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The labels sued Suno and Udio for stealing from artists — then settled, licensed their catalogs to those same AI companies, and (says the union) kept the money. Barry Neil Shrum and Dennis Disney break down the American Federation of Musicians’ federal lawsuit against Warner and Universal: the 1940s-vintage “new use” rule in the Sound Recording Labor Agreement, why licensing masters into an AI training set may trigger it, and why the session players who built the Nashville Sound — the A-Team — could be owed both pay and credit. Plus the labels’ brand-new motion to dismiss — their argument that the new-use clause “cannot function” without a pre-set AI rate, the union’s answer that there’s no arbitration clause so it had to sue, and why Barry thinks the labels’ “no rate, no breach” theory may prove the union’s point. Compared with last week’s Gavel Drop, GEMA’s copyright win over Suno in Munich, and where the U.S. Suno case in Boston stands. General information, not legal advice.

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The AI copyright war isn't just an American story. In this Music Row Dealmakers special Gavel Drop episode, entertainment attorney Barry Neil Shrum breaks down two landmark November 2025 European rulings that went in opposite directions — and what they signal for the music you make.

We cover:
 • Munich's GEMA v. OpenAI — the first major European ruling holding an AI developer liable for memorizing and reproducing song lyrics
 • London's Getty v. Stability AI — an AI-company win that turned on jurisdiction, not a broad blessing of AI training
 • Why the two systems split — and why Europe has no U.S.-style fair use
 • The EU AI Act's training-data disclosure rules and why they're a game-changer
 • My forecast for the GEMA v. Suno case and a widening transatlantic gap
 
 This is general information, not legal advice.
 
 CHAPTERS
 00:00 Welcome
 01:30 Why borders matter for your rights
 02:15 Munich: GEMA beats OpenAI
 04:00 London: Getty vs. Stability
 05:30 Why the two split
 06:45 The EU AI Act game-changer
 08:00 Predicting GEMA v. Suno
 09:15 Takeaways + wrap
 

Questions? Call 877-7-DEALMAKERS or email [email protected]
 All episodes: https://musicrowdealmakers.com 

YouTube @MUSICROWDEALMAKERS

 Our firm: https://ShrumDisney.com

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GEMA v OpenAI, AI copyright, AI music lawsuit, ChatGPT lyrics, EU copyright, Munich Regional Court, Getty v Stability, Stable Diffusion, EU AI Act, text and data mining, Suno lawsuit, GEMA v Suno, fair use, music law, entertainment law, copyright infringement, Barry Neil Shrum, Music Row Dealmakers, Gavel Drop, music publishing, songwriter rights, AI and music, transatlantic copyright

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Dealmaker Barry Neil Shrum address songwriters regarding the US Copyright Royalty Board's recent publication of a proposed settlement that would establish mechanical royalty rates for physical music, permanent downloads, ringtones, and music bundles in the United States from 2028 through 2032.  It leaves in place the existing rate structure through 2032, with annual adjustments in line with the CPI for inflation. The Board is now accepting comments and objections on the proposal, which are due by August 10, according to a notice in the Federal Register.

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In this special announcement, Dealmaker Barry Neil Shrum discusses the upcoming conversion to the YouTube Channel Music Row Dealmakers and the new video format.

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In this episode of Music Row Dealmakers, hosts Barry Shrum and Dennis Disney discuss the Supreme Court’s seminal 1964 case of New York Times v. Sullivan, which established that a public figure must prove “actual malice” on the part of a publisher to win a defamation claim. Several conservative justices have signaled an interest in revisiting this standard. Barry and Dennis break down the basics of defamation law and debate whether the actual malice rule still holds up — or whether it’s due for reform.

What You'll Learn

• The origin and holding of New York Times v. Sullivan (1964)
• What "actual malice" means and why it matters for public figures
• The basics of defamation, libel, and slander
• The current debate among Supreme Court justices over reforming the standard

About the Hosts

• Barry Neil Shrum, Esq. – Host
• Dennis Disney – Co-host

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In this episode, the Music Row Dealmakers discuss the 18 Million Dollar verdict against their client, the defendant Ryan Upchurch, in the recent case in Middle District Court brought by Robertson and Rodni, relatives of Kylie Rodni.

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The Story of New York's Tin Pan Alley and its role in the evolution of music industry.   The Tin Pan Alley area of New York housed a collection of music publishers and songwriters located on West 28th Street in New York City, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues,  It became the birthplace of the modern music industry, where the concept of the song as a marketable product was developed and where many iconic American songs were written and published.  NOTE:  Our phone number has changed to 8777DEALMAKERS since this episode first aired on Aug 29, 2025.  Thank you for lisltening  

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Music Row Dealmakers Barry Neil Shrum and Dennis Disney hotly debate the 9-0 decision by the Supreme Court to overturn the 1 Billion Dollar copyright infringement verdict in Sony Music Entertainment v. Cox Communications, exploring the roots of the conflict and prior Supreme Court opinions, as well as of Betamax and Grokster, as well as the decisions implications on the Digital Millineum Copyright Act.

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Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, predicts that in the near future all "knowledge" -based careers - what he refers to as "bullshit" jobs - will be replaced by AI.  Recently, an AUSA in the Eastern District of North Carolina, was sanctioned for using AI in the drafting of his brief, where the "hallucinations" of AI created false citations and made up legal principles.  Needless to say, the judge was not happy.  Mr. Shrum discussed the impact of this case from a broader societal context as he introduces a new "sister" podcast to Music Row Dealmakers.

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Dealmakers Barry Neil Shrum, Esq. and Dennis Glenn Disney Esq. discuss the 9th Circuit's recent opinion in the Sedlik v. Kat Von D case involving Jeffery Sedlik's famous "Shh" photograph of Miles Davis, which Kat Von D tatooed on the arm of her friend.  In the 9th's opinion, there were two concurring opinions which bemoaned the application of the "intrinsic" component of the 9th Circuit's two party analysis, arguing that the objective standard should be abolished.  

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