In today's CMU Daily: A group of songwriters who are suing PRS have written an open letter that is scathing of the UK collecting society. The letter is the latest development in a dispute over how PRS handles withdrawal of rights when writers want to do direct licensing deals around the live performance of their songs

One Liners: Today: UMG x Meta, ROXI, The Smashing Pumpkins x Marc Jacobs capsule collection, Redlight Starwood partnership, Warner Chappell promotes David Goldsen, Anthropic vs Publishers not in court till 2026, Jay-Z formalises reversion rights for ‘Reasonable Doubt’, K-pop merch brands fined, artists vs Trump plus releases and tours news and more

Also today: Organisers of the Boardmasters festival revealed this weekend that seven attendees were hospitalised with minor injuries after a crowd surge incident. Although the injuries were minor, several attendees have spoken about the distress they experienced, with some also criticising festival security

PRS “no longer operating in the best interests” of songwriter members says open letter in direct licensing dispute

The songwriters who are suing PRS in a dispute over how the UK collecting society deals with members directly licensing live performances have published an open letter, accusing the society of failing to acknowledge that “their own writer members are suing the organisation” because they feel it no longer operates in their best interests.

The letter is signed by writers like King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and two members of the Jesus & Mary Chain, as well as Pace Rights Management, the agency they work with when direct licensing their songs. 

The recent lawsuit - which involves Pace as well as the writers - claimed that PRS has put in place “unreasonable and unnecessary hurdles” to make it more difficult for writers to go the direct licensing route. Those hurdles, it added, were designed to “prevent writers from direct licensing their rights”. PRS has issued a statement strongly denying those claims. 

The open letter is lengthy and breaks down PRS’s statement clause by clause. Among other things, it disputes claims by PRS that its policies around the licensing of live music have been subject to a “thorough and extensive approval and review process”, and that it has “consistently sought constructive dialogue” with Pace Rights Management.

The letter also repeatedly criticises PRS over the lack of transparency around its policies and the fees charged by foreign societies which represent its members’ rights in other countries.

Ghostwriter Consultancy & Events // Promoter (Whitburn Hybrid)

Ghostwriter Consultancy & Events // Junior Promoter (Whitburn Hybrid)

Playliveartist // Paid Media Manager (London)

IDOL // DSP Editorial & Partnerships Manager (London)

Ghostwriter Consultancy & Events // Marketing Manager (Whitburn Hybrid)

Domino // Junior Radio Plugger (London)

Sentric Music // Revenue Optimisation Manager (London/Liverpool)

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ONE LINERS

Deals

• Universal Music Group and Meta have announced an expanded global licensing agreement which will include WhatsApp for the first time. 
• Music streaming company ROXi is racing to secure new funding, appointing “the UK’s leading corporate rescue and recovery practice” Begbies Traynor to assist in raising capital amidst an apparent financial squeeze.
• The Smashing Pumpkins have been featured in a new capsule collection by Heaven by Marc Jacobs. 
• Red Light UK and Starwood have formed a new management partnership, bringing Starwood's clients including Michael Kiwanuka, Wasia Project and Stone under Red Light's umbrella.

Appointments

• Warner Chappell Music has promoted David Goldsen to Senior Vice President, North America A&R. 

Legal

• Anthropic's copyright battle with music publishers won't see a courtroom until 2026 according to a joint case management statement.
• Kanye West has claimed that Atlantic Records is threatening to remove his and Ty Dolla $ign's ‘Vultures’ albums from streaming services due to a revenue dispute.
• Jay-Z has filed a legal notice to reclaim ownership of the master recordings for his 1996 debut album ‘Reasonable Doubt’ in 2031, exercising his termination rights under Section 203 of the US Copyright Act. 
• The Korea Fair Trade Commission has fined four major K-pop agencies' online stores for violating consumer rights under the e-Commerce Act. 
• The estate of Isaac Hayes has threatened legal action against Donald Trump's campaign for unauthorised use of the song ‘Hold On, I'm Coming’ at rallies. 
• 50 Cent has secured a legal victory as a New York judge dismissed a $4 million wiretapping lawsuit filed against him by former liquor consultant Michael Caruso.
• The Young Thug trial has resumed after a nearly two month break, after the recent threat of a mistrial relating to potential issues with key witness testimony was resolved. The trial is now the longest in Georgia history. Which may explain why Young Thug was recently spotted seemingly taking a brief nap during court.
• Universal Music has issued a copyright strike against Drake after the rapper shared unreleased music on social media. 

Live

• Yungblud's inaugural Bludfest festival at Milton Keynes' National Bowl this weekend has faced a backlash over safety and logistical issues relating to entry and crowd control. 
• AAJA has announced the line-up for its second annual Creekside Festival, set to take place on 7 Sep across multiple venues in Deptford, London. 
• Pikes Ibiza has implemented a no-phones policy on its dancefloor for all events, expanding on a trial run for Monday nights that began in April.

Other industry news & events

• Applications have opened for BPI's Grow Music programme, alongside applications for the programme's five-week Angel Investing School,

Artist News

• Nine Inch Nails have been confirmed to score the upcoming film ‘Tron: Ares’, the third installment in the sci-fi franchise. 
• Celine Dion's management has issued a rebuke to Donald Trump's campaign for playing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ without permission at a Montana rally.
• Clean Bandit, the British electronic music trio, has suffered a €40,000 theft of equipment and cash in Ibiza.
• London-based experimental rock band Black Midi has split up… or maybe they haven’t. 
• Rizzle Kicks, the British hip-hop duo composed of Jordan Stephens and Harley Alexander-Sule, have hinted at a reunion after an eight-year hiatus from releasing music together.

Releases & Tours

• Karen Nyame KG has released her new single 'Rhythm Vol 1’.
• TORRES and Fruit Bats have collaborated on new EP 'A Decoration'.
• Innellea has released his new single ‘I Won't Go’, featuring Alphadog.
• Gooseberry have released their new single ‘Baby Do You?’. Their new album ‘All My Friends Are Cattle’ is out 6 Sep.
• Quivers have released their debut album ‘Oyster Cuts’.
• Nate Mercereau has released his new single ‘Sound Within Sound’. His new album ‘Excellent Traveler’ is out 11 Oct.
• Quavo and Lenny Kravitz have collaborated on new single ‘FLY’.
• Lewis Capaldi has released his new single ‘Love The Hell Out Of You’, which features as the lead track for new film ‘It Ends With Us’.
• Lil Tecca has released his new single ‘TASTE’.
• AP Dhillon has released his new single ‘OLD MONEY’, in collaboration with Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt and Shinda Kahlon.
• Logic has released his new album ‘Ultra 85’.
• Tom Waits has released a new rendition of track ‘“Get Behind The Mule" (Spiritual)’.
• Daughtry have released their new single ‘THE RECKONING’. Their new album ‘Shock to the System (Part One)’ is out 27 Sep.
• Marvel have released two remixes of Madonna’s ‘Like A Prayer’ featured in new film ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ - the Battle Royale Mix and the Choir Version.

As Sammy Virji set cancelled after crowd surge, some festival-goers criticise Boardmasters capacity increase

Seven people were taken to hospital following a crowd surge at this weekend’s Boardmasters festival in Newquay, although organisers and local police were keen to stress that those impacted only incurred minor injuries. 

Nevertheless, some festival-goers told reporters that they witnessed “carnage”, experienced considerable pain when injured during the incident, and subsequently left the event because of the distress they had experienced. All of which has led some ticket-buyers to question the decision of organisers to increase the festival’s capacity this year. 

The crowd surge occurred on Friday evening ahead of a set by DJ Sammy Virji, which was cancelled in response to the incident. In a statement, the local police force confirmed it had been notified about what it dubbed a “crowd collapse” at the festival which had “left a small number of attendees injured”.