The Pitch newsletter is a monthly update of legal issues and news affecting or related to the music, film and television, fine arts, media, professional athletics, eSports, and gaming industries. The Pitch features a diverse cross-section of published articles, compelling news and stories, and original content curated and/or created by Arnall Golden Gregory LLP’s Entertainment & Sports industry team.
“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton
AGG News
If You Want It, Here It Is, Come and Get It: Preparing Your Music Catalog to Attract the Right Buyers
In March 2025, music publishing giant Primary Wave acquired a substantial stake in the Notorious B.I.G. music catalog with an estimated value of $200 million. Although the terms of the deal were not disclosed, Primary Wave announced that the company purchased a 50% share of the late rapper’s estate. By partnering with the estate, Primary Wave will have the right to administer the artist’s songwriting and recording catalogs together with the right to license and use his name, image, and likeness in connection with the commercialization of the copyrights. According to the Wall Street Journal, the rightsholders “aim to use the rights to pursue projects that elevate Biggie Smalls’s status as a legend, like taking his story to Broadway and creating immersive music experiences based on his catalog, some using the rapper’s digital avatar.”
(Source: Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, June 25, 2025)
Read More >
Salt-N-Pepa v. Universal Music Group: The Battle Over Copyright Termination Rights in Music
In November 2025, the legendary hip-hop duo Salt-N-Pepa will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Following Missy Elliot’s groundbreaking induction in 2024, Salt-N-Peppa will be first female rap group to reach the Hall. The group is also seeking to break new ground on the legal front. On May 19, 2025, Cheryl James and Sandra Denton, professionally known as “Salt-N-Pepa,” filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group, alleging the label is violating copyright law by refusing to transfer the rights to their master recordings. The dispute centers on their iconic tracks, including 1993's "Shoop" and 1987's "Push It," marking another chapter in the ongoing battle between artists and record labels over termination rights under U.S. copyright law.
(Source: Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, June 25, 2025)
Read More >
Georgia’s Postproduction Credit to Build on Film Industry Gains
AGG Entertainment & Sports chair Matthew Wilson and Tax of counsel Hanish Patel authored a Bloomberg Tax article explaining Georgia’s new postproduction income tax credit law (HB 129). Effective January 1, 2026, the law provides tax credits to postproduction companies based on qualifying in-state expenditures, including additional incentives for rural counties. Preapproval by the Georgia Department of Revenue is required, with credits issued on a first-come, first-served basis.
(Source: Bloomberg Tax, May 27, 2025)
Read More >
Industry News
WGA East Ratifies First Union Contract With Nonfiction Producer Story Syndicate Nearly 2 Years After Organizing Workers
The Writers Guild of America East has finally sealed its first deal with management at the nonfiction production company Story Syndicate. The union announced June 24 that the 30-member bargaining unit unanimously ratified the contract after nearly two years of talks. The MPEG and the Writers Guild of America East won their joint effort to unionize producers and editorial employees at Story Syndicate in 2023 and have been negotiating since.
(Source: Deadline Hollywood, June 24, 2025)
Read More >
Hollywood South? Texas Makes Its Bid With Major Film Incentive Expansion
Amid a tit-for-tat battle to host Hollywood, Texas has bolstered its incentive program for movies and TV shows that positions a Southern bloc of states as a premier destination for entertainment and media. Gov. Greg Abbott on June 22 let a bill become law that increases by $100 million the amount allotted to productions every two years. With the funding greenlit through 2035, the expansion will shower as much as $1.5 billion in subsidies to Hollywood over the decade.
(Source: The Hollywood Reporter, June 24, 2025)
Read More >
‘South Park’ Creators Threaten Legal Action Over Interference on Streaming Deal
As Paramount’s lucrative licensing deal for South Park expires, allowing the show to be shopped, a new legal battle is brewing. Jeff Shell, the RedBird Capital executive who will be the incoming president of new Paramount if the merger with Skydance is completed, has been accused by an attorney for South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone of interfering in contract negotiations with potential suitors.
(Source: The Hollywood Reporter, June 24, 2025)
Read More >
New Maine Concert Ticket Law Is the Toughest in America
A new Maine concert ticket law is the toughest in America. If other states or Congress use the Maine law as a template it will revolutionize event ticketing and kill the ticket resale market as it exists today.
