Inside the AI Streaming Fraud Scandal: Michael Smith’s $10 Million Scheme

Sarah Gilbert — MEI Fellow On September 4, The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York released a press statement announcing the arrest of Michael Smith, a 52-year-old musician, who now faces charges of orchestrating a $10 million AI music streaming fraud. The press statement included the unsealed indictment which included three counts of criminal… Continue reading Inside the AI Streaming Fraud Scandal: Michael Smith’s $10 Million Scheme

Lyrics on Trial: A Closer Look into California’s Legislation

Sarah Gilbert — MEI Fellow  In the first post in our series on the various RAP Acts around the United States, we analyzed Louisiana’s version which recently was enacted. In this post, we analyze California’s version, which was actually enacted first. In September 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed California Assembly Bill 2799, Jones-Sawyer “Evidence: admissibility of creative expressions,” which had passed both… Continue reading Lyrics on Trial: A Closer Look into California’s Legislation

The Ticketmaster Controversy Continues: CMA Investigates Oasis Reunion Tour Pricing Issues

Sarah Gilbert — MEI Fellow Just a few months after the Department of Justice filed a suit against Ticketmaster and Live Nation for alleged anti-competitive practices, The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) issued a press release on September 5, 2024 announcing an investigation into Ticketmaster. The investigation follows reports from fans about significant issues with Ticketmaster’s platform during the highly anticipated public sale… Continue reading The Ticketmaster Controversy Continues: CMA Investigates Oasis Reunion Tour Pricing Issues

Lyrics on Trial: How the RAP Act and State Laws Aim to Protect Artistic Expression in Court

Sarah Gilbert — MEI Fellow While the public’s attention has been turned to the high-profile case involving Atlanta rapper Young Thug and the chaotic trial proceedings, the issue of using lyrics as evidence in court has sparked significant outrage. Young Thug’s lyrics were cited in a RICO indictment against him and members of his Young Stoner Life collective.  Although this… Continue reading Lyrics on Trial: How the RAP Act and State Laws Aim to Protect Artistic Expression in Court

Monopoly in Music: Understanding the DOJ’s Case Against Live Nation-Ticketmaster

Sarah Gilbert — MEI Fellow After much anticipation and a 18-month long investigation, on May 23, The Department of Justice, 30 states, and the district attorney general filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainments and its subsidiary Ticketmaster. The Complaint alleges Live Nation and Ticketmaster have “engaged in numerous forms of anticompetitive conduct”… Continue reading Monopoly in Music: Understanding the DOJ’s Case Against Live Nation-Ticketmaster

Concert tickets as contracts: Madonna sued for breach of contract for concert delay

Sarah Gilbert — MEI Fellow In light of three recent lawsuits filed against the iconic popstar Madonna for starting her concert late, it’s an opportunity to revisit and evaluate Madonna’s history with similar lawsuits, as well as discuss the legal validity of these types of lawsuits.  1. Background In 2019, two separate suits were filed against Madonna,… Continue reading Concert tickets as contracts: Madonna sued for breach of contract for concert delay

MEI’s Meet the Staff – Our Legal Fellow 

The mission of Music Ecosystem Institute is to foster better support systems for musicians—and the individuals and organizations who work with them—through improved law and policy informed by best-in-class research and education activities.  However, MEI is more than a collection of articles and analyses. Behind every post, there are dedicated individuals with diverse backgrounds, expertise,… Continue reading MEI’s Meet the Staff – Our Legal Fellow 

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Welcome to MEI

Music Ecosystems Institute (MEI) is a nonprofit venture institutionalizing and expanding beyond the conference series that Professor Seán O’Connor has been organizing since 2018. Participants at those conferences have also contributed chapters to the Oxford Handbook on Music Law & Policy (Oxford Univ. Press). Conferences to date include: 2024: The Role of Law and Policy… Continue reading Welcome to MEI

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