.’ Hype trains kick off in a live chat when there’s a spike in supporter events like subscribing to the channel, buying a hype chat, or buying and using bits in a single five-minute period. After the threshold is crossed, a countdown begins encouraging viewers to keep the hype train going. YouTube appears to be borrowing the concept for small-time creators to take the stage next to mega YouTube channels like MrBeast or Pewdiepie.

Photo Credit: CelebrityABC / CC by 2.0

The Michael Jackson Estate has taken legal action against a former sexual assault accuser for allegedly threatening them for a bigger payday amounting to $213 million.

Michael Jackson’s estate has filed a legal action against a former sexual assault accuser for allegedly threatening to resurface abuse allegations in breach of agreement if he is not paid more money.

As reported by the Financial Times over the weekend, Jackson’s estate filed a private arbitration case against the accuser, who remains anonymous to the media, back in 2020 over abuse allegations. The estate allegedly paid the accuser $3.3 million in a settlement in exchange for his signing a non-disclosure agreement. But now the estate claims he’s threatening to speak up in breach of contract if they do not pay him an additional $213 million.

“The associate’s lawyer even said to us, ‘If you don’t meet our demands, we’re going to have to share these allegations with a wider group of people,’” said estate executor John Branca in an interview with the Washington Informer. “It was a shakedown. Enough is enough.”

It’s not yet clear when the arbitration case was filed or what the exact allegations entail. Further details like the name of Jackson’s accuser have also remained undisclosed. The estate also would not confirm the accuracy of reports and declined to respond to media requests for comment.

The Financial Times reports that the estate also referred the matter to the US Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. Like the estate, a spokesman for the US Attorney’s Office declined to comment when asked to confirm the report or whether it had opened an investigation.

Jackson died in 2009, and was never convicted or held liable for any of the accusations of abuse levied against him. The estate has always staunchly denied all such accusations, and point out his acquittal in a 2005 criminal trial.

The unnamed accuser’s alleged threats to go public are, interestingly, timed to coincide with the premiere of the biopic of the singer’s life, Michael, starring his real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson. That film is due to release in April next year, and is directed by Antoine Fuqua.

Photo Credit: Andreas

A composition by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was re-discovered in Germany this week—long after it was believed lost. Musicians in Leipzig brought the piece to life, which you can hear below.

The ‘gently-used’ composition was discovered at the library in Leipzig, hidden in the Carl Ferdinand Becker collection in the music library. Researchers believe it was written in the 1760s, when Mozart was an early teen. They describe the manuscript as being in “Dark brown ink on medium-white handmade paper” with individually bound parts.

The 12-minute composition was performed on September 19 in Salzburg—more than 260 years after it was written. The found manuscript is believed to be a copy of the original, made sometime in the 1780s.

Researchers discovered the piece while compiling the latest Köchel catalog of Mozart’s works, which refers to the piece as ‘Ganz kleine Nachtmusik’—or ‘Quite Little Night Music’ in English. It is one of several undiscovered chamber-music compositions written by Mozart referenced in a list of music compiled by the composer’s father.

The piece of music itself is a string trio written before Mozart’s first trip to Italy is is composed of “Seven miniature movements for a string trio lasting about 12 minutes.” Germany musicologist Ulrich Leisinger, speaking for the International Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg, stated that the composition is unique compared to other pieces produced by Mozart at the time. Mozart primarily wrote arias, symphonies, and piano music during this period.

The piece premiered in Germany on September 21 by Vincent Geer (violin), David Geer (violin), and Elisabeth Zimmermann (violoncello) at the Leipzig Opera (video above). The first published edition of this new piece, based on a facsimile of the manuscript parts, was released on online sheet music sites like Score Exchange. This latest discovery is one of a dozen new Mozart pieces discovered in modern times. In 2008, an unknown Mozart score was discovered in  French library.