(Source: Hypebot, June 20, 2025)
Read More >
AI Music Firms Suno & Udio Face Class Actions That Say Indie Artists Are Left Out of Major Label Lawsuit
AI music startup Udio is facing another copyright lawsuit — this time a proposed class action on behalf of independent artists who have been “left without a seat at the table” in the high-profile litigation filed by the major labels. Weeks after news that Universal Music, Warner Music and Sony Music were in talks to potentially settle their billion-dollar lawsuit against Udio, a country singer named Tony Justice is filing his own case against the company in Manhattan federal court. Seeking to represent “thousands” of other independent artists in a class action, Justice says the earlier lawsuit filed by the Big Three won’t adequately protect the interests of musicians who aren’t signed to a major label deal.
(Source: Billboard, June 16, 2025) [Subscription required]
Read More >
Why Disney and Universal Suing Midjourney Will Change Hollywood
There are several ways the lawsuit unfolds. The most obvious is the way of most lawsuits — with a settlement. In this scenario, Midjourney (and no doubt other AI model operators) pay the studios for their infringement and strike a deal to keep on licensing. (They’re never going to yank studio fare from their models – by the executives’ own words the models would collapse without Big Content.) So AI models keep getting trained on, and spitting our facsimiles of, Hollywood material.
(Source: The Hollywood Reporter, June 12, 2025)
Read More >
SAG-AFTRA Ends Video Game Actors Strike
SAG-AFTRA has called an end to the more-than-300-day video game actors strike after reaching a tentative deal for a new Interactive Media Agreement with the major video game companies. The actors union said in a statement on June 11, “Pursuant to the authority previously delegated by the National Board, with the advice and consent of the Interactive Media Agreement (IMA) Negotiating Committee, National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland officially suspends the strike against the companies signatory to the Interactive Media Agreement.
(Source: Variety, June 11, 2025)
Read More >
Secretly Group Acquires 50 Percent Stake in Merge Records
Secretly Group, the indie label group whose companies include Dead Oceans, Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar, has acquired a 50 percent stake in fellow influential indie label Merge Records, the companies announced on Tuesday. Financial details of the new deal weren’t disclosed. Secretly’s co-founders Ben Swanson, Chris Swanson, Darius Van Arman and Phil Waldorf purchased the stake, while Mac McCaughan, also a member of beloved indie band Superchunk, is expected to remain in his role as label president and head of A&R. Christina Rentz, Merge’s label director, will maintain her current role, the companies said, along with Merge marketing director Jamie Beck and head of digital Wilson Fuller. Merge’s co-founder and co-president Laura Ballance, also bass player in Superchunk, is leaving the music business.
(Source: The Hollywood Reporter, June 10, 2025)
Read More >
CAA Accuses Range Media Partners of Stealing Trade Secrets in Agency Battle
CAA added a barrage of new allegations to a lawsuit against a rival firm on June 8, alleging that former employees illegally accessed CAA databases and stole trade secrets when they left to form Range Media Partners in 2020. CAA first sued Range last fall, claiming the firm was built on deceit and betrayal. In an amended complaint filed Monday, the agency says it has since uncovered “documents, photographs, and video footage” through discovery that “reveal the depth of Range’s dishonesty.”
(Source: Variety, June 9, 2025)
Read More >
Warner Bros. Discovery to Split Into Two: Streaming and Studios, Global Networks
Hollywood conglomerate Warner Bros. Discovery on Monday made it official, unveiling plans to separate the company, in a tax-free transaction, into two publicly traded companies, “enabling each to maximize its potential.” The Streaming & Studios company will consist of Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, DC Studios, HBO, and HBO Max, as well as their legendary film and television libraries. The second business, Global Networks, will include such entertainment, sports and news television brands around the world as CNN, TNT Sports in the U.S., and Discovery, free-to-air channels across Europe, and digital products such as the profitable Discovery+ streaming service and Bleacher Report (B/R).
(Source: The Hollywood Reporter, June 9, 2025)
Read More >
Penn State, UCLA Take Private Equity Funding Deal With Elevate
Penn State and UCLA have become the inaugural partners in Elevate’s newly unveiled $500 million College Investment Initiative, according to three individuals familiar with the situation. Accordingly, the two Big Ten institutions have emerged as the first known universities to formally embrace private capital as a means of funding their athletic departments—signaling a significant milestone in the growing convergence of institutional capital and intercollegiate athletics. Elevate formally introduced its college sports fund on June 9, revealing that two universities had already committed, but withholding their names. The fund is backed by private equity firm Velocity Capital Management and the Texas Permanent School Fund, a special-purpose government corporation that supports the state’s schools. In a telephone interview, Elevate chief business officer Jonathan Marks declined to confirm the schools, but said they would be announced in the coming weeks along with potentially others.
