IDOL // UK Label Manager (London/Hybrid)

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Today's music business news

TOP STORY

Music publishers sue AI company Anthropic for copyright infringement

Music publishers Universal Music Publishing, Concord and ABKCO have sued AI company Anthropic for copyright infringement through the US courts, accusing the tech firm of copying and exploiting lyrics that they control without licence.

The publishers reckon that, while Anthropic's technology may be "complex and cutting edge", the copyright arguments in their lawsuit are super simple. Indeed, they say, a cursory glance of the Statue Of Anne of 1710 - which kickstarted English copyright and went on to influence other Anglo-American copyright regimes - will demonstrate how Anthropic is liable for copyright infringement.

“A defendant cannot reproduce, distribute and display someone else’s copyrighted works … unless it secures permission from the rightsholder”, they state. “This foundational rule of copyright law dates all the way back to the Statute Of Anne in 1710, and it has been applied time and time again to numerous infringing technological developments in the centuries since”.

"Anthropic builds its AI models by scraping and ingesting massive amounts of text from the internet and potentially other sources", it goes on, using "that vast corpus to train its AI models and generate output based on this copied text".

Crucially, "included in the text that Anthropic copies to fuel its AI models are the lyrics to innumerable musical compositions for which publishers own or control the copyrights".

"As a result of Anthropic’s mass copying and ingestion of publishers’ song lyrics", the lawsuit goes on, "Anthropic’s AI models generate identical or nearly identical copies of those lyrics, in clear violation of publishers’ copyrights".

It then claims that if a user asks Anthropic’s Claude AI chatbot to provide lyrics to a song owned by one of the publishers, "the chatbot will provide responses that contain all or significant portions of those lyrics". And while Google search and lyric websites do the same, they - of course - are licensed by the music industry.

Not only that, "Anthropic’s AI models generate output containing publishers’ lyrics even when the models are not specifically asked to do so". So a user might ask the AI to write a song about a certain topic or produce some fiction in the style of a certain artist, and Claude responds by "generating output that nevertheless copies publishers’ lyrics".

For copyright owners, like music publishers, it is clear that if a tech firm trains an AI with existing copyright protected content they must get permission from the relevant copyright owners. However, some AI companies reckon such training is covered by copyright exceptions or, in the US, the principle of fair use.

There are already a number of cases working their way through the courts that will test the copyright obligations of AI companies, though to date those have mainly been filed by the owners of visual or literary copyrights, so it's interesting to see a music case join the party.

Commenting on the new lawsuit, Matthew J Oppenheim, one of the lawyers representing the publishers, says: “The unauthorised use of copyrighted material is illegal and, in the case of copyrighted music lyrics, harms songwriters and music publishers”.

“It is well established by copyright law that an entity cannot reproduce, distribute and display someone else’s copyrighted works to build its own business unless it secures permission from rightsholders”, he adds. “Just like countless other technologies, AI companies must abide by the law".

ONE LINERS

Caroline Polachek, BMI, Dice + more

DEALS

BMI CEO Mike O’Neill has confirmed that the US collecting society is “engaging in discussions with a potential new partner” about a possible sale. It was reported in August that the organisation was considering an acquisition offer from New Mountain Capital.

Round Hill Music Royalty Fund’s shareholders yesterday voted in favour of selling its assets to Concord in a deal valuing the company at $469 million. Of those eligible to vote, 99% moved to approve the sale. “The strength of support shown by shareholders in their vote for this transaction [shows] the value that we have been able to deliver on their behalf since the IPO of the Round Hill Music Royalty Fund in November 2020”, says Chair Robert Naylor. “It reflects the quality of the management and the portfolio that the transaction has concluded so efficiently and with a counterparty of the calibre of Concord”.

Kobalt has signed songwriter and producer Toby Scott to a worldwide publishing deal. “Toby has already had a fantastic career and continues to deliver hit songs that work both here in the UK and across the seas”, says Kenny McGoff, Head of Kobalt’s UK Creative. “We are ready and excited to amplify that with the global Kobalt team”.

APPOINTMENTS

Kilimanjaro Live has promoted Alan Day to become a Director of the company. It has also hired promoter Josh Casey. “As an instrumental member of the Kilimanjaro Live promoter team for the past two decades, Alan has been integral to the growth of the company”, says CEO Stuart Galbraith. “Josh brings an exciting new area of live music to Kilimanjaro and we are looking forward to seeing where his expertise plus our experience can go”.

US ticket resale marketplace SeatGeek has appointed new lobbyist Caleb Johnson of Harbor Policy, according to a newly filed disclosure. He has been working with the firm since July.

LIVE BUSINESS

Dice has launched in Toronto, its first move into the Canadian ticketing market. “Toronto is the perfect stage for Dice’s Canadian debut”, says the company’s President Russ Tannen. “With our new partners, we can bring fans in Canada the shows they love with an easy, innovative, and transparent ticketing experience that was designed for them”.

RELEASES

Caroline Polachek has released new single ‘Dang’. The track is her first new music since releasing her latest album ‘Desire, I Want To Turn Into You’ in February.

