Dylan Smith

ASCAP Doubles Down on Support for ‘Direct Voluntary Licensing,’ Right of Publicity Expansion in New Copyright Office AI Comments

December 8, 2023

Photo Credit: ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has submitted new comments on artificial intelligence to the Copyright Office, addressing the arguments of AI and tech com... Read More...

Spotify plans for two-tier system are ‘intrinsically unfair, clearly discriminatory, bordering on offensive.'

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek Didn’t Draw a Salary in 2022 — But He Did Receive a Cool $181,085 ‘For Home Security Services’

Dylan Smith

December 8, 2023

Photo Credit: Magnus Höij / CC by 2.0 Spotify CEO Daniel Ek didn’t collect a salary from the streaming platform during 2022 – but he did pull in a cool $181,085 “for home security services.” The Stockholm-b... Read More...

Exclusive: More Spotify Execs Found Dumping Shares Following Paul Vogel’s $9.4 Million SPOT Payday and Departure

Dylan Smith

December 8, 2023

Execs are cashing in on Spotify stock following a layoff-fueled price surge. Photo Credit: Mackenzie Marco On the heels of news that Spotify CFO Paul Vogel had cashed in on nearly $9.5 million in company stoc... Read More...

Lil Durk Faces $12 Million+ Breach of Contract Suit Over ‘Manifest Fraud’ in Song-Investment Deal Turned Sour

Dylan Smith

December 7, 2023

Photo Credit: YoIsThatJordan / CC by 4.0 Lil Durk is facing a $12 million lawsuit from music fintech Exceed Talent Capital, which claims that the rapper and others committed “manifest fraud” by violating the ... Read More...

SUISA Files Copyright Lawsuit Against Twitter/X in German Court: ‘Resolute Action Against the Illegal Use of Music’

Dylan Smith

December 7, 2023

SUISA is suing Twitter/X for alleged copyright infringement. Photo Credit: Rubaitul Azad In June, the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) filed a $250 million copyright infringement lawsuit against ... Read More...

The MLC Has Distributed Over $1.5 Billion in Royalties to Members, ‘Met Every Milestone Set by Congress’

Following ‘Black Box’ Scrutiny, the MLC Taps Jaxsta, Salt, Pex, and Others to Help Match Royalties

Dylan Smith

December 7, 2023

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) has officially announced a “Supplemental Matching Network,” or, as its name suggests, an initiative designed to enhance the MLC’s royalty-matching capabilities. The... Read More...

Diddy Faces Yet Another Sexual Assault Lawsuit — This Time Over Alleged Crimes Against a Minor

Dylan Smith

December 6, 2023

Photos of a then-17-year-old with Diddy at Daddy's House Recording Studio, where she was allegedly sexually assaulted by the artist and others. Photo Credit: Digital Music News Diddy is facing another sexua... Read More...

Cloudflare Touts German Court’s Ruling in Universal Music Legal Battle As ‘Important Progress’ for the Internet

Dylan Smith

December 6, 2023

A nighttime shot of the Hohenzollern Bridge in Cologne, Germany. Photo Credit: Adnan Omicevic Amid a long-running legal battle with Universal Music Group (UMG) in Germany, Cloudflare is touting a new court ru... Read More...

YG Entertainment Extends Blackpink Deal — Shares Surge Nearly 26% Following the Announcement

Dylan Smith

December 6, 2023

Blackpink member Jisoo. Photo Credit: HeyDay Following reports of rocky contract-renewal negotiations with several members of Blackpink, YG Entertainment has officially signed the K-pop girl group to a new de... Read More...

Spotify Reveals Up to $157 Million in Anticipated Layoff-Related Expenses, Updates Q4 Forecast

Dylan Smith

December 5, 2023

Spotify expects to incur sizable once-off expenses in connection with its recently announced layoffs. Photo Credit: Bastian Riccardi Spotify expects to spend between €130 million and €145 million ($140.38 mil... Read More...

Jaxsta Officially Rebrands As Vinyl Group, Intends ‘To Become the Heartbeat of An Equitable Music World’

Dylan Smith

December 5, 2023

Vinyl Group's CEO, Josh Simons. Photo Credit: Vinyl Group Credits database Jaxsta has officially changed its name to Vinyl Group and outlined an ambitious goal of establishing itself as “the heartbeat of an e... Read More...

Spotify Cancels ‘Heavyweight’ and ‘Stolen’ Podcasts Following Massive Layoffs — Stock-Price Surge Continues

Dylan Smith

December 5, 2023

Spotify stock has surged following news of sizable layoffs as well as podcast cancellations. Photo Credit: Kenny Eliason Yesterday, Spotify stock spiked after the streaming company announced plans to lay off ... Read More...

Author Dylan Smith