Music Admin Gears Up for June Events, Copyright Office Joins AIMP Summit, 2 Live Crew Termination Win Reversed

How The Music Business Works - Issue #64

June 4, 2026

Welcome back to How the Music Business Works.

The month ahead is packed with music business events, community gatherings, and conversations across rights, royalties, publishing, and administration.

On June 11, Music Admin is hosting Rock and Reel at Soho House Nashville as the monthly music film series continues with the award-winning film Sinners. The event brings together music and film professionals for a screening and pre-show conversation around the film, its music, and the connection between sound and storytelling on screen.

On June 17, the Music Row Admin Group (MRAG) returns, with future gatherings planned for every third Wednesday of the month. Founded in 1999 for music administrators across publishing, royalties, and rights management, MRAG returns in 2026 as a collaborative space for industry education, discussion, and connection.

With NYC’s music week quickly approaching, Music Admin is gearing up for a busy run of events:

• Industry Mixer @ Slate, June 8 at Slate in Manhattan, hosted with Bob Chiappardi and Concrete Marketing ahead of NYC’s music week.
• Music Investors Conference, June 9 at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, where Music Admin will sponsor the event for the third consecutive year.
• AIMP Global Music Publishing Summit 2026, June 8 at High Bar NYC and June 9 at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus, focused on publishing, rights, and global music business conversations.
• A2IM Indie Week 2026, June 8 to 11 at the InterContinental New York Times Square, bringing together the independent music community across labels, distribution, DSPs, and rights.

If you’ll be at any of these events, come say hi. We’d love to connect.

On the news side, here’s what stood out this week.

Copyright Office leaders to speak at AIMP Publishing Summit

The AIMP Global Music Publishing Summit will feature a fireside chat with Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and Director of the U.S. Copyright Office, and Emily L. Chapuis, General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights. The session takes place June 9 at Fordham University at Lincoln Center and will be moderated by Art Levy of Songtradr. AIMP said the discussion comes as rapid technological change reshapes how music rights are managed, protected, and monetized. Perlmutter has served as Register of Copyrights since 2020, while Chapuis oversees regulatory, litigation, and policy matters and has worked on the Office’s artificial intelligence initiative. The summit will also include programming on AI innovation, sync licensing, global publishing markets, legislation, independent publishing, and current creator-rights questions facing the sector today.

Music industry funding reaches $80 million in May

Core music industry funding reached $80 million in May 2026, according to DMN Pro’s Music Industry Funding Tracker, with South Korea’s The Black Label accounting for the month’s largest raise through an $80 million Series B. The total was lower than April’s nearly $3 billion, which included Primary Wave’s $2.2 billion haul, but still represented an almost 40% year-on-year increase from May 2025. The report said funding activity remains heavily shaped by catalog and AI raises, making quarterly trends more useful than single-month comparisons. A reported but not yet formally disclosed Suno Series D at a $5 billion valuation could further change the funding picture. Non-core music-adjacent raises also rose in May, including Sphere Abu Dhabi, Shamrock Capital, and Anthropic, across entertainment, technology, live experiences, content strategy, artificial intelligence, and investment-driven music-adjacent markets.

Appeals court reverses 2 Live Crew copyright termination win

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit reversed 2 Live Crew’s 2024 copyright termination victory, ruling that the group could not reclaim rights to its early catalog from Lil’ Joe Records. The dispute traces back to a 1995 bankruptcy sale, when rights to the group’s first five albums were transferred to the label. In 2020, Luther Campbell, Mark Ross, and the estate of Christopher Wong Won sought to regain the copyrights under federal termination rights, which can return works to creators after 35 years under certain conditions. The appeals court ruled that Ross’ later bankruptcy estate still controlled his termination interests, making his consent ineffective. Without Ross’ valid notice, the group lacked the majority required to terminate the transfer under federal law, the panel concluded, while noting its decision was limited to this case and did not decide how Ross’ heirs could proceed in light of his bankruptcy.

Protect Working Musicians Act campaign continues after reintroduction

The Artist Rights Alliance has launched a campaign to support the reintroduced Protect Working Musicians Act, including town halls, policymaker outreach, research, and an artist-led push on Capitol Hill. Rep. Deborah Ross reintroduced the bill with support from ARA, A2IM, and other music organizations. The legislation would allow independent artists, songwriters, and labels to collectively negotiate with large digital streaming platforms and AI companies. Supporters say current antitrust law leaves independent artists with limited ability to seek fair market rates from global streaming platforms and little recourse when AI companies use music without permission, licensing, or compensation. First introduced in 2023 and updated for the AI era, the bill is aimed at changing that negotiating structure for working musicians, songwriters, and independent rights labels alike.

Musixmatch responds in LyricFind legal battle

Musixmatch has responded to LyricFind’s latest legal filing in their ongoing dispute over a lyrics licensing deal between Musixmatch and Warner Chappell Music. LyricFind recently filed an updated complaint with new allegations of anticompetitive behavior, publishing a redlined version to highlight evidence it says supports its claims. Musixmatch rejected the allegations, saying the case challenges a legitimate commercial arrangement dating back to 2024 and maintaining that the claim is without merit. The dispute is continuing after a judge dismissed some of LyricFind’s complaints in September but allowed others to move forward. Unless the parties reach a settlement, the remaining claims appear likely to be tested in court as the rival lyrics companies continue their legal battle over licensing and competition in lyrics services markets globally, with Musixmatch continuing to defend its legal position.

Random Ramblings:

• ​Italy says no to Kanye West and Travis Scott shows, citing antisemitism and safety concerns.
• Three men turned a former Aberdeen nightclub into a cannabis farm, and now they’re headed to jail.
• Sabrina Carpenter gets a restraining order after a stalker repeatedly tried to enter her home.
• Keep an eye on the new music releases and upcoming albums arriving in 2026.Festival line-ups you may have missed, from SOUNDIT to Iceland Airwaves and Shambala.