Is AI the Future or the Crime of the Century? — Week of June 29

Email us hereThe AI copyright war escalated on every front: Jamendo sued Suno for $20M, Hagens Berman joined the independent artists' class action against Suno and Udio, Sony's Udio discovery closed, and Tidal became the most aggressive major streaming platform by fully demonetizing AI-generated music — all while Google published a white paper calling AI training 'transformative fair use' and drawing immediate global backlash. Meanwhile, capital flooded into music IP at a historic clip: Influence Media won Anthem's catalog at $650M+, Firebird launched a $750M fund backed by Ares and Raine, Trimontium debuted with $1.5B under management, and core music funding topped $3.2B for Q2. The Live Nation antitrust saga grew thornier with confirmation that CEO Michael Rapino called President Trump directly before the DOJ's surprise settlement — while 36 states pressed on and won a jury monopoly verdict. Seven days, several billion dollars, and one industry that cannot decide if AI is the future or the crime of the century.