A BLOG OF SORTS FROM CHRIS COOKE
January 2025 Updates
CMM webinar
If you’re a member of one of the five organisations that make up the Council Of Music Makers, I’m presenting this webinar for you on 25 Feb. It explains how you can use the metadata and transparency codes that the music industry has developed to help ensure music-makers get credited and paid, and to better understand your personal digital music business. You can sign up for free here.
Big Ben update
While rushing between a meeting with the MMF Custodians and popping into the IPO to discuss progress on the streaming transparency code I ran past this place. Slightly disappointed the powers that be still haven’t implemented Andy Jensen’s fine plan for tweaking Big Ben a little.
Brand TikTok lawsuits
This kind of lawsuit – against a brand that used music on TikTok or Reels without a proper licence – is becoming quite common now. If anyone in brand-land wants to better understand how music copyright works, I’ve got some great training courses you might be interested in! Just drop me a line. And here’s my CMU report on the latest unlicensed-TikTok-promo litigation.
UMG x Spotify
Who knows what’s involved in the nitty gritty of Universal’s big new deal with Spotify – but the changes to the way the streaming service will license the UMG Anglo-American songs repertoire within the US is definitely interesting, especially in the context of the audiobooks bundling dispute. It also makes the licensing of music streaming services even more complicated – the next edition of the ‘Digital Dollar’ book just keeps getting longer! Here’s my CMU report on the new deal.
Burgers in Belfast
Back at Belfast City Airport grabbing something to eat after a very successful Pathways Into Music weekend. Thanks to everyone who joined us. No prizes for guessing which burger is Phil’s and which burger is mine!
Pathways Belfast
We made it through the storm to Belfast and now we’re ready to kick off our latest Pathways Into Music weekend, for everyone involved in music education and music talent development in Northern Ireland. Looking forward to it!
Stormy travels
Remember last year when I flew to Dublin right into the middle of Storm Ashley, resulting in a three hour delay and a rather bumpy landing, which the pilot managed to complete on second attempt? Well today I’m trying to fly to Belfast! So that’ll be fun.
MENT schedule
MENT published its full conference schedule earlier this week. Looking forward to returning to Ljubljana next month – in terms of official business, I’ll be joining Scott Cohen for this session.
Flexible stuff
I’m somehow still going through the boxes I retrieved from my storage unit. Today I found a folder containing examples of a long-since forgotten musical format: the promotional flexi-disc. Now I just need to find a flexi-turntable to play them on.
Shambles case
You know, sometimes I also write about copyright and comedy. Interesting ruling last week in the ‘Shambles’ copyright case, which centred on whether or not the format of a YouTube series constitutes a ‘dramatic work’ in copyright terms. Here’s my explainer.
TikTok latest
Here’s my update on this weekend’s TikTok developments – more should happen later today once Donald Trump starts firing off all those day one executive orders.
Pathways guide
This time next week we’ll be half way through our next Pathways Into Music weekend for music educators, this one in Belfast. Really looking forward to it! We now have a short guide that accompanies the weekend which you can also download from the Pathways website if that’s of interest.
Sound Connections
Next Thursday Phil and I are presenting a Pathways Into Music session for Sound Connections aimed at early-career artists and music educators, discussing career pathways and fanbase building. More info here.
Drake’s defamation case
Trying to hold a record label liable for defamation over lyrics in a diss track seems somewhat ambitious. But I do think Drake’s lawsuit against Universal Music raises some interesting questions about the industry commercialising rap beefs in an era when social media fuelled conspiracy theories can occasionally prompt acts of violence. Here’s my CMU report on that litigation.
It’s complicated!
Whatever you think about the changes that Deezer and Spotify made to the way streaming royalties are calculated (I’m no fan of the thresholds), they definitely made an already complicated system even more complicated. Now Deezer is starting to apply the changes to songs as well as recordings which, of course, makes things EVEN MORE complicated, because music publishing is ALWAYS more complicated. Here’s our CMU report on all that.
TikTok ban latest
TikTok’s response to reports Elon Musk might buy its American business to stop the incoming US ban? “We can’t be expected to comment on pure fiction”. Here’s my update on the ban from yesterday, by the way, summarising recent developments – it’s still more or less up to date, at least until the Supreme Court makes a ruling, maybe tomorrow. Or, you know, Musk announces a big purchase, fictional or otherwise.
CMU round up
The first CMU Daily of 2025 will be published later today. But before that, I’ve done a quick summary of ten key music business developments since the last edition of 2024, including stats, ticketing consultations, Anthropic, Jay-Z, FAC, Global, PPL and Amazon Music.
TW:Weekly
Every Monday we publish the ThisWeek Culture weekly email bulletin, with lots of London show recommendations, plus interviews with our favourite performers, and TW:Backstage explainers and round-ups, updating you on key developments in the creative and cultural industries. If that interests you, sign up here.
Ticketing dramas
Could this be the year when I write more about ticketing than copyright and streaming? Seems unlikely, ticketing dramas are usually in third place, but it’s ticketing dramas that I’ve written about first in 2025. Well, I’ve written about the government opening a consultation on ticketing, and especially ticket touting, with dynamic pricing also on the agenda. Not too dramatic, but the dramas could come later. Here’s my CMU report.
Vinyl prompts
Still going through the boxes I retrieved from my storage unit. I’ve now found some old vinyl. Although, of course, I don’t own a record player, so I’m currently using these as prompt cards and getting Alexa to play the tracks. Does that mean I’ve turned 1980s me into an algorithm? (Or maybe 1990s me, I think some of these were early 90s).
Pathways Belfast this month
Now everyone is back after the Christmas break (everyone is back by now, right?), another quick reminder that our next Pathways Into Music professional development weekend for music educators is in Belfast later this month. If you’re involved in music education or talent development in Northern Ireland, find out more here.
MENT next month
I’ve no international trips this month, so really ought to remember to get a new passport, as the current one is nearly full (because of all the post-Brexit stamping) and expires this autumn. What are the chances I have that sorted before I head to the brilliant MENT next month? Which is a long-winded way of saying, I’m heading to the brilliant MENT next month!
ThisWeek in London
My colleague Caro recommends great shows to see in London every week on our ThisWeek Culture website, in handy sets of three. Read her first Three To See recommendations of 2025 here.
Christmas is over
I can confirm that Christmas is officially over for another year. Yes, that’s right, I’ve returned the festive snow globes to the back of the snow globe shelf. Here they are before I hid them behind the airport-bought city-based snow globe collection.
Tube station reviewers
First time at this tube station in quite a while. When we first set up CMU, Alastair and I used to write reviews under various pseudonyms. Most had tube stations in their names. There was Sarah Whitechapel and Karl Upney, but my favourite fake reviewer was always Warren Street.
Fourth chord?
I also retrieved these from my storage unit. Maybe 2025 will be the year when I finally teach myself a fourth chord, then I can basically play any pop song, is that right? Of course I will need to buy a new A string first. Unless there’s any pop songs you can play without an A string? Suggestions welcome.
Old Tapes Month
Despite having been somewhat dismissive of the mere concept of a cassette revival, I found a box of old tapes and a cassette player when sorting out my storage unit, so I might make January ‘Listen To Lots Of Old Tapes’ month. Just need to remember that Alexa can’t help me skip any tracks I don’t like.
New Year lunch
Christabel couldn’t make our traditional New Year’s Eve lunch, so we’ve started a bold new tradition instead: New Year’s Day lunch. Same restaurant though. It may now be 2025, but I can’t be dealing with too much change. Happy New Year everybody!