Anthem Music Publishing Acquires Song Catalog of Marty Robbins

Anthem Music Publishing has acquired the catalog of songs from legendary Country-Western singer-songwriter Marty Robbins. The catalog represents a cornerstone of American music history, marking a powerful addition to Anthem’s growing collection of culturally significant works. “Marty Robbins is a towering figure in American music—an artist whose storytelling transcended genre and era,” said Jason Klein, CEO of Anthem Music Group.

Source: Anthem Music Publishing Acquires Song Catalog of Marty Robbins

Former Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden Speaks Out on CBS

Hayden recalled the “confusing” email announcing her dismissal, which at first she thought might be one of the “fake emails” sometimes received in the workplace, noting that it was addressed to “Carla” and saying she was terminated “effective immediately.” (Typically, when the president of the United States wants to remove an appointee from a position, the president reaches out personally and offers to accept the appointee’s resignation.)

Source: Former Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden Speaks Out on CBS

Disney Takes Full Control of Hulu for Billions Less Than Comcast Wanted

Disney said in a securities filing on Monday that it had agreed to pay Comcast an additional $439 million for full control of the streaming service, ending a year and a half dispute over the amount. Disney had argued that it owed Comcast nothing beyond the $8.6 billion it already paid for Comcast’s 33 percent stake — and Comcast countered that Disney owed another $5 billion. Eventually, a third-party appraiser was brought in.

Source: Disney Takes Full Control of Hulu for Billions Less Than Comcast Wanted

Sony acquires company formerly known as Big Deal Music from Recognition

Sony Music Publishing has acquired Hipgnosis Songs Group LLC, previously known as Big Deal Music, from Blackstone’s Recognition Music Group, sources involved in the deal have confirmed. Big Deal Music was acquired by Hipgnosis Songs Fund in September 2020. As well as bringing 4,400 copyrights into Hipgnosis, that deal included the company’s US publishing admin business, Words & Music.

Source: Sony acquires company formerly known as Big Deal Music from Recognition

BISG Unveils New Rights Tool

The Book Industry Study Group has announced the launch of Find a Rightsholder, a searchable database with information on how to reach rights and permissions contacts for more than 3,500 imprints. Unlike title management tools that seek to facilitate dealmaking and take a cut of any transaction, Find a Rightsholder is focused solely on helping the publishing community locate relevant contacts for U.S. and U.K. publishers.

Source: BISG Unveils New Rights Tool

HarbourView secures $500m in additional debt financing from KKR

HarbourView Equity Partners has secured $500 million in additional debt financing from investment giant KKR, secured via a private securitization backed by its music portfolio. This latest transaction follows a previous $500 million in debt financing secured by HarbourView in March 2024, through a private securitization backed by its catalog of music royalties, and led by KKR.

Source: HarbourView secures $500m in additional debt financing from KKR

Indie Songwriters Bristling Over Major Label AI Negotiations

Independent songwriters and composers have heard this song before; Bloomberg reports that major multi-national record labels are engaged in closed-door meetings with yet another group of tech companies over AI negotiations and copyright infringement liability. Unsurprisingly, independent music creators may as well be invisible in these discussions.

Source: Indie Songwriters Bristling Over Major Label AI Negotiations

IMPALA: Two-Tier Streaming Market Threatens Independent Music

The music streaming ecosystem stands at a crossroads, warns the Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA). While global streaming revenues have soared to $22 billion, underpinned by 800 million premium subscribers, this report warns that these headline figures obscure a deepening divide between major rights holders and the independent sector. “Combating the Emergence of a Two-Tier Music Streaming Market” highlights this divide and contains a call to action for music professionals.

Source: IMPALA: Two-Tier Streaming Market Threatens Independent Music

News Sites Are Getting Crushed by Google’s New AI Tools

The AI armageddon is here for online news publishers.  Chatbots are replacing Google searches, eliminating the need to click on blue links and tanking referrals to news sites. As a result, traffic that publishers relied on for years is plummeting. Traffic from organic search to HuffPost’s desktop and mobile websites fell by just over half in the past three years, and by nearly that much at the Washington Post, according to digital market data firm Similarweb.

Source: News Sites Are Getting Crushed by Google’s New AI Tools

Google ‘handling stolen goods’ with Youtube theft of paywalled news articles

Youtube channels are using AI to steal words and photographs from paywalled news content and reproduce articles wholesale without the consent of publishers. The practice has been highlighted by freelance journalist Rob McGibbon after a first-person account of his estrangement from his late father written for the Daily Mail was lifted wholesale and reproduced by the Youtube Channel: “The World News.”

Source: Google ‘handling stolen goods’ with Youtube theft of paywalled news articles

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