PPL Embezzlement Probe Launched After ‘Suspicious Activity’ Found
Police are investigating after the U.K. collecting society discovered what sources have described as potentially fraudulent artist accounts and royalty claims. …
Rapper Plies Sues Megan Thee Stallion, GloRilla Over Soulja Boy Sample Used In ‘Wanna Be’
The lawsuit is the latest in a string of cases to claim that a legally-cleared sample featured uncleared materials from an earlier song. …
SESAC Performance License Rates See 10.4% Increase for 2023-2026 Licensing Period
The rate decision, which comes after an arbitration process, is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2023. …
UnitedMasters Forges Direct Deal With TikTok After Merlin Negotiations Collapse
The independent label and distributor, which previously used Merlin for its TikTok license, has reached a deal with the short-form video app individually. …
Why TikTok’s Decision to Sideline Merlin Hurts Music Culture (Guest Column)
The platform’s refusal to work with Merlin on licensing deals sets a “dangerous precedent” for independent artists and their labels, writes A2IM’s Richard James Burgess. …
Is the Music Business Out of Synch With Game Developers?
Labels and publishers want their songs in video games, but their licensing agreements are often an obstacle. …
Sharon Osbourne Explains Why Ozzy Turned Down Kanye’s Sample Request
“We get so many requests for these songs, and when we saw that request, we just said no way,” she tells Billboard. …
UMG’s TikTok Licensing Feud: Music Industry Reactions (Updating)
As the music giant’s catalog leaves TikTok, other music businesses and organizations are offering their takes on the unfolding situation. …
UMG Responds to TikTok, Calling Its Views on Artist and Writer Compensation ‘Woefully Outdated’
As works from UMG signees like Taylor Swift, BTS and Drake are being removed from TikTok due to a licensing dispute, the company fires back at the video app. …