A streamlined payments process and straightforward tax compliance aren’t exactly punk – but they’re decidedly important parts of today’s increasingly complex music industry. In that spirit, Hopeless Records has triggered a serious payments backend upgrade.

The LA-based Hopeless Records tapped Toronto-based Trolley to help retrofit its payment backend, a tie-up that coincides with the label’s 30th anniversary. Since arriving on the scene, the Louis Posen-founded label has served as the professional home of Avenged Sevenfold, New Found Glory, Sum 41, Yellowcard, and a number of other well-known acts. Hopeless’ current roster features talent such as The Toxhards, Tigers Jaw, and Bayside, to name a few.

Now, bearing in mind the sweeping changes that have hit the music world since the label’s debut in the 90s, Hopeless higher-ups say they intend “to focus more on supporting their artists and community.” Enter the Trolley pact, which is said to be freeing up resources by streamlining both the label’s accounts payable and royalty-payouts processes.

This includes “crucial end-of-year 1099 filings,” the involved companies emphasized, pointing as well to ultimate advantages like a “significantly reduced” payments and royalties workload.

“Compared to spending two weeks cutting checks and handling various payments,” summed up Hopeless CFO Al Person, “using Trolley takes only about a day of my work. It’s a significant improvement.”

And regarding the once-off logistical considerations of making the jump to Trolley – the agreement also extends to Hopeless Publishing and the Sub City non-profit – Person described the process behind “porting over royalty payouts” as “very fast and easy.”

Shifting the focus to the other side of the deal, Trolley revenue VP Conor Cox touched on his company’s growing industry presence, with clients including but not limited to CD Baby, Songtradr, SoundCloud, and Latin-focused ticketing platform Tickeri at present.

“We’re seeing tremendous product-market fit across the music industry, particularly in spaces where companies are working closely with their artists,” weighed in the Trolley higher-up of nearly two years. “Partnering with Hopeless Records, a label that has continually championed its artists and community, is an exciting milestone for us.”

Without digging too far into the many features and technical specifics of Trolley, the platform per its website pays 1.5 million rightsholders, executes a cool 150,000 royalty payouts monthly, and now files north of 200,000 tax forms annually on behalf of artists.

The French music industry grew 5.9% YoY in H1 2024 as streaming growth made up for a slowdown on the physical side, per a new report. Photo Credit: Amin Zabardast

The French music industry grew 5.9% year over year (YoY) during 2024’s opening half despite a nearly 7% YoY dip in physical revenue.

That’s according to a new half-year breakdown from France’s Syndicat National de l’Edition Phonographique (SNEP). Digging directly into the French-language resource, the European nation’s total H1 2024 recorded revenue came in at $463.35 million/€415.22 million, consisting of $371.80 million/€333 million from digital (up 9.6% YoY) and the remaining $91.55 million/€82 million from CDs and vinyl (down 6.8% YoY).

Regarding the latter slip, SNEP emphasized H1 2023’s many commercially prominent CD releases. Moreover, H1 2024 vinyl revenue improved slightly YoY (0.2%) and topped its CD counterpart (down 13.2% YoY) for the first time since the 80s, per the analysis.

But this vinyl growth is modest when stacked up against the U.S. in H1 2024 (17% YoY for revenue) and even the results of other European nations (like Germany and its 5.4% YoY vinyl-sales expansion for H1 2024) where the format’s resurgence is proving comparatively measured.

Shifting to the streaming side, the French music industry in H1 2024 generated about 62% of its recorded revenue from subscriptions ($288.62 million/€258.51 million, up 11.3% YoY).

However, ad-supported audio streaming ($42.45 million/€38.02 million, up 6.1% YoY) and video streaming ($35.14 million/€31.47 million, up 5.1% YoY) also achieved growth, per the report. Especially in light of Universal Music’s recent indication that France’s “paid music subscriber penetration rate” was only 23% last year, the results are noteworthy.

