Two weeks ago, the RIAA successfully took down a major YouTube stream-ripper with just a subpoena. According to YouTubNow’s webpage, the stream-ripper allowed users to quickly and easily download their favorite music. “YouTubNow is a powerful service t…
Author archives: Daniel Sanchez
Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Against Apple for Allegedly Selling iTunes Users’ Personal Information
Several weeks ago, speaking with ABC’s Diane Sawyer, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that online privacy now faces a huge “crisis.” He explained, “Privacy in itself has become a crisis. It’s of that proportion – a crisis.“ Stating that consumers are “not …
John Lennon’s Photographer Sues Universal Music Group for Infringing on Iconic Photograph
John Lennon’s award-winning photographer has taken Universal Music Group (UMG) to court. Filed yesterday at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Allan Tannenbaum claims the major music group has willfully infringed on…
Moving Forward With Its Monetization and Distribution Program, SoundCloud Purchases Repost Network
SoundCloud has unveiled a new acquisition. The independent music streaming service has entered into a definitive agreement to completely acquire Repost Network, a rights management and distribution company. Speaking about the purchase, Michael Weissman…
Spotify’s Bitter War With Songwriters Claims Its First (But Not Its Last) Casualty — Adam Parness
Spotify’s decision to publicly oppose the Copyright Royalty Board’s (CRB) 44% songwriter royalty increase has created a PR nightmare for the company. Top music industry executives, publishers, and songwriters have spared no words in slamming the music …
The Rolling Stones Return ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ Songwriter Royalties to the Verve’s Richard Ashcroft
Twenty-two years ago, in the midst of a legal dispute with the Rolling Stones, the Verve’s Richard Ashcroft signed away the rights and the royalties to ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony.’ The 1997 hit had sampled an orchestral version of Mick Jagger and Keith Ric…
Snapchat Reportedly in Talks with Sony, Warner, and Universal to License Songs
To better compete against Facebook’s Instagram and ByteDance’s TikTok, Snapchat’s parent company has now started new negotiations with all three major labels. Snap has previously secured case-to-case licenses for individual artists’ music on its popula…
CTS Eventim’s Q1 2019 — $316 Million in Total Revenue and $116 Million in Ticketing Revenue
CTS Eventim has posted the financial results of its first fiscal quarter (Q1 2019). For the three months ended March 31st, 2019, the German live entertainment company’s revenue totaled €282.7 million ($316.1 million). This represents a 3% jump over th…
New York Appeals Judge Forces Dentsu Aegis to Return $18.5 Million to Woodstock 50
According to a new court order, Dentsu Aegis must now return $18.5 million to fund embattled music festival Woodstock 50. A New York appeals judge has forced Dentsu Aegis to return the funding to the festival. The Japanese media conglomerate now has u…
As UMG Sale Talks Slow, Liberty Media, Apple, KKR, and Tencent Emerge as Frontrunners
So, to whom will Vivendi sell up to a 50% stake in Universal Music Group (UMG)? That’s the question on most music industry observers and financial analysts’ minds. Last summer, the French conglomerate confirmed it would sell up to half of the incredibl…