After years of battling accusations of manipulating stream counts and royalty payments, Jay-Z’s TIDAL is now officially under investigation by Norwegian authorities. The accusations for fraud first surfaced in 2018, when a sleuthing reporter at N…
Category archives: Regulatory
Cardi B Warned by Federal Trade Commission Over Instagram Post
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued official warnings to multiple celebrities and social media influencers — including rapper Cardi B — over disclosure violations. The rapper touted detox tea company Teami on Instagram without meeting FTC spo…
Sofar Sounds Overhauls Artist Payments After Being Fined $460,000
Following an investigation conducted by the State of New York (as well as a resulting fine), Sofar Sounds, a London-based promoter of secret concerts, has overhauled its artist-compensation system. As part of the update, which was announced via Sofar’s…
Burning Man Is Officially Suing the U.S. Government
Burning Man first filed legal paperwork against the U.S. Government in December of last year. Now, its lawsuit has officially been set in motion. Late last year, we broke the story that Burning Man was litigating against the U.S. Department of Interio…
Canadian Authorities Fine StubHub Nearly $1 Million for Deceiving Customers
StubHub has been fined nearly $1 million ($1.3M Canadian) by Canada’s Competition Bureau, which monitors the domestic marketplace for behaviors and actions that inhibit competition and/or deceive consumers. StubHub’s infractions were classified under …
Live Nation ‘Broke the Promises It Made to the American People,” U.S. Dept. of Justice Says
The U.S. Department of Justice has formally filed judgment on Live Nation, officially extending the Consent Decree through 2025. The Department of Justice has filed its judgment on Live Nation, following investigations over alleged violations of the co…
RIAA Brushes Off the U.S. Government, U.S. Government Intensifies Its Radio Payola Probe
FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly is now directly sending his payola questions to the major labels. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is doubling down on its payola probe. In September of 2019, FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly sent a letter …
Sofar Sounds Slapped With $460,358 Fine for Not Paying Wages
The New York Department of Labor announced that it has reached a settlement with controversial concert promoter Sofar Sounds, for failing to pay 654 “ambassadors” for work that they performed at shows between 2016 and 2019. The settlement c…
US-Based Speaker Manufacturing Could Go Away Entirely If Chinese Trade Tariffs Continue, CEO Says
The Misco speaker company is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. But CEO Dan Dirge warns the company’s future is uncertain due to aggressive Chinese tariffs. Misco employs about 100 people in the Minneapolis area and manufacturers speaker…
Department of Justice’s PRO Consent Decree Review Is Becoming a ‘Frustrating Mess’
Which way will the U.S. Department of Justice go in its review of long-running PRO Consent Decrees? Unfortunately, the answer to that question seems to rely on a reading of various tea leaves — even for sources tied into the process. Earlier, we report…