Global Music Rights has settled its copyright infringement lawsuit against Music Choice, ending a dispute over the alleged unauthorized performance of 95 songs after the two companies' license lapsed. The case was dismissed with prejudice on August 7, according to a joint stipulation filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California, barring GMR from bringing the same claims again.
GMR filed the complaint June 8, alleging Music Choice kept performing catalog songs, including Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" and "Dancing in the Dark" and Billie Eilish and Finneas's "Bad Guy" and "What Was I Made For?," after its license lapsed December 31, 2025. The PRO sought the statutory maximum of $150,000 per composition, roughly $14.25 million in total, plus a permanent injunction and legal costs. Neither the settlement's financial terms nor any new licensing arrangement were disclosed.
"We only turn to litigation as a last resort," GMR general counsel Emio Zizza said when announcing the suit in June, adding that copyright law is clear that licensed works cannot be performed without payment, and that services holding a GMR license "deserve the benefit of that license."
The Music Choice case was GMR's fifth infringement suit since October 2022, following actions against Red Wolf Broadcasting, One Putt Broadcasting, Southern Stone Communications and Vermont Broadcast Associates; none of the four earlier cases reached trial, and each settled with the defendant entering a long-term GMR license. Music Choice, based in Horsham, Pennsylvania and owned by a consortium including Sony Corporation of America, Charter Communications, Comcast, Cox Communications and Microsoft, has operated for close to four decades.
GMR, founded in 2013 by Irving Azoff and Randy Grimmett, represents just over 175 songwriters and is one of four performing rights organizations in the US alongside ASCAP, BMI and SESAC; the company was valued at $3.3 billion in a 2024 deal with private equity firm Hellman & Friedman. Jeff Toig was promoted from chief business officer to CEO in January 2026, with Grimmett moving up to executive chairman.
The facts
- The case covered 95 songs and was dismissed with prejudice on August 7
- GMR filed the complaint on June 8
- Music Choice's license with GMR lapsed December 31, 2025
- GMR sought damages up to $150,000 per song, about $14.25 million total
- Named works included Springsteen's Born to Run and Eilish's Bad Guy
- It was GMR's fifth infringement suit since October 2022, and none of the four earlier cases reached trial
- GMR represents just over 175 songwriters and was valued at $3.3 billion in a 2024 deal
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