Welcome to Music Enterprise Worldwide’s weekly round-up – the place we ensure 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 acquired 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.” Nevertheless, the ruling may not apply to generative AI, the sort that music corporations are suing AI corporations over.
Additionally on this planet of AI, MBW reported this week on TikTok mum or dad ByteDance‘s ongoing work within the discipline of AI music.
Elsewhere, Sony Group Corp reported its calendar This fall 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 Growth staff led by Michael Ryan Southern. In response to a press launch, Warner is looking for to “turbocharge its development” through M&A.
Talking of M&A, Common Music Group introduced at present (February 14) that it has acquired a majority stake in A-Sketch, a Japan-based artist administration enterprise and file 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” below copyright legislation, and the information is largely good for copyright holders: The choose within the case has dominated in opposition to the AI firm.
Nevertheless, there’s one large wrinkle: The choose famous within the ruling that it doesn’t essentially apply to generative AI, the type of AI over which music corporations are suing AI builders.
The case pitted media and information conglomerate Thomson Reuters, proprietor of the Reuters information service, in opposition to Ross Intelligence, a now-defunct service that supplied customers entry to a database of courtroom circumstances compiled by means of machine studying (AI) expertise…
TikTok’s $300 billion-valued mum or dad firm, ByteDance, is without doubt one of the world’s busiest AI builders. It plans to spend billions of {dollars} on AI chips this yr, whereas its tech provides Sam Altman’s OpenAI a run for its cash.
ByteDance’s Duobao AI chatbot is at present the most well-liked AI assistant in China, with 78.6 million month-to-month lively customers as of January.
It may possibly additionally generate music.
In September, ByteDance added an AI music era operate to the Duobao app, which apparently “helps greater than ten sorts of music kinds 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 based mostly on Sony Group Corp’s calendar This fall 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 fall 2023) at US dollar-converted fixed foreign money.
Nevertheless, the calendar This fall determine was boosted by Sony altering the best way it studies quarterly recorded music streaming gross sales from one digital platform, from a web foundation to a gross foundation. The exact impression of this modification was unspoken by Sony…
On Monday (February 10), WMG revealed that it’s strengthening its Company Growth staff led by Michael Ryan Southern. In response to a press launch, Warner is looking for to “turbocharge its development” through M&A.
The transfer sees Alfonso Perez-Soto named EVP, Company Growth, specializing in Recorded Music, and Michael LoBiondo appointed SVP, Company Growth, specializing in Publishing.
The pair report back to Michael Ryan Southern (EVP, Chief Company Growth Officer), who stated in an announcement at present that, with these two appointments, the corporate now has “a powerful M&A machine working collectively to seek out alternatives for your entire 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 file 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 USA.
A-Sketch will function as a label division inside Common Music Japan, below 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…
