To date, AI music companies in the United States are not required to honor opt-outs, but through this partnership, Sureel and Beatstars, the world’s largest music marketplace, hope to create clarity for AI music companies that are wishing to avoid legal and reputational risks and create a digital ledger to keep track of beatmakers’ wishes regarding AI training.
Source: BeatStars Partners With Sureel to Provide AI Training Opt-Outs for Creators
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but according to the Financial Times, which cited a person familiar with the matter, the deal is worth about USD $50 million. The acquisition marks Splice’s entry into the plugin sector, which it notes is valued at $640 million, and aligns with its existing subscription and rent-to-own businesses.
Source: Splice acquires Spitfire Audio for a reported $50m as it bets on AI music creation
MusicAnswers has spent two years conducting a survey of college student music creators to better understand their experience with song registration agencies—specifically the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC). The results are pretty grim, with a majority of college students being unaware of the MLC’s purpose or what they do in the industry.
Source: Only 17% of Music Creator College Students Familiar With MLC
A number of commenters asserted that AI is exploitative, in a word, trained on the works of creatives who aren’t compensated for their involuntary contributions, and petitioned the Trump administration to strengthen copyright regulation. On the opposing side, commenters such as VC firm Andreessen Horowitz accused rightsholders of putting up roadblocks to AI development.
Source: Public comments to White House on AI policy touch on copyright, tariffs | TechCrunch
The payout is the result of a program introduced in 2025 that opened up new revenue streams to eligible hosts. But it is also an attempt to draw more creators (and their audiences) to Spotify, as the rise of video podcasting has driven many of them to YouTube. Video has come to dominate podcasting. More than half of Americans over the age of 12 have watched a video podcast — but primarily on YouTube, according to an Edison Research report from January.
Source: Spotify Paid $100 Million to Podcasters as Creator Wars Heat Up
Hollywood leans on a network of trade groups and associations representing various segments of the business. These include unions, guilds and professional organizations that advocate and promote the interests of its members. Threats to revoke tax-exemptions for trade groups and nonprofits in the entertainment industry could be used as a bartering chip for the administration to get what it wants.
Hollywood’s latest drama isn’t unfolding on screen—it’s playing out in legal departments, writers’ rooms, and the fast-evolving field of intellectual property law. With AI now assisting in everything from script treatments to concept art, the industry is facing one key question: Who owns what the machine creates? S
Source: Who Owns AI-Created Stories? Hollywood Grapples With a Shifting IP Landscape — AI In Hollywood
Publishers have welcomed a ruling that should make it easier for them to make money from apps when operating in EU countries. Apple has 60 days to comply with a ruling under the EU Digital Markets Act which was accompanied with a €500m fine for abusing its dominant market position when it comes to the distribution and monetization of apps in its store.
Source: EU’s €500m fine of Apple and enforcement action is good news for publishers
Ziff Davis, the parent company of several digital media brands, filed a lawsuit in Delaware federal court against OpenAI for copyright infringement. In the complaint, the nearly 100-year-old publisher claims the artificial intelligence company has copied its written works verbatim to train the model behind popular chatbot ChatGPT.
Source: OpenAI hit with copyright lawsuit by digital media giant Ziff Davis
Actors are earning good money by licensing their likenesses to AI companies — but some are now regretting it. A growing number of performers have been shocked to discover their likeness being used in ways they find embarrassing, damaging, or even harmful. In many cases, actors who didn’t fully grasp the long-term implications are now speaking out of licensing their image to AI.
Source: Actors are Regretting Licensing Their Likeness to AI Companies