In today’s CMU Daily: Canada has forced the shutdown of TikTok’s operations in the country on national security grounds, but Canadians will still be free to use the TikTok app. Meanwhile in the US there is speculation newly elected President Donald Trump will reverse the pending TikTok ban there 

Also today: A dispute between Kem and his ex-manager over allegedly unpaid commissions highlights the importance of management deals being properly documented in writing; Songwriters suing PRS have criticised a statement defending the PRS Major Live Concerts Service, which implies that most managers and venues are “inefficient” and “unprofessional”

Plus: Somebody’s Child are CMU Approved

Canadian government wants TikTok out of Canada for national security, but avoids outright ban on app

The Canadian government has ordered TikTok to shut down its operations in the country over national security concerns, though distribution and use of the social media app will not be banned. The news comes amid speculation that Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election could result in the pending US ban of TikTok being scrapped.

Canada’s Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne told CBC News that the decision to force the closure of TikTok’s two Canadian offices, in Toronto and Vancouver, was made based on “information and evidence that surfaced during a national security review” and had been instigated at “the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community”. 

The minister didn’t provide much information about what had been uncovered in the review, saying “I'm not at liberty to go into much detail”, but added, “We came to the conclusion that these activities that were conducted in Canada by TikTok and their offices would be injurious to national security”.

Despite the lack of detail, Champagne added, “I know Canadians would understand when you’re saying the government of Canada is taking measures to protect national security, that’s serious”. Despite those concerns, the government will not...

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Kem manager dispute puts sunset clauses in the spotlight

Grammy nominated artist Kem is currently involved in a legal battle with his former manager Toya Hankins in a dispute centred on the often contentious issue of sunset clause payments, which are commissions managers often receive even once they have stopped managing an artist.

Hankins sued Kem, real name Kim Lamont Owens, in 2022, claiming she was still due commission payments on his income despite stopping managing the artist in 2016. That lawsuit, Owens says in a new legal filing, is a “bad faith and misguided attempt” by Hankins “to squeeze management commissions from Owens long after the parties’ managerial relationship ended”. 

The dispute hinges on whether a 2003 written agreement between Owens and Hankins is still in force or whether it was replaced by an oral agreement in 2005. It’s therefore a legal battle that highlights how important it is not only for artists and managers to have written management agreements in place, but also that any subsequent changes to the deal are also clearly documented. 

The original written 2003 management agreement between Owens and Hankins did include a sunset clause, stating that - if they stopped working together - the manager would still receive a 10% commission on revenues she helped secure for one year, and then 7.5% for a second year. 

That 2003 agreement initially ran for two years, but would automatically renew unless either party terminated the deal in writing. Owens claims that...

PRS thinks managers and venues are “inefficient” and “unprofessional”, claim songwriters suing PRS

UK collecting society PRS has accused the majority of managers and venues of being “inefficient and “unprofessional”. That’s according to the songwriters who are suing the society over the way it manages the licensing of live music.

The group of songwriters - which includes Robert Fripp and Jim and William Reid from The Jesus And Mary Chain - sued PRS in June over the allegedly “unreasonable and unnecessary hurdles” it has put in place when songwriters want to directly license their rights for live shows. 

Their lawsuit also criticises the PRS Major Live Concerts Service, or MLCS, which is available for artists performing at venues with a capacity in excess of 5000 and provides various benefits, including lower admin fees. The lawsuit says PRS shouldn’t be offering superstar writers a more preferential service. 

In a recent court filing responding to the lawsuit, PRS justifies its MLCS scheme on the basis that shows of this scale “tend to be administered efficiently by professional rightholders, managers and venues with whom PRS has strong working relationships”. 

The songwriters have issued a new statement responding to that filing. They say they find this justification “puzzling” because it implies “those involved in smaller-scale live events are unprofessional and inefficient - otherwise, they too would benefit from vastly reduced administration fees”. 

The lower admin fee charged to writers eligible for the MLCS results, say the writers, in...

🎧 Approved: Somebody's Child

Dublin’s Somebody’s Child, led by Cian Godfrey, possess that Sam Fender-esque ability to blend power and resonance with vulnerability, merging the yearning spirit of post-punk revivalists with a cinematic indie-rock edge.

Their new single, ‘Time Of My Life’, written in the final stages of recording their sophomore album, ‘When Youth Fades Away’ (set for release on 28 Mar), is a two-chord anthem that encapsulates the bittersweet nostalgia of life’s fleeting moments. As Godfrey reflects, “It’s about the flashing of life before your eyes, ending in a feeling of resolve, leaving legacy through songs and accepting fate. It was one of the most cathartic songs we’ve ever written”.

The track came together in a moment of unexpected inspiration. Godfrey recalls, “We’ve always wanted to write a two chord song and this finally came out without force. Another one that was written with an idea; ‘let’s close out the album’. We were about to give up on writing that day and we gave it one last go. Less than an hour later, we had a full song with more lyrics than we’ve ever had. I remember the feeling so well. I thought we’d been at it for six hours. Pure elation”.

Recorded in the US with Grammy Award-winning producer Peter Katis (The National, Interpol, Frightened Rabbit), ‘Time Of My Life’ is just a taste of what’s to come on their highly anticipated sophomore album.

🎧 Watch the video for ‘Time Of My Life’ here