Music Business News: United Kingdom

Wireless boss Melvin Benn defends Kanye West booking: ‘We are not giving him a platform to extol opinion of whatever nature.’

Benn's statement comes as the fallout from the booking continues to mount.

Pepsi and Diageo withdraw sponsorship of UK’s Wireless Festival as Kanye West booking sparks backlash

"We have informed the organizers of our concerns, and as it stands, Diageo will not sponsor the 2026 Wireless festival," said a company spokesperson.

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Dialled In Records launches in London focused on South Asian music in partnership with The Collective, part of Universal Music UK’s Island-EMI

Dialled In Records launches with two acts: Pakistan-born producer and DJ Ahadadream, and Excise Dept, an India-based multidisciplinary collective.

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Dynamite Songs hires Claudia Namukasa as Catalogue Manager and Charlotte Hancock as Rights Acquisition Manager

New appointments will support the growth and management of Dynamite’s portfolio of music rights, as the business continues to expand

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Firebird acquires majority stake in Goodlife Management, the home of Fred again.., The Blessed Madonna, and more

Deal brings Goodlife founders Oliver Sasse, Lucy Sasse, Ellie Shaw, and David Watters, along with their team and talent roster into Firebird's expanding ecosystem of management companies

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Sony Music has targeted 135,000+ deepfakes of its artists’ music for removal from streaming platforms

The target artists include Beyoncé, Queen and Harry Styles, the BBC reported, citing Dennis Kooker, president of Sony's global digital business.

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UK government reverses course on stance to let AI companies train on copyrighted music without permission

'We have listened. We have engaged extensively with creatives, AI firms, industry bodies, unions, academics and AI adopters, and that engagement has shaped our approach.'

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Björn Sandberg named Head of Commercial Marketing at AudioSalad

Sandberg will lead AudioSalad’s artist and label marketing