Chris Cooke

CMU, ThreeWeeks Edinburgh, ThisWeek Culture, Pathways Into Music, Setlist, Dissecting The Digital Dollar, Music Copyright Explained

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

I'm slightly confused about what criteria the staff at my local Sainsbury's employ when deciding which products to put these stickers on. Is porridge theft a big problem in Leyton right now? Maybe it is. Though given these stickers never seem to set off any alarms, I'm not sure why they bother at all.

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

So, should AI-generated works be protected by copyright? That debate is happening in various forums around the world, including this interesting case in the Canadian courts in which the music publishers have just intervened. Read my CMU report on that here: https://t.co/LpTMNMO32N

No AI was involved in writing this post, by the way, just good old fashioned human 'creativity', so it's definitely protected by copyright.

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

Caro has recommended another nine shows happening at this year's Edinburgh Festival - including historical shows, biographical shows and football themed shows. You can find out more here: https://t.co/S6UBdqyW2F

And if you're not going to the Festival but live in London, most of this week's London culture tips are basically Edinburgh previews: https://t.co/1PfmEIcQuW

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

I used the Lioness Line for the first time yesterday and here's what I learned. Lesson one: when the sign on the Euston concourse says WAIT, it might mean wait FOREVER, as the train I was aiming for arrived and departed without a platform number ever being announced while we all stood WAITING on the concourse. Lesson two: Ignore the sign, go to platform nine.

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

I'm at Harrow Arts Centre where we are delivering a one-day version of our Educator Pathway Programme for music instrument teachers and tutors in this part of the world, hosted by Harrow Music Service. Lots of great questions and discussions as always - and my top five music copyright facts shared with another group of educators.

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

One final reminder just before the schools break up for the summer, we're presenting an edition of our Educator Pathways Weekend in October - it's our free in-person professional development programme from Pathways Into Music open to anyone involved in music education across the UK. If you or anyone you know is interested in applying for a place, do fill in the application form ASAP - info here: https://t.co/SgFs8dTlBa

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

I totally forgot to take any photos at the UK Music Summer Party earlier this week, so thought I'd just grab some pictures off the @UK_Music socials on the basis these are things I definitely saw happen (with thanks to photographer Ben Broomfield).

Lots of very interesting conversations on the night, including a brief discussion about the intersection of the music industry and the funerals business which, I have to say, is the conversation I've been thinking about the most since Monday evening!

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

Yes, it's that time of year when Caro starts recommending Edinburgh Festival shows in handy sets of three. Which can only mean the Edinburgh Festival is now very close indeed (so close in fact, I've even got round to booking my travel). You can read Caro's first Three To See recommendations on the ThreeWeeks website here: https://t.co/S6UBdqztSd

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

This is a complicated story to report on, but I had a good go at it this week. I like to talk about this debate from time to time because - after much effort - I now pretty much always remember how to pronounce the word 'reciprocity' on first try and I need a reason to employ that talent. And 'reciprocity' just doesn't come up as often as 'equitable remuneration'. Anyway, here's my CMU report: https://t.co/dm1uNBAHDQ

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

Among the Bonnie Tyler tributes in my feeds this week was a mention of this rather marvellous Telstar compilation, which I've been listening to this morning. And yes, it does come with a criminally short 4 minutes 45 seconds radio edit of 'Bat Out Of Hell', but other than that, it's a very fine record.

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

While wandering down the South Bank yesterday it occurred to me that I'm always taking photos of the Thames from Blackfriars Station, but I have never taken a photo of Blackfriars Station from the Thames. Until now! Not quite in the Thames, but on a jetty, so almost.

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

First trip to Parliament this year that didn't involve standing in a massive long queue to get in. Has the Burnham effect already made things more efficient? It certainly hasn't made it more air-conned. Anyway, I was in Parliament today for the Creative UK Summer Reception, where it launched a creative industries 'advocacy toolkit' and ERA unveiled its Manifesto For Cultural High Streets.

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

Despite the very best efforts of TextEdit to autocorrect 'Dupri' to either 'Duper' or 'Drupe', I think I managed to spell Jermaine Dupri's name correct every single time he is mentioned in this CMU report on his $18 million royalties lawsuit against Sony Music. I consider that today's main success. Here is that CMU report: https://t.co/fDLgGcFFLt

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

Here's another random Edinburgh photo from my iPhone, jazzed up with some equally random AI - though it's a slightly less predictable view this time I think. I'll be in Edinburgh this time next month reviewing shows at the Fringe - and if you or anyone you know is also interested in reviewing shows for ThreeWeeks this August, then there is still time to apply to join our review team, info here: https://t.co/Dg5wIpw2Gy

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

A few years ago in one of our reports for IMPALA we identified several different groups of people who were likely involved in the multi-layered problem that is streaming fraud, each with different motivations, some within the music industry, some outside of it.

And now we may need to add another group - people who have an interest in boosting the streams of certain tracks because of bets they've made on a prediction market. So that's fun! Here's my CMU report on the new group: https://t.co/VwPjYIoG9S

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

We have lots of exciting Pathways Into Music projects in the pipeline, so I'm on my way to Brighton for a day of Pathways planning with Phil. And maybe a little gossiping. And maybe a chippy lunch. But, alas, due to some District Line shenanigans, I'm departing from London Bridge rather than Blackfriars. So no platform view of the Thames, just a big old Shard.

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

I know I can't expect normal people to get as excited about every single copyright dispute as me, but come on, this case could impact on an entire genre! Here's my CMU report on the latest developments in the 'dembow riddim' court battle: https://t.co/ZzAnU8oFHY

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

Another quick reminder about our next Educator Pathways Weekend – the free in-person professional development programme from Pathways Into Music open to anyone involved in music education – which is happening in October. We've had a great response so far, so if you or anyone you know is interested in applying for a place, do fill out the application form ASAP - apply here: https://t.co/kP6Xy8v8zP - if you've already applied, we'll be in touch very soon!

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

Ah yes, that time ten years ago this week when my copyright teaching took me all the way to Barbados - somehow the photos are still on my iPhone. I often think about this trip when discussing AI voice clones and how unique any one voice might be - because that's where I met a singer who'd been told by US music industry execs to "stop doing a Rihanna impression", when she was simply singing with a Bajan accent.

[Chris Cooke @ChrisUnLimited]

With this year's Edinburgh Festival now very much appearing on the horizon, these are all the people Caro has already interviewed about their Edinburgh Fringe 2026 shows. As July progresses our Edinburgh coverage will ramp up again, so if you're interested in all that, do sign up to our weekly email bulletin here: https://t.co/cj8mEuT0w5