royalties

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He Used Bots to Stream Songs, Made $8M

Michael Smith pleaded guilty last Thursday

(Newser) - An AI-driven music scam has ended on a sour note for Michael Smith . Futurism reports the North Carolina man pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud last Thursday in federal court in connection with the scheme; he faces up to five years in prison when he...

Sesame Workshop Sues SeaWorld
Sesame
Street
Sues
SeaWorld
Mar 13, 2026 2:55 PM CDT

Sesame Street Sues SeaWorld

Nonprofit Sesame Workshop claims unpaid royalties, contract breaches, and brand damage

(Newser) - After decades together, Big Bird and Shamu are heading to court. The nonprofit Sesame Workshop has sued SeaWorld and its parent company United Parks & Resorts, accusing the theme-park operator of mishandling the Sesame Street brand and failing to pay royalties tied to Sesame-themed attractions, reports NBC News . In the...

Non-English Music Is Having a Moment

Spotify streaming data shows Spanish, Korean and other languages rapidly gaining listeners

(Newser) - English may still rule the pop charts, but its grip is loosening. New data from Spotify shows its Global Top 50 featured songs in 16 languages last year—more than twice the count in 2020—with Spanish, Korean, Portuguese, Turkish, Indonesian, and Arabic all in the mix. Bad Bunny, who...

Sting's Ex-Bandmates Want $10M From Him

Streaming royalties a key issue in battle over 'Every Breath You Take,' which could extend to other hits

(Newser) - A bitter court fight over "Every Breath You Take" is dragging the Police back into the kind of turmoil that marked the song's creation more than 40 years ago. At issue this week in London's High Court is whether Sting's former bandmates, drummer Stewart Copeland and...

Trump Shares Claim From Satire Site on Obama, ACA

Clip claiming ex-president rakes in ObamaCare royalties originated at 'America's Last Line of Defense'

(Newser) - President Trump on Sunday promoted a widely debunked claim that former President Obama has raked in $40 million in "royalties linked to Obamacare." The claim, which has circulated online since at least 2017, originated from "America's Last Line of Defense," a satirical website known for...

Police Bandmates Sue Sting Over 'Every Breath You Take'

Summers and Copeland claim unpaid credits for classic 1983 hit

(Newser) - Sting is facing a lawsuit from his former Police bandmates, who claim they were cut out of the songwriting credits and royalties for the chart-topping 1983 hit "Every Breath You Take." Andy Summers' and Stewart Copeland's lawsuit, filed in London's High Court, alleges that the...

Sally Rooney Could Be Arrested Over Her Donations

Popular author says she won't stop donating to Palestine Action

(Newser) - Irish novelist Sally Rooney faces possible arrest under the UK's Terrorism Act after pledging to donate her book royalties to Palestine Action, a group recently listed as a terrorist organization in the country. Rooney, known for bestsellers like Normal People, said she will continue to support the organization...

Music Streaming Service Makes Big Move Against AI

Paris-based Deezer will now flag albums with songs generated by artificial intelligence

(Newser) - Music streaming service Deezer said Friday that it will start flagging albums with AI-generated songs, part of its fight against streaming fraudsters. Deezer, based in Paris, is grappling with a surge in music on its platform created using artificial intelligence tools it says are being wielded to earn royalties fraudulently....

Cher Is the Victor in Suit Against Sonny Bono's Widow

Singer wins complaint against Mary Bono over royalties; Cher is owed about $418K

(Newser) - When Cher officially split with her partner in life and business, Sonny Bono, in 1978, their divorce settlement left Bono with ownership of their song catalog, including such hits as "I Got You Babe" and "The Beat Goes On," and Cher with a 50% stake in publishing...

Sting: Diddy Pays Me $2K per Day. Diddy: It's More
Diddy Forks
Over a Pretty
Penny to Sting,
Every Single Day
in case you missed it
Apr 9, 2023 4:20 PM CDT

Diddy Forks Over a Pretty Penny to Sting, Every Single Day

Rapper reveals he pays ex-Police frontman $5K daily for sampling 'Every Breath You Take'

(Newser) - Sting likely doesn't care whether the name on Sean Combs' bank account is "Puff Daddy," "Diddy," "P. Diddy," or plain old "Sean Combs"—he just wants his regular check in the mail from that account. That's because for years, the...

