In today's CMU Daily: Prosecutors in the US have charged a man accused of running a streaming fraud scam that generated over $10 million. He got individuals abroad to set up “bot accounts” on the streaming platforms and then set those accounts streaming hundreds of thousands of tracks that he created with an AI company

One Liners: news from Interscope, Blue Raincoat, IDOL, City Slang, Myst Music, The Orchard, Third Side Music, Pulse Music Group, Sony Music Publishing Scandinavia, Beatport, LabelRadar, Bluesky, YouTube, DAACI, Soundstripe, Snap, Safe Superintelligence, Eventbrite +more

Also today: EU officials have reportedly ruled out any deal to remove the hurdles British performers now face when touring Europe; Scotland’s music industry is breathing a sigh of relief after First Minister John Swinney confirmed that Creative Scotland’s Open Fund for Individuals will not have to close after all; The Competition & Markets Authority has announced a formal investigation into the use of dynamic pricing for the Oasis reunion shows

Plus: yunè pinku is CMU Approved

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New York District Attorney brings criminal charges against man accused of sophisticated streaming fraud that raked in more than $10 million

A man in the US has been charged with wire fraud and money laundering in connection to an alleged streaming fraud enterprise which prosecutors say involved “billions” of fraudulent streams of “hundreds of thousands” of AI-generated tracks to generate more than $10 million in royalties.

The defendant, Michael Smith, operated a “brazen fraud scheme”, according to Damian Williams, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, which “stole millions in royalties that should have been paid to musicians, songwriters and other rightsholders whose songs were legitimately streamed”.

Smith has been charged following an investigation by the FBI. Although the music industry has pursued legal action in multiple countries against companies that provide stream manipulation services, there have been relatively few criminal actions over streaming fraud to date. Although, earlier this year, an unnamed Danish music industry executive was sentenced to eighteen months in jail after being found guilty of running a streaming fraud operation.

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Concessions for UK artists touring EU “impossible” say EU officials

The European Union is unlikely to offer a new deal to make it easier for British artists to tour around Europe, because doing so would involve wholesale changes to EU rules. This news will be a blow to the UK’s new Labour government, which included “helping our touring artists” as a key priority as part of a manifesto commitment to tear down “unnecessary barriers to EU trade” prior to this year’s General Election.

According to internal EU briefing documents seen by the Financial Times, EU officials say “such a deal is impossible because it would require rewriting the EU-UK Trade And Cooperation Agreement”, as well as making changes to EU rules on customs, road haulage and services. Changes, says the FT, that the European Commission is “not prepared to consider”.

That said, Paul Adamson from the EU-UK Forum, a group which brings together policymakers, told the newspaper that the UK government might still be able to get some of what it wants if it is willing to make some compromises, adding that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is likely to be an ally in that domain. “She sees the bigger picture, the geopolitics”, he added. “She’s anglophile and has intervened before to make compromises to get deals done”.

Oasis dynamic pricing backlash escalates as UK competition regulator launches formal investigation

The UK’s Competition & Markets Authority has formally launched an investigation into Ticketmaster’s sale of tickets for the Oasis reunion shows, including the use of dynamic pricing.

News of the investigation came shortly after Oasis themselves issued a statement in which they tried to distance themselves from the backlash over last weekend’s ticket sales, which many are saying will taint their legacy. In their statement, the band basically blame their promoters and management for choosing to employ dynamic pricing.

The CMA says it will investigate whether the ticketing giant’s dynamic pricing system violates consumer rights laws, adding that it will be “engaging with Ticketmaster” to conduct the investigation, as well as “gathering evidence from various other sources”, including fans.

Scottish First Minister says Creative Scotland budget cuts will not go ahead, promising to “support Scotland’s culture sector and creative industries”

In his annual ‘Programme For Government’ address yesterday, Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney told the Scottish Parliament that his government will “support Scotland’s culture sector and creative industries”, promising that a review of funding body Creative Scotland “will be undertaken to ensure the appropriate approach is in place to meet the needs of the sector”.

More immediately, he also confirmed that “the resources required to enable Creative Scotland to continue the work of the Open Fund are now available”.

The announcement follows a recent open letter from the Scottish music community in response to the closure of Creative Scotland’s Open Fund for Individuals due to uncertainty regarding government funding, and the delayed reopening of other music funds. Those developments, the letter said, had “ignited the worst crisis that Scotland’s music and wider arts sector has ever faced”.

Speaking yesterday, Creative Scotland’s CEO Iain Munro said, “We welcome today’s confirmation of £6.6 million, originally committed to Creative Scotland by the Scottish Government at the start of the year”, adding that the funding body is experiencing “unprecedented levels of demand of the Open Fund for Individuals”.

Robert Kilpatrick, CEO of the Scottish Music Industry Association said, “We welcome today’s announcement from the First Minister, and we would like to acknowledge the efforts of [culture minister] Angus Robertson in ensuring that these vital funds remain available to support artists and creatives across Scotland”.

🎧 Approved: yunè pinku

Malaysian-Irish producer and songwriter yunè pinku harnesses the sounds of the rave to create fresh, melodic soundscapes, blending structured pop with glossy, sci-fi textures and ethereal electronic layers.

Her latest single, ‘Half Alive’, is an open-hearted anthem driven by a ticking breakbeat and shimmering synth stabs. pinku’s airy vocals rise above the track, examining experiences of anxiety and depression in a Grimes-worthy falsetto, contrasting the track’s darker undertones.

‘Half Alive’ is the second single from her upcoming EP ‘Scarlet Lamb’, due for release on 4 Oct.

🎧 Listen to ‘Half Alive’ here

RELEASES & TOURS

Op-ed: Jonathan Coote of Bray & Krais on AI and fair use

As the Suno and Udio lawsuits make their way through the courts, the fundamental issue in the cases is likely to be whether the 'fair use' defence can be successfully run for the training of AI tools on copyright works. Jonathan Coote examines the issue in more detail.