In terms of the works behind France’s solid streaming showing, in keeping with the music-market characteristics of Italy and more, over 70% of the top-selling H1 2024 projects were released by French artists, SNEP relayed.

Running with the point, Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poets Department ranked fifth on the appropriate chart and was the sole non-French album to make its way into the rap-dominated top 10 for H1 2024, according to the data.

As to the information’s bigger-picture significance, the double-digit subscription improvement, while associated with a far smaller revenue pool than in the U.S., dramatically outpaced that of today’s largest music market in H1 2024.

Heading into 2025, the seemingly positive overall streaming trajectory of multiple European nations and a variety of emerging markets will presumably make for a variety of growth opportunities. (Earlier in September, the IFPI unveiled insightful data about the wider EU music space.)

And while subscriber additions are, of course, a stateside objective as well, the next stage of domestic monetization appears poised to prioritize diehard support via superfan offerings and more expensive subscription options.

Photo Credit: Gabriel Gurrola

The MLC introduces a free online ‘micro-course’ to empower the next generation of music industry professionals.

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) has announced two initiatives aimed at engaging and educating college students interested in learning about the MLC and its mission: the launch of its free online micro-course and the expansion of its Student Ambassador Program.

The MLC’s first online micro-course, “The MLC 101: Introduction to The MLC,” is available to all college students seeking to deepen their understanding of the organization’s role in ensuring songwriters, composers, lyricists, and music publishers receive their mechanical royalties from streaming and download services in the US.

The free course offers a certificate of completion as well as a digital badge upon successfully completing the optional final test. This course can be completed in under 2.5 hours.

In addition, the MLC’s enhanced “Student Ambassador Program” provides college students the opportunity to engage with the MLC through a 10-week program of activities that include engaging with local songwriters and sharing information about the MLC on their college campus. Participants will gain valuable insights into the MLC while actively contributing to the MLC’s efforts to reach and educate songwriters.

“We’re thrilled to offer our first online micro-course as a way for students to learn about mechanical licensing and the MLC’s role in a self-paced course structure that includes the opportunity to test their understanding,” says Serona Elton, the MLC’s Head of Educational Partnerships.

“Additionally, our enhanced Student Ambassador Program not only provides professional development and networking opportunities for students, but it also empowers students to play an active role in helping music creators collect the revenue they are entitled to.”

The MLC’s Student Ambassador Program is a volunteer program open to all students currently enrolled in college or university courses, with no cost to participate and no geographic limitations. The MLC will provide participants with a variety of educational resources created specifically for students, access to exclusive virtual and in-person events, opportunities to engage directly with the MLC, and more.

Through this program, students will deepen their understanding of the MLC’s mission and efforts to serve songwriters and receive official recognition for their participation. The MLC’s Student Ambassador designation is valid for one academic period and may be renewed if all program requirements are successfully met.

To apply, students must complete the application process through the MLC’s online platform. Applicants are required to submit proof of current enrollment at an accredited college, university, or institute in the United States, and must successfully pass an online video assessment. Applications for the fall 2024 academic period are being accepted through September 30.

Photo Credit: Jun Seita / CC by 2.0

Under a new labor contract announced Thursday, New York Philharmonic musicians will receive a raise of 30% over the next three years. That will bring the musicians’ base pay to $205,000 per year, making them one of the highest paid orchestras in the country.

The New York Philharmonic’s leaders praised the new agreement, which the 100 musicians are expected to ratify on Friday when the existing contract expires. “It’s transformative,” Colin Williams told The New York Times. “It speaks to the commitment from the Philharmonic’s leadership to making sure this place is really a destination orchestra.”

Some of the other changes in this new labor contract include provisions that require musicians to play from behind a screen in the final round of auditions. Previously, screens were optional in this final round of auditioning. The rule is intended to make the hiring process fairer and more transparent for all involved. The orchestra will also put into place new protocols to ensure that votes on auditions and tenure are done by secret ballot “to eliminate any possibility of undue influence by individual committee members.”

