It’s the weekly headline roundup!
This week we’re looking at the return of our The Biz & Beyond series, YouTube’s usage outpacing TV, the return of radio as a discovery engine, and a new Suno lawsuit from SOCAN.
New Research Reveals Americans Spend More Time Watching YouTube Over Live TV
A new survey of the media consumption habits of Americans found that 90% access YouTube on a typical weekday, compared to 79% for streaming services and 73% for live TV. They also usually spend more time with streaming services (an hour and 49 minutes on average) compared to YouTube (an hour and 46 minutes) and live television (an hour and 31 minutes), according to data from Attest.
– Ashley King, Digital Music News
Why music’s next discovery engine might be radio
Music has spent the last decade optimising for infinite choice. Streaming libraries expanded without limit, shuffling became ever more personalised, and feeds manoeuvred themselves into narrower loops. For the average fan, music discovery became something an algorithm did for you rather than something you did yourself. The result, for avid listeners, was not satisfaction but fatigue. Ubiquity has a ceiling, and audiences, especially dedicated ones, are starting to push against it.
– Laura Fisher, MIDiA
What they are pushing towards is, ironically, one of the oldest formats in entertainment: radio.
Suno Sued by Canadian Music Rights Organization SOCAN for Copyright Infringement
SOCAN is taking legal action against Suno.
– Stefano Rebuli, Billboard
The Canadian music rights organization has filed a legal claim against the AI music generation app, claiming that it has unlawfully infringed on its members’ work. SOCAN is asking the court to “require Suno to comply with copyright law, stop making infringing outputs available” and “respect the rights of music creators and publishers whenever their works are used.”
SOCAN has put forward a subset of 150 AI outputs generated by Suno that largely or fully infringe on material from its member rightsholders, dating back to Suno’s introduction to the Canadian market in 2023.
The Biz & Beyond: From Patent Attorney to Partnering with David Porter (Featuring Tony D. Alexander)
Our Biz & Beyond interview series continues as we get a chance to catch up with some of our amazing clients, colleagues, and friends.
In this episode, Ashley Friedman talks to Tony D. Alexander, President & Managing Director of Made in Memphis Entertainment. They discuss how he began his career as a patent attorney before transitioning into music business, his dynamic partnership with David Porter that has shaped his career to this day, his “hot take” that there are too many artists without talent crowding the industry, and much more.