Paramount closed its deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery on Tuesday, putting the tech scion David Ellison in control of a vast media empire that oversees many of Hollywood’s most valuable properties. The deal immediately catapults the combined company, now called Skydance, to the front rank of competitors alongside streaming titans like Netflix and YouTube, just behind giants like Disney and Amazon.
Source: Paramount Closes Deal for Warner Bros. Discovery, Creating Media Behemoth
IMPEL and IMPF published a joint licensing framework for generative AI Wednesday (September 30). The two independent music publishing organizations set out seven principles they say should govern generative AI licensing. The framework’s central demand is that the song not be treated as the junior partner to the recording. One principle is non-negotiable: the song must be properly valued and, absent other salient factors, at least equally with the recording,” they said in a joint statement.
Source: Indie publishers set out seven principles for AI licensing
Among the top-line items: Paramount has committed to not sell the Paramount Studios or Warner Bros. lots in California for at least five years. That comes after Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison had threatened to pull up stakes from the Golden State if he couldn’t close the WBD deal by Oct. 1. Under the terms of the proposed settlement, Paramount will invest at least an additional $300 million on film production in the U.S. annually — for a total of $1.5 billion over five years
The proposed merger was met with heated opposition by activist groups, top talent like Mark Ruffalo and whispers by Ellison’s legacy media competitors. But groups like the Hollywood labor guilds are celebrating the settlement news, as the staring contest between Ellison and the AGs caused paralysis in development and spending seemingly across the board at both companies.
Some authors hoping to receive their share of Anthropic’s $1.5 billion copyright settlement said they received surprising emails this week — emails informing them that someone else was making a claim on their payments. Under the terms of the settlement, the authors will be paid $3,000 for each pirated work. If the book is still in print with a traditional publisher, the money will be split 50-50 between author and publisher. But writers have been posting on social media that publishers seem to be claiming more than their fair share of some payments.
Source: Authors push back as publishers and agents make claims on Anthropic settlement
Streaming generated USD $4.9 billion, up 4.7% YoY, with paid subscriptions generating $3.4 billion in the period – up 6.4% YoY. The ‘Premium’ subscription part of that equation generated $3.11 billion for rightsholders in H1 2026, up 7.8% YoY. The other half of the equation – ‘non-premium’ subs, largely music bundled into services where music isn’t the main event – fell 9% YoY to $239.1 million.
Source: Premium subscription streaming generated $3.1B for rightsholders in the US in H1 2026
Over the last ten years, buying music became trendy. The logic was simple: recurring revenue, long duration, emotional resonance. Prices climbed. Multiples stretched. Everyone wanted to jump on the bandwagon. Then the market said enough. The collapse of the Hipgnosis Songs Fund looked, for a moment, like a verdict on music as an asset. It was not. It was a verdict on an over-leveraged fund. Content underneath it was just fine. Music is still the name of the game. What came next proved the point.
A group of more than 80 performers, including actor Hugh Bonneville and singer Sandi Thom, have written to the UK government to demand greater protection against their voices being used by AI. Together, they are asking Prime Minister Andy Burnham to introduce legislation that would better protect every person in the UK against voice cloning and AI training on recordings without consent. Audiobook narrator Alice Sockett co-founded the campaign, calling voice cloning “an existential threat to our entire industry.”
Source: Musicians and Actors Unite in UK Campaign Against Voice Cloning for AI
A new report from the UK Department for Culture, Media, and Sport on the impact of Brexit on British musicians playing in Europe reveals that the UK leaving the EU in 2020 has had a significant effect on European touring for UK musicians. In particular, the study highlights the decline in performances and estimates the economic consequences. Commissioned by the UK government, the report reveals that the total number of performances by British artists in Europe in 2024 was 21% lower than pre-Brexit levels in 2019.
Stability AI, the AI startup backed by the likes of James Cameron and Sean Parker, has raised $76 million in a Series B funding round from a roster of investors including some of the entertainment industry’s top record labels and gaming companies. The company’s newest investors include the top three record labels, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Group; the gaming company Electronic Arts.
Source: Stability AI Raises $76 Million in Funding Round Backed by Major Labels