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When Brookfield Asset Management invested $2 billion in Primary Wave roughly two years ago, a representative from the Canadian fund predicted that just as there has been a wave of comic book superhero movies, there would a wave of musician biopics.
“Music is going to be like the Marvel and DC comic catalogs,” Angelo Ruffino, who was then the managing partner at Brookfield behind the Primary Wave investment, said in October 2022. “There are just so many ways to monetize music that I think are in the early innings.”
Hollywood has churned out superhero films, from Batman to Black Panther, but the genre has been drawing smaller audiences of late. With a flurry of music biopics set for release in the next few years — including feature films about Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Queen Latifah, four films about each member of The Beatles, and maybe one about The Bee Gees — have we reached peak biopic?
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The top post on Reddit’s subreddit page about Dylan as of this writing is titled, “On not being interested in A Complete Unknown,” and it is far from the only gripe about dramatizations of currently touring musicians on the Internet.
However many factors are contributing to a packed pipeline of musician biopics, and consumer demand just one. By that measure, many recent music biopics have been hits. About half of the 25 highest grossing music biopics of all time, according to boxofficemojo.com, were released since 2014, with Bohemian Rhapsody about Queen at No. 1 with $216.4 million, Straight Outta Compton about N.W.A. at No. 2 with $161.2 million and Elvis at No. 3 with $151 million all in gross revenue in the United States.
Natalia Nastaskin, chief content officer at Primary Wave, which as involved with the 2022 release “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody”—No. 24 in the top 25 grossing biopics—says demand remains high. But the years it can take to land the starring actors, directors and producers essential to making a hit movie may mean these films continue to trickle out over the coming years.
“I do think we are going to see more of these biopics because we are always fascinated by the stories of our rock stars and the behind-the-scenes story of their lives,” Nastaskin tells Billboard. “How many more biopics will we see? Really hitting that cultural zeitgeist may take several years.”
Primary Wave is currently involved in biopics about Boyz II Men and Boy George—both in production.
Another factor that has the potential to disrupt the normal line between demand and supply are the different ways Hollywood and the music industry make money off these films. Hollywood defines a successful movie by the revenue it grosses; the music industry is more interested in how it drives moviegoers to stream the music, buy merch and the tangential licensing opportunities delivered by the music’s resurging relevance.
By those definitions, Elvis was a smash. All of the activity that the Baz Luhrmann biopic drove for Elvis’s music and brand boosted the Presley estate’s estimated value to around $1 billion 2022 from an estimated $400 million to $600 million in 2020.
It may take years to measure the impact of Timothée Chalamet’s portrayal of Bob Dylan on his catalog, at least until 2025, which is when the Michael Jackson biopic is slated for release. With The Beatles films expected in 2027, there seems like no shortage of musician biopics to come.
Drake has launched a second bombshell legal action against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” accusing the music giant of defamation and claiming it could have halted the release of a song “falsely accusing him of being a sex offender.”
A day after filing an action in New York accusing UMG of illegally boosting Lamar’s track with payments to Spotify, Drake’s company leveled similar claims in Texas court regarding radio giant iHeartRadio. The new filing, filed late Monday and made public on Tuesday, claims UMG “funneled payments” to iHeart as part of a “pay-to-play scheme” to promote the song on radio.
But the filing also offers key new details about Drake’s grievances toward UMG, the label where he has spent his entire career. In it, he says UMG knew that Kendrick’s song “falsely” accused him of being a “certified pedophile” and “predator” but chose to release it anyway.
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“UMG … could have refused to release or distribute the song or required the offending material to be edited and/or removed,” Drake’s lawyers write. “But UMG chose to do the opposite. UMG designed, financed and then executed a plan to turn ‘Not Like Us’ into a viral mega-hit with the intent of using the spectacle of harm to Drake and his businesses to drive consumer hysteria and, of course, massive revenues. That plan succeeded, likely beyond UMG’s wildest expectations.”
