News Copyright case over Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking Out Loud’ continues in New York appeals court The long-running dispute, in which Sheeran emerged victorious last year, now continues in an appellate court in New York.
Interviews ‘Jelly Roll speaks to the underdogs with his music; Lainey Wilson has made Country Cool Again.’ BMG Nashville EVP of Recorded Music, JoJamie Hahr, on the rise of Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson, and BBR Music Group's positioning in country music
News Audiomack signs partnership with Merlin, as streaming service aims to monetize and legitimize modified audio Audiomack's Audiomod tool allows music fans to speed up, slow down, and adjust the pitch on the songs they're listening to
News NMPA accuses Spotify of ‘attacking songwriters’ as streaming service changes how it pays out mechanical royalties in the US SPOT now considers its Premium plans to be 'bundles' – because they combine audiobooks and music
News TikTok rival Triller to merge with NASDAQ-listed AGBA, creating $4 billion social media and financial services company "We believe this is the most efficient route for Triller to access public capital markets and secure the liquidity needed for rapid growth."
News SoundExchange to handle payment admin for JKBX’s Creator Program JKBX received qualification for its assets from the SEC in March
News Africa-focused streaming service Mdundo reports 41% jump in active users, as Nigerian currency crisis pressures revenue The Nigerian naira fell 38% in Q1, putting pressure of Mdundo's revenue even as user growth continued unabated
News Concord, financed by Apollo, makes $1.4bn cash bid to acquire Hipgnosis Songs Fund’s assets But will Merck Mercuriadis and Blackstone go quietly? Don't bet on that.
Analysis News Epidemic Sound’s royalty-free music is played 2.5bn times per day on YouTube and TikTok, but company still struggles to turn a profit The company says there are now 26 million videos on YouTube and TikTok featuring its music
Analysis Universal Music Group generated 51% of its 2023 recorded music revenues in North America… and 8 other things we learned from its new annual report MBW takes a deep dive through Universal's latest in-depth financial report
News Singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka sells stake in catalog to Primary Wave Music Sedaka has written or co-written for artists including Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Connie Francis, Tom Jones and more
News Harri Davies appointed Head of A&R at RCA Records UK He most recently held the position of Senior Director A&R at Concord Music Publishing in the UK
Analysis The US No AI FRAUD Act and Tennessee’s ELVIS Act have caused a buzz in music’s legal circles. What do they hope to achieve, and what are the potential pitfalls? The bill is meant to give people legal recourse if their image or voice is used in an unauthorized deepfake, but also enshrines into law rules for their commercial use
News Primary Wave and FiveCurrents launch ‘revolutionary’ Bob Marley entertainment experience in Las Vegas “Bob Marley’s music has inspired and continues to inspire countless generations all over the globe,” said Primary Wave CEO Larry Mestel
News Metaverse studio Karta’s Fortnite game Beat Builder hits 100,000 players Karta's long-term goal is to integrate established artists directly into Fortnite, providing a platform for them to connect with fans
News Secretly Distribution hires Warner Music’s Rich Thane as Associate Director of Artist & Label Strategy Thane is also the founder of music magazine-turned-music company The Line of Best Fit.
News Private equity firms Blackstone and CVC eye European festivals organizer Superstruct (report) Conde Nast, KKR and EQT are also interested in the events company, a news report suggests
News US Justice Department set to sue Live Nation over alleged antitrust violations (reports) Live Nation has been arguing that its subsidiary Ticketmaster doesn't set ticket prices; rather, performers and sports teams do