Sony Buys Bond Theme Catalog, Google Fined €890M, Anthropic Lawsuit Grows - Friday, July 24

Email us hereSony Music Publishing's acquisition of the James Bond Theme catalog and a €890M EU fine against Google dominated Friday's news cycle. Publishers also escalated their copyright battle against Anthropic, armed with fresh discovery evidence. Meanwhile, AI-generated music crossed 50% of Deezer's daily uploads — a milestone that underscores the industry's broader content integrity crisis. Deals & M&A • Sony Music Publishing acquired Monty Norman Limited, catalog of the late James Bond Theme composer. • UMG hired Tseyin Foo, ex-Skechers and Nike, as President of Global Supply Chain. • SoundCloud acquired shuttered indie platform Nina Protocol, offering free artist migration through 2026. • PRS for Music named ex-YouTube Europe chief Ben McOwen Wilson as CEO, effective October 12. Lawsuits & AI • UMG, Concord, and ABKCO filed a second amended complaint against Anthropic covering ~500 songs, citing internal discovery records. • Federal judge allowed Reach Records' breach-of-contract suit against Capitol CMG (UMG) to proceed to trial. • Testimony in D4vd's murder hearing revealed his Interscope deal was worth $13M–$19M total. • EU fined Google €890M (~$1B) for DMA violations, including blocking Spotify from steering users to cheaper app alternatives. Streaming & Tech • AI tracks now exceed 50% of Deezer's daily uploads — 90,000/day — but represent only 1–3% of streams. • YouTube Q2 ad revenue rose 13% YoY to $11.06B; subscriptions now growing faster than ads per Alphabet CFO. • Patreon laid off 93 employees (20% of staff), citing AI-driven operational changes. • Sony Music filed a new copyright lawsuit against AI music platform Udio. Live & Touring • Live Nation and Livewire launched "Music Festival Tycoon" on Roblox with a Lollapalooza activation and 3.8M visits. • Marc Anthony, Feid, and others headline "Unidos Por Venezuela" benefit concert at Miami's Kaseya Center on August 16. Artists & Releases • New Music Friday: Tyla, Charli xcx, Shania Twain, The Strokes, and Rico Nasty all drop new projects today. Also Today • UK recorded music exports topped £800M (~$1B) for the first time in 2025, per BPI data. • FCC considers loosening US broadcast radio and TV ownership caps amid industry pushback. Five minutes, six categories, zero fluff.