In today's CMU Daily: Spotify schools a New York judge in “common sense” and gives the court a back-to-basics explainer of how the MLC’s compulsory mechanical licence works and why Spotify should be allowed to cut royalty rates to songwriters

One Liners: Ticketmaster x Quicket, Tunespotter x What-song.com, Ador v HYBE dramas continue, TikTok fined by OfCom, Eminem gets a BRIT Billion Award, Audiomack launches Sponsored Songs, Burna Boy x YouTube, Alison Goldfrapp launches label + more, plus new releases including Rosie Lowe and Blossoms
Also today: BBC to publish Tim Westwood report this autumn; Conspiracy theorist in court over Manchester Arena bombing claims

It’s “common sense” that audiobooks have “more than token value” says Spotify in MLC lawsuit response letter

The fifteen hours of audiobook access that Spotify now provides as part of its premium subscription has “more than token value”, says the streaming giant, adding that this position is simple “common sense”.

The claim is made in a letter from Spotify to the judge overseeing the lawsuit filed against the streaming service by US collecting society the MLC.

The MLC filed a lawsuit in May over the streaming company’s new music + audiobooks bundle, which has significantly reduced the amount of money Spotify is paying to songwriters and music publishers under US mechanical licensing rules. In the US, mechanical licensing royalty rates are set by the Copyright Royalty Board via a compulsory licence administered by the MLC.

In its letter, Spotify goes on to lay out some of the “common sense” facts that prove the value of its audiobooks offering. Americans pay over $2 billion a year for audiobooks annually, it says, and Amazon’s Audible service alone generates more than $1 billion in US revenues from two subscription tiers priced at $7.95 and $14.95 respectively.

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BBC provides update on Tim Westwood investigation, report should be published this autumn

The BBC has published an update on its investigation into the conduct of Tim Westwood during his time working for the broadcaster.

It launched that investigation in the wake of a media exposé in 2022 in which a number of women accused the DJ of sexual misconduct, with many of the alleged incidents occurring between 1994 and 2013 when Westwood presented shows on BBC radio stations.

The BBC board asked barrister Gemma White KC to investigate those allegations and to assess the extent to which BBC management were aware of complaints made against the DJ while he was still working there. The latest update reveals that she completed that work and submitted a report earlier this year. The BBC is now “going through certain important legal processes before it is in a position to publish the findings”.

London’s Metropolitan Police has also been investigating some of the allegations made against Westwood, and one of things the BBC is currently checking is that publishing White’s report will not “have a negative impact on any ongoing police investigation”.

Victims of Manchester Arena bombing in court battle with conspiracy theorist

London’s High Court has heard how the 2017 bombing of the Manchester Arena devastated the lives of a father and daughter who were severely injured in the attack.

The father, Martin Hibbert, is in court this week pursuing legal action against a conspiracy theorist called Richard Hall, who claims that the bombing was faked by government agencies using “crisis actors”.

Hall has made several videos and written a book in which he claims that the terrorist attack was an “elaborate hoax” instigated by government agencies, and that no one was actually killed or injured as a result of the bombing.