Emeli Sandé has released new single ‘All This Love’. “If we go through heartbreak, or experience unrequited love, we can end up channelling it in more destructive ways”, she says of the inspiration for the song. “I’m very much an all-or-nothing person, so after a relationship ends, I’m like, ‘What am I supposed to do with all this love?’” Her new album ‘How Were We To Know’ is out on 17 Nov.

Idles have released new single ‘Dancer’, featuring James Murphy and Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem on backing vocals. “‘Dancer’ is the violence that comes from the pounding heart of the dancefloor and rushes through your body and gives you life from music, from love and from you”, says frontman Joe Talbot.

Katie Von Schleicher has released new single ‘Cranked’. Her new album ‘A Little Touch Of Schleicher In The Night’ is out this Friday.

Cruush are back with new single ‘As She Grows’. “It’s basically a really annoying pop song you can’t actually dance to cos the timing is weird as fuck”, says guitarist Arthur Boyd.

Lambrini Girls have released the video for ‘Boys In The Band’ from their debut EP ‘You’re Welcome’. Like the song, the video examines sexual assault and abuse in the music scene.

DIGITAL

Bandcamp union negotiators among the job losses at direct-to-fan firm

None of the eight Bandcamp employees who were leading negotiations for the union set up by workers at the direct-to-fan firm have been offered jobs by new owner Songtradr, according to 404.

However, Songtradr insists that it did not have union membership information when it was deciding which Bandcamp employees would be offered jobs as part of its acquisition of the company.

Employees at Bandcamp decided to unionise after the company was acquired by Fortnite owner Epic Games in March 2022.

The Bandcamp United union was formally recognised in May this year and union members then voted on who should represent them in talks with management about various issues that had been raised by the workforce. Those talks were ongoing when Epic announced it was selling Bandcamp to Songtradr last month.

It was confirmed earlier this week that only half of Bandcamp's employees had been offered jobs by the company's new owner. The other employees will now be made redundant as part of a wider downsizing within the Epic Games business.

Commenting on the redundancies, Bandcamp United said in a statement: “On Monday, 16 Oct 2023 over half of Bandcamp was laid off as a result of Epic Games’ divestiture to Songtradr. Of those laid off, 40 were in the union bargaining unit out of a total 67 members. None of the eight democratically elected bargaining team members received a job offer".

Responding to that statement, a spokesperson for Songtradr told 404: “Songtradr had no access to union membership information and we executed our employment offer process with full-consideration of all legal requirements".

“We carried out a comprehensive, full company evaluation that involved a detailed examination of each role", she added. "This evaluation considered several factors such as product groups, job functions, employee tenure, performance evaluations, the importance of roles for smooth business operations, and whether a similar function already existed at Songtradr including our experience of running it and associated requirements”.

APPROVED: KABEAUSHÉ

Kabeaushé is set to release their second album ‘Hold On To Deer Life, There’s A Blcak Boy Behind You’ next month. Out now is new single ‘Banguk’.

The new track was originally created as part of a film score and wasn’t set to be included on the new album. However, in the end Kabeaushé deemed it “too silky” not to be added to the tracklist. Built out of layers of rhythm on a variety of instruments, the track comes across like an experimental marching band.

This is certainly in-keeping with the sound of the rest of the album. Kabeaushé says of the full record: “It’s dirty, it’s incessant, it’s rough around the edges and wonky. The drums are big and they’ll make you move, there’s lots of sweet layered falsettos, catchy phrases and hooks”.

“When you listen to it, don’t try scrutinize the lyrics as if with hope to find something poetic, instead squeeze yourself into all of it, and there maybe you’ll find a little piece just for you”, they go on. “Don’t two step to this, dance! Don’t compare it to the last album you heard, or the one you’ll listen to after, this is not that and it’s not trying to be. Take it as is and you’ll discover the joy in all of it”.

‘Hold On To Deer Life, There’s A Blcak Boy Behind You’ is out on 10 Nov.

 Listen to ‘Banguk’ here.

DIGITAL

X introduces dollar a year charge on basic accounts in New Zealand and the Philippines

X - or Twitter, if you prefer - has started charging an annual $1 fee to people setting up new accounts in New Zealand and the Philippines.

Free accounts are still available for people who just want to browse content posted by other users, but anyone wanting to post onto the social media platform via a new account in those countries will need to pay the one dollar a year fee.

Although X owner Elon Musk has been busy trying to grow the subscriptions side of the business since he bought the company - offering extra tools and benefits for those who upgrade to premium - the new one dollar charge for basic accounts is being presented as a measure to stop bot accounts from being set up.

X said in a statement: “As of 17 Oct we’ve started testing ‘Not A Bot’, a new subscription method for new users in two countries. This new test was developed to bolster our already significant efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity".

“This new programme", it added, "aims to defend against bots and spammers who attempt to manipulate the platform and disrupt the experience of other X users. We look forward to sharing more about the results soon".

