Universal Music Group (UMG) announced Wednesday (January 15) that Pershing Square Holdings, led by billionaire investor Bill Ackman, has requested a secondary listing of the music company on a US stock exchange. Under a previously disclosed agreement, UMG will facilitate an underwritten offering for Pershing Square to sell a portion of its shares by September 15, 2025.
Rights
AI Rights for Authors: ‘Created by Humans’ Launches
And along with the opening of the platform itself, the company is now unveiling the proprietary framework they’ve developed, AI Rights, which is at the core of the service, currently offering rights for AI model training and reference via RAG models. Adler says the team has plans to add more rights soon to the framework. “We’ve raised more funding,” he says. “The product is great shape. It’s really pretty polished and looking really good.
Possible SESAC Sale Has $3 Billion Price Tag, Reports Suggest
Blackstone’s rumored SESAC sale has an over $3 billion price tag and multiple prospective purchasers, according to new reports. Blackstone reportedly began entertaining private equity offers for SESAC after Hellman & Friedman took a majority stake in Global Music Rights (GMR) late last year. SESAC Music Group’s portfolio includes Audiam and the Harry Fox Agency, to name only a couple.
Source: Possible SESAC Sale Has $3 Billion Price Tag, Reports Suggest
Blackstone Seeks $3 Billion in Sale of Bob Dylan, Adele Song Rights
Blackstone Inc. has hired financial advisers to explore the sale of song rights, including music from Bob Dylan, Adele and Ariana Grande, that it expects to fetch $3 billion or more, people with knowledge of the matter said. A handful of financial firms, including Apollo Global Management Inc., Warburg Pincus LLC and Temasek Holdings Pte, Singapore’s state-owned investment firm, have expressed interest in the assets.
Source: Blackstone Seeks $3 Billion in Sale of Bob Dylan, Adele Song Rights
Deezer partners with Sacem to adopt artist-centric payment model for publishing rights
Music streaming platform Deezer has partnered with rights management organization Sacem to implement an artist-centric payment system (ACPS) for publishing rights across Deezer’s platform in France. Deezer and Sacem describe the deal as “the world’s first update” to the remuneration model for publishing since the advent of streaming services.
Source: Deezer partners with Sacem to adopt artist-centric payment model for publishing rights in France
AI Video Model ‘Marey’ Poised to Shake Up Hollywood in 2025
Asteria Film and Moonvalley are set to launch Marey, an ethically trained generative AI video model for Hollywood in early 2025, designed to prioritize legal and creative transparency by using exclusively licensed and original data. This approach stands in stark contrast to leading generative AI models, including OpenAI’s Sora and Meta’s Movie Gen, which have faced criticism for using copyrighted material without direct consent
Source: AI Video Model ‘Marey’ Poised to Shake Up Hollywood in 2025 — AI In Hollywood
UK’s plan to make copyright law more AI-friendly raises concerns
Among the many initiatives in a 50-point AI Opportunities Action Plan presented to Parliament on Monday (January 13) is a commitment to reforming the UK’s text and data mining regime to be “at least as competitive” as the European Union. “The current uncertainty around intellectual property (IP) is hindering innovation and undermining our broader ambitions for AI, as well as the growth of our creative industries,” the plan states.
Source: UK’s plan to make copyright law more AI-friendly raises concerns
Created by Humans AI Rights Platform Launches for Authors
The platform allows authors to claim their works via ISBN or direct upload and set licensing preferences. AI companies can then browse and license content through what the company describes as an automated interface. The system currently supports rights for AI model training and reference via Retrieval Augmented Generation models. Created by Humans plans to add licensing for transformative rights in the future.
Source: Created by Humans AI Rights Platform Launches for Authors
Suno boss targets ‘bigger, brighter future’ with music industry
AI music startup Suno is being sued by major labels, but its CEO Mikey Shulman seems optimistic that it can build bridges with rightsholders again. “There’s the traditional Silicon Valley mentality of, like, ‘Screw you, existing industry! I will disrupt you, there’s nothing that you can do about it’ and then there’s the existing incumbent approach, which is like ‘I will sue you until you go away!’ Both of those are obviously wrong,” Shulman told the 20VC podcast.
Source: Suno boss targets ‘bigger, brighter future’ with music industry
Copyright concerns create need for a fair alternative in AI sector
The growth of AI has already sparked transformation in multiple industries, but the pace of uptake has also led to concerns around data ownership, privacy and copyright infringement. Because AI is centralised with the most powerful models controlled by corporations, content creators have largely been sidelined. There’s an opportunity for decentralised AI projects like that proposed by the ASI Alliance to offer an alternative way of AI model development.
Source: Copyright concerns create need for a fair alternative in AI sector – AI News