Like the New York filing on Monday, the new petition isn’t quite a lawsuit. Instead, it’s so-called pre-action filing aimed taking depositions from key figures at UMG and iHeart in order to obtain more information that might support Drake’s accusations in a future lawsuit.
In seeking that information, Drake’s lawyers say they already have enough evidence to pursue a “claim for defamation” against UMG, but that they might also tack on claims of civil fraud and racketeering based on what they discover from the depositions.
UMG and iHeartRadio did not immediately return requests for comment on the new filing. Lamar is not named as a respondent in the filing and is not legally accused of any wrongdoing.
Universal Music Group responded to yesterday’s filing with a statement provided to Billboard. “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue,” the company said. “We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
Like Monday’s bombshell petition, the new filing in Texas is another remarkable escalation in the high-profile beef between the two stars, which saw Drake and Lamar exchange stinging diss tracks over a period of months earlier this year. Such beefs happen frequently in the world of hip-hop, but few thought either side would file legal actions over the insults.
It also represents a deepening of the rift between Drake and UMG, where the star has spent his entire career — first through signing a deal with Lil Wayne’s Young Money imprint, which was distributed by Republic Records, then by signing directly to Republic. Lamar, too, has spent his entire career associated with UMG and is currently signed to a licensing deal with Interscope.
In Tuesday’s new petition, Drake essentially accused the music giant of using illegal means to unfairly prioritize one of its artists over the other.
“Before it approved the release of the song, UMG knew that the song itself, as well as its accompanying album art and music video, attacked the character of another one of UMG’s most prominent artists, Drake, by falsely accusing him of being a sex offender, engaging in pedophilic acts, harboring sex offenders and committing other criminal sexual acts,” his lawyers write.
Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) introduced the Transparency and Responsibility for Artificial Intelligence Networks (TRAIN) Act on Monday in the latest effort to shield songwriters, musicians and other creators from the unauthorized use of their works in training generative AI models.
If successful, the legislation would grant copyright holders access to training records, enabling them to verify if their creations were used — a process similar to methods combating internet piracy.
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“This is simple: if your work is used to train A.I., there should be a way for you, the copyright holder, to determine that it’s been used by a training model, and you should get compensated if it was,” said Welch. “We need to give America’s musicians, artists, and creators a tool to find out when A.I. companies are using their work to train models without artists’ permission.”
Creative industry leaders have long voiced concerns about the opaque practices of AI companies regarding the use of copyrighted materials. Many of these startups and firms do not disclose their training methods, leaving creators unable to determine whether their works have been incorporated into AI systems. The TRAIN Act directly addresses this so-called “black box” problem, aiming to introduce transparency and accountability into the AI training process.
Welch’s bill is just the latest development in the battle between rights holders and generative AI. In May, Sony Music released a statement warning more than 700 AI companies not to scrape the company’s copyrighted data, while Warner Music released a similar statement in July. That same month in the U.S. Senate, an anti-AI deepfakes bill dubbed the No FAKES Act was introduced by a bipartisan group of senators. In October, thousands of musicians, composers, international organizations and labels — including all three majors — signed a statement opposing AI companies and developers using their work without a license for training generative AI systems.
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this month, U.S. Copyright Director Shira Perlmutter emphasized the importance of transparency to protect copyrighted materials, saying that without insight into how AI systems are trained, creators are left in the dark about potential misuse of their work, undermining their rights and earnings.
Sen. Welch has been active in promoting consumer protections and safety around emerging technologies, including AI. His previous initiatives include the AI CONSENT Act, which mandates that online platforms obtain informed consent from users before utilizing their data for AI training, and the Digital Platform Commission Act, which proposes the establishment of a federal regulatory agency for digital platforms.
The TRAIN Act left the station with immediate widespread support from creative organizations, including the RIAA, ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, SoundExchange and the American Federation of Musicians, among others.
