Irving Azoff’s GMR Resolves Licensing Beef with Music Choice

Photo Credit: Global Music Rights

Irving Azoff’s Global Music Rights has ended its $14 million licensing suit against Music Choice. Both sides seemingly reached a swift resolution.

Back in June, U.S. performance rights collective Global Music Rights (GMR) sued TV music service Music Choice for “willful copyright infringement” when it kept playing GMR’s catalog after licensing expired. Now, that case has been dismissed, with both sides apparently reaching a swift resolution.

The initial complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, stated that Music Choice was a licensee for years until it suddenly let its license expire. At that point, Music Choice claimed it would stop using GMR’s catalog, but it failed to do so—while also failing to renew its license.

GMR claimed that it was only turning to litigation “as a last resort” and made “multiple good-faith license renewal offers,” but Music Choice rejected them all.

“Even after receiving formal notice of its unauthorized status and infringement notices from GMR’s outside counsel,” Music Choice “kept performing GMR songs without authorization,” the lawsuit read.

The company sought a permanent injunction to prevent further infringement as well as maximum statutory damages of $150,000 per infringed work, or around $14.25 million.

Now, two months later, the entire lawsuit has been dismissed, as both parties have reached a resolution. That’s excellent news for Music Choice, which has previously faced litigation over royalties, including a case in 2019 filed by SoundExchange.

Global Music Rights was founded in 2013 by Irving Azoff and represents over 175 songwriters and their publishers. These include Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Jimmy Buffett, John Mayer, Billie Eilish and Finneas, Smokey Robinson, Drake, The Who, The Eagles, and Bruno Mars. It is one of four performance rights organizations operating in the United States, along with ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC.

Irving Azoff has founded numerous labels and ventures throughout his career, including Full Moon Records, Giant Records, and Giant Music. He is the chairman and CEO of Azoff MSG Entertainment, a venture with James Dolan’s Madison Square Garden Company. Prior to that, he was chairman and CEO of Ticketmaster and was executive chairman of Live Nation Entertainment, as well as the CEO of Front Line Management, of which he is still chairman.