Headlines February 2023
| February 2023 | |
| INDEX | |
BIEM, ITS MEMBERS AND SISTER ORGANISATIONS - Go to Section ▼
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| BIEM, ITS MEMBERS AND SISTER ORGANISATIONS | |
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PRS For Music sues LIVENow over unlicensed livestreams, with Dua Lipa at the forefront
Lawditmusic, 19 January 2023 In November 2020, livestream platform LIVENow streamed the Dua Lipa show ‘Studio 2054’. LIVENow has failed to provide PRS for Music with requested information about the revenue generated from these livestreams, meaning that none of its members have been paid for the use of their songs in the livestreams, leading PRS to take legal action. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ ZAIKS: See what we managed to achieve in 2022 Zalks, 13 January 2023 ZAIKS’s internet royalties reached a record high in 2022, exceeding radio revenues for the first time and accounting for over 15% of all royalties. ZAIKS also accelerated the distribution of copyright revenues from radio and television. Further 2022 achievements are also discussed in this article. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ JASRAC announces music usage fees on the Metaverse Itmedia, 23 January 2023 JASRAC has announced that virtual live performances in the metaverse will incur fees based on music distribution regulations. JASRAC states that it will "establish an appropriate licensing environment for the use of music in Web3, including the metaverse, and promote initiatives that allow music creators to obtain appropriate compensation." Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ SABAM offers an additional reduction to businesses affected by the Covid crisis Trends.Levif, 11 January 2023 Belgian businesses are set to receive an additional discount on the fees they have to pay to play music in their establishment; specifically, a 75% discount on a monthly bill this year. This additional discount is the result of negotiations between the copyright society SABAM and the Neutral Union for the Self-employed (SNI). Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Representation Agreement with SACEM: AUTODIA will manage the French Repertoire in Greece Autodia, 5 December 2022 An agreement has been signed between SACEM and Greek collection society AUTODIA for the later to represent SACEM’s repertoire in Greece. As a result of this agreement, AUTODIA now represents the entire foreign repertoire in Greece. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ New strategy to future-proof KODA and help build a stronger music ecosystem Koda, 18 January 2023 Danish collection society KODA has launched a 5-year business strategy aiming at ensuring that the company will adapt to the current challenges faced by the industry and contribute to build a stronger and more sustainable music scene. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Unison files new lawsuit against Spanish collecting society SGAE Musically, 1 February 2023 After triggering a first antitrust lawsuit against SGAE in January 2022, Unison has filled a new lawsuit against SGAE with the commercial courts of Barcelona. Unison claims that SGAE used "abusive litigation" to "hinder the progress" of regulator CNMC's proceedings. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ | |
| ROYALTY & COPYRIGHT | |
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Universal Music Group Faces Class-Action Lawsuit For Allegedly ‘Withholding Hundreds of Millions of Dollars In Royalties From Artists’
Digital Music News, 5 January 2023 UMG is being sued for $750 million in “unlawfully retained” payments from Spotify streams, having allegedly withheld contractually owed royalties from artists. The lawsuit has been filed by Andres Titus and William McLean, rappers who perform and release music together as Black Sheep, who claim that they (and a multitude of other acts) haven’t received the Spotify streaming revenue to which they’re entitled. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Triller faces new lawsuit from Universal Music Publishing over allegedly unpaid licensing fees NME, 10 January 2023 Universal Music Publishing is pursuing a lawsuit against Triller, claiming that the social media app has failed to pay licensing fees, despite contractual obligations and “several written and oral promises” from Triller to the publisher. In response, Triller has described the situation as “nothing more than a minor contractual dispute.” Triller has previously faced other similar lawsuits from Sony Music, Timbaland, and Swizz Beatz. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ YouTube Shorts ad revenue-sharing program kicks off in February Musically, 10 January 2023 YouTube has revealed details of its revamped partner program, including ad revenue-sharing for YouTube Shorts. YouTube will build a ‘creator pool’ of ad revenue, after carving out rightsholder royalties for Shorts that use music tracks. The pool will be divided between creators based on their share of eligible Shorts views, and then a 55-45 split in YouTube’s favour will be applied to calculate final payment. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Universal Is Investigating New Royalty Payout Models for Streaming. Which One Will It Choose? Music Business Worldwide, 27 January 2023 Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of UMG, has called for the introduction of an entirely new model of royalty payouts on streaming services. Grainge has highlighted three particular issues he has with the current ‘pro-rata’ model: “fraudulent actors” leaching royalties from legitimate artists; “fake artists” created by production music companies; and streaming services pushing customers towards “lower-quality functional content.” Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ YouTube Wins Partial Summary Judgment in Maria Schneider Copyright Lawsuit TorrentFreak, 6 January 2023 A 2020 class action lawsuit filed by Maria Schneider accusing YouTube of mass copyright infringement, failing to suspend ‘repeat infringers, and restricting access to anti-piracy tools, has been partially granted and partially denied by a California district court. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ PPL's 2022 payout to artists and labels was its second highest distribution on record MusicWeek, 26 January 2023 PPL paid out £244.9 million to 165,000 performers and recording rights-holders in 2022, up 7.1% year-on-year on the £228.7 million paid out in 2021. The 165,000 payees – up 12.2% on the previous year – represent the highest number of performers and recording rights-holders ever paid by PPL in a calendar year. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ |
