Setlist

On this week's show we discuss the start-of-year memos from the bosses of Universal Music and Warner Music, both of whom put the spotlight in super-serving superfans, plus the ASA ruling against Viagogo's advertorial pieces in the NME, and lots of stats about the music market in 2023.

SECTION TIMES
01: New year memos (00:04:45)
02: News in brief (00:18:37)
03: Viagogo (00:25:01)
(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)

THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES
• Universal “most successful company in the history of the music industry” hoots Grainge in 2024 memo
• Lucian Grainge's 2024 memo to Universal Music Group staff
• Warner Music boss talks streaming model and super-fans in start-of-year memo
• UK’s Advertising Standards Authority raps Viagogo over NME paid editorial

NEWS IN BRIEF
• Vinyl sales grow, cassettes slump; streaming now 87.7% of UK music consumption
• UK music retail brought in £2.2 billion in 2023 says ERA
• India’s streaming growth explodes to hit over one trillion streams, Gen Z pull back on streaming subscription spend

ALSO MENTIONED
• Music industry welcomes proposed new laws to help performers protect their voices and likeness from AI clones
• Artificial Intelligence and the music industry in 2023
• CMU's 2024 Masterclass Sessions
• Sony Music chief talks streaming, short-form, gaming and AI in investor presentation (May 2023)

On this week's show we discuss Spotify’s change of heart on shutting down in Uruguay, the latest easyJet lawsuit against a musician - this time PC Music-signed producer Easyfun - and more.

SECTION TIMES
01: Spotify (00:04:45)
02: News in brief (00:13:37)
03: Easyfun (00:18:29)
(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)

THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES
• Spotify won't exit Uruguay following clarification to new ER rule in copyright
• easyGroup sues PC Music producer Easyfun

NEWS IN BRIEF
• Music consumption at an all time high, IFPI reports, though "unlicensed music is still an issue"
• Music industry cautiously welcomes outcome of last week's EU AI Act talks
• European Commission set to force changes to Apple's rules around in-app payments
• Hipgnosis Songs Fund confirms sale of catalogue of "non-core songs"
• Vinyl sales of two 1980s classics may decide who is Christmas number one in 2023

ALSO MENTIONED
• Taylor Swift's record breaking tour topped a billion dollars

On this week's show we look at calls for government support for the grassroots live music industry following the closure of music venue Moles and the announcement that the Nozstock festival will shut down after its 2024 edition, plus the next evolution of Kiss as superhero holograms.

SECTION TIMES
01: Grassroots live music (00:03:13)
02: News in brief (00:10:44)
03: Kiss (00:14:53)
(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)

THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES
• Music Venue Trust calls for law forcing live industry support for grassroots venues, as Bath Moles closes after 45 years
• Nozstock festival to end after 2024 edition, prompting new call for government support for festival sector
• Kiss preview new avatar show at final human performance

NEWS IN BRIEF
• Spotify confirms the cost of its dramatic downsizing, cancels two in-house podcasts
• Indie labels suggest delaying Spotify’s royalty payout revamp to allow proper consultation
• CISAC President Björn Ulvaeus calls on EU to keep clear transparency obligations in AI Act
• Record industry tells US Copyright Office training AI with existing music is “rarely, if ever, fair use”
• BBC Sound Of 2024 longlist revealed

ALSO MENTIONED
• Blackpink renew deal with YG, but uncertainty over group’s future remains
• IMPALA’s questions for Spotify over the changes it is making to its model

On this week's show we have a good old chat about Sony Music exec Dennis Kooker's call for a US-wide publicity right through which artists can protect their voices and identity in order to stop the unauthorised cloning of their vocals by AI, plus the big bust up between Hall & Oates over “the ultimate partnership betrayal” and more.

SECTION TIMES
01: AI loopholes (00:06:54)
02: News in brief (00:16:53)
03: Hall & Oates (00:20:14)
(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)

THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES
• Sony Music digital chief asks Congress to close “legal loopholes” to ensure artists can stop authorised AI voice clones
• Hall & Oates both make court filing as the legal dispute over their joint venture company continues

NEWS IN BRIEF
• Shane MacGowan dies
• UK government pauses the blocking of the proposed London MSG Sphere - even though MSG has given up on the plan
• BMG announces restructure to “future proof” the business
• European Parliament committee calls for new EU rules to regulate streaming
• Caity Baser, The Last Dinner Party and Sekou named BRITs Rising Stars

ALSO MENTIONED
• Spotify unwraps Wrapped - assigns everyone a Sound Town

On this week's show we've got a big round-up of Spotify news, in particular the company's confirmation of changes to the way it pays out (or doesn't pay out) royalties. We also discuss plans for an MSG Sphere venue like the one recently opened in Las Vegas being bounced out of London. Oh, and we've spruced up the format of the show a little, including the introduction of a news in brief section to bring you even more music industry news.

