Universal and TikTok accuse each other of “bullying” and “greed”

On this week's show we discuss the battle between music publishers and Spotify over it’s 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

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

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

On this week's show we discuss the bidding war compounding the latest in a long line of dramas at Hipgnosis, the faltering start for Manchester’s new Co-op Live arena and more.  SECTION TIMES 01: Hipgnosis (00:04:59) 02: News in brief (00:18:48) 03: Co-op Live (00:12:15) (Timings may be slightly different due to adverts) THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES • Hipgnosis debacle might be over as Concord offers to acquire entire share capital of SONG - but there’s a catch… • Blackstone tops Concord offer for SONG, hints at invoking call option • The state of Hipgnosis • To the moon! Concord reaches for the high notes as it ups its SONG bid to $1.25 • Co-op Live GM says grassroots venues are “poorly run”, before cancelling thousands of tickets to test event at the very last minute • Manchester’s new Co-op Live arena cancels launch shows as power issues delay opening NEWS IN BRIEF • The clock is now TikTokking as US Senate votes through sell-or-be-banned law • Amazon AI employee claims she was told to breach copyright rules because “everyone else is doing it” • Moving BBC radio to an ad-funded model would be a disaster, says Radiocentre • Drake threatened with legal action over AI Tupac in Kendrick diss track ALSO MENTIONED • AI and music one year later: What happened? And where are we at? (Spot Festival, 3 May, 1pm) • Dissecting The Digital Dollar: What’s changed? (Spot Festival, 4 May, 11.45am) • The new pay-out models: What are the consequences for you as an artist and as a songwriter? (Spot Festival, 4 May, 1.15pm) • The great streaming swindle: That’s how much money is swindled every year in the music industry (Spot Festival, 4 May, 2.15pm)

On this week's show we discuss the warning from UK politicians that there need to be “tangible steps to improve musicians’ remuneration and performer rights” by this time next year, and Blur drummer Dave Rowntree’s class action lawsuit against PRS For Music over songwriter royalties, and more. SECTION TIMES 01: Performer remuneration report (00:05:39) 02: News in brief (00:14:53) 03: Dave Rowntree v PRS (00:19:23) (Timings may be slightly different due to adverts) THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES • “Fundamental reform of music streaming” must come soon, say MPs • Blur’s Dave Rowntree leads class action lawsuit against PRS For Music seeking “hundreds of millions of pounds” for songwriters NEWS IN BRIEF • WIN renews shared values of the independent music community • GEMA says German song right income is booming, but digital growth is lacking • Timeline for TikTok law in Senate still to be confirmed, though Minority Leader says its deserves "urgent attention" • Universal relaxes TikTok boycott - but only if your name is Taylor Swift • Have a playlist idea but don’t know what songs to put on it? Spotify’s AI bot can help with that • Spotify planning tools to allow users to remix tracks ALSO MENTIONED • Westway Lab

On this week's show we discuss UK Parliament's Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee's hearing on the grassroots live music crisis, and the Nirvana logo legal battle's return to court. SECTION TIMES 01: Grassroots live music crisis (00:08:13) 02: News in brief (00:17:09) 03: Nirvana logo (00:21:43) (Timings may be slightly different due to adverts) THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES • MPs hear about the crisis in grassroots live music - a ticket levy might help, but how would that work? • Nirvana ‘smiley face’ copyright dispute back in court NEWS IN BRIEF • Rapper ordered to pay $800,000 to Sony over TikTok hit with unlicensed sample • Sean Combs properties raided in federal sex trafficking investigation • Discrimination, lower pay and shorter careers are the norm for female musicians in the UK, study shows • RIAA 2023 Year-End Music Industry Revenue Report ALSO MENTIONED • As BMG’s 2023 numbers show continued growth, could a merger with Warner Music or Believe be on the cards?

