AI's $4.5B Reckoning Meets Apple's Quiet Coup - Week of July 20

Email us hereSony Music's second copyright suit pushed Udio's damages exposure to $4.5 billion, the AFM took UMG and WMG to court over AI 'new use' payments, Anthropic's $1.5 billion settlement got final approval, and a November 2025 Suno data breach finally surfaced — exposing 55.3 million users who had no idea they were already part of music tech history. On the streaming front, Apple Music's price hike to $11.99 quietly did what years of market competition couldn't: knock Spotify off the top US premium subscriber spot, while Deezer reported AI tracks now make up more than half of all new daily uploads. Live Nation faced heat on two continents as 21 state AGs probed the DOJ settlement and the UK's CMA started making calls. Sony also confirmed its ~$1.27 billion Queen catalog buy, and Reservoir snapped up Nacional Records. Just another seven days in the music business.