This contract is the first that the NY Philharmonic has negotiated since the COVID-19 pandemic, which put strain on the ensemble during its closures.

The NY Philharmonic has an endowment of about $237 million and a budget of $90 million, but faces rising costs and a cash deficit of around $8 million. The Philharmonic will pay for these wage increases through fund-raising and other means. It is in the early phases of a money-raising drive called the Dudamel Visionary Fund Campaign, led by Philharmonic chairs Peter W. May and Oscar L. Tang.

Under the terms of the contract negotiated, NY Philharmonic musicians will receive a 15% raise for this 2024-2025 season; a 7.5% raise for the 2025-26 season; and a 7.5% raise for the 2026-27 season.

Photo Credit: The Come Up Show / CC by 2.0

Rapper Nelly (Cornell Haynes Jr.) is facing a $50 million lawsuit from his former rap group, which accuses him of manipulating them into believing they would have writing credits on his 2000 album, Country Grammar.

The St. Lunatics rap group consisted of Nelly and the named plaintiffs, Ali Jones, Lavell Web, Robert Kyjuan, and Tohri Harper. Former member Corey Edwards is not involved in the lawsuit. The group appeared on several hit songs from his debut album and released songs like “Gimme What U Got” before Nelly’s break-out solo career.

During recording sessions for what would become the album Country Grammar, the group claims Nelly manipulated them into believing they would have writing credits on the album. “[Nelly] privately and publicly acknowledged that plaintiffs were the lyric writers for the original compositions and promised to ensure that plaintiffs received writing and publishing credit for the original compositions,” the lawsuit states.

“Plaintiffs, relying on the promises made to them by [Nelly], continued to perform shows with [Nelly] both in his solo performances (as back up performers) and as the group St. Lunatics.”

The lawsuit continues stating that Nelly continually told the plaintiffs that they would receive credits, while both Country Grammar and the St. Lunatics album Free City were performing well commercially. Defendants allege that they did not find out the truth of those promises until 2020.

“Despite repeated assurances by [Nelly] that plaintiffs would receive their writing credit and publishing income for creating the original compositions, plaintiffs—sometime in 2020—eventually discovered that [Nelly] had been lying to them the entire time,” the lawsuit continues.

“Plaintiffs eventually discovered that not only did they not receive any credit as authors or creators of the original compositions, but that [Nelly] and others took full credit for creating the original compositions contained in [Country Grammar].”

“Sometime in 2020, plaintiffs became aware of a dispute between an individual named Willie Woods Jr. p/k/a John Long and [Nelly] and/or UMPG regarding the song ‘Ride Wit Me’ which was contained in Country Grammar. Upon information and belief, Mr. Woods claimed to be one of the writers on the song ‘Ride Wit Me’ and was demanding his portion of publishing royalties from the sales, public performance, or exploitation of ‘Ride Wit Me.’”

“Realizing that they were not the only writers on [Country Grammar] that [Nelly] had failed to provide proper credit and publishing income, plaintiffs decided to seek legal advice regarding their copyrights in and to [Country Grammar].”

The St. Lunatics are suing for copyright infringement with UMG, UMPG, BMG, Kobalt, and Hipgnosis named as defendants alongside Nelly.

Photo Credit: Atlantic Music Group

More details are emerging about the latest layoffs at Warner Music Group, which has moved forward with plans to reduce Atlantic Music Group’s headcount.

We covered that headcount reduction, the newest byproduct of a massive reorganization at the major label, yesterday. In a memo, WMG CEO Robert Kyncl indicated that some Atlantic Music Group (AMG) employees would be let go ahead of a leadership-team announcement from soon-to-be AMG CEO Elliot Grainge.

What Kyncl didn’t disclose, however, was the precise number of affected professionals. For a bit of quick background – it’s becoming increasingly difficult to track the many shakeups not just at WMG, but all three majors – March of 2023 saw Warner Music lay off a reported 270 team members.