(Source: Sportico, June 9, 2025)
Read More >
New York Kills Ticket Resale Restrictions
The original New York Senate ticketing Bill S8221 and Assembly Bill A8659 were introduced by Democratic Representatives Carroll, Kelles, Rosenthal, and Gallagher. In the State Senate, it was introduced by Democratic Senator Skoufis. The bills would have established refund rights and put strong restrictions on speculative tickets. Also included were some artist controls on resale and a cap on ticket fees in larger venues.
(Source: Hypebot, June 9, 2025)
Read More >
Clearinghouse Denial of NIL Deals to Be Limited by Arbitration
One of the more controversial features of the approved House settlement is a clearinghouse review of NIL deals that exceed $600 to ensure they are legitimately about use of an athlete’s right of publicity and not veiled payments to convince an athlete to attend and remain at a school. Some have speculated that the denial of proposed NIL deals will motivate athletes and the businesses with whom they seek to partner to sue the clearinghouse, and perhaps other defendants. Possible claims could include alleged violations of state NIL statutes, tortious interference with prospective NIL contracts and suppression of economic opportunities as protected by state and federal antitrust laws . There’s an important factor being overlooked: The role of arbitration, which will make it far more difficult for an athlete or a company with which the athlete seeks to sign an NIL deal to wage a successful lawsuit.
(Source: Sportico, June 8, 2025)
Read More >
Sony Music Publishing Acquires Hipgnosis Songs Group, Including Songs by Sabrina Carpenter, One Direction & More
Sony Music Publishing has acquired Hipgnosis Songs Group, multiple sources confirmed to Billboard. Emails obtained by Billboard under the subject line “Update from Sony Music Publishing” said that the company “has entered into an agreement with Recognition Music Group (‘RMG’) to acquire its subsidiary Hipgnosis Songs Group (‘HSG’), effective immediately.” Hipgnosis Songs Group is one of the companies considered to be under the umbrella of Recognition Music, formerly known as Hipgnosis — which also included Hipgnosis Songs Fund and Hipgnosis Song Management — and is the subsidiary that has housed Big Deal Music and its administration business since the company acquired Big Deal in 2020.
(Source: Billboard, June 8, 2025) [Subscription required]
Read More >
What Does the NCAA Settlement Mean for College Sports? We Answer the Burning Questions
After nearly five years of litigation, a federal judge on the night of Friday, June 6 granted final approval to a settlement of three athlete-compensation antitrust cases against the NCAA and the Power Five conferences that is now set to fundamentally change college sports. Unless altered on appeal, the arrangement will allow — though not require — schools to directly pay their athletes for the use of their name, image and likeness (don’t call it pay for play), subject to an annual cap based on a percentage of a defined set of Power Five athletics department revenues. These payments could begin July 1. Current and former athletes, over a 10-year period, will receive shares of $2.8 billion in damages (as will the lawyers who represented them).
(Source: USA Today, June 7, 2025)
Read More >
Blumhouse Acquiring ‘Saw’ Rights From Twisted Pictures
In a deal that will bring James Wan back in touch with the mega horror IP he created, we hear from several sources that Blumhouse is acquiring the perspective rights to Twisted Pictures’ portion of the Saw franchise. In short, Blumhouse essentially is taking over the IP’s ownership from Twisted’s Mark Burg and Oren Koules. Lionsgate will continue to be involved as a partner and, in fact, owns 50% of the franchise.
(Source: Deadline Hollywood, June 4, 2025)
Read More >
AMC Networks Inks Deal With AI Company Runway
AMC Networks is the latest entertainment entity — and the first cable player — to formally make a deal with emerging Hollywood generative artificial intelligence player Runway, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. AMC will use the New York firm’s tech both to generate marketing images and help pre-visualize shows that have yet to be produced. “It’s kind of a natural transition for every entertainment and media company; they need to think through what AI means for them,” Runway co-founder Cristóbal Valenzuela told THR when asked about the AMC partnership. “This is the most important tech of their lifetime — it’s a make-or-break moment.”
