Founded in Montreal in 2021, Xposure Music is described as a “technology-driven financing and investment platform for independent music rights”. Xposure Music says on its website that it has deployed funding to nearly 100 artists in the past 18 months, and that with this new infusion of capital, the company plans to “scale its efforts, funding additional artists and acquiring catalogs at a larger volume”.
Source: Xposure Music secures $42.5m in fresh capital for indie catalog acquisitions
The latest industry entity to have its say on the recent spate of major-label deals with AI-music companies is ECSA. “So far, both UMG and WMG have underlined that their recently announced agreements with Udio and Suno – which appear to cover both rights over the recording as well as the song rights – will empower and protect artists and songwriters, but provided very little detail about the involvement, consent and remuneration of music authors and artists,” The European Composer and Songwriter Alliance said.
Source: ECSA warns majors off ‘undervaluing song rights’ in AI deals
In a blog post published late Wednesday (November 19), Kyncl outlined WMG’s approach to generative AI partnerships, emphasizing that the major label will only work with companies that commit to licensed models, properly value music economically, and give artists control over the use of their name, image, likeness, and voice. The timing of Kyncl’s message is particularly significant.
According to a press release issued on Thursday (November 20), these agreements “establish terms on which KLAY will help further evolve music experiences for fans, leveraging the potential of AI, while fully respecting the rights of artists, songwriters, and rightsholders”. The company states that it is developing an AI music platform that “reimagines listening with immersive, interactive tools,” powered by KLAY’s Large Music Model, which, according to the announcement, is “trained entirely on licensed music.”
Source: UMG, Sony and Warner strike licensing deals with new AI music platform KLAY
Warner Music Group and Stability AI have entered into a new partnership, which the companies say will “advance the use of responsible AI in music creation”. The partnership, according to today’s (November 19) announcement, combines “WMG’s long-standing advocacy for principled innovation with Stability AI’s expertise and leadership in commercially-safe generative audio”.
Warner Music Group and AI music platform Udio have struck what they call “a landmark agreement” that resolves the companies’ copyright infringement litigation. The companies have also entered into a licensing deal for a “next-generation” AI–powered music creation, listening, and discovery platform. The news arrived just an hour after WMG announced a new partnership with Stability AI on Wednesday, which the companies say will “advance the use of responsible AI in music creation”.
The Circuit Group, which owns management firms Ayita and Seven20, has announced the launch of a new nine-figure investment fund focused on the acquisition of music assets and other cultural IP. Dubbed Circuit Capital, the new fund is backed by $500 million from Los Angeles-based Create Music Group (CMG), which was valued last year at $1 billion following a $165 million investment round.
Source: The Circuit Group launches $500m+ music investment fund backed by Create Music Group
Music streaming faces a dual crisis, according to SoundCloud CEO Eliah Seton – and it’s creating what he calls “a very ripe dynamic” for his platform. “Streaming is not enough for artists,” Seton says. “The vast majority of artists don’t earn a living wage. 80 million tracks making less than five bucks, 46 million tracks making nothing. Those numbers have only grown in a generative AI world.” But the problem extends beyond artist economics.
Sports teams have become content machines in the digital age, producing a constant stream of videos, highlights, and promotions to engage fans worldwide. But as James Bullock-Webster, director and head of tech, media & cyber at New Dawn Risk, told Insurance Business, this evolution has also exposed organizations to a surge in media liability claims. “What we’ve seen in the last few years is a real surge of media music copyright infringement claims,” he said.
Source: Copyright lawsuits push sports teams to rethink their digital content strategies
The feature positions Block-ownedTIDAL as a competitor to SoundCloud, which pioneered the direct-upload and discovery model for independent artists. The new TIDAL Upload service allows artists to post tracks directly to the music service, where the tracks become available alongside the platform’s catalog of 180 million songs. Uploaded tracks are accessible to all listeners, including those without paid subscriptions, and artists can keep tracks private to share only with selected collaborators.
Source: TIDAL opens direct uploads for indie artists, but tracks won’t earn royalties