“This will evaluate a potentially powerful measure to help us combat bots and spammers on X", it then concluded, "while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount. Within this test, existing users are not affected".

AWARDS

Jahari Stampley wins Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Competition

Pianist Jahari Stampley has won this year’s Herbie Hancock Institute Of Jazz International Competition, taking its $50,000 first prize.

"It's just overwhelming and also just amazing", he tells NPR. "I just have a respect for everybody that participated in the competition. These are all people I've always looked up to and loved when I was growing up”.

This was the first time the international jazz competition had been held since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Connor Rohrer took the $25,000 second prize, and Paul Cornish got $10,000 for being in third place. In total, the competition awards $150,000 of prizes and scholarships.

Other awards handed out at the ceremony in New York included the Maria Fisher Founder’s Award to vocalist Dianne Reeves, who has been involved in the Herbie Hancock Institute Of Jazz for nearly three decades, and the Herbie Hancock Humanitarian Award, which went to architect Frank Gehry.

DIGITAL

Universal and BandLab announce alliance around AI

Universal Music has announced a new partnership with music creation platform BandLab focused on all things AI.

The specifics of the partnership are not yet clear, but the two companies say that they will advance their "shared commitment to ethical use of AI and the protection of artist and songwriter rights", and will "pioneer market-led solutions with pro-creator standards to ensure new technologies serve the creator community effectively and ethically".

Both Universal and BandLab have formally backed the Human Artistry Campaign, the music industry led initiative that acknowledges the positives of AI in the music space, but also calls for AI platforms to respect copyright and other creator rights.

Confirming the alliance with BandLab, Universal boss Lucian Grainge says: “We welcome BandLab’s commitment to an ethical approach to AI through their accessible technology, tools and platform. We are excited to add BandLab Technologies to a growing list of UMG partners whose responsible and innovative AI will benefit the creative community".

BandLab CEO Meng Ru Kuok adds that his company is "steadfast in its respect for artists' rights and the infinite potential of AI in music creation, and we believe our millions of users around the world share in this commitment and excitement".

“Though new technologies offer unbelievable possibilities to break down more barriers for creators", he goes on, "it’s essential that artists’ and songwriters’ rights be fully respected and protected to give these future generations a chance of success”.

“As demonstrated by BandLab embracing the Human Artistry Campaign principles and this collaboration with UMG, we are committed to getting it right. Through our joint efforts, we anticipate a future of music that is innovative, rewarding and endlessly inspiring".

LEGAL

Sick Of It All sue Mobb Deep over Dragon image and Supreme partnership

Hardcore punk band Sick Of It All have sued Mobb Deep over the latter's use of a dragon image that is very similar to the former's logo.

The band's lawsuit, filed with the courts in New York, targets Mobb Deep member Havoc and the estate of his former collaborator Prodigy, accusing the hip hop duo of trademark infringement and unfair competition.

Mobb Deep have actually used the image that is very like Sick Of It All's logo on and off since the 1990s. However, the new lawsuit has seemingly been motivated by a recent alliance between the hip hop outfit and clothing company Supreme, which is also named as a defendant in the litigation.

The lawsuit states: "In June 2023, Supreme, a clothing and skateboarding lifestyle brand, as part of a collaboration with Mobb Deep, began using [the infringing image] on clothing goods, including t-shirts and hats".

"The similarities between the two marks", it adds, "particularly when used on clothing, have confused and are confusing the media and consumers, and are causing damage to plaintiff’s senior mark and brand".

It's not the first time Sick Of It All have hit out at Mobb Deep's dragon image. The lawsuit explains: "Twice, most recently in 2003, [Sick Of It All] previously demanded that Mobb Deep cease use of its infringing logo, and Mobb Deep and its affiliates complied".

But, it seems, when a similar cease and desist demand was sent after the Supreme partnership was announced, this time the defendants did not comply. Hence the lawsuit. We now await a response from Mobb Deep and Supreme.

AND FINALLY

Goldmach Sachs CEO turns his back on DJ career

David Solomon has retired as a DJ. For the foreseeable future, he will only be known as CEO of investment bank Goldman Sachs.

The banker has accepted a number of high profile DJing gigs in recent years - including last year’s Lollapalooza festival - and donated his income from the side-hustle to charities working to support people living with addictions.

However, according to the Financial Times, bankers at Goldman Sachs became irritated by his DJing, and particularly the media attention it received. Notably, he played at an event in July 2020 headlined by The Chainsmokers that was deemed to have broken COVID-19 rules and resulted in a $20,000 fine for the promoters.

Solomon apparently made his decision to step back from DJing a year ago, but it has only just come to light now - seemingly no one noticed that he’d had no bookings.

“This is not news”, bellowed Goldman Sachs spokesman Tony Fratto to the FT. “David hasn’t publicly DJed an event in well over a year, which we have confirmed multiple times in the past. Music was not a distraction from David’s work. The media attention became a distraction”.

As well as DJing, Solomon has released a number of singles, largely through his own Payback Records label, which he founded in partnership with Atlantic Records in 2018.