Anthem Sells for $650M, Hagens Berman Joins Suno/Udio Suits — June 24

Email us hereMusic Industry DailyThe 2026 M&A wave crests as Influence Media wins Anthem Entertainment's music assets for $650M, capping a half-year that saw five major catalog deals totaling well over $14B. Meanwhile, the law firm behind a $260B tobacco settlement joins the AI copyright fight against Suno and Udio — and Nvidia faces its own music copyright suit. Olivia Rodrigo makes Billboard history while Lizzo's new album struggles to find footing.Deals & M&AInfluence Media Partners wins Anthem Entertainment bid at $650M, Rush and Timbaland masters included.Iconoclast (Tony Bennett, Mad Decent Publishing, 30+ catalogs) in sale talks at ~$500M.ICM Crescendo Music Royalty Fund drawing buyer interest at $500M+, Litmus Music rumored bidder.MBW tallies five H1 2026 megadeals: UMG/Downtown, Primary Wave/Kobalt, BMG/Concord, Sony/Hipgnosis, Anthem — combined value exceeds $14B.Lawsuits & AIHagens Berman, which won $260B tobacco settlement, files amended complaint against Udio in SDNY.Sony's fair-use case against Suno heads toward pivotal summary-judgment hearing in July 2026.Jamendo sues Nvidia over alleged unauthorized training of Fugatto and Audio Flamingo; $20M+ damages sought.A musician-attorney sues Spotify over alleged algorithm suppression of independent artists.Moneybagg Yo, Bread Gang, and Roc Nation face $100M manager suit; trial set for October in Tennessee.StubHub UK fined £900K by CMA and ordered to refund £590K over hidden drip pricing.Atlantic investigation exposes three datasets — LAION DISCO, Sleeping DISCO, and a private set — scraping 21M+ songs to train AI models.Streaming & TechDeezer launches Remix Lab in France — first in-app DSP remix tool built without AI, using artist-consented stems.Spanish-language tracks hit record 9.5% share of U.S. music consumption in Q1 2026, per Luminate.Music prediction markets top $400M wagered on Kalshi in H1 2026, including $110M on a single Bad Bunny setlist bet.Live & TouringOlivia Rodrigo announces Daisy Chain Fields: all-women, one-day festival August 29 in Irvine, CA, with Chappell Roan, Stevie Nicks, Doechii, Bikini Kill, and more; all net proceeds to charity.Artists & ReleasesOlivia Rodrigo's new album debuts at #1 with 485K units — first artist to open all three albums atop the Billboard 200.Lizzo's new album Bitch debuts below 3,000 units sold and under 3 million first-week streams.SZA calls out artists using Suno; alleges Diplo holds an equity stake in the company.InternationalPoland's paid streaming base nearly doubled since 2023 to 7.5M subscribers, now ranked 16th globally at $289M.Five minutes, six categories, zero fluff.