(Source: The Hollywood Reporter, June 4, 2025)
Read More >
The Panthers Raised Season Ticket Prices 36.5%—and Fans Kept Buying
In the run-up to this NHL season, the defending champion Florida Panthers raised season ticket renewal prices by 36.5%. It was a “testing the market” move by the franchise, according to chief revenue officer Shawn Thornton, who said fans responded with a renewal rate of more than 91%.
(Source: Sportico, June 3, 2025)
Read More >
Taylor Swift’s Catalog Sees Huge Gains Following Masters Purchase Revelation
Taylor Swift’s many fans celebrated the pop superstar finally purchasing the masters of her Big Machine albums (the first six studio albums in her discography) by throwing a consumption party, flooding digital services to download more of her albums and stream more of her songs. In the aftermath of her 11:30am ET announcement on May 30, early data reveals that the U.S. activity around her complete catalog — both the six albums released by Big Machine and her subsequent albums and re-recordings on Republic — jumped to averaging nearly 35,000 album consumption units for that day and Saturday, May 31, a 55.1% increase, from the average daily activity in the prior 12-day period, when her catalog average 20,000 units, according to preliminary data from Luminate. In fact, Saturday’s numbers were even bigger than Friday’s performance for the overall Swift catalog as the celebration apparently picked up steam among the Swifties.
(Source: Billboard, June 3, 2025) [Subscription required]
Read More >
Where Did the $750 Million Go? Hollywood Incentive Bill Passes CA Senate Without Newsom’s Pledge
Legislation aimed at modernizing and expanding California’s program that provides subsidies to film and TV productions has passed the California Senate, though this version of the bill doesn’t commit to increasing the cap from $330 million to $750 million a year. The near unanimous vote was 34 to one, with the only dissent coming from Sen. Roger Niello (R-Sacramento). The bill, which now heads to the state Assembly for consideration, would vastly boost subsidies to shoot in the state to at least 35 percent while expanding the category of productions that qualify to include shorter TV shows, animated titles and certain types of unscripted projects.
(Source: The Hollywood Reporter, June 3, 2025)
Read More >
U.S. Performing Rights Are Broken and Unreasonable, Says NIVA
The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) says that U.S. performing rights are broken and is demanding change. The comments came in a new letter filed with the Copyright Office which is investigating U.S. Performing Rights Organizations (PROs). The investigation of ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and other PROs is at the behest of Congress and organizations representing venues and songwriters.
(Source: Hypebot, June 3, 2025)
Read More >
Major Labels in Licensing Talks With A.I. Companies Suno & Udio Amid Blockbuster Lawsuit
Universal Music, Warner Music and Sony Music are in talks with Udio and Suno to license their music to the artificial intelligence startups, Billboard has confirmed, in deals that could help settle blockbuster lawsuits over AI music. A year after the labels filed billion-dollar copyright cases against Udio and Suno, all three majors are discussing deals in which they would collect fees and receive equity in return for allowing the startups to use music to train their AI models, according to sources with knowledge of the talks. Bloomberg first reported the news on Sunday. If reached, such deals would help settle the litigation and establish an influential precedent for how AI companies pay artists and music companies going forward, according to the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss the talks freely.
(Source: Billboard, June 2, 2025) [Subscription required]
Read More >
The New York Times Strikes AI Licensing Deal With Amazon
The agreement will also allow Times content to be used to train Amazon’s proprietary foundation AI models. The agreement covers news editorial, cooking, and The Athletic, and would bring that content to devices such as Alexa. “The collaboration will make The New York Times’ original content more accessible to customers across Amazon products and services, including direct links to Times products, and underscores the companies’ shared commitment to serving customers with global news and perspectives within Amazon’s AI products,” the company said in announcing the deal.
(Source: The Hollywood Reporter, May 29, 2025)
Read More >
We Made a Film With AI. You’ll Be Blown Away—and Freaked Out.
Welcome to the premiere of “My Robot & Me.” Please silence your phones, chew your popcorn quietly and remember: Every visual you’re about to see was generated with AI. Most of the audio too, except my voice. Some of it’s totally wild. You won’t believe that no real cameras were used. Some of it, you’ll laugh at, because it’s clearly not real. I promise you, I did not have facial reconstructive surgery between scenes. But enough from me. Hopefully by now you’ve watched the film above, complete with its behind-the-scenes look. Just come back—we’ve got some lessons to share.