A portion of these cuts reached AMG, and WMG in February of this year acknowledged plans for additional layoffs yet. At the time, the company expected the reorganization to encompass “a reduction in headcount of approximately 600 or 10%,” including in advertising, media, corporate roles, and “various support functions,” according to the relevant regulatory filing.

Now, though, WMG in an amended filing yesterday revised its estimates for the layoffs, which it relayed would instead impact 750 persons (or 13% of the company) in the same areas as those identified in February.

The business expects to save $260 million (with a “significant” chunk of the sum arriving by the 2025 fiscal year’s end) and to incur $150 million in severance expenses. Agreements associated with the latter are presumably preventing axed team members from publicly discussing the precise circumstances of the layoffs.

But they certainly aren’t preventing them from updating their LinkedIn profiles. Most will presumably make said updates in the approaching days and weeks, but one early adjustment shows that the new layoffs affected an Atlantic touring and artist-development coordinator.

Regarding the extent of the layoffs in hard numbers – the cuts are, of course, on top of the two dozen that hit AMG in February – Billboard has placed the total at between 150 and 175, against an estimate of 170 from Variety.

As to where things go from here, Grainge’s mentioned leadership-team announcement will provide further insight as to the new operational direction of Warner Music. Closer to the present, in a contrast to the post-reduction share-price surges attributable to different music companies, Warner Music Group stock (NASDAQ: WMG) is currently down about 1.3% at $30.12 per share.

On an adjacent-but-worthwhile note, Spotify stock (NYSE: SPOT) quietly spiked to a 52-week high of $368.29 per share yesterday – with even its slightly smaller present value representing a market cap nearly five times as large as that of Warner Music Group.

Photo Credit: Jesús Rocha

The musician indicted by the US government for his alleged role in the $10 million streaming fraud scam pleads not guilty as the case kicks off.

Michael Smith, the 52-year-old North Carolina musician who is being charged with three felony counts in connection with a $10 million streaming fraud scam, entered a plea of ‘not guilty’ during a brief proceeding. As initially reported by Law 360, US District Judge John Koeltl issued an order in Manhattan setting Smith’s bail at $500,000 as the case moves forward.

Earlier this month, the US government indicted Smith for his alleged role in the “scheme to create hundreds of thousands of songs with artificial intelligence and use automated programs called ‘bots’ to stream the AI-generated songs billions of times.”

The recently unsealed indictment alleged Smith went through a number of steps and processes to artificially boost streams, including fake email accounts and cloud service accounts, as well as paying for family plans on various streaming platforms. Smith estimated at one point he could use bots to generate around 661,440 streams per day, generating annual royalties of about $1,207,128.

Spotify issued a statement just last week, going on record to say that its platform only accounted for less than 1% of the money generated in the streaming fraud scheme. The company said it “invests heavily in automated and manual reviews to prevent, detect, and mitigate the impact of artificial streaming” on its platform.

“It appears our preventative measures worked and limited the royalties Smith was able to generate from Spotify to approximately $60,000 of the $10 million noted in the indictment,” said Spotify. “As [Spotify] typically accounts for around 50% of streamshare, this shows how effective we are at limiting the impact of artificial streaming on our platform.”

According to the indictment, one unnamed streaming service was able to detect the alleged fraudulent activity, cutting Smith off from royalty payments as early as 2019. Though the indictment referred to that service as only “Streaming Platform-1,” news outlets have since identified the platform to be Spotify.

Meanwhile, the Mechanical Licensing Collective also identified issues with Smith’s streaming data and withheld the royalty payments associated with them. The timing was apt; the MLC had recently announced a collaboration with music streaming fraud detection platform Beatdapp to enhance the collective’s existing fraud detection capabilities.

Beatdapp, who also began a partnership with Universal Music Group in January, said earlier this summer that streaming fraud accounts for around $2 billion lost royalties for artists each year.