It’s the weekly headline roundup!
This week we’re looking at the industry’s tribute to Dolly Parton, Luminate labeling AI music, Sony’s lawsuit against Kroger, and more.
Music industry pays tribute to Dolly Parton
The music industry has paid tribute to Dolly Parton, who died this week. Sony says Parton was “a monumental talent and trailblazer”, agent Neil Warnock notes that “she started with a vision and never took her foot off the gas”, while AFM calls her “a steadfast champion for working musicians”
– Chris Cooke, CMU
Luminate to Add Labels to AI Music Later This Year
On Tuesday (Aug. 25), entertainment data company Luminate announced a new framework for AI music. This includes the addition of labels for AI-generated content on its platform, starting later this year, which will be visible to its customers and partners.
– Kristin Robinson, Billboard
The move comes just weeks after Apple Music and Spotify announced plans for their own versions of labeling for AI music by the end of 2026. Luminate’s system will rely on a combination of its proprietary identification technology and collaborations with major streaming services and AI music companies to determine which songs should be labeled. A label stating “AI Generated” will be added to any song or artist profile identified through their system, and, in the case of false positives, artists and labels can go through a “dedicated review process” to have the labels reconsidered.
SoundCloud tests feature for artists to sell music downloads from their profiles
About that whole ‘music streaming killed music downloads’ thing… Now SoundCloud, one of the most prominent streaming services, is testing a feature to help artists sell music downloads to fans.
– Stuart Dredge, Music Ally
‘Direct Music Purchases’ launches today as a beta, with around 200 US-based musicians initially testing it out. They’ll be able to set the prices for individual tracks, which fans will be able to buy in formats including MP3 and WAV.
Apple Music’s Big AI Test: Will Fans Always Choose the Human?
Last week, Apple Music made a surprisingly consequential decision: The music streamer will be putting a “Made With AI” label on AI-generated tracks, an unusually revealing move in an industry suddenly drowning in synthetic music that nobody seems particularly interested in hearing.
– Erik Barmack, The Ankler
Under Apple’s new policy, content providers will have to identify any track in which generative AI was used to create a material part of the song. The move follows similar tags Apple introduced internally last March, requiring creators to disclose machine-made music.
Sony Music Sues Kroger in Latest Lawsuit Over Songs on Social Media: ‘Rampant Infringement’
In a complaint filed Friday (Aug. 21), Sony claims Kroger — a grocery behemoth with 2,800 stores across 35 states — has posted nearly 400 unauthorized uses of its music, including songs by Beyoncé, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, Outkast, Prince, Pitbull and The White Stripes.
– Kristin Robinson, Billboard
“This action is to stop the Kroger Parties’ rampant infringement of Sony Music’s sound recording copyrights in advertisements posted to the Kroger Parties’ social media accounts and through ‘influencers’ whom the Kroger Parties pay,” the label’s lawyers write.