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.
UMG set to list on US exchange; Pershing Square to sell $500m in stock
By rightstech
AI Rights for Authors: ‘Created by Humans’ Launches
By rightstech
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
By rightstech
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
By rightstech
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
Writers voice anxiety about using AI. Readers don’t seem to care
By rightstech
What does it mean for a writer, such as a novelist, to have a unique “voice”? And does artificial intelligence (AI) help or hurt that voice? Microsoft researchers set out to answer that question with a small study using 19 fiction writers, 30 readers, and short passages written with the help of OpenAI’s GPT-4. The research takes its title from a comment by one of the writers — “it was 80% me, 20% AI.”
Source: Writers voice anxiety about using AI. Readers don’t seem to care
USPTO Presents AI Strategy as AI Patent Applications Soar by 33%
By rightstech
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today released an official Artificial Intelligence Strategy aimed at outlining the challenges faced by the Office both internally and externally, as the reach of AI impacts all aspects of innovation and society. According to the report, AI-related patent applications are up 33% since 2018 and appeared in 60% of all technology subclasses in 2023.
Source: USPTO Presents AI Strategy as AI Patent Applications Soar by 33%
What Hollywood Lost in the Fires
By rightstech
The Los Angeles fires are expected to rank as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, and will impact every sector and industry in Southern California and beyond. Entertainment and media businesses have no special immunity. In fact, the high volume of industry insiders who called the Palisades and Altadena home means that the pain and ripple effects across Hollywood and the creative community will be severe and long-lasting.
Source: What Hollywood Lost in the Fires
Deezer partners with Sacem to adopt artist-centric payment model for publishing rights
By rightstech
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
By rightstech
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
Is Art Basel’s AI embrace a turning point for the art world?
By rightstech
When “Théâtre D’opéra Spatial,” an AI-generated artwork, won first prize at a prestigious competition in 2022, the backlash was swift and visceral. For many in the art world, it wasn’t just a controversial winner—it was a direct threat to the human essence of creativity. Generative AI was dismissed as a novelty at best and a cheap imitation at worst. Now, one of the industry’s most influential authorities is challenging that assumption.
Source: Is Art Basel’s AI embrace a turning point for the art world?