In today's CMU Daily: Spotify schools a New York judge in “common sense” and gives the court a back-to-basics explainer of how the MLC’s compulsory mechanical licence works and why Spotify should be allowed to cut royalty rates to songwriters

One Liners: Ticketmaster x Quicket, Tunespotter x What-song.com, Ador v HYBE dramas continue, TikTok fined by OfCom, Eminem gets a BRIT Billion Award, Audiomack launches Sponsored Songs, Burna Boy x YouTube, Alison Goldfrapp launches label + more, plus new releases including Rosie Lowe and Blossoms

Also today: BBC to publish Tim Westwood report this autumn; Conspiracy theorist in court over Manchester Arena bombing claims

It’s “common sense” that audiobooks have “more than token value” says Spotify in MLC lawsuit response letter

The fifteen hours of audiobook access that Spotify now provides as part of its premium subscription has “more than token value”, says the streaming giant, adding that this position is simple “common sense”. 

The claim is made in a letter from Spotify to the judge overseeing the lawsuit filed against the streaming service by US collecting society the MLC. 

The MLC filed a lawsuit in May over the streaming company’s new music + audiobooks bundle, which has significantly reduced the amount of money Spotify is paying to songwriters and music publishers under US mechanical licensing rules. In the US, mechanical licensing royalty rates are set by the Copyright Royalty Board via a compulsory licence administered by the MLC.

In its letter, Spotify goes on to lay out some of the “common sense” facts that prove the value of its audiobooks offering. Americans pay over $2 billion a year for audiobooks annually, it says, and Amazon’s Audible service alone generates more than $1 billion in US revenues from two subscription tiers priced at $7.95 and $14.95 respectively. 

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ONE LINERS

Deals

• Ticketmaster has acquired African ticketing company Quicket to expand its presence on the continent. 
• Tunespotter, which describes itself as “a centralised platform dedicated to curating and showcasing extraordinary sync moments” has acquired What-song.com, “the web’s most comprehensive collection of soundtracks and playlists”. 
• London Grammar has signed with UK collecting society PPL for international neighbouring rights royalty collection.
• Native Instruments has partnered with Alicia Keys to release ‘Alicia’s Electric Keys’, a virtual instrument based on Keys’ Yamaha CP-70 Electric Grand Piano. 

Appointments

• HYBE, the K-pop company behind BTS and NewJeans, has appointed Chief Strategy Officer Jason Jaesang Lee as its new CEO, replacing Jiwon Park. 
• Eclipse Music Group has appointed Courtney Crist as Vice President Of Publishing. 

Legal 

• Drama levels in the world of K-pop continue at peak ‘Mean Girls’ levels as ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin files a complaint against executives at parent company HYBE for defamation and business obstruction related to an April audit of the sub-label. 
• TikTok has been fined £1.875 million by UK media regulator OfCom for providing inaccurate data about its parental controls feature. 

Live

• Primary Wave Music and Park Avenue Artists have announced a partnership to create orchestral concerts featuring the music of iconic legacy artists, starting with ‘The Voice Of Whitney Houston’ in August 2024. 

Digital

• Music streaming platform Audiomack has launched its Sponsored Songs programme, offering artists a legitimate way to boost streams and gain audience insights. 
• Amazon Music has expanded its live music streaming programme, having recently livestreamed performances from Festival Republic’s Wireless Festival.
• Burna Boy has partnered with YouTube to stream a one-off concert celebrating the fifth anniversary of ‘African Giant’. 

Media

• Media regulator OfCom has published its initial findings in a review of the local media landscape in the UK. 

Awards

• Youth Music has announced the judges and sponsors for its 2024 Awards, set to take place on 16 Oct at London’s Troxy. 
• Eminem has received the BRIT Billion Award from the UK record industry trade group BPI, recognising seven billion UK career streams.

Other Industry News

• Society Of Leaders In Development raised $40,000 for the Country Music Association Foundation through its annual Backstage Auction at CMAFest. 

Festivals

• Boomtown Fair has announced the full line-up for its 2024 event, featuring over 450 artists. 

Artist News

• Neil Young will return to the stage at Farm Aid on 21 Sep in Saratoga Springs, New York, following the cancellation of his tour with Crazy Horse due to illness. 
• Alison Goldfrapp is launching her own record label, A.G Records, with the release of a new single, ‘I Wanna Be Loved (Just A Little Better)’, co-produced with Richard X. 
• Two cars owned by rapper 6ix9ine described as a “paint-splattered” Lamborghini Urus and Bentley Continental GT Speed have sold for a combined $260,543 at an IRS auction. 

Releases & Tours

• Rosie Lowe has released her new single ‘Gratitudes’. Her new album ‘Lover, Other’ is out 16 Aug.
• Blossoms have released their new single ‘Perfect Me’. Their new album ‘Gary’ is out 20 Sep.
• Hinds have shared their new single ‘Superstar’. Their new album ‘VIVA HINDS’ is out 6 Sep.
• Nina Nesbitt has announced a UK headline tour, including a show at Scala in London on 16 Oct. Tickets go on general sale 2 Aug.
• Pure Reason Revolution have announced a UK headline tour, including a show at Islington Assembly Hall on 8 Dec. Tickets go on sale Friday.

BBC provides update on Tim Westwood investigation, report should be published this autumn

The BBC has published an update on its investigation into the conduct of Tim Westwood during his time working for the broadcaster. 

It launched that investigation in the wake of a media exposé in 2022 in which a number of women accused the DJ of sexual misconduct, with many of the alleged incidents occurring between 1994 and 2013 when Westwood presented shows on BBC radio stations. 

The BBC board asked barrister Gemma White KC to investigate those allegations and to assess the extent to which BBC management were aware of complaints made against the DJ while he was still working there. The latest update reveals that she completed that work and submitted a report earlier this year. The BBC is now “going through certain important legal processes before it is in a position to publish the findings”. 

London’s Metropolitan Police has also been investigating some of the allegations made against Westwood, and one of things the BBC is currently checking is that publishing White’s report will not “have a negative impact on any ongoing police investigation”.

Victims of Manchester Arena bombing in court battle with conspiracy theorist

London’s High Court has heard how the 2017 bombing of the Manchester Arena devastated the lives of a father and daughter who were severely injured in the attack. 

The father, Martin Hibbert, is in court this week pursuing legal action against a conspiracy theorist called Richard Hall, who claims that the bombing was faked by government agencies using “crisis actors”.

Hall has made several videos and written a book in which he claims that the terrorist attack was an “elaborate hoax” instigated by government agencies, and that no one was actually killed or injured as a result of the bombing.