Spotify's $3M Stream-Fraud Scandal, Primary Wave's $100M Atticus Bet — Friday, July 3

Email us hereSpotify's artificial-stream scandal dominates Friday's brief after the platform stripped 500,000+ fake plays from a chart-topping track tied to a $3M prediction-market payout. Meanwhile, Primary Wave backs a new $100M literary and theatrical IP company, and Tidal draws a hard line against AI-generated music royalties — going further than any rival DSP. **Deals & M&A** • Primary Wave commits minimum $100M to Atticus Works, a new literary and theatrical catalog acquisition company. • Exceleration Music and NexTone acquire the full Ryuichi Sakamoto catalog in Exceleration's first Japan deal. • Logan Light joins Warner Music Group as Chief of Staff to CEO Robert Kyncl, effective March 2026. • WMG's ADA Central Europe signs exclusive distribution deal with Berlin indie label AIM Music. **Lawsuits & AI** • Judge Hellerstein blocks Sony Music's bid to add 30,442 recordings to its copyright suit against Udio. • Suno CPO announces a developer API, potentially embedding its sued AI engine into thousands of third-party apps. • Spotify moves to shift artist-attorney Mark Kratter's "undisclosed filtering" lawsuit to federal court. • T.I. and Tiny Harris awarded $0 in punitive damages in fourth OMG Girlz trial against MGA Entertainment. • Sydney beach brand Swim Shady defeats Eminem in trademark dispute over the Slim Shady name. **Streaming & Tech** • Spotify strips 500,000+ fake streams from Malcolm Todd's "Earrings" after $3M Kalshi prediction-market fraud. • Tidal bans royalties for 100%-AI-generated music and adds AI labels to tracks, effective July 15. • YouTube Shorts lets creators add up to 15 seconds of licensed music to image posts. • Irving Azoff's Global Music Rights excluded from Phonorecords V mechanical licensing settlement talks. **Live & Touring** • Illinois bans ghost tickets, bots, and junk fees; Live Nation publicly backs the reforms. • Security researcher used Claude AI to find a Front Gate Tickets vulnerability affecting Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and ACL; patched within 24 hours. **Artists & Releases** • Alexi Cory-Smith, founder of Bella Figura Music and former BMG UK chief, dies suddenly at 58. • Madonna releases her 15th studio album Confessions II today, reuniting with producer Stuart Price. **International** • OSN Streaming submits ~$10M take-private offer for remaining float of MENA platform Anghami at $3.39 per share. **Also Today** • Chord Music Partners launches first royalty ABS securitization covering Morgan Wallen, Diplo, and ZZ Top catalogs. • Weird Al Yankovic declines lucrative AI ad deal, saying he can't be the poster boy for AI. • Elton John reportedly developing a Las Vegas hologram residency featuring Dua Lipa and Kiki Dee. Five minutes, six categories, zero fluff.