Welcome to Music Enterprise Worldwide’s weekly round-up – the place we make sure that you caught the 5 greatest tales to hit our headlines over the previous seven days. MBW’s round-up is supported by Centtrip, which helps over 500 of the world’s best-selling artists maximize their revenue and scale back their touring prices.
Copyright holders within the US received some excellent news this week when a federal courtroom dominated that scraping copyrighted content material with out permission to coach AI fashions doesn’t rely as “honest use.” Nonetheless, the ruling may not apply to generative AI, the sort that music firms are suing AI firms over.
Additionally on the earth of AI, MBW reported this week on TikTok dad or mum ByteDance‘s ongoing work within the area of AI music.
Elsewhere, Sony Group Corp reported its calendar This autumn earnings this week. Sony’s international music rights operation – throughout recorded music and music publishing – generated USD $2.70 billion within the three months to finish of December 2024.
Additionally, some notable information out of Warner Music Group this week, as the corporate steps up its M&A efforts by strengthening its Company Improvement staff led by Michael Ryan Southern. Based on a press launch, Warner is looking for to “turbocharge its progress” through M&A.
Talking of M&A, Common Music Group introduced right this moment (February 14) that it has acquired a majority stake in A-Sketch, a Japan-based artist administration enterprise and report label.
For the primary time, a US courtroom has dominated on whether or not utilizing copyrighted materials with out permission to coach AI quantities to “honest use” beneath copyright regulation, and the information is largely good for copyright holders: The decide within the case has dominated towards the AI firm.
Nonetheless, there may be one large wrinkle: The decide famous within the ruling that it doesn’t essentially apply to generative AI, the type of AI over which music firms are suing AI builders.
The case pitted media and information conglomerate Thomson Reuters, proprietor of the Reuters information service, towards Ross Intelligence, a now-defunct service that supplied customers entry to a database of courtroom instances compiled by means of machine studying (AI) expertise…
TikTok’s $300 billion-valued dad or mum firm, ByteDance, is likely one of the world’s busiest AI builders. It plans to spend billions of {dollars} on AI chips this yr, whereas its tech offers Sam Altman’s OpenAI a run for its cash.
ByteDance’s Duobao AI chatbot is presently the most well-liked AI assistant in China, with 78.6 million month-to-month lively customers as of January.
It may well additionally generate music.
In September, ByteDance added an AI music era perform to the Duobao app, which apparently “helps greater than ten sorts of music types and means that you can write lyrics and compose music with one click on”.
Sony’s international music rights operation – throughout recorded music and music publishing – generated USD $2.70 billion within the three months to finish of December 2024.
That’s based on MBW’s calculations primarily based on Sony Group Corp’s calendar This autumn 2024 (fiscal Q3) outcomes, as introduced by the Japanese agency on Thursday (February 13).
The $2.70 billion determine was up 7.1% year-on-year (on the determine Sony reported in calendar This autumn 2023) at US dollar-converted fixed forex.
Nonetheless, the calendar This autumn determine was boosted by Sony altering the best way it experiences quarterly recorded music streaming gross sales from one digital platform, from a web foundation to a gross foundation. The exact influence of this variation was unspoken by Sony…
On Monday (February 10), WMG revealed that it’s strengthening its Company Improvement staff led by Michael Ryan Southern. Based on a press launch, Warner is looking for to “turbocharge its progress” through M&A.
The transfer sees Alfonso Perez-Soto named EVP, Company Improvement, specializing in Recorded Music, and Michael LoBiondo appointed SVP, Company Improvement, specializing in Publishing.
The pair report back to Michael Ryan Southern (EVP, Chief Company Improvement Officer), who mentioned in an announcement right this moment that, with these two appointments, the corporate now has “a robust M&A machine working collectively to search out alternatives for the whole WMG group”…
Common Music Japan (UMJ), a division of Common Music Group (UMG) has acquired a majority stake in Japanese music firm A-Sketch.
A-Sketch operates as each an artist administration enterprise and report label. It’s dwelling to common Japanese artists, together with Saucy Canine, Flumpool, and Ayumu Imazu.
Japan is the world’s second-largest recorded music market, behind the US.
A-Sketch will function as a label division inside Common Music Japan, beneath the continued management of Nobuyuki Soma, Consultant Director and President, A-Sketch, who will report back to Common Music Japan’s President & CEO, Naoshi Fujikura…
MBW’s Weekly Spherical-Up is supported by Centtrip, which helps over 500 of the world’s best-selling artists maximise their revenue and scale back their touring prices.Music Enterprise Worldwide
