Dylan Smith

Federal Judge Questions Whether Dua Lipa, Other ‘Levitating’ Creators Had Access to Allegedly Infringed Track

June 6, 2023

Photo Credit: Justin Higuchi / CC by 2.0 Back in March of 2022, Florida-based Artikal Sound System sued Dua Lipa for allegedly lifting from its work to create “Levitating.” Now, a federal judge has dismissed ... Read More...

China ByteDance TikTok backdoor lawsuit alleges CCP had access to U.S. user data

The Chinese Communist Party Used TikTok Data to Identify and Track Hong Kong Protesters, Former ByteDance Exec Says

Dylan Smith

June 6, 2023

Photo Credit: Plann / CC by 4.0 Last week, a report indicated that TikTok had stored creators’ sensitive financial information on servers in China – where government officials can unilaterally demand access t... Read More...

Deezer Moves to Detect AI Music, Plans To Adopt ‘A Remuneration Model That Distinguishes Between Different Types of Music Creation’

Dylan Smith

June 6, 2023

Photo Credit: Deezer With Atlantic Equities having just recently downgraded Warner Music Group stock (NASDAQ: WMG) over the “rapid development of AI-created music,” Access Industries’ Deezer is now taking ste... Read More...

Seoul’s Beyond Music Announces $170 Million Raise, Intends to Pursue Catalog Acquisitions ‘Both Within Asia and Internationally’

Dylan Smith

June 5, 2023

Seoul, South Korea. Photo Credit: Mathew Schwartz Now billing itself as “Asia’s largest music IP investment firm,” Seoul-headquartered Beyond Music has announced the completion of an approximately $170 millio... Read More...

Should Artificial Intelligence Content Be Labeled? European Commission Vice President Calls for Enhanced AI Media Regulations

Dylan Smith

June 5, 2023

European Commission VP for values and transparency Věra Jourová, who's calling for enhanced artificial intelligence content-identification requirements. Content created by artificial intelligence “must be rec... Read More...

Spotify Announces 200 Podcasting Layoffs, Combines Parcast and Gimlet, and Revives Spotify Studios Amid Push for ‘A Valuable, High-Margin Business’

Dylan Smith

June 5, 2023

Photo Credit: Spotify Amid an aggressive push for podcasting profitability, Spotify has announced yet another round of layoffs – affecting about 200 individuals working in and around its “global podcast verti... Read More...

TikTok Has Stored Creators’ ‘Sensitive Financial Data’ — Including Social Security Numbers — in China, Report Says

Dylan Smith

June 2, 2023

Photo Credit: Solen Feyissa Last year, Beijing-headquartered ByteDance acknowledged that its employees had improperly accessed TikTok user data. Now, as the app continues to grapple with regulatory scrutiny i... Read More...

Korea Singers Association President Asks BTS to Reconsider Break Up

With BTS on Hiatus, Hybe Is Reportedly Raising $380 Million From Investors To Bankroll Global Acquisitions

Dylan Smith

June 2, 2023

Photo Credit: HYBE Four months after tapping Scooter Braun to lead its stateside operation, BTS agency Hybe is reportedly looking to raise almost $400 million to bankroll an acquisition-heavy global expansion... Read More...

YouTube Music Is Now Making Songs’ Play-Count Information Available to Select Users

Dylan Smith

June 2, 2023

Photo Credit: Ivan Radic About one week after it began testing a Shorts-like music video offering called Samples, YouTube Music has reportedly started integrating play counts. This latest feature from the s... Read More...

JYP Entertainment Inks Expanded Deal With Universal Music/Republic Ahead of ‘The Next K-Pop Explosion’

Dylan Smith

June 1, 2023

JYP Entertainment girl group Itzy. Photo Credit: Kinocine JYP Entertainment (KRX: 035900) has inked an expanded partnership agreement with Universal Music Group’s Republic Records amid a genre-wide push to ac... Read More...

Thaitanium Rapper Khanngoen Nuanual Purchases Thailand’s M Pictures in Multimillion-Dollar Deal

Dylan Smith

June 1, 2023

Downtown Bangkok, Thailand, where both Major Cineplex Group and M Pictures are based. Photo Credit: Andreas Brücker Thailand-born rapper and entertainer Khanngoen Nuanual has officially acquired Bangkok-headq... Read More...

Spotify’s EU Lobbying Expenses Approached $1 Million Last Year Amid App Store Crusade, Data Shows

Dylan Smith

June 1, 2023

Photo Credit: Spotify Amid a continued push for regulatory action against the App Store in both the United States and Europe, Spotify dropped nearly $1 million on EU lobbying efforts last year, according to r... Read More...

Author Dylan Smith