Several music industry leaders praised the TRAIN Act for its potential to balance innovation with an eye on respecting creators’ rights. Mitch Glazier, RIAA chairman & CEO, highlighted its role in ensuring creators can pursue legal recourse when their works are used without permission. Todd Dupler, the Recording Academy’s chief advocacy and public policy officer, and Mike O’Neill, the CEO of BMI, echoed these sentiments, stressing the bill’s importance in preventing misuse and enabling creators to hold AI companies accountable.
David Israelite, president & CEO of the National Music Publishers’ Association, pointed to the TRAIN Act as a vital measure to close regulatory gaps and ensure transparency in AI practices, while John Josephson, chairman and CEO of SESAC Music Group, praised its dual approach of promoting responsible innovation while protecting creators.
Additional endorsements came from SoundExchange CEO Michael Huppe, who stressed the need for creators to understand how their works are being utilized in AI systems, Elizabeth Matthews, CEO of ASCAP, who stressed the need for artists to be fairly compensated, and Ashley Irwin, president of the Society of Composers & Lyricists, who emphasized the bill’s role in safeguarding the rights of composers and songwriters.
Select Music Industry Reactions to the TRAIN Act:
Mitch Glazier, RIAA: “Senator Welch’s carefully calibrated bill will bring much needed transparency to AI, ensuring artists and rightsholders have fair access to the courts when their work is copied for training without authorization or consent. RIAA applauds Senator Welch’s leadership and urges the Senate to enact this important, narrow measure into law.”
David Israelite, NMPA: “We greatly appreciate Senator Welch’s leadership on addressing the complete lack of regulation and transparency surrounding songwriters’ and other creators’ works being used to train generative AI models. The TRAIN Act proposes an administrative subpoena process that enables rightsholders to hold AI companies accountable. The process necessitates precise record-keeping standards from AI developers and gives rightsholders the ability to see whether their copyrighted works have been used without authorization. We strongly support the bill which prioritizes creators who continue to be exploited by unjust AI practices.”
Elizabeth Matthews, ASCAP: “The future of America’s vibrant creative economy depends upon laws that protect the rights of human creators. By requiring transparency about when and how copyrighted works are used to train generative AI models, the TRAIN Act paves the way for creators to be fairly compensated for the use of their work. On behalf of ASCAP’s more than one million songwriters, composer and music publisher members, we applaud Senator Welch for his leadership.”
Mike O’Neill, BMI: “Some AI companies are using creators’ copyrighted works without their permission or compensation to ‘train’ their systems, but there is currently no way for creators to confirm that use or require companies to disclose it. The TRAIN Act will provide a legal avenue for music creators to compel these companies to disclose those actions, which will be a step in the right direction towards greater transparency and accountability. BMI thanks Senator Welch for introducing this important legislation.”
John Josephson, SESAC: “SESAC applauds the TRAIN Act, which clears an efficient path to court for songwriters whose work is used by AI developers without authorization or consent. Senator Welch’s narrow approach will promote responsible innovation and AI while protecting the creative community from unlawful scraping and infringement of their work.”
Michael Huppe, SoundExchange: ”As artificial intelligence companies continue to train their generative AI models on copyrighted works, it is imperative that music creators and copyright owners have the ability to know where and how their works are being used. The Transparency and Responsibility for Artificial Intelligence Networks (TRAIN) Act would provide creators with an important and necessary tool as they fight to ensure their works are not exploited without the proper consent, credit, or compensation.”
Todd Dupler, The Recording Academy: “The TRAIN Act would empower creators with an important tool to ensure transparency and prevent the misuse of their copyrighted works. The Recording Academy® applauds Sen. Welch for his leadership and commitment to protecting human creators and creativity.”
