In today's CMU Daily: The NO FAKES Act, which provides a new right to enable people to stop the unapproved use of their likeness and voice in the context of AI, has been introduced in the US Senate. The entire music industry has welcomed the proposed new law. Artist groups in particular will like the restrictions included on the assignment and licensing of the new right 

One Liners: R&B legend Monica re-signs to WME; Deezer & Live Nation earnings; Spotify’s 180 on lyrics; AmplifyWorld’s $500k artist grants fund; Restore The Music funding for music in schools; Transparency Code now effective, plus new music from BADBADNOTGOOD, The Blessed Madonna, FLOHIO, Sub Focus + more

Also today: The promoter of Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival has sued The 1975 through the UK courts over Matty Healy’s on-stage protest that caused most of last year’s edition to be cancelled by the authorities 

Plus: ODUMODUBLVCK is CMU Approved

NO FAKES Act will make likeness and voice rights non-assignable, cap licensing duration

The music industry has welcomed the introduction of the NO FAKES Act into US Congress, which will provide a new federal right under US law allowing people to control their likeness and voice in the context of AI, providing protection against unapproved deepfakes and voice clones. 

The entire industry has hailed the act and the new right it will introduce. However, artist groups in particular will welcome restrictions on the assignment and licensing of that right, keen to ensure that companies in the music industry don’t pressure artists into transferring control of their likeness and voice to business partners on a long-term basis. 

The proposed act was first outlined in a discussion paper last year, and has now been formally introduced in the US Senate by Senators Chris Coons, Marsha Blackburn, Amy Klobuchar and Thom Tillis. It is strongly backed by the Human Artistry Campaign, which says the proposed new law “sets a strong federal baseline protecting all Americans from the invasive AI-generated deepfakes flooding digital platforms today”. 

“From young students bullied by nonconsensual sexually explicit replicas of their likeness to recording artists and performers replicated to sing or perform in expressive works they never created or consented to”, it adds, “the NO FAKES Act provides a powerful and much needed new weapon in the fight to protect people’s images and voices from being stolen, cloned and misused”.

Domino // Junior Radio Plugger (London)

Sentric Music // Revenue Optimisation Manager (London/Liverpool)

Sentric Music // Copyright Manager (Liverpool/London)

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ONE LINERS

Deals

• Believe UK has signed a global services deal with electronic music brand fabric. 
• Romy has partnered with meme-fodder ‘spiked seltzer’ brand White Claw, for its ‘Refreshing Sounds’ summer 2024 series. 
• R&B artist Monica has signed with talent agency WME. 

Appointments

• Talent agency Wasserman has hired private equity veteran Steve Murray as Executive Vice President Of Mergers & Acquisitions And Strategy. 
• Factory International has appointed Rivca Burns as its new Head Of Music. 

Digital

• Deezer has reported 14.9% revenue growth to €267.9 million for the first half of 2024, improving its EBITDA from last year’s first half loss of €13.1 million to a loss of €5 million for H1 2024. 
• Spotify has reversed course on removing unlimited access to lyrics for its ad-supported users. 
• Web3 and fan engagement platform AmplifyWorld has launched a $500,000 artist fund which will make grants ranging from $1000 to $50,000.
• Meta has launched its AI Studio product to users in the US, enabling users to create custom ‘AI clones’ of themselves for use across Meta’s platforms. 
• ByteDance apps have been banned on US House Of Representatives staff devices, expanding beyond the existing TikTok prohibition.

Legal

• R Kelly has petitioned the United States Supreme Court to overturn his convictions for child pornography possession and inducing minors to engage in sexual acts.
• Universal Music has been dropped from another sexual assault lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs. 
• Young Thug’s trial continues as Judge Paige Reese Whitaker denied both a mistrial motion and the rapper’s latest request to be released on bail under house arrest. 

Live

• Live Nation Entertainment has reported its Q2 2024 results, with revenue up by 7% to over $6 billion.

Other Industry News & Events

• Beyond The Music has announced initial details for its 2024 conference, scheduled for 9-11 October at Manchester’s Aviva Studios.
• The UK Streaming Transparency Code has taken effect, with BPI and AIM launching support initiatives. 
• Restore The Music has awarded £240,000 in grants to fourteen state schools in London, Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham, reaching 11,000 pupils and providing access to nearly 1500 instruments and additional resources. 

Releases & Tours

• BADBADNOTGOOD have released their new single ‘Best Left Unsolved’.
• The Blessed Madonna has released her new single ‘Godspeed’, featuring DJ E-Clyps. Her new album ‘Godspeed’ is out 11 Oct, with features from Kylie Minogue, Joy Crookes and more.
• LOVE IS NOISE have released their new single ‘Jawbreaker’.
• Coco & Clair Clair have released their new single ‘Kate Spade’. Their new album ‘Girl’ is out 30 Aug.
• FLOHIO has released her new single ‘All The Thrills’.
• Caribou has released his new single ‘Volume’.
• Ella Eyre has released her new single ‘domino szn’.
• Willie Watson has released his new single ‘Slim and The Devil’. His self-titled debut album ‘Willie Watson’ is out 13 Sep.
• Sub Focus has released his new single ‘Wildfire’.
• Chiedu Oraka has released his new single ‘Helly Hansen 6’.
• Chime School have released their new single ‘The End’. Their new album ‘The Boy Who Ran The Paisley Hotel’ is out 23 Aug. They’ve also announced a UK tour, including a show at The Victoria in London on 29 Sep. Tickets are available here.
• Pink Martini have announced a 30th anniversary tour, including a show at Paris’ Accor Arena. Tickets are available here.

The 1975 sued over Matty Healy’s controversial comments at Malaysian festival 

The 1975 have been sued in the London courts by the promoter of Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival over the incident last year where comments made on stage by the band’s Matty Healy resulted in the rest of the event being cancelled by the Malaysian authorities. 

Healy broke the strict rules that govern live performances in Malaysia by speaking out about the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Promoter Future Sound Asia was immediately critical of The 1975 frontman following the incident, stating that the band were fully aware of the rules and had promised the festival organiser that they would abide by them. 

According to Variety, the lawsuit provides more detail about the rules that were broken, and summarises events before and after The 1975’s performance at the festival. 

In the middle of his on-stage criticism of Malaysia’s record on LGBTQ+ rights, Healy kissed bandmate Ross MacDonald on the mouth. 

🎧 Approved: ODUMODUBLVCK

Born in Lagos and raised in Abuja, Nigeria, ODUMODUBLVCK has already established himself as a new vanguard of drill, becoming the fastest Nigerian rapper to surpass 100 million streams across his catalogue. 

By fusing elements of drill, grime and Fela Kuti’s Afrobeats he’s pioneered a unique genre he lovingly dubs ‘okporoko rhythms’. This genre’s distinctiveness has set the Nigerian music scene and beyond ablaze, and cemented ODUMODUBLVCK as one to watch.

His recently released debut solo single ‘NOT ALL THAT’ is a Sinogrime-influenced hardhitter - a commanding track that marries the intensity of drill with the angular beats of Sinogrime, creating a sound that's as assertive as it is innovative.

🎧 Watch the video for ‘NOT ALL THAT’ here