Several months ago, over ten music publishers, including the NMPA and Downtown Music Publishing, filed a $150 million lawsuit against Peloton. The fitness technology company was accused of skipping over critical synchronization licenses for its music-i…
Category archives: Music Royalties
SGAE Members Vote Against Much-Needed Anti-Corruption Reforms Following CISAC Suspension
Following nearly twenty years of corruption, CISAC suspended Spanish collecting society SGAE’s membership. Between 2003 and 2007, SGAE executives knowingly misappropriated millions of euros in royalty payments. Authorities in Madrid had arrested Enriq…
SoundExchange Is Auditing TuneIn Over Statutory License Payments
TuneIn has just received some pretty bad news from the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB). Last Friday, the CRB filed its ‘Notice of Intent to Audit‘ radio streaming platform TuneIn, with SoundExchange leading the examination. The news comes a month after …
Hipgnosis Acquires Sam Hollander’s Music Catalog
Another day, another purchase for Merck Mercuriadis’ Hipgnosis Songs Fund. Following two successful funding rounds – $260 million last summer and $185 million in an oversubscribed round last month – Hipgnosis hasn’t wasted any time in acquiring key son…
Hipgnosis Confirms Yet Another Songwriter Catalog Acquisition — Michael Knox
Merck Mercuriadis’ Hipgnosis Songs Fund has scored yet another critical catalog. Hipgnosis has been on the move this year. Mercuriadis’ music IP company has acquired stakes in several renowned songwriter catalogs in the music industry, including signif…
Thematic Surpasses 1 Billion ‘Demonetization-Free’ Song Plays for Repped Artists
The LA-based Thematic is built on a simple premise: ‘demonetization-free’ licensing for content creators on platforms like YouTube in exchange for artist and song promotion. Now, in its public beta alone, Thematic, a company focused on enabling music a…
SGAE Fined $3.3 Million Over ‘Abusive’ Anti-Competitive Behavior
Things haven’t exactly gone well for SGAE as of late. Following years of corruption, embezzlement, poor management, and a flat-out refusal to change its business model, the Spanish collecting society received the boot last week from CISAC. For one year…
Top Petty’s Family Is In a Full-Blown War Over the Singer’s Assets and Legacy
Tom Petty’s second wife and his daughters from his first marriage are duking it out in a legal battle over the singer’s assets. When he was alive, Tom Petty was notorious for dragging artists into court over borderline copyright allegations. In one no…
With Just a Single ‘Smart Plug-In Device,’ British Music Tech Startup Audoo Hopes to ‘Create a Fairer Industry for All’
As with almost every music startup, British music tech company Audoo says the music industry has a serious problem. Thanks in part to the rise of music streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music, artists are having a difficult time tracking…
Following Refusal to Implement Much-Needed Changes, CISAC Suspends Corrupt Spanish Collecting Society SGAE’s Membership
Top music industry executives and music organizations don’t think too fondly of fraudulent Spanish collecting society, SGAE. That’s putting it lightly. First, between 2003 and 2007, top SGAE executives illegally misappropriated millions of euros. Auth…