Gamma., Kakao Entertainment and SM Entertainment have formed a strategic global alliance to launch British boy band dearALICE, the companies jointly announced on Tuesday (Nov. 26). The pact will include global distribution in the U.S., U.K. and Korea/APAC, along with label services across A&R, production, marketing, promotion, brand sponsorships and global business development.
dearALICE’s formation was documented in the six-part BBC One series Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience, which was produced by Kakao, SM and British production company Moon&Back Media (The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent). The show followed the group’s five U.K. members — Blaise Noon, Dexter Greenwood, James Sharp, Oliver (Olly) Quinn and Reese Carter — as they embarked on a 100-day K-pop-style training regimen at SM. An original soundtrack album from the show was also released.
The parties came together in L.A. to finalize the agreement. Those in attendance included Larry Jackson, co-founder/CEO at gamma.; Joseph Chang, co-CEO at Kakao Entertainment and CEO at SM & Kakao Entertainment America; Jung Min Choi, chief growth officer at SM Entertainment; Kevin Nishimura, COO at SM & Kakao Entertainment; Ben Cook, president of UK & Europe at gamma.; Russ Lindsay, co-founder at Moon&Back Media; and all five dearALICE members.
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dearALICE is slated to release its official debut single by the end of this year.
“I have found that it is a superpower in life to embrace the truth of ‘I know what I don’t know.’ I have always been intrigued by the music and culture coming out of South Korea, and to now partner with Kakao Entertainment and SM Entertainment on dearALICE affords gamma. an opportunity to learn from THE BEST in that culture,” said Jackson in a statement. “We are already finding a special creative kinship with Joseph, Kevin and their teams. Our ideations are very much aligned albeit informed by different life experiences, from disparate corners of the globe.”
Jackson continued, “The cleverness of creating this show, it premiering on the BBC in the U.K., and bringing this extremely talented group to the world by way of it, was their idea, and we are thrilled to be a part of it. Kakao Entertainment and SM have always been purveyors of true, patient artist development in Korea, and I have deeply respected their approach from afar. Expect to hear a lot from dearALICE in 2025.”
“Our partnership with gamma. represents an exciting step in our ongoing strategy for the successful launch of dearALICE,” said Chang. “Collaborating with a label of gamma.’s stature, known for its deep industry expertise and innovative approach, allows us to accelerate our efforts in bringing forward dearALICE to audiences worldwide. dearALICE stands out as a truly distinctive project for our company, blending British roots with the global reach and creative influences of Kakao Entertainment and SM Entertainment. We believe this collaboration will unlock new opportunities for the group to thrive internationally, while also showcasing their groundbreaking artistry to music fans across the globe.”
Added Lindsay, “What an amazing twelve months it’s been for the boys! From being cast in December last year, to experiencing a unique and unforgettable 100 days of K-pop training with SM Entertainment in Korea, then premiering a 6-part Saturday night BBC One TV series in the summer, followed by the Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience Original TV Soundtrack EP release and a superb live performance on the UK’s highest-rated entertainment show, BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing! It’s a testament to their incredible hard work and passion that sees them sign a major global recording and distribution deal with gamma., joining a stable with some of the world’s most talented artists and music executives.”
Guitar manufacturer Gibson has issued a cease-and-desist against the branding agency behind a line of guitars endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump, alleging the design infringes the company’s trademarks, Billboard has confirmed. The cease-and-desist against 16 Creative alleges the guitar line infringes on its trademark for the “iconic Les Paul body shape,” a Gibson spokesperson tells […]
Universal Music Group (UMG) has responded to allegations by UMG artist Drake that it conspired with Spotify to artificially boost the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” in a blockbuster legal filing on Monday (Nov. 25). “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue,” to […]
Drake has initiated legal action against Universal Music Group and Spotify over allegations that the two companies conspired to artificially inflate the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”
In a filing Monday (Nov. 25) in Manhattan court, Drake’s Frozen Moments LLC accused UMG of launching an illegal “scheme” involving bots, payola and other methods to pump up Lamar’s song — a track that savagely attacked Drake amid an ongoing feud between the two stars.
“UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices,” attorneys for Drake’s company write. “It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”
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Drake’s attorneys accuse UMG of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the federal “RICO” statute often used in criminal cases against organized crime. They also allege deceptive business practices and false advertising under New York state law.
