Universal Music Group and Sony Music Group have begun legal proceedings in Canada against the developers of Musi, a streaming app that sources music from YouTube without artist authorization. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and Music Canada are representing both labels in the action.
Musi features the same content as YouTube and YouTube Music but with fewer or no advertisements. Although the app was removed from Apple’s App Store in 2024 following copyright claims, users who previously installed it can still access it. The majors claim Musi illegally makes copyrighted material available to the public and deliberately circumvents technical protections on YouTube.
“We are serving notice on parasitic apps, which are designed specifically to exploit artists and their music, and undermine legitimate music services,” said IFPI CEO Victoria Oakley, adding that the action should be supported by direct action from app stores and streaming services affected by these apps.
The platform has charged users through subscriptions and advertising models while depriving artists of royalties and income, the labels argue. “This litigation sends a clear message that services designed to circumvent platform protections and exploit music without authorisation are not legitimate businesses,” said Music Canada CEO Patrick Rogers.
The action follows Music Canada’s earlier success in securing a court order from the Federal Court of Canada to block YouTube stream-ripping sites including Y2Mate, YTMP3 and Savefrom, which collectively count over 1.7 million monthly users.
Source: Billboard
