All articles tagged with #universal music group
The European Commission approved Universal Music Group's $775 million acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings, but only after UMG agreed to divest Curve Royalty Systems to an independent buyer to address data-access and competition concerns; the deal will expand Virgin Music Group with Downtown assets like FUGA, CD Baby and Songtrust after a lengthy review that faced indie opposition.
After the Grammys, a parade of A-list stars gathered at a string of high-profile post-show parties—from Bar Marmont to NYA West—capturing a night of standout appearances and social snaps with Bieber, Hilton, Eilish, Rodrigo, Twain, Lauryn Hill and more across W Magazine, Saint Laurent, Universal Music Group and Sony Music events.
A federal judge ruled that Salt-N-Pepa cannot reclaim the copyrights to their early master recordings, including 'Push It,' because they never owned those rights, as the recordings were considered works made for hire under Universal Music Group.
The settlement between Universal Music Group and Udio marks a significant victory for musicians and the music industry, as it restricts AI-generated music to a controlled platform, ensures artists' permission and compensation, and challenges the notion that AI training on copyrighted music can be free of cost. This outcome signals a potential shift in how AI and copyright law intersect in the music industry, emphasizing the importance of paying for training data and protecting human creativity.
Universal Music Group and Stability AI have announced a strategic partnership to develop professional AI music creation tools that prioritize artist feedback and responsible training, aiming to support creative processes while ensuring licensing and copyright safety.
Universal Music Group has settled its copyright infringement lawsuit against AI music platform Udio, and they will collaborate on a new licensed AI music platform launching in 2026, aiming to create a protected environment for music creation and streaming while expanding revenue opportunities for artists and songwriters.
Drake is appealing a federal court's dismissal of his lawsuit against Universal Music Group, which accused UMG of defamation related to Kendrick Lamar's song 'Not Like Us.' The court had previously ruled that the song's incendiary lyrics did not convey verifiable facts, leading Drake to seek a review by the Court of Appeals.
A federal judge dismissed Drake's defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us,' ruling that the song is opinion-based and not defamatory, and that the accompanying artwork was exaggerated. Drake plans to appeal the decision, while UMG defends its promotion of the track and criticizes the lawsuit as an attack on artistic expression.
Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge dismissed Drake's 'farcical' defamation lawsuit, which accuses the label of promoting Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' to falsely portray Drake as a pedophile, asserting that Grainge had no involvement and that the lawsuit is baseless.
Drake's legal team is seeking key evidence from Universal Music Group in a lawsuit over the promotion of Kendrick Lamar's track 'Not Like Us,' including Lamar's record deal and CEO Lucian Grainge's emails, but UMG has refused to produce much of the requested evidence, prompting Drake's lawyers to seek court orders for disclosure.
Drake has filed a second legal petition against Universal Music Group, claiming the company should have prevented the release of Kendrick Lamar's track "Not Like Us," which he alleges is defamatory. The song reportedly accuses Drake of serious criminal acts, damaging his reputation. This filing follows another in New York, where Drake accuses UMG and Spotify of artificially boosting the track's streams. Both actions are "pre-action filings" aimed at gathering information for potential lawsuits. UMG has denied the allegations, emphasizing their ethical marketing practices.
Drake has filed a second legal action against Universal Music Group (UMG), accusing them of defamation over Kendrick Lamar's song "Not Like Us," which allegedly falsely accuses Drake of being a sex offender. The filing claims UMG engaged in a "pay-to-play scheme" with iHeartRadio to promote the song, despite knowing its defamatory content. This pre-action filing seeks depositions from UMG and iHeart to gather evidence for potential future lawsuits, including claims of civil fraud and racketeering. UMG denies the allegations, asserting ethical marketing practices.
Drake has filed a petition against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify, accusing them of unfairly promoting Kendrick Lamar's song "Not Like Us" by inflating its streaming and radio numbers. He alleges that UMG paid influencers and used bots to boost the song's popularity, and that Spotify recommended it more frequently due to a favorable licensing agreement. Drake claims similar practices occurred on other platforms like Apple Music, and seeks discovery of those involved in the alleged promotion. UMG denies the accusations, stating they uphold ethical marketing practices.
Drake has filed a legal petition accusing Universal Music Group (UMG) of manipulating streaming services to favor Kendrick Lamar's diss track "Not Like Us" over his own music. The filing claims UMG used bots and pay-to-play schemes to inflate Lamar's song popularity, while suppressing Drake's work, and even fired employees loyal to Drake. UMG denies these allegations, asserting ethical marketing practices. The case highlights ongoing tensions between the artists and raises concerns about industry manipulation.
Drake has filed a pre-action petition in a New York court accusing Universal Music Group (UMG) of using bots and pay-to-play tactics to artificially inflate the popularity of Kendrick Lamar's song "Not Like Us" on Spotify. The song, which is part of a public feud between the two artists, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has nearly 900 million streams on Spotify. Drake claims UMG's actions were motivated by profit and has requested further documents as he prepares for additional legal action. UMG denies the allegations, stating they adhere to ethical marketing practices.