The court filings are a remarkable twist in the high-profile beef between the two stars, which saw Drake and Kendrick exchange stinging diss tracks over a period of months earlier this year. That such a dispute would spill into business litigation seemed almost unthinkable in the world of hip-hop.
It also represents a stunning rift between Drake and UMG, where the star has spent his entire career, first through signing a deal with Lil Wayne’s Young Money imprint, which was distributed by Republic Records, and then signing directly to Republic.
Lamar, meanwhile, has also spent his entire career associated with UMG, first through the TDE imprint, which was distributed by Interscope, and more recently through his own company pgLang, which he licenses through Interscope.
In technical terms, Monday’s filing is not yet a full lawsuit, but a so-called “pre-action” petition — a procedure under New York law that aims to secure information before filing a lawsuit. Spotify declined to comment. UMG did not immediately return a request for comment.
This is a developing story, and will be updated as more information becomes available.
ROSÉ has signed a global publishing administration deal with Warner Chappell Music. News of the deal arrives as her single “APT.” (featuring Bruno Mars, who is also signed to Warner Chappell and Atlantic Records) continues to dominate on the Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts.
About a month ago, the song debuted at No. 1 on both charts and continues to rank at the top through the week of Nov. 23. It also debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which tracks popular singles in the U.S.
Though ROSÉ has been a global icon since she joined BLACKPINK as its lead singer in 2016, “APT.” further solidified the singer as a star in her own right and acts as an introduction for her solo debut album rosie, which is set to drop on Dec. 6.
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“I am beyond excited to join the team at Warner Chappell,” ROSÉ said of her new deal in a statement. “There is so much more to come that I can’t wait to share — it’s going to be an amazing journey.”
“ROSÉ has earned this moment, and it’s a huge honor to officially welcome her to our Warner Chappell family,” added Ryan Press, president of North America at Warner Chappell, in a statement. “As she breaks record after record, she’s singlehandedly redefining the K-pop genre while also paving the way for a new era of cross-cultural expression. We’ve already hit the ground running with our partners at Atlantic to support ROSÉ’s bold vision and explore new creative opportunities for her songs. Above all, we can’t wait to see where her music takes us next.”
Born in Auckland and raised in Melbourne, ROSÉ has had her mind set on a career in music since she was 15. To help her achieve her dreams, the young singer moved to South Korea and soon after was selected as a member of BLACKPINK, the first K-Pop girl group to grace the cover of Billboard, win a VMA and headline Coachella.
Though BLACKPINK had a number of top global hits, including “Pink Venom,” “How You Like That,” “Ice Cream (with Selena Gomez),” “Shut Down” and more, the members of BLACKPINK, like many other performers in the K-pop genre, did not take part in the songwriting process of those songs, meaning ROSÉ and her bandmates did not receiving publishing royalties. Now, the singer, whose real name is Park Chaeyoung (or Roseanne Park in English), is in the writing room, lending her pen to her new solo works “APT.” and “Number One Girl,” the second single to be released ahead of rosie. She also received writing credit for the two songs on her debut EP R, released in 2021.
Nearly five years after the major labels won a $1 billion music piracy verdict against Cox Communications, the U.S. Supreme Court is signaling that it might jump into the long-running copyright case.
In an order issued Monday (Nov. 25), the justices asked the Justice Department to weigh in on whether the high court should tackle the huge penalty, which Universal Music Group (UMG), Sony Music Entertainment (SME) and Warner Music Group (WMG) won back in 2019 over allegations of widespread piracy by Cox’s users.
After an appeals court ordered the award recalculated earlier this year, both sides have asked the Supreme Court to take the case. The labels want the justices to reinstate the original verdict; Cox wants the high court to overturn it entirely.
