Iron Maiden Sell to Pophouse, Michael Jackson Biopic Hits $1B - July 14

Email us hereThe UK government dropped a £45M music strategy, Iron Maiden sold a catalog stake to Pophouse, and the Michael Jackson biopic crossed $1 billion at the box office. Warner Music is pushing to kill the AFM's AI lawsuit, while Meta quietly killed its scraper feature after CAA backlash. A busy Tuesday across deals, courts, and streaming policy. Deals & M&A • BMG acquired Hal David, John Lee Hooker, and ARC Music catalogs from Fuji Music Group. • Pophouse acquired a stake in Iron Maiden's publishing, masters, and NIL rights. Lawsuits & AI • Warner Music asked a federal court to dismiss AFM's breach-of-contract suit over AI licensing deals. • StubHub and CEO Eric Baker hit with $5M class-action over undisclosed ticket-reseller ownership stake. • CRB opened Phonorecords V comment period; Eminem's publisher and others are opposing the proposed settlement. • Federal judge dismissed Epidemic Sound's newer Meta copyright suit; older case got a split summary-judgment ruling. • Meta pulled its AI Muse Instagram-scraping feature days after launch following CAA and SAG-AFTRA backlash. Streaming & Tech • DIMA — representing Spotify, Apple, YouTube, Amazon — backed RIAA's AI track-labeling metadata program. Live & Touring • UK's draft Ticket Tout Ban Bill proposes face-value resale caps and limits on platform service fees. • UK Heritage Live country-house festival series cancelled, citing unsustainable finances and weak ticket sales. Artists & Releases • The Michael Jackson biopic became the first music biopic ever to gross $1 billion at the global box office. • Madonna's TikTok livestream drew 2.2 million viewers, the platform's biggest standalone artist broadcast. International • UK launched "Turn It Up," a £45M plan covering artist funding, live licensing, and free studio access. • EU Commission president hinted at Australia-style social-media ban for under-13s, potentially covering streaming. • South Korea advancing bill requiring distributors to pre-screen releases for content harmful to minors. Five minutes, six categories, zero fluff.