Read Universal Music CEO Lucian Grainge’s Letter to Staff on TikTok Settlement: ‘Human Artistry Must Be Respected’

Billie Eilish unleashed a lo-fi video for her new single “LUNCH.”

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music The publishing industry’s offensive against Spotify continues as the Mechanical Licensing Collective has filed legal action against the streaming giant’s U.S. division over its recent subscription offers that bundle music and audiobooks, resulting in a lower royalty.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Sony Music Group is sending out warnings to what sources say are around 700 AI developers and music streaming services, warning them not to use its content to train AI. These so-called “opt-out” letters, which have been obtained by Variety, state that developers will need explicit permission to use that content and warns that some may already be in violation.

King Crimson over a sample used in Kanye West’s ‘Power’.‘Power’ – which featured on the critically acclaimed fifth studio album ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted’ – samples King Crimson’s song ’21st Century Schizoid Man’ from their 1969 debut album ‘In the Court of the Crimson King’. UMG owns and operates the record label Def Jam Recording, a division which – in a joint venture with Roc-A-Fella – distributed the song.Allegedly, West sampled the track without license.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Sony Music Publishing today announced it has acquired the catalog of Tame Impala singer/ songwriter/ producer Kevin Parker, who has also worked extensively with Dua Lipa, Rihanna, SZA, Kendrick Lamar Gorillaz and more. The deal, which expands the company’s 15-year partnership with Parker, encompasses his entire catalog of songs as well as future works. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Spotify was hit with a cease-and-desist letter from the National Music Publishers Assn. over its use of lyrics in its recently launched video function and podcasts, and its remix feature that enables users to speed up or otherwise edit songs to create derivative works.

aespa are taking over the globe!

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Tencent Music Entertainment, China’s largest online music corporation, got smaller but more profitable in the first quarter of 2024. That continued a trend seen previously in the company’s 2023 accounts. Revenues in the January to March quarter weighed in at $937 million (RMB6.77 billion), a 3% decrease compared with the same quarter last year. But profits after tax increased 28% to $212 million (RMB1.53 billion). Monthly active users across its free and paid for tiers decreased by 2% to 592 million.

“Dark Matter” tour earlier this month, but their May 4 gig wasn’t without drama.Around two-thirds of the way through their 25-song set list, McCready appeared to be feeling the music too much as he plummeted from the stage during his solo.In footage shared by a fan in the audience, the musician can be seen taking a tumble from the stage — leaving his Gibson Les Paul guitar up in the air.Of course, McCready didn’t let the fall ruin his solo as he continued to play it even from the ground.Moments later, a security guard rushed over to help the rocker return to the stage.Luckily, McCready appeared unscathed by the incident as he flashed a smile and carried on like nothing happened.Fans took to social media to give props to the rocker for not skipping a beat.“A true professional,” one fan wrote on X, while another added, “Didn’t miss a chord.”The band is taking their new record “Dark Matter” on the road for their summer tour that is sure to send the grunge rockers to arenas all over North America.That includes a pair of back-to-back concerts at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Sept. 3 and Wednesday, Sept.

, a , or . She’s not jumping on flash-in-the-pan fads, she’s more about timeless styles.

Pearl Jam‘s Mike McCready recently fell from the stage while performing but continued to play his guitar solo.The legendary band kicked off their 2024 world tour in Vancouver on Saturday (May 4). They played a 25-song set at the Rogers Arena, including a total of nine tracks from their recently released 12th album, seven of which graced a setlist for the first time ever.During their performance of ‘Porch’, the 17th song of the night, McCready ended up taking a tumble during the middle of his guitar solo.

Shakira had the time of her life during her time in New York City. The Colombian singer turned heads with her stunning Carolina Herrera gown at the 2024 Met Gala, making her official debut in a dramatic red ensemble, paired with matching red heeled platforms.Shakira at the Met Gala: The singer makes her debut in a jaw-dropping red gownLatinos at the 2024 Met Gala: Shakira, Karol G, Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, and moreAfterparty looks at the 2024 Met Gala: Shakira, Kendall Jenner, Bad Bunny Zendaya, and moreThe star made headlines after being named one of the best-dressed guests of the evening.

EXCLUSIVE: Back in the day, Michael Crichton novels would enter the movie auction marketplace and routinely sell for more money than commercial fiction by any other author. Usually within a day or two. That hasn’t happened in a good long time, but today it might. The book is Eruption, a big scale disaster novel tale that Crichton spent 20 years working on before his untimely death. The novel just went out to studios and other major buyers, and Deadline can share a letter from Crichton’s widow Sherri about the machinations, and why she sought out Patterson to complete the novel. It’s expected to be a big sale, continuing the legacy of the brilliant author behind everything from Jurassic Park, Westworld, Twister, ER and so many others.

People in parts of Staffordshire have taken part in the local elections 2024 to vote in their councillor.

Songs from popular artists like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Drake will be back on TikTok months after they were suddenly pulled from the platform. Major record label Universal Music Group (UMG) has signed a licensing deal with the social media platform that addresses concerns of pay and the use of A.I.

TikTok and Universal Music Group (UMG) have announced that they have come to a new licensing agreement.Today (May 2), the social media platform and music label issued a press release announcing the new agreement. It comes after TikTok’s and UMG’s previous agreement expired in late January, with the latter withdrawing its artists’ music from the platform as a result of both parties’ inability to work out a new deal.In late January, UMG claimed that “TikTok proposed paying our artists and songwriters at a rate that is a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay”, which it says accounts for one per cent of its revenue.Now, however, UMG’s new agreement with TikTok will reportedly “deliver improved remuneration for UMG’s songwriters and artists, new promotional and engagement opportunities for their recordings and songs and industry-leading protections with respect to generative AI”, per a press release.Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of UMG, said of their new partnership: “This new chapter in our relationship with TikTok focuses on the value of music, the primacy of human artistry and the welfare of the creative community.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music The months-long standoff between Universal Music Group and TikTok over royalty payments and AI policies is finally over, at least for the time being, with the announcement that the two entities have struck a deal to bring the label’s music back on the platform. As part of the agreement, the companies stated that they will “deliver improved remuneration for UMG’s songwriters and artists, new promotional and engagement opportunities for their recordings and songs and industry-leading protections with respect to generative AI.” UMG’s music will return to the platform imminently, and the companies will collaborate on realizing “new monetization opportunities utilizing TikTok’s growing e-commerce capabilities and will work together on campaigns supporting UMG’s artists across genres and territories globally.” “This new chapter in our relationship with TikTok focuses on the value of music, the primacy of human artistry and the welfare of the creative community,” said Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO of UMG.

Universal Music Group and TikTok have announced a new “multi-dimensional” licensing agreement that will return music from UMG’s family of artists, songwriters and labels to the short video platform.

Thania Garcia FKA Twigs and Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property on Tuesday to discuss the dangers of exploitative artificial intelligence. “AI cannot replicate the depth of my life journey, yet those who control it hold the power to mimic the likeness of my art, to replicate it and falsely claim my identity and intellectual property,” Twigs told Sens.

Katcy Stephan Missy Elliott is joining Universal Pictures’ untitled Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry musical project. She joins Halle Bailey, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Oscar nominee Brian Tyree Henry and Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph in a coming-of-age musical set in Virginia Beach in the summer of 1977 and inspired by the Atlantis Apartments, located in Williams’ childhood neighborhood. Michel Gondry (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “The Science of Sleep”) is set to direct the project based on a script by Martin Hynes (“Toy Story 4,” “The Magician’s Elephant”) and Steven Levenson (“Tick, Tick…Boom,” “Fosse/Verdon”).