T.I. to Reservoir, RIAA's AI Label Push, FIFA Halftime Confirmed — Friday, July 10

Email us hereA busy Friday brings catalog deals for T.I. and Foreigner's Mick Jones, a major industry push for AI content labeling on streaming platforms, and Justin Bieber confirmed as the final co-headliner of the FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show. Meanwhile, iHeartMedia quietly closed its FCC payola probe and UK music tourism hit an all-time record. **Deals & M&A** • Reservoir Media signs T.I.'s entire catalog — 11 studio albums plus select master recordings. • Primary Wave acquires Mick Jones' publishing, recordings, Foreigner touring + NIL rights. • Believe restructures globally: Romain Becker as Group COO, Elsa Bahamonde Bourgain leading Artist Services. • Landr's Fair Trade AI program hits 30,000 artists; first payouts ship this month with a new $1M advances fund. **Lawsuits & AI** • RIAA, IFPI, SAG-AFTRA + six other orgs propose voluntary "AI-generated" and "AI-assisted" streaming labels. • iHeartMedia settles FCC "showola" probe with no fine, no admission — just a compliance officer and annual reports. • Suno hires Atlantic EVP Grace James and YouTube's Christian Bowne as UMG and Sony lawsuits remain active. • Twelve US music orgs urge USTR to block EU proposal threatening ~$300M in annual American artist royalties. • Pop-punk band Lit settles Sony Music streaming royalties lawsuit; original claim was $800,000. **Live & Touring** • Justin Bieber joins Madonna, Shakira + BTS for the FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show on July 19 at MetLife. • UK music tourism hit a record £11.2bn in 2025, driven by 24.7 million attendees at Oasis, Beyoncé + Coldplay shows. • Gen-Z concertgoers now outspend millennials on live music — $101/month vs. $94/month in Q1 2026. **Artists & Releases** • New Music Friday: Future, The Rolling Stones, Jack White, Ne-Yo + Kelela all drop new projects today. • Dolly Parton's Broadway musical begins previews December 7, opening January 19, 2027 — her 81st birthday. **International** • Warner Music India expands its ASER artist-services division with live music as a key growth pillar. • thumpN, India's first AI-native live entertainment platform, raises $3.7M pre-seed and launches in beta. **Also Today** • Taylor Swift earns five Emmy nominations for her Eras Tour Disney+ finale special. • Luke Combs sets a Nordic attendance record with 60,826 fans at Ullevi Stadium in Sweden. • Spice Girls reclaim full ownership of the 1997 film Spice World and plan a streaming re-release. Five minutes, six categories, zero fluff.