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Such petitions are always a long shot, as the Supreme Court takes less than 2% of the more than 7,000 cases it receives each year. But Monday’s order — a “call for the view of the Solicitor General,” or CVSG, in SCOTUS parlance — is a relatively rare step that indicates that the justices think the issues in the case might be significant enough for the court to tackle.
UMG, SME and WMG all sued Cox in 2018, seeking to hold the internet giant itself liable for alleged wrongdoing committed by its users. The labels said Cox had ignored hundreds of thousands of infringement notices and had never permanently terminated a single subscriber accused of stealing music.
ISPs like Cox are often shielded from lawsuits over illegal downloading by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA. But a judge ruled that Cox had forfeited that protection by failing to terminate people who were repeatedly accused of violating copyright law. Stripped of that immunity, jurors held Cox liable in December 2019 for the infringement of 10,017 separate songs and awarded the labels more than $99,000 for each song, adding up to $1 billion.
Earlier this year, a federal appeals court overturned that award, ruling that aspects of the verdict weren’t supported by the law. But the appeals court also upheld other parts, and Cox is still facing the potential of a very large penalty when damages are recalculated.
In taking the case to the Supreme Court, Cox has urged the justices to undo the entire verdict. The company has issued dire warnings, arguing that the “draconian” approach applied in the case “threatens mass disruption” by potentially forcing ISPs to terminate internet service to thousands of Americans.
“The stakes are immense,” Cox’s attorneys wrote. “This court should grant certiorari to prevent these cases from creating confusion, disruption, and chaos on the internet. Innovation, privacy, and competition depend on it.”
Firing back, the labels have called those arguments “disingenuous” and instead urged the court to take up their own separate petition seeking to reinstate the entire verdict.
“This court should take Cox’s concerns about terminating internet access with a healthy serving of salt,” attorneys for UMG, SME and WMG wrote. “During the time period at issue here, Cox terminated over 600,000 subscribers for not paying their bills. When Cox’s money is on the line, Cox clearly has no problem ‘irreparably cutting’ its customers ‘off from society.’”
Kix Brooks is marking the end of an era, as he steps down from his nearly two-decade role as host of the national country music radio show American Country Countdown. Brooks’s final broadcast will air the weekend of Dec. 28-29, 2024.
Beginning the weekend of Jan. 4-5, 2025, country radio personality Ryan Fox will take over as host of American Country Countdown with Ryan Fox. Fox currently serves as on-air host, mornings, at Dallas country station KPLX/99.5 The Wolf.
Brooks took on the hosting role at American Country Countdown in January 2006, guiding listeners through each week’s top hits, while both entertaining them with his wit and humor, but also offering deep insights into artists, the country music genre and its rich history.
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“I never dreamed I would be asked to host a legendary international radio show like American Country Countdown,” Brooks said in a statement. “The fact that I have been supported by hundreds of affiliates and an amazing team of radio professionals for 18 years has made this one of the greatest experiences of my professional life. It’s time to turn my primary focus back to writing, recording and touring with Brooks & Dunn. It’s been an honor, to say the least, that I was trusted with a microphone that had such an iconic history. Special thanks to all the fans who listened and participated, to ensure that I was being the best that I could be. Keep counting ‘em down!”
Brooks’s work leading American Country Countdown, which is broadcast to more than 300 station affiliates nationwide through Westwood One, was honored with the Country Music Association’s national broadcast personality of the year in 2009, 2011 and 2013, making Brooks the first person to win a CMA award in both artist and broadcast categories. He also claimed the Academy of Country Music’s radio award for national personality in 2021.
Fox said in a statement, “To be given the opportunity to take the reins on one of the longest running, most successful, Country countdown shows in the world and sit in the same chair as Hall of Famers like the legendary Kix Brooks and the late, great Bob Kingsley, is a tremendous honor. This is a terrific era for country music, and I cannot wait to count down the biggest country hits from coast to coast!”
As part of Brooks & Dunn, Brooks just picked up a 15th win in the Country Music Association’s vocal duo of the year category during last week’s CMA Awards, held Nov. 20 in Nashville.