Suno Blocks Sony's 60K Works Bid, Spotify Kills 500K Fraud Streams — Mon, July 6

Email us hereAI copyright battles dominated the weekend, with Suno using a rival ruling to fight Sony's expanded infringement claims and Midjourney turning the tables on Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. Streaming fraud took a strange new turn as Spotify wiped 500,000+ streams tied to Kalshi prediction-market manipulation. Catalog valuations and publishing consolidation round out a busy Monday. **Deals & M&A** • Iconic catalog multiples stabilized at 12–17x, down from 2021's 19.4x peak, per analyst Philippe Astor. • Top three majors plus BMG-Concord on track to control 75% of publishing by 2027. **Lawsuits & AI** • Suno cites Udio ruling to block Sony's motion adding 60,000 recordings to its Massachusetts copyright case. • Fair use summary-judgment hearing in the Suno case is scheduled for July 2026. • Indie artist Mark Kratter demands Spotify's algorithmic logs, calls federal transfer of his filtering lawsuit frivolous. • Midjourney subpoenas Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. for internal AI training data and board materials. • Sydney agency apologizes after booking an AI artist for a live event, spotlighting disclosure gaps in booking. **Streaming & Tech** • Spotify removed 500,000+ streams from Malcolm Todd's "Earrings" after detecting Kalshi prediction-market fraud. • Suno CPO Jack Brody announces a developer API program despite active UMG and Sony litigation. • Spotify U.S. data shows 69% of domestic streams come from American artists on America's 250th birthday. **Live & Touring** • Spotify became exclusive streaming partner for Afro Nation Portugal 2026 in its first-ever festival livestream. **Artists & Releases** • Bella Figura Music CEO Alexi Cory-Smith died suddenly; BPI CEO Dr. Jo Twist paid tribute. • NBA YoungBoy's concert film American YoungBoy debuted on Amazon Prime Video on July 4. Five minutes, six categories, zero fluff.