Headlines

Some Film & TV Companies Imposing “Strict Internal Controls” On Artificial Intelligence

Some UK film and TV industry organizations are imposing “strict internal controls” around artificial intelligence, according to a new report from training body ScreenSkills. According to interviewees in the report, “some organisations” in the industry are imposing “strict internal controls” on AI, “especially around copyright risk, leading to limited use.” Industry views on generative AI are “cautious,” the report said, also citing “copyright” and “accuracy concerns.”

Source: Some Film & TV Companies Imposing “Strict Internal Controls” On Artificial Intelligence

Spotify’s Song Library Is a Lot Bigger Than We Thought

Against the backdrop of continued streaming growth – and an avalanche of AI slop – Spotify’s library now contains a staggering 250 million tracks. That eye-popping total came to light during the company’s Q1 2026 earnings call this morning. There’s a lot to unpack in these brief remarks, but one key question jumps out: Is Spotify, which has been almost curiously uninterested in labeling (let alone limiting) AI slop, allowing and capitalizing on “catalog inflation” to bolster its recommendations reach?

Source: Spotify’s Song Library Is a Lot Bigger Than We Thought 

BMG Parent Co. Bertelsmann to Buy Concord in Major Indie Music Merger

In one of the biggest music mergers in more than a decade, BMG, which represents artists like Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson, and Concord, owner of songs by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Phil Collins and R.E.M., said on Tuesday (April 28) they reached a definitive agreement to merge companies under the BMG name. The combined company will be 67% owned by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann, BMG’s parent company, and 33% owned by affiliates of Great Mountain Partners.

Source: BMG Parent Co. Bertelsmann to Buy Concord in Major Indie Music Merger

Filmmakers Drop Piracy Liability Lawsuit Against ISP RCN

A group of independent film companies has dropped its long-running piracy liability lawsuit against U.S. Internet provider RCN. The joint stipulation, filed in a New Jersey federal court, follows the Cox Supreme Court ruling. In addition to dropping a multi-million-dollar damages claim, the requested U.S. pirate site blocking injunction is also off the table.

Source: Filmmakers Drop Piracy Liability Lawsuit Against ISP RCN

Brazil’s Competition Watchdog Opens Google Probe Over Publisher Pay

Brazil’s competition watchdog, Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica (CADE), unanimously decided Thursday to open a formal investigation into Google’s use of news content, including in its AI Overviews, without compensation to publishers. The investigation will consider whether Google’s scraping of journalistic content to feature in the ‘News’ tab and to produce AI Overviews is an anti-competitive practice and whether outlets that decide to opt-out are being penalized with less visibility.

Source: Brazil’s Competition Watchdog Opens Google Probe Over Publisher Pay

Australia to tax Meta if it doesn’t pay news publishers

The Australian government has announced plans for a levy on tech giants designed to incentivise them to do commercial deals with publishers. The News Bargaining Incentive (NBI) would require large search and social media services to pay 2.25% on their Australian revenue. This money would be “distributed back to the news media sector”, the government said, to “support the employment and critical work of journalists”.

Source: Australia to tax Meta if it doesn’t pay news publishers

Google Uses Cox Ruling to Kill Last Copyright Claim in Textbook Piracy Lawsuit

Google is trying to put an end to the copyright liability claim in its textbook piracy battle with several academic publishers. In a motion for partial judgment filed in a New York federal court, Google argues that the recent Supreme Court ruling in Cox v. Sony has effectively killed the copyright liability arguments. That is, unless the publishers can prove Google specifically “induced” infringement or built a service “tailored” exclusively for piracy.

Source: Google Uses Cox Ruling to Kill Last Copyright Claim in Textbook Piracy Lawsuit

Indie label group Futures Music raises $6m as it sets sights on catalog deals

Futures Music Group, the independent label group founded in 2024 by Neon Gold’s Derek Davies and Avenue A’s Dave Wallace, has raised $6 million in seed funding from a group of music industry investors in the US and UK. Commenting on the investment, Blackburn said: “From an artist perspective, what matters most is having partners with great relationships and smart technology, who also understand the creative and don’t force a rigid system onto it.

Source: Indie label group Futures Music raises $6m as it sets sights on catalog deals

How will the major labels overcome the copyright threat from AI music? AI itself.

In five years, the major music companies will not only be scouring the web for AI infringement, they will also be issuing legal letters directly to the perpetrators… using AI. Sound far-fetched? It isn’t. It’s sitting inside a pair of patent applications published by the US Patent and Trademark Office on February 12, 2026. What the filings describe is a sprawling end-to-end “media rights platform” that sits between rightsholders, generative AI systems, and the end users who want to prompt AI.

Source: How will the major labels overcome the copyright threat from AI music? AI itself.

Universal Music and Sony Music Aggressively Push to Obtain Warner Music’s Suno Agreement Terms

The filing parties’ “request for documents regarding the Warner Music Group settlement and associated licensing is denied,” Judge Paul Levenson wrote, indicating as well that “the relevance of this information is marginal and the potential for chilling settlements—in this and other cases—is high.” But earlier this week, Universal Music and Sony Music submitted a 20-page objection to the denial.

Source: Universal Music and Sony Music Aggressively Push to Obtain Warner Music’s Suno Agreement Terms

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