(Source: The Wall Street Journal, May 28, 2025) [Subscription required]
Read More >
Live Nation Is Devouring Live Music, Says Wall Street Journal
Live Nation is devouring live music and the live music industry, according to the Wall Street Journal. The company’s “flywheel” approach fueled its rise and could lead to its breakup as the Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit continues. Live Nation‘s flywheel approach to business involves controlling and profiting from the many elements that make up a live concert. That can include promoting the concert, owning or managing the venue and selling tickets via its subsidiary Ticketmaster. The flywheel can also include managing the artists performing to investing in the show’s exclusive bottled water provider Liquid Death.
(Source: Hypebot, May 27, 2025)
Read More >
New CRB Streaming Royalty Rates Under Web VI Are a Big Win for Artists
In a landmark development for recording artists, the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) has proposed new royalty rates under the “Web VI” proceeding, covering the period 2026 through 2030. These rates govern how much commercial broadcasters must pay for streaming sound recordings under the statutory licenses set forth in Sections 112 and 114 of the U.S. Copyright Act.
(Source: Hypebot, May 27, 2025)
Read More >
Beastie Boys Settle 'Sabotage' IP Suit With Chili's Owner
The Beastie Boys have reached a settlement in their copyright infringement suit in New York federal court against Chili's owner Brinker International Inc., which was accused of using one of the rap group's songs, "Sabotage," in social media marketing without permission. According to a joint letter Wednesday, the Beastie Boys and Brinker's settlement is still being finalized and a dismissal motion is planned to be filed by July 7. Both sides asked the court to extend the deadline for Brinker to respond to the suit, which was filed in July 2024, to July 7. In their suit, the Beastie Boys alleged that Brinker started using their 1994 hit song "Sabotage" on social media to promote Chili's in November 2022. The Beastie Boys claimed a posted video used the song and featured three characters who resembled the group and wore "obvious '70s-style wigs, fake mustaches, and sunglasses."
(Source: Law360, May 22, 2025) [Subscription required]
Read More >
Planning to Attend FIFA World Cup 2026 in the U.S.? Now Is the Time to Apply for Your Visa
According to the timelines given by the US Department of State, wait times for B-1/B-2 tourist visa appointments are significantly long. US has been struggling to cut the visa wait times, that first spiked during the covid pandemic. Since then, the US government has taken multiple sections to help reduce the delay in getting visa appointments.
(Source: The Economic Times, May 22, 2025)
Read More >
Why Europe’s Pioneering AI Legislation Has the Music Business Worried: ‘Make or Break Moment’
When the European Parliament passed sweeping new laws governing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) last March, the “world first” legislation was hailed as an important victory by music executives and rights holders. Just over one year later — and with less than three months until the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act is due to come fully into force — those same execs say they now have “serious concerns” about how the laws are being implemented amid a fierce lobbying battle between creator groups and big tech. “[Tech companies] are really aggressively lobbying the [European] Commission and the [European] Council to try and water down these provisions wherever they can,” John Phelan, director general of international music publishing trade association ICMP, tells Billboard. “The EU is at a junction and what we’re trying to do is try to push as many people [as possible] in the direction of: ‘The law is the law’. The copyright standards in there are high. Do not be afraid to robustly defend what you’ve got in the AI Act.”
(Source: Billboard, May 21, 2025) [Subscription required]
Read More >
Fortnite Approved by Apple, Returns to U.S. App Store 5 Years After Removal
Apple approved the Epic Games title Fortnite on Tuesday, returning the first-person shooter game to the App Store in the U.S., five years after its removal. Fortnite was kicked off the App Store in 2020 after Epic updated its game over the web to take payments directly, instead of through Apple’s in-app payment mechanism, which takes fees up to 30%. The move angered Apple and kicked off a years-long legal battle.
(Source: CNBC, May 20, 2025)
Read More >
Georgia Maintains Status as Top Production Hub in the Face of Industry Slowdowns
The consistent and sustained growth in filming and infrastructure Georgia has experienced over the last 17 years is unmatched by any other region in the United States, but the state is not immune to the problems facing other domestic production hubs. The industry absorbed repeated hits to the body — a global pandemic, then the double whammy of WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes followed by decline in film and TV shoots many are now referring to as the “Great Contraction” — causing Georgia production spend to drop from $4.4 billion in fiscal year 2022 to $2.6 billion in fiscal year 2024.
(Source: Variety, May 16, 2025)
Read More >
The theory is, art lives by limitation. You develop the theme, you can go backward, forward, stretch it out. But don't keep bringing in more material.
—
Trey Anastasio
