CMU’s Andy Malt and Chris Cooke review key events in music and the music business from the last week, including Travis Scott being sued by gaming accessory company KontrolFreek over some (allegedly) dodgy thumbsticks that (allegedly) rip off the company's designs, and why John Lennon's former personal assistant is being sued for speaking publicly about his time as John Lennon's personal assistant. 



SECTION TIMES

01: Travis Scott sued over thumbsticks (00:08:08)

02: John Lennon's former PA sued for talking (00:18:13)



STORIES DISCUSSED THIS WEEK

• Travis Scott sued over his Cactus Jack thumbsticks

• Yoko Ono sues former John Lennon assistant over recent interview






ALSO MENTIONED

• Capital launches new 24/7 dance music radio station

• McDonald’s recruits Travis Scott to sell burgers to The Kids

• Bill Murray responds to Doobie Brothers’ copyright infringement claim

• 'Good Ol Freda' trailer (YouTube)






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Travis Scott's thumbs get him into trouble

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Entertainment News

On this week's show we discuss the US government’s legal action against Live Nation that seeks to force it to sell off Ticketmaster, ticket touts’ plans to fight the Labour Party’s proposed 10% price cap on the resale of tickets, and more.



SECTION TIMES

01: Live Nation (00:06:40)

02: News in brief (00:23:07)

03: Ticket resale lobbying (00:26:52)

(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)



THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES

• Live Nation monopoly is “anticompetitive” and must be broken up says DoJ lawsuit

• Live Nation faces class action that could involve millions of ticket buyers

• Hackers claim to have accessed personal data about 560 million Ticketmaster customers

• Campaigners respond to “astounding” report on the “sinister” lobbying plans of ticket touts



NEWS IN BRIEF

• US court agrees to fast-track legal challenge over TikTok ban

• Parklife founder Sacha Lord under pressure as Arts Council and GMCA launch investigations into COVID funding

• Queen deal

• Government confirms it has issued drug-testing licences to “some of the leading festivals in the UK”



ALSO MENTIONED

• Spotify sued over decision to stop supporting Car Thing

• Spotify price hike in France

• Revealed: how touts drew up secret plans to sabotage Labour’s ticket reforms (The Guardian)


It’s been a bad week to be Live Nation

On this week's show we discuss the battle between the music publishers and Spotify as it ramps up another gear, Sony Music's lawsuit accusing the Marriott hotel chain of “rampant” copyright infringement, and more.



SECTION TIMES

01: Spotify (00:04:39)

02: News in brief (00:22:15)

03: Sony Music (00:25:13)

(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)



THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES

• Spotify’s conduct proves US compulsory licence isn’t working, says NMPA boss

• Sony sues Marriott over social media posts



NEWS IN BRIEF

• Leadmill eviction battle in court

• Live industry welcomes ticket tout prison sentences

• TikTok wants its legal case against US “sell-or-be-banned” law fast-tracked

• Scarlett Johansson accuses ChatGPT of stealing her voice



ALSO MENTIONED

• Live Nation monopoly is “anticompetitive” and must be broken up says DoJ lawsuit


“Spotify is not a business partner”, says NMPA boss

On this week's show we discuss the battle between music publishers and Spotify over its plans to reclassify its subscriptions as bundles of music, audiobooks and podcasts, and commercial media companies hit out at the BBC’s plan to sell advertising on its podcasts.



SECTION TIMES

01: Spotify (00:03:48)

02: News in brief (00:15:20)

03: BBC (00:17:48)

(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)



THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES

• The MLC is suing Spotify over audiobook bundling

• Publishers accuse Spotify of licensing gaps in letter the streaming service has dubbed a “misleading press stunt”

• US music publishers ramp up the rhetoric against Spotify's royalty reducing bundling trick

• Media companies hit out at plan for BBC to sell ads alongside its podcasts



NEWS IN BRIEF

• TICKET Act passed by US House Of Representatives

• Universal removed as defendant on explosive Diddy lawsuit

• TikTok creators file lawsuit against US sell-or-be-banned law

• Utopia swings the axe again with significant job losses across remaining non-UK operations

• ATC takes majority stake in Raw Power



ALSO MENTIONED

• Sony Music tells 700+ AI companies to respect its copyrights


Music publishers go to war with Spotify

On this week's show we discuss the UK Parliament’s Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee recommending that a levy on ticket sales for large scale shows be implemented by September and that the government should instigate a VAT cut for grassroots music venues, plus the concerns surrounding the launch of a new SXSW festival in London.



SECTION TIMES

01: Grassroots venues report (00:06:50)

02: News in brief (00:14:18)

03: SXSW London (00:17:38)

(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)



THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES

• MPs set September deadline for ticket levy to support grassroots venues and shows

• SXSW London could disrupt delicately balanced music ecosystem and should reconsider its date



NEWS IN BRIEF

• TikTok sues the US government over sell-or-be-banned law

• Goldman Sachs analysts upbeat about music industry after a “turning point” year

• Lucian’s lunch money under threat as shareholder pressure mounts over “excessive” pay packet

• Nine of the ten wrongful death Astroworld lawsuits now settled, says Live Nation

• OfCom should use Online Safety Act powers to force Facebook to act on ticket scams, says Which?

• Music Venue Properties announces purchase of The Ferret in Preston

• Apple finds out the hard way that not everyone thinks destruction is a form of creation


Arena ticket levy by September, MPs demand

On this week's show we discuss the calls on both sides of the Atlantic for new AI laws to protect creators, the big love-in between Universal and TikTok as they finally resolve their differences, and more.



SECTION TIMES

01: AI laws (00:07:00)

02: News in brief (00:20:29)

03: Universal x TikTok (00:23:20)

(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)



THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES

• MPs call on UK government to create “a pro-creative industries AI bill”

• FKA Twigs and Warner boss tell Senators about the urgent need for a US-wide law to regulate deepfakes

• Universal and TikTok are best buds again

• Universal boss Lucian Grainge talks up the new TikTok deal which “will protect the integrity and value of human artistry”



NEWS IN BRIEF

• EU TikTok ban “is not excluded” says European Commission President, as FCC Commissioner says US ban won’t be scuppered in the courts

• CEO of NewJeans label Ador refuses to convene board meeting as parent company HYBE tries to push her out

• R Kelly fails to overturn Chicago conviction

• Astroworld victims want first trial to be livestreamed

• Taylor Swift and Record Store Day push UK vinyl sales reach highest level since 1994



ALSO MENTIONED

• Could Co-op Group terminate Manchester arena naming rights deal? Fury mounts as safety incident forces yet more Co-op Live show cancellations


Travis Scott's thumbs get him into trouble

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