SECTION TIMES
01: Spotify (00:03:30)
02: News in brief (00:16:37)
03: MSG Sphere (00:20:35)
(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)

THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES
• Spotify confirms changes to its payment process - including the 1000 plays a year threshold
• Specifics of Spotify’s deal with Google on in-app payments revealed in Epic court case
• Spotify says it will exit Uruguay next year because of new performer ER right in copyright law
• London mayor blocks MSG’s grand plan to build a Sphere venue next to the Olympic Park

NEWS IN BRIEF
• BMI confirms deal to sell to New Mountain Capital
• US Senate committee subpoenas Live Nation to access documents for its investigation into “abusive consumer practices”
• Council Of Music Makers criticises lack of music-maker representation at government roundtable on AI and the creative industries
• Shakira strikes deal with Spanish prosecutors to avoid €14.5m tax fraud trial
• LadBaby bow out of Christmas number one race

ALSO MENTIONED
• Monkey Week
• O. - ATM

CMU’s Andy Malt and Chris Cooke review key events in music and the music business from the last week. On this edition, the resignation of Stability AI's VP Of Audio Ed Newton-Rex over the tech company's position that the training of generative AI models constitutes fair use under American copyright law, and YouTube’s plans to get AI generated clones both off and onto its platform.

SECTION TIMES
01: Stability AI (00:06:04)
02: YouTube (00:14:08)
(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)

STORIES DISCUSSED THIS WEEK
• Stability AI's VP Of Audio resigns over its position that training AI with copyright works is 'fair use'
• YouTube to allow labels to remove AI-generated voice clones
• YouTube begins piloting voice cloning tool to provide AI-generated vocals for creator videos

ALSO MENTIONED
• Edith Piaf to narrate her own life story through AI

CMU’s Andy Malt and Chris Cooke review key events in music and the music business from the last week. On this edition, competition law expert (as well as musician and label owner) Amelia Fletcher's letter to Spotify boss Daniel Ek about the streaming service's plan for a two-tier royalty system, and the rickrolling takedown battle between two stream-ripping platforms. 

SECTION TIMES
01: Spotify (00:04:27)
02: Stream-ripping (00:19:56)
(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)

STORIES DISCUSSED THIS WEEK
• Spotify two-tier payment “discriminatory and exploitative” says competition law expert
• Stream-ripper gets court order to identify who is behind rick-rolling Google takedown notices

ALSO MENTIONED
• Music industry contributes £6.7 billion GVA to British economy
• Download the UK Music This Is Music 2023 report
• Amelia Fletcher's full letter to Daniel Ek

CMU’s Andy Malt and Chris Cooke review key events in music and the music business from the last week. On this edition, big tech companies' insistence that training AI on existing content constitutes fair use under US copyright law, and the Grammy Awards' insistence that Christians do not swear.

SECTION TIMES
01: AI fair use (00:03:55)
02: Grammy Awards (00:15:02)
(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)

STORIES DISCUSSED THIS WEEK
• Tech companies insist training AI models with existing content is fair use in Copyright Office submissions
• There is no swearing in Christian music, says Grammys

ALSO MENTIONED
• Eminem launches Mom's Spaghetti pasta sauce

CMU’s Andy Malt and Chris Cooke review key events in music and the music business from the last week. On this edition, Spotify's plans to change the way it allocates revenues to individual tracks and catalogues each month, and the confirmation that digital is now the biggest driver of revenue for the song rights collecting societies.

SECTION TIMES
01: Spotify (00:04:35)
02: CISAC (00:18:27)
(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)

STORIES DISCUSSED THIS WEEK

• Spotify also in talks with industry to change track allocation process
• Digital now biggest revenue generator for song right collecting societies, CISAC confirms

ALSO MENTIONED

• Hipgnosis vote shock: 83.2% of shareholders vote against continuation
• Read CISAC's Global Collections Report 2023

CMU’s Andy Malt and Chris Cooke review key events in music and the music business from the last week. On this edition, artist managers criticise Universal Music over a change it made to the way it pays Pandora royalties to artists, and new Bandcamp owner Songtradr making 50% of the direct-to-fan platform's staff redundant.

PLEASE NOTE: This episode was recorded before the settlement between Megan Thee Stallion and her former label 1501 Certified Entertainment was announced.

SECTION TIMES
01: Universal (00:05:13)
02: Bandcamp (00:21:35)
(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)

STORIES DISCUSSED THIS WEEK
• Universal Music criticised over unannounced change to Pandora payments
• Half of Bandcamp’s staff made redundant as Songtradr acquisition is completed

ALSO MENTIONED
• Megan Thee Stallion has "no label right now" and that's how she wants it