Musicbusinessworldwide.com
The ongoing clash between music publishers and tech giants over licensing and artificial intelligence has intensified once again, this time with Wixen Music Publishing dramatically expanding its lawsuit against Meta Platforms.
In a newly amended complaint filed in California federal court, Wixen has increased the number of songs allegedly infringed by Meta from 331 to 681 works, while boosting its requested statutory damages from nearly $50 million to more than $102 million. The publisher also claims the actual number of affected songs could surpass 1,000.
The legal dispute centers on the expiration of a licensing agreement between the two companies in December 2025. Wixen alleges that after the deal lapsed, Meta continued allowing users to incorporate music from the publisher’s catalog into content across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Reels without authorization or payment.
However, the updated filing goes far beyond copyright claims. Wixen now accuses Meta of damaging the company’s reputation during negotiations by allegedly telling artists, managers, labels and estates that Wixen itself was responsible for songs disappearing from Meta-owned platforms.
According to the complaint, Meta began removing music tied to certain Wixen clients while the licensing agreement was still active, then suggested to rights holders that the publisher had blocked or muted the songs. Wixen argues those claims were false and harmed its relationships within the music business, with some clients reportedly distancing themselves from the company as a result.
The lawsuit also revisits concerns surrounding artificial intelligence and the future of music licensing. Wixen alleges Meta is attempting to reduce payouts to songwriters while simultaneously investing heavily in AI-generated music technology, including its AudioCraft platform. The publisher claims the broader strategy is aimed at replacing licensed human-created music with royalty-free AI content.
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