The streaming music service Grooveshark has been a legal punching bag for almost the entire music industry, but the company has announced an agreement that will address at least one subset of its legal concerns. Grooveshark has signed a settlement and licensing deal with Sony / ATV Music Publishing that will put the legal battle between the two companies to rest, and will also see Sony / ATV's catalog added to Grooveshark's offerings. In a statement, Grooveshark CEO Sam Tarantino said that "We are excited to add Sony / ATV Music's impressive array of songwriters to our catalog further advancing our mission to empower creators with the best audio platform in the world."
Despite the lofty rhetoric, it's the second such deal that Grooveshark has had to strike in recent days. Earlier this month it signed a deal with EMI Music Publishing, staving off breach of contract and copyright violation claims. Grooveshