News

UMG tries to block AI-generated music in 25-year flashback

Posted on by Brad Hill

Major label Universal Music Group (UMG) has asked Spotify, Apple, and other streaming platforms to block AI-generated music. Based on reporting (HERE and HERE), this is not a legal action, but an urgent request. For now, the news is framed as a request from UMG to streaming services. That stage of protest is reminiscent of major-label protests of Napster and other file-sharing platforms in the late 1990s. That tumultuous period eventually led to label lawsuits against Napster users, meant to both punish individuals and demonstrate purposeful intent to everyone. We see a significant likeness harking back to the 1990s file-sharing epoch. Click through for key facts and RAIN’s speculation. Continue Reading →

Live365 makes licensing deal with entire Global Music Rights catalog for non-interactive streaming

Posted on by Brad Hill

From NAB Show: Live365, the webcasting platform within SoundStack, announces a deal with performance rights management company Global Music Rights, enabling webcasters to stream GMR music in a royalty-included plan. This means the webcasters are not liable for royalty payments to GMR-represented creators. GMR reps 142 songwriters in a catalog of 81,000 works which includes over 100 Billboard Hot 100 number-one songs. Click for more details. Continue Reading →

Spotify launches “broadcast-to-podcast,” connecting two of its acquisitions

Posted on by Brad Hill

Spotify notified us of a new venture and technology accomplishment — called “broadcast-to-podcast,” it enables radio broadcasters a specialized tool that makes it simple to turn their existing audio content into on-demand podcast content. This repurposing is accomplished with two of Spotify’s acquisitions: Australia-based Whooshkaa and U.S.-based Megaphone. Click for lots of detail. Continue Reading →