A BLOG OF SORTS FROM CHRIS COOKE
January 2024 Updates
CMU digested
It’s this week’s CMU Digest, recapping key music business stories from the last seven days. Apple’s 10% Spatial Audio bonus skews in favour of major labels; US Copyright Office will investigate AI licensing; Hipgnosis slanging match continues with “cherry picking” accusation; latest on music publishers vs Anthropic; if you were going to order a Notorious BIG shower curtain you might be out of luck. Read here.
Upcoming masterclass
Our new CMU Masterclass sessions kick off next week on Tue 30 Jan. In the first session I’ll provide an overview of key trends and developments in the music business over the last year – and what those mean for the year ahead. Whether you’re in the recording, publishing or live part of the business, the session will get you fully up to speed on current challenges and opportunities. Book now and find out more here.
CMU digested
It’s this week’s CMU Digest, recapping key music business stories from the last seven days. Hipgnosis war of words ramps up; Apple’s “outrageous” payment changes have not pleased Epic or Spotify; posh lads mag GQ swallows Pitchfork; certification for ‘fairly trained’ AI; and Council Of Music Makers asks major label staff to lobby bosses to help fix streaming. Read here.
Wardrobe studio
So I recorded my side of this week’s Setlist from the hustle and bustle of Eurosonic. Well, actually, in a wardrobe on a boat parked just down the canal from the hustle and bustle of Eurosonic. As pictured! The iron played a much less crucial role than initially anticipated. We talk about the Fairly Trained initiative, the job cuts at Pitchfork, our Eurosonic panel and the likelihood of me being required to abandon ship. It will be available later today via your podcast app of choice!
easyTrip
I was going to say that I’ve enjoyed a very easyTrip to Eurosonic this year, but now I’m worried easyJet might sue me. Or would I have to sing it to feel the wrath of easyGroup’s trademark enforcers? Just in case, please note – and I can’t stress this enough – this post is in no way endorsed by or connected to the easyGroup and their lovely lawyers. Anyway, thanks to a very punctual plane and train, I am now approaching Groningen.
Eurosonic bound
I am heading to Groningen tomorrow for Eurosonic where I’ll be moderating this panel on Thursday at 10.30am, looking at how artists and songwriters, and their managers and business partners, should access and utilise data from the music industry’s collecting societies, to identify missing money, spot problems and add value. There’ll be plenty of practical tips, plus we’ll be discussing best practice and how societies can better support their members when it comes to data. Hope to see some of you there!
CMU digested
It’s this week’s CMU Digest, recapping key music business stories from the last seven days. Grainge and Kyncl talk superfans in new year memos; full-year music market stats show revenue and consumption growth; more AI legislative proposals including ELVIS Act; ad regulator gets busy with Viagogo; and Bytedance cans Resso India. Read here.
Signal no more
Bauer Media is expanding its Hits Radio network, with means a bunch more classic local radio brands will disappear from the airwaves in April – including good old Signal Radio. CMU story here. Will that increase the value of my 1980s Signal Radio mug? No? Oh well, at least I kept a copy of the greatest radio jingle ever made.
The PO Horizon saga
Having followed Nick Wallis’s excellent coverage of the Post Office Horizon scandal for more than a decade – as well as the reporting in Computer Weekly and Private Eye – it’s been interesting to see public interest surge on the back of the ITV dramatisation of it. That’s the power of TV drama, I guess. I hope the momentum of the last few days is maintained. Here’s Nick talking about the whole saga and the impact of the TV drama on GMB this morning.
Music + AI in 2023
If you want to get fully up to speed on all things AI and music, Sam and I have put together a (very) deep-dive CMU guide to the deals, disputes and debates, the lawsuits and the lobbying, and all the innovation and exploration that informed the conversation. I’m also delivering an online masterclass on the topic on 20 Feb which you can access live or on-demand. Check out the guide and book places on the masterclass here.