Not-So-Great Vibrations for Brian Wilson, Ex Lead to Suit

Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford says she's entitled to more cash after Wilson sold song rights to UMPG

(Newser) - Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford was married to Brian Wilson from 1964 to 1978, a 14-year stretch during which the Beach Boys co-founder helped write some of the group's biggest hits, including "Good Vibrations," "California Girls," and "Wouldn't It Be Nice." Now, a year after...

Cher Is Suing Sonny Bono's Widow
Cher Is Suing
Sonny Bono's
Widow
Oct 14, 2021 10:34 AM CDT

Cher Is Suing Sonny Bono's Widow

Singer claims Mary Bono is withholding royalties from '60s hits

(Newser) - Mary Bono has said that Cher was "a constant source of comfort" after the man they both loved, Sonny Bono, died in a skiing accident in 1998. It's doubtful, however, that the late congressman's widow is finding much comfort in the latest correspondence from Cher: a lawsuit...

Long Battle Over a Famous Song Is Finally Over

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards relinquish royalties over 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' by the Verve

(Newser) - You've surely heard the song " Bitter Sweet Symphony ," which made stars of the band the Verve in the 1990s. What you may not have known is that the song has since been embroiled in a copyright dispute involving none other than Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of...

First Lady Earned 6 Figures From Photos in News Outlets

Unusual deal with Getty Images results in royalties to Trump family for photos

(Newser) - NBC News spotted an oddity in the latest financial disclosure report from President Trump: It shows that first lady Melania Trump earned at least $100,000 in 2017 from certain photos used in mainstream news outlets. The story breaks it down: Melania Trump has posed for nearly 200 photos...

Blue Man Group Settles Royalty Dispute for $3M
Blue Man Group
Will Pay a Guy $3M
Jun 16, 2018 11:00 AM CDT

Blue Man Group Will Pay a Guy $3M

Composer Ian Pai had sought $150 million for damages

(Newser) - Blue Man Group has agreed to pay Ian Pai more than $3 million to settle his claim that he helped the group compose many of its songs and contributed to its success, reports the New York Times . Pai had originally sued the group in 2016 for $150 million in compensatory...

One Half of Steely Dan Is Suing the Other's Estate

Donald Fagen says he should have ownership now that Walter Becker is dead

(Newser) - Donald Fagen of Steely Dan is suing the estate of his late band mate, Walter Becker, over ownership of the band's name and music, the AP reports. Fagen's attorneys filed papers last week in Los Angeles claiming that when Becker died in September , his estate was obligated to...

Slim Shady's Fans May Soon Be Able to Fatten Their Wallets

Company plans on offering unique investment opportunity

(Newser) - Between 1999 and 2013, Eminem released some of his most famous work, including 1999's The Slim Shady LP, 2000's The Marshall Mathers LP, and 2002's The Eminem Show. Now a new company has formed to nab the royalties income stream from his songs from that period, and...

Jury Sides With Quincy Jones in Michael Jackson Lawsuit

Singer's estate has to pay producer $9.4M

(Newser) - Michael Jackson's estate owes Quincy Jones $9.4 million in royalties and production fees from "Billie Jean," ''Thriller," and more of the superstar's biggest hits, a jury found Wednesday. The award from a Los Angeles Superior Court jury fell short of the $30...

Richard Carpenter Files Lawsuit on Behalf of Karen

He's suing for unpaid digital royalties

(Newser) - The lawsuits may have only just begun: Richard Carpenter filed a suit in California Wednesday on behalf of sister Karen Carpenter's estate, saying record companies are cheating both of them out of digital royalties. Richard, the surviving member of the sibling duo, accuses Universal Music Group and A&M...

Dear Apple: You're Ripping Off Artists. Love, Taylor

Singer disses free trial period for streaming: 'We don't ask you for free iPhones'

(Newser) - First she yanked her music off Spotify . Now Taylor Swift is taking on an even bigger music-streaming behemoth: Apple. The singer decided to keep her 1989 album off of Apple Music after discovering users could hear her songs, and others', for free during the three-month trial period, but that those...

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