The IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry), together with Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group, has initiated legal proceedings in Canada against the developers of Musi, a music streaming app that allegedly built an audience of tens of millions without securing direct licences from right holders.
Musi drew attention in 2024 for operating as a fully functional streaming service while sourcing its catalogue from YouTube, rather than negotiating deals with labels and publishers. The app was removed from Apple’s App Store in October 2024, but it continues to work for anyone who installed it before the takedown. By early 2024, the app had been downloaded at least 66 million times.
The lawsuit, filed by the IFPI, its national affiliate Music Canada, Sony Music, and UMG, describes Musi as a “parasitic” service. The plaintiffs claim the app deliberately circumvents technical protections deployed by YouTube to prevent unauthorized access, thereby depriving artists and right holders of income.
“deliberately circumventing the technical protections put in place by YouTube in order to steal content from the service and therefore denying artists and right holders income that is legally theirs.”