On this week's show we discuss the ruling in the long-running noise dispute involving Manchester's Night & Day that allows the venue to continue running club nights but potentially puts other nearby venues at risk, plus the BPI’s legal threats against a service that uses AI to create cover versions of songs in seconds. SECTION TIMES 01: Night & Day (00:08:13) 02: News in brief (00:15:15) 03: Voicify (00:19:57) (Timings may be slightly different due to adverts) THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES • Night & Day ruling makes it “open season” on Manchester’s night-time economy says Music Venue Trust boss • BPI threatens to sue voice cloning site Voicify NEWS IN BRIEF • More performers seeking specialist health support, says BAPAM • Music and visual arts organisations back new climate change charity Murmur • Black Eyed Peas sued for licensing interpolation but not sample of Scatman • IFPI report shows 10.2% growth in global recorded music market • MIDiA shows $35.1 billion in global recorded music revenues - but what does that number actually mean? ALSO MENTIONED • Spotify publishes new Loud & Clear, says the focus now is artists “dependent on streaming as part of their livelihood” • Thom Yorke calls Spotify 'the last desperate fart of a dying corpse' (The Guardian)

On this week's show we discuss proposals voted through the US House of Representatives this week to force TikTok owner ByteDance to sell the video-sharing app or face a ban in country, and the UK Labour Party's pledge to introduce a cap on ticket resale prices if it wins the next election. SECTION TIMES 01: TikTok ban (00:03:20) 02: News in brief (00:14:21) 03: Ticket resale (00:17:00) (Timings may be slightly different due to adverts) THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES • Selling TikTok would be last resort for ByteDance, sources say as House votes through sell-or-be-banned law • TikTok insists it isn't forcing Americans to phone politicians as ban proposal gets fast-tracked in Congress • Labour commits to UK ticket touting price cap, as Ed Sheeran's team welcomes guilty verdict in ticket tout court case NEWS IN BRIEF • EU AI Act “world-first” say music trade bodies as European Parliament votes it into law • Texas governor tells SXSW boycotters “don’t come back” • Joe Rogan is back on Apple and Amazon - so Neil Young is back on Spotify • Bad Bunny sues fan over unofficial concert recordings on YouTube • Glastonbury announces headliners, as UK festival cancellations pass 20 ALSO MENTIONED • Believe x WMG takeover dance warms up as financial regulator is called in

On this week's show we discuss the €1.8 billion fine Apple has been ordered to pay by the EU following an investigation into claims of anti-competitive behaviour made by Spotify, and Live Nation's explanation of why everyone else in the music industry is to blame for rising ticket prices. SECTION TIMES 01: Apple v Spotify (00:06:26) 02: News in brief (00:20:48) 03: Live Nation (00:25:33) (Timings may be slightly different due to adverts) THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES • EU fines €1.8 billion at end of Spotify initiated competition law investigation • Apple hits out at EU competition ruling that “ignores the realities of a market” • Live Nation says rising ticket prices definitely not its fault NEWS IN BRIEF • WMG is toying with an offer for Believe that would wipe out Warner’s cash reserves - but is it serious, would Believe shareholders sell and can WMG afford to bet the farm? • Hipgnosis Songs Fund takes a haircut - and might have bigger problems to come • New US-wide TikTok ban proposed in Congress • Mean Millennials scrap streaming subscriptions, mail order music is booming - and Apple Music might be making £500 million or more in the UK • Raye wins record-breaking six BRIT Awards ALSO MENTIONED • Tidal phases out HiFi Plus tier, makes higher quality audio part of its standard subscription product • The Truth About Ticket Pries (Live Nation)

On this week's show we discuss the news that UK music retail revenues are back to where they were at the peak of the CD era in 2001. So long as you imagine that no time has passed in between. Plus, the brewing legal battle of Kanye West’s “shameless” interpolation of a Donna Summer track. SECTION TIMES 01: UK music revenues (00:06:47) 02: News in brief (00:15:20) 03: Kanye West (00:20:38) (Timings may be slightly different due to adverts) THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES • UK music retail revenues reach record high, according to ERA stats • Donna Summer estate sues Kanye West over “shameless” uncleared sample NEWS IN BRIEF • €111 million in TikTok revenue is nothing when you’re Lucian Grainge - but, he says, “my phone is always open” if Shou Zi Chew wants to be friends again • Warner boss teases superfan app that will be "a cross-platform solution" • Spotify vs Apple name-calling kicks off again after EU mega-fine rumours • UK Music again calls for VAT cut on tickets ahead of budget statement • And Finally! Ed Sheeran has let British music down, and now everyone only likes K-pop • Miley Cyrus tops IFPI singles list • Seventeen top IFPI albums list ALSO MENTIONED • Trademark dispute over Earth, Wind & Fire tribute shows back in court