Takeaway Takeover
Tupac Photo Lawsuit, AI Stem Investment, Kobalt Sells Catalog, Clubhouse Goes HiFi
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TAKEAWAYS
Salient statements from this week’s music news.
1. Audioshake Adds $2M for AI Stem Creation Platform
As music becomes valued for its parts as much as the whole, selling songs for parts isn’t nearly as bad as it sounds.
Takeaway: Audioshake’s on-demand A.I.-driven platform deconstructs songs into their parts (“stems”) so that they can be monetized for new uses in re-mixes, samples, sync licensing, and more.
2. Clubhouse Officially Announces Music Mode: ‘Broadcast Your Music With High Quality and Great Stereo Sound’
Pitched as a way for musicians to play intimate audio-only shows, you can bet the performance of copyright-protected tunes (and ensuing royalty deals) aren’t far behind.
Takeaway: It remains to be seen whether the overarching offering – that is, social audio itself – will continue to appeal to users in the long term, as live entertainment and related functions return to and exceed their pre-pandemic volume.
3. Kobalt Sells Catalog Fund to New KKR Venture for $1.1 Billion
One man’s investment is another man’s getting out at the top.
Takeaway: While the songs in that catalog were not disclosed, sources say it includes the SONGS Music Publishing catalog, which owns songs by Lorde and the Weekend, acquired for about $180 million at the end of 2017.
4. Photographer Danny Clinch Sues Warner Music Group, HipHopDX Over Tupac Image
A new legal battlefront is emerging with music photographers on the frontlines.
Takeaway: The complaint follows a number of similar suits in the music industry, however. One such action arrived after Katy Perry uploaded to Instagram a photo of herself attending a Halloween party – purportedly without the permission of the person who snapped the shot. More recently, July of 2021 brought with it a copyright infringement lawsuit against Dua Lipa, over the 26-year-old’s allegedly unauthorized use (also on social media) of a photo captured while she was waiting in line at an airport.
