Headlines

Wikipedia Urges AI Companies to Stop Website Scraping

The Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit behind Wikipedia, issued a call to artificial intelligence (AI) developers and companies to stop scraping information from the Wikipedia site and instead use its paid, opt-in API platform, Wikimedia Enterprise, to “responsibly” access its content. A Monday (Nov. 10) blog post explained that making Wikimedia Enterprise a paid service sustains Wikipedia’s global volunteer editor base and nonprofit funding model.

Source: Wikipedia Urges AI Companies to Stop Website Scraping | PYMNTS.com

Why Music Investors Flocked to South Florida for GoldState’s ‘Conversations in Music’

Goldstuck has been convening exclusive thought-leadership meetings for decades in his many roles. He’s the founder of The Sanctuary at Albany, a state-of-the-art recording studio and music academy in the Bahamas; the executive chairman of TouchTunes Interactive Networks. But the South African philanthropist said that this year’s event marked his first event of such scale and urgency, reflecting the speed at which industry dynamics are changing.

Source: Why Music Investors Flocked to South Florida for GoldState’s ‘Conversations in Music’

Spotify, NMPA Partner on New Audiovisual Revenue Stream for Music Creators

Spotify and the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) have joined forces to create a new opt-in license for NMPA members to enter into a direct license agreement for “expanded audiovisual rights” in the U.S., according to a press release about the deal. NMPA members can sign up using a portal, and the deal is said to increase the royalty-earning potential of participating publishers and writers by offering them a new audiovisual royalty stream.

Source: Spotify and NMPA Partner to Launch New Audiovisual Revenue Stream for Music Creators

GEMA wins landmark ruling against OpenAI over ChatGPT’s use of song lyrics

The court ruled on Tuesday (November 11) that OpenAI should have acquired licenses for German song lyrics in GEMA’s repertoire before using them to train and operate ChatGPT. The verdict marks the first time a European court has legally examined and ruled in favor of creators whose works have been used by generative AI systems. According to the ruling, ChatGPT’s systems contain copies of original works that are reproduced and made available in response to user prompts.

Source: GEMA wins landmark ruling against OpenAI over ChatGPT’s use of song lyrics

Songtradr CRO: Why Music Industry Fragmentation Is a ‘Massive’ Opportunity

It’s been a big, big year for the music industry, with roughly $4 billion plowed into catalogs and white-hot startups in the last quarter alone. But who’s gonna thread the disparate pieces of this industry together and unlock all that value? Among those looking to supercharge the industry’s future growth is Songtradr, a company rooted in sync that now touches diverse disciplines like superfandom, catalog licensing, indie music development, and music strategies for major brands.

Source: In-Depth: Songtradr Chief Revenue Officer Paul Langworthy

Internet Archive’s legal fights are over, but its founder mourns what was lost

The Internet Archive might sound like a thriving organization, but it only recently emerged from years of bruising copyright battles that threatened to bankrupt the beloved library project. In the end, the fight led to more than 500,000 books being removed from the Archive’s “Open Library.” “We survived,” Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle told Ars. “But it wiped out the Library.”

Source: Internet Archive’s legal fights are over, but its founder mourns what was lost

Amazon is testing an AI tool that automatically translates books into other languages

The company says the tool can translate entire books between English and Spanish and German to English. Amazon promises that more languages are coming down the pike. It’s available right now in a beta form to select authors enrolled in the Kindle Direct Publishing platform. There’s a broader rollout planned for a later date.

Source: Amazon is testing an AI tool that automatically translates books into other languages

Global songwriter royalties reached $13.6bn in 2024, up 7.2%, CISAC reports

In its latest Global Collections Report, CISAC, which represents 228 CMOs in 111 countries, reported total royalty collections of €13.97 billion (USD $15.12 billion) across music, audiovisual, visual arts, literature and drama in 2024. That’s a 6.6% increase over 2023. Royalties to songwriters and publishers accounted for fully 90% of that total, growing 7.2% YoY to €12.59 billion ($13.63 billion).

Source: Global songwriter royalty collections reached $13.6bn in 2024, up 7.2%, CISAC reports

Why Big Tech’s Abuse of Artificial Intelligence Doesn’t Need to Be Inevitable

One of the key issues that the story of man versus machine misses: Technology is not fate. Just as people make technology, people decide how it is used and what interests it serves. These decisions are made over and over again as AI is developed and deployed. AI is, furthermore, ultimately not that complicated. How AI works can be understood by anyone. The real conflict is not between a human and a machine but between the different members of society.

Source: Why Big Tech’s Abuse of Artificial Intelligence Doesn’t Need to Be Inevitable

Spotify now has half a million video podcasts, which nearly 400M users have watched

In its third-quarter earnings report, the company shared that its video podcast catalog has expanded to nearly half a million shows, and more than 390 million users have now streamed a video podcast on the platform. That figure is up 54% year-over-year, and it also reflects Spotify’s increased investment in the format. In June 2024, the company said it had some 250,000 video podcasts as it rolled out tools that let non-hosted podcasters upload their videos to the platform.

Source: Spotify now has half a million video podcasts, which nearly 400M users have watched | TechCrunch

Get the latest RightsTech news and analysis delivered directly in your inbox every week
We respect your privacy.