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| Vinyl outsells CD for first time in 35 years in the UK as total music sales reach £2 billion
MusicWeek, 10 January 2023 The Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) has revealed that, in 2022, overall music sales - including physical, streaming and downloads - increased by 3% to £1.987bn, their highest level since 2003. The main driver of this growth was streaming, buy vinyl album sales grew 11% to £150.5m while CD album sales fell 17.4% to £124m. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Universal Music Group Opens Its First ‘Music-Based Experiential Hotel’ In Madrid Music Business Worldwide, 10 January 2023 UMG has opened its first “music-based experiential hotel” in Madrid, under the UMUSIC Hotels brand. UMG also has plans to open UMUSIC Hotels in Atlanta, Georgia; Biloxi, Mississippi; and Orlando, Florida. According to UMG, UMUSIC Hotels offer fans, guests, and artists immersive music experiences and incorporate elements of the local music scene. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Vinyl record sales boost HMV to highest profits since it fell into administration in 2019 inews, 15 January 2023 HMV, now owned by Sunshine Records and Entertainment, has reported its highest profits since it was rescued from administration by Canadian businessman Doug Putman in 2019. With surging sales, vinyl records have become more popular than any other physical music format for the first time since 1987, being particularly popular with younger music fans. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ |
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| NEW MEDIA | |
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Amazon Music and Fraunhofer Are "Driving Immersive Sound" With 360 Reality Audio In-Car Streaming at CES 2023 Finance.Yahoo, 3 January 2023 Attendees of CES 2023 will be able to see Amazon Music demonstrate its 360 Reality Audio immersive service – which is based on the MPEG-H Audio standard – in an automotive environment. The live demo will take place in an Audi e-tron equipped with a production 3D sound system. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ RIAA Lobbying Disclosure Form Lists ‘Artificial Intelligence’ as a ‘Specific Lobbying Issue’ Digital Music News, 5 January 2023 The RIAA, representing Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, and Sony Music Entertainment, has recently reported several AI-music mixing platforms to the United States Trade Representative, hoping to have them listed as upcoming threats in the USTR’s “Notorious Markets” report. A 2022 lobbying disclosure report shows that RIAA lobbyists have raised AI as a “specific lobbying issue” with the US government. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Death of the narrator? Apple unveils suite of AI-voiced audiobooks The Guardian, 4 January 2023 Apple has launched a catalogue of books narrated by AI, perhaps foreshadowing a future without human narrators. Publishers, authors, and literary agents have said the strategy, if successful, could have significant implications for the market, though some are sceptical that AI could fully replace human narrators. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Spotify to cut 6% of its workforce Edition, 23 January 2023 Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has taken the “difficult but necessary” decision to cut 6% of its workforce to reduce costs as the global economy slows. Other major tech companies, such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Meta, have taken similar action in recent months, as inflation impacts consumer spending and rising interest rates squeeze funding. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Amazon’s Music Unlimited quietly gets a price hike in the US and UK TechCrunch, 20 January 2023 Amazon’s Music Unlimited streaming service is set to increase by $1/£1 in the U.S. and the U.K., having last raised its prices in May 2022. It would appear that the price hikes apply to Amazon Music’s Individual Plan and Student Plan while prices for the Family Plan and Single-Device Plan will remain unchanged. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Spotify and Deezer Urge the European Commission to Take Swift Regulatory Action Against Apple: ‘Consumer Harm Will Continue Until a Remedy Is Enforced’ Digital Music News, 19 January 2023 Spotify and Deezer have urged the European Commission to take “swift and decisive action” against Apple’s “anticompetitive and unfair practices” in a letter to Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager. The letter highlights the allegedly illegal practices of “certain global digital gatekeepers” immediately before focussing on Apple itself. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ | |
| FIGHT AGAINST PIRACY | |
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Recording industry successful in first ever stream ripping blocking case in India
IFPI, 19 January 2023 The IFPI, which represents the recorded music industry worldwide, and IMI, representing music labels in India, have together coordinated the first successful blocking action targeting stream ripping sites in India. The ruling, published by the Delhi High Court, requires ISPs in India to block access to 20 stream ripping sites. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Fake streams, a real phenomenon: France’s CNM works with professionals to fight against fraud CNM, 16 January 2023 The Centre national de la musique (CNM) has released its report on the manipulation of listening and, more specifically, fake streams. Based on data provided by tech companies such as Deezer, Qobuz, and Spotify, the CNM has concluded that such fraudulent practices are a serious problem for the industry and has pledged to take action against the growing phenomenon. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ | |