In today's CMU Daily: The music that Taylor Swift has released through her partnership with Universal Music is back on TikTok. For all other artists, Universal’s boycott of all things TikTok is still in full force though

One Liners: Lisa, Maeta deals; SMIA appointment; Drake cut from Astroworld litigation; Warner Music South Asia launches; PRS Foundation promoter fund; new music from Dua Lipa, Perrie, Zayn, Mimi Web, Kasabian, Nick Cave, Kerry King, Bugzy Malone, Dagny, Charlotte De Witte, Darkthrone, Joe & The Shitboys, UTO

Also today: Superstruct owner preparing to sell the festival firm; Live Nation sued over festival shooting; Spotify planning remix tools

Plus: The Libertines are installing the bath in which Jim Morrison died in one of the rooms in their Margate hotel (apparently it would be too “maudlin” to say which one)

Universal relaxes TikTok boycott - but only if your name is Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift tracks distributed via her partnership with Universal Music have re-appeared on TikTok, despite the major's ongoing boycott of the social media platform. 

TikTok users can insert Swift tracks like ‘Cruel Summer’ and ‘Cardigan’ - and Taylor's versions of ‘Style’ and ‘Fearless’ - into their videos once again, as the musician gets ready to release new album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ next week. 

It’s not entirely clear how and why the tracks have reappeared. However - despite Universal bosses trying to play down the marketing power of TikTok as the company's boycott went into effect earlier this year - it may well be that Swift’s team see TikTok activity playing a key part in the promotion of the new record. 

After TikTok failed to agree a new licensing deal with Universal at the end of January, recordings controlled by the major were removed from the TikTok Sounds library. A month later songs published and licensed by Universal Music Publishing - that feature in recordings released by other labels - were also pulled. Universal has accused TikTok of undervaluing music, and failing to allay its concerns around AI and platform safety. 

Many artists allied to Universal likely agree that TikTok should be paying more for the music on its platform. But, at the same time, the sudden boycott was rather annoying for any artist with new music to promote, and especially those who use TikTok as a key fan engagement tool. 

After Swift's acrimonious departure from her former label Big Machine, she allied with Universal on new music, including the rerecords of her Big Machine releases. That is a distribution deal, which may give Swift the contractual right to circumvent Universal’s boycott. Her publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing could also provide the same flexibility. 

If so, other artists and writers with similar deals might be checking to see if they enjoy similar contract terms. Though Universal presumably won’t want too many artists getting around its boycott as it continues to try to pressure the social media firm into committing to pay more for music, while insisting no one really needs TikTok to market new releases. 

Of course, with the biggest artists in the world, major labels are much more flexible, whatever a contract may say, so Swift could be an exception to the rule. And Universal Music boss Lucian Grainge presumably wouldn’t want Swift threatening to record Taylor’s Version of Taylor’s Version of ‘Fearless’ just to get it back on TikTok.

Kilimanjaro Live // Promoter Assistant (London)

FKP Scorpio Entertainment // Head of Marketing (London)

FKP Scorpio Entertainment // Ticketing Manager (London)

FKP Scorpio Entertainment // Social Media Manager (London)

foundation.fm // Account Manager (London)

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ONE LINERS

Dua Lipa, Drake, Lisa + more

DEALS 

Blackpink’s Lisa and her Lloud Co company have partnered with Sony Music’s RCA to release her solo music. “I’m super excited to be joining the RCA family and I am confident they are the best team to create a bigger movement in my solo career”, she says. “Looking forward to showing the world everything we have been preparing”. The deal will raise questions over how promptly we can expect new music from Blackpink, following their re-signing with K-pop company YG Entertainment.

Warner Chappell has signed Maeta. “I’m so honoured to have my first publishing deal with Warner Chappell”, she says. “They are so hands-on with my career and I’m proud to be a part of the team!”

APPOINTMENTS

The Scottish Music Industry Association has appointed Aja Garrod-Prance as its General Manager.

LEGAL 

The judge overseeing the Astroworld litigation has removed Drake as a defendant on the cases. He was named as a defendant on some of the lawsuits filed in the wake of the Astroworld tragedy because he had a guest spot during the headline set of festival founder Travis Scott, during which a fatal crowd surge occurred. Seeking dismissal of the claims against him, Drake stressed that he had no involvement in event planning or safety. Earlier this week the judge also dismissed claims against Scott's record label Epic Records, though declined to grant motions of dismissal for various other defendants, including Apple and two of Scott's companies. 

LABELS 

Warner Music has launched a new South Asia division, covering operations in territories including Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It will be run out of Dubai by Jay Mehta. “I’m so delighted to launch Warner Music in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and other [South Asian] territories”, he says. “These are exciting markets with brilliant artists who historically haven’t had the opportunity of plugging into the global music industry. That’s all set to change”.    

FUNDING 

The PRS Foundation - in partnership with Arts Council England and the government’s Department For Culture, Media And Sport - has launched a new Early Career Promoter Fund, offering grants of up to £3500 to independent promoters building their careers. “We’re delighted to manage the Early Career Promoter Fund in partnership with Arts Council England and DCMS to offer funding and capacity building support to hundreds of independent promoters who – alongside venues, festivals, artists and crews – will help to build a more robust and diverse live music sector”. Find out more and apply here. Deadline 13 Jun. 

RELEASES

Dua Lipa has released new single ‘Illusion’. Her new album ‘Radical Optimism’ is out on 3 May.

Former Little Mix member Perrie has released her debut solo single ‘Forget About Us’. The song was co-written with Ed Sheeran, David Hodges and Steve Solomon.

Zayn has released new single ‘Alienated’. 

Mimi Webb has released new single ‘Mistake’. 

Kasabian have released new single ‘Coming Back To Me Good’. 

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis have shared ‘Song For Amy’ from new Amy Winehouse biopic ‘Back To Black’

Slayer’s Kerry King has released new solo single ‘Residue’. His debut album ‘From Hell I Rise’ is out on 17 May. 

Bugzy Malone has released new single ‘Old Friends’. His new album ‘The Great British Dream’ is out on 10 May. 

Dagny has released new single ‘Strawberry Dream’. Her new mini-album ‘Elle’ is out on 7 Jun. 

Charlotte De Witte has released new track ‘Roar’. 

Darkthrone have released new single ‘Black Dawn Affiliation’. Their new album ‘It Beckons Us All’ is out on 26 Apr. 

Joe & The Shitboys have released new single ‘Please Seek Help’.  

UTO have released new single ‘Napkin’. It’s taken from their new album ‘When All You Want To Do Is Be The Fire Part Of Fire’, which is also out today.

Superstruct owner could start taking bids for the company this month

The private equity owner of festival operator Superstruct should formally launch a sale of the business in the next month, according to sources who spoke to Reuters. The festival business could be valued at £1.5 billion. 

Providence teamed up with Creamfields founder and former Live Nation exec James Barton to launch Superstruct in 2017. It has become a major player in the festivals market through a long series of acquisitions of existing events in Europe and Australia. 

According to Reuters’ sources, Providence has been planning a sale since last year, seeking to capitalise on the bounce back of live music following the COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, that bounce back has mainly been at the upper end of the live sector, with many smaller and independent festivals struggling amid surging production costs and the cost of living crisis. 

That said, those challenges do give festivals that are part of a bigger network an advantage, because of economies of scale and the financial security a parent company can offer in a sector where managing cash flow can be tricky. Indeed, it’s often that financial security that persuades the founders of independent festivals to seek an alliance with a bigger player like Superstruct. 

There could be plenty of interest in acquiring the Superstruct business, mainly from other investment funds. Reuters reports that Blackstone, CVC, KKR and EQT are all possible bidders. Advance Publications, owner of the Condé Nast media company, is also reportedly interested. 

Among the festivals in which Superstruct has a stake are Sonar, Elrow, Sziget, Snowbombing, Benicàssim and - in the UK - Y Not, Truck, Nass, Bluedot, Victorious, Kendal Calling and Boardmasters.

Live Nation sued over shooting at 2023 Beyond Wonderland festival

Live Nation and its Insomniac Events subsidiary have been sued by the families of the two people who died during a shooting incident at the 2023 edition of the Beyond Wonderland festival in the US state of Washington. 

“Live Nation has the means and the duty to make sure security is the highest priority for their concert patrons”, the families said in a statement, according to Deadline. “Never should someone’s life be taken so senselessly and tragically at a music event”. 

Brandy Escamilla and Josilyn Ruiz both died when a shooting occurred on the first day of the Beyond Wonderland event. They were shot by another festival-goer, James M Kelly, who told police that he had taken a dose of psychedelic mushrooms prior to the shooting. 

His girlfriend, who was also injured, revealed that, while under the influence of the drugs, Kelly thought the world was ending.

Kelly had brought drugs and a firearm onto the festival site, despite event rules prohibiting both. To that end, the families of Escamilla and Ruiz argue that Live Nation and Insomnia had lax security protocols in place that resulted in their own rules not being enforced. 

“We hope filing this lawsuit sends a message to Live Nation and their associates that they are responsible for the deaths of Brandy and Josilyn”, their statement continued. “They are responsible for our broken and shattered lives. Our families will never recover from this loss, but we do not want their deaths to be in vain. This could have and should have been prevented”.

Spotify planning tools to allow users to remix tracks

Spotify is developing new tools that will allow users to remix and edit tracks on the platform, because if there’s one thing the TikTok generation loves more than a top pop song, it’s a top pop song sped up. 

Sources have told the Wall Street Journal that the streaming service is looking to add tools that will allow users to easily speed up, mash up or otherwise tweak recordings, and then share their versions with other users, albeit only within the Spotify app. 

It is thought that basic editing tools would be available to all premium subscribers, with more sophisticated tools then available on a planned new higher priced tier. 

The tools are looking to capitalise on the popularity of sped up, slowed down and other altered tracks on social media and user-generated content platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Those edits are usually unofficial, and therefore unapproved, and therefore not monetised by the music industry, unless a platform’s audio ID can match the edit to the original recording and then monetise on behalf the relevant rightsholder. 

There are some official sped up and slowed down versions of tracks on the audio streaming services, put there by record labels in response to the popularity of such versions on TikTok et al. That does allow the music industry to benefit financially, of course. 

Though there are also plenty of unofficial remixes on the audio streaming services as well, created and uploaded illegitimately, and likely paying out royalties to the remixer rather than the rightsholders of the original track. The people uploading those tracks may be creatively or commercially motivated, or both, or may be doing it as part of a wider streaming fraud scam. 

On one level, legitimising what is already a popular phenomenon, and using it to generate new income for the music industry, makes sense. Although legitimatising the mash ups also raises some interesting copyright questions. 

Assuming record labels and music publishers recognise the opportunity, should they be giving each artist and songwriter the option to opt in or out of that opportunity? Once you start allowing the adaptation of original recordings and songs, artists and writers might have vetoes or rights to consultation in their record or publishing contracts, plus you could argue that moral rights in copyright law do or should give creators control over the use of their work in this way. 

Meanwhile, does making mash ups part of the Spotify proposition seem to legitimise the unofficial uploads to the streaming services which are infringing copyright and not generating any revenue for the music industry? 

It will be interesting to see how all this is being pitched to the labels and publishers, and how it will then be presented to the wider music community.

Op-ed: Forget AI vocal clones - the real impact of AI in music is personalised discovery

AI is going to hyper-accelerate the shift to personalised discovery of music, by making the existing discovery algorithms of the various platforms much more sophisticated and much more customised to the tastes of individual listeners say Duetti CEO and co-founder Lior Tibon.

At Duetti, our focus on developing sophisticated predictive technology and pricing models means that we are closely monitoring these underlying trends. Coupled with our innovative data-driven track management and marketing tactics, this enables us to purchase older catalogues of tracks from artists of all sizes - knowing that we can help these tracks perform in that new model of discovery. This in turn expands the financing options which are available to artists.

And Finally! The bath that Jim Morrison died in is now inside The Libertines’ Margate hotel (but they won’t say where)

Having a bath is a lovely, relaxing thing to do. Well, so long as you remember the one golden rule of bathing. And that’s why, before you step into a bath, you always have to say to yourself three times, “Don’t think about death”. 

If you’re planning to stay in The Libertines’ Albion Rooms hotel in Margate though, adhering to that rule has just been made that much harder. In an interview this week, Pete Doherty revealed that the band have acquired the bath that The Doors’ frontman Jim Morrison died in.