Sony Music Group and Universal Music Group Take Legal Action Against Musi

Sony Music Group and Universal Music Group have filed legal proceedings in Canada against the developers of streaming app Musi, which sources music content from YouTube without authorization. The action is coordinated by IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry), representing the recorded industry worldwide, and its national group Music Canada.

Why:

• The action states that Musi is making copyright-protected sound recordings available to the public without authorization.

• IFPI says Musi is “a ‘parasitic’ service offering many of the features of licensed music streaming services while relying on unauthorised access to copyright-protected content on third-party platforms.”

• The claim states that Musi is deliberately circumventing the technical protections put in place by YouTube to “steal content from the service,” denying artists and rightsholders income.

• It profits from the content via advertising on the app and a subscription model.

• The legal move comes alongside a call from the recorded music industry for action to tackle the operations and availability of such apps.

Previous ban:

• Musi was removed from Apple’s App Store in September 2024 following complaints from rightsholders and YouTube, but remains accessible to users who previously downloaded the app.

• A 2024 report by Music Business Worldwide declared the Musi app had been downloaded 66 million times since its launch in 2013.

• Musi sued Apple in 2024 in relation to its removal from the App Store, but the lawsuit was dismissed earlier this year.

What they said:

• Victoria Oakley, CEO of IFPI: “We are serving notice on parasitic apps, which are designed specifically to exploit artists and their music, and undermine legitimate music services. Musi and similar illegal services have no place in today’s music ecosystem which is built on the premise of empowering innovation through licensing. This legal action is an important step, and we hope it will be further supported by effective, direct action from the mobile app stores and the music services being directly exploited by these apps.”