Weekly Roundup: Spotify Lawsuit, Earth, Wind & Fire Settlement, and More Music Law News

In this week’s edition of The Legal Beat, Spotify is facing a lawsuit over allegations of reducing royalty payments to publishers and songwriters. The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) claims that Spotify unlawfully cut its royalty payments nearly in half by recharacterizing the nature of its streaming services. This move could have significant financial consequences for songwriters and music publishers, potentially costing them hundreds of millions of dollars.

In another case, Earth, Wind & Fire reached a settlement with an unauthorized tribute band that used the group’s name without permission. This agreement avoided a trial over damages owed to the band. Additionally, Elvis Presley’s granddaughter, Riley Keough, filed a lawsuit to protect Graceland from a fraudulent foreclosure sale.

Other top stories this week include Live Nation facing an antitrust lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice, UMG being dropped from a lawsuit involving Sean “Diddy” Combs, Kanye West reaching a settlement with Donna Summer’s estate over a copyright lawsuit, and a legal ruling in favor of members of The Plimsouls over trademark rights to the band’s name.

For more details on these cases and industry reactions, check out the full stories in this week’s edition of The Legal Beat.