Welcome to the Music Business Worldwide weekly review, where we ensure you are updated on the five most high-profile stories that have made headlines in the last seven days. The MBW review is supported Centtrip, which assists over 500 of the world’s best-selling artists in maximizing their income and minimizing tour expenses.
Audio Technology Acquisition Buzz
This week brought rumors surrounding the potential sale of audio technology company Sonos. Bloomberg News suggested that Amazon and Spotify are the frontrunners for acquiring the company, especially if the board decides to sell following disputes regarding software deployment issues.
Legal Developments in the Music Industry
In copyright-related news, we learned that Mike Karen‘s PGN has initiated a lawsuit against Create a Music Group. They assert that Create claimed copyright rights over YouTube video clips of APG songs and entered into “fictitious contracts” with artists already signed to APG.
Additionally, an AI music generator named Suno faces new legal challenges. After large companies filed a lawsuit against it last year, Suno is now under fire from Germany’s payments organization, Gema, accusing it of training its AI models using copyrighted works without permission.
Meanwhile, Weverse, a superfan platform, reported a surge in activity with over 150 million uploads, attracting noteworthy artists like Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion.
Lastly, Netflix has raised prices, highlighting a growing disparity between the costs of the streaming video giant and Spotify. The new pricing structure indicates that a standard Netflix subscription is now $72 more per year than a standalone Spotify Premium account.
1) Sonos purchase speculations are growing, Spotify or Amazon being considered as potential buyers.
Could a proposal for acquiring the audio technology company Sonos be imminent?
The recent launch of an application in 2024, coupled with a management change, has intensified rumors regarding potential buyers if the board opts to sell.
Due to recent challenges, the company’s market value has dropped to $1.7 billion from over $5 billion during its peak in the pandemic.
Bloomberg‘s Mark Gourmet mentioned Spotify and Amazon as the most likely candidates, each presenting distinct advantages for a potential acquisition …
T. SHNIDERSTOCK
2) Suno, valued at $500 million, faces new copyright lawsuit from German organization GEMA.
The AI music generator Suno continues to stir controversy in the music industry.
In June, $500 million worth of lawsuits were filed by major record companies against Suno for allegedly training their systems using recordings without authorization—a claim that they essentially acknowledged in court documents in August.
Suno is now being sued again for copyright infringement by the German copyright organization, Gema.
Gema represents 95,000 participants in Germany (composers, authors, music publishers) and over 2 million rights holders worldwide …
Fanfen Kevwannarat/Shutterstock3) APG sues Create Music Group for alleged “massive copyright infringement.”
Mike Karen‘s indie music company PGN is suing Create Music Group, claiming that Create is engaged in “willful theft” of songs and records from APG.
A complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California, stating that the publisher Artist Publishing Group and its affiliated label A Partner Group of Artists accused Create Music Group of claiming copyright over YouTube videos of works owned or licensed by APG.
Furthermore, the complaint alleges that Create “made a feeble attempt to justify the copyright breaches on recording and composition (APG) through fictitious contracts with artists who already had contracts with PNG…”
Press/UMG/Katya Temkin4) Weverse achieves 150 million uploads, with user growth of 19% in 2024, drawing in artists like Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa.
Weverse, the superfan platform, has hit 150 million total global uploads by 2024.
This information comes from Weverse’s Global Report on Fandom Trends, which highlights a 30% year-over-year growth in the number of artists on the platform, reaching 162.
The report indicates that user numbers grew across all continents, with an average growth rate of 19% from the previous year.
Throughout the year, sixteen distinct groups of artists joined Weverse, including major international stars like Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion, and Conan Gray, stimulating significant user growth in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Venti Views/Unsplash5) Netflix’s latest price hike brings the standard subscription to $72 more expensive annually than Spotify Premium in the U.S.
Netflix has raised its subscription prices in the U.S. for the first time in nearly a year and a half, widening the existing gap between the streaming video giant and Spotify.
According to the latest prices, Netflix has increased the cost of its ad-free standard subscription, which allows simultaneous streaming of two HD feeds, by $2.50 per month to $17.99, up from $15.49.
At the same time, the Premium subscription price has increased to $24.99, up from $22.99.
This means that a standard Netflix subscription now costs approximately $72 more per year than an individual Spotify Premium plan (priced at $11.99 per month) …
The MBW weekly review is supported by Centtrip, which assists over 500 best-selling artists around the globe in maximizing their income and minimizing tour expenses.
Lucas focuses on the interaction between music and society. He specializes in how music influences and reflects cultures, analyzing the role of sound in social, political, and cultural events around the world.
