Setlist Complete Music Update (CMU)

On this week’s show, we discuss the latest escalation in the fight over Spotify’s reclassification of its premium subscription as an audiobook and music bundle in the US, the lawsuit against Drake for putting one of his own song titles on a t-shirt, and the return of the band formerly known as Easy Life, who have nothing to do with easyJet.

SECTION TIMES
01: Spotify (00:10:22)
02: News in brief (00:17:24)
03: Drake and Hard Life (00:19:28)
(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)

THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES
• Music publishers now fighting Spotify audiobook bundling trick on multiple fronts
• Drake sued over t-shirts referencing his track ‘Members Only’
• Easy Life return as Hard Life following easyGroup legal battle

NEWS IN BRIEF
• The COVID trend of late-in-the-day ticket purchases has continued, says Eventbrite
• Musicians now see success from a more long-term perspective, study finds
• Martin Shkreli ordered to hand over copies of Wu-Tang album

ALSO MENTIONED
• Touting, touring and AI in the spotlight in election manifestos

On this week's show we discuss the US government’s legal action against Live Nation that seeks to force it to sell off Ticketmaster, ticket touts’ plans to fight the Labour Party’s proposed 10% price cap on the resale of tickets, and more.

SECTION TIMES
01: Live Nation (00:06:40)
02: News in brief (00:23:07)
03: Ticket resale lobbying (00:26:52)
(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)

THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES
• Live Nation monopoly is “anticompetitive” and must be broken up says DoJ lawsuit
• Live Nation faces class action that could involve millions of ticket buyers
• Hackers claim to have accessed personal data about 560 million Ticketmaster customers
• Campaigners respond to “astounding” report on the “sinister” lobbying plans of ticket touts

NEWS IN BRIEF
• US court agrees to fast-track legal challenge over TikTok ban
• Parklife founder Sacha Lord under pressure as Arts Council and GMCA launch investigations into COVID funding
• Queen deal
• Government confirms it has issued drug-testing licences to “some of the leading festivals in the UK”

ALSO MENTIONED
• Spotify sued over decision to stop supporting Car Thing
• Spotify price hike in France
• Revealed: how touts drew up secret plans to sabotage Labour’s ticket reforms (The Guardian)

On this week's show we discuss the battle between the music publishers and Spotify as it ramps up another gear, Sony Music's lawsuit accusing the Marriott hotel chain of “rampant” copyright infringement, and more.

SECTION TIMES
01: Spotify (00:04:39)
02: News in brief (00:22:15)
03: Sony Music (00:25:13)
(Timings may be slightly different due to adverts)

THIS WEEK'S MAIN STORIES
• Spotify’s conduct proves US compulsory licence isn’t working, says NMPA boss
• Sony sues Marriott over social media posts

NEWS IN BRIEF
• Leadmill eviction battle in court
• Live industry welcomes ticket tout prison sentences
• TikTok wants its legal case against US “sell-or-be-banned” law fast-tracked
• Scarlett Johansson accuses ChatGPT of stealing her voice

ALSO MENTIONED
• Live Nation monopoly is “anticompetitive” and must be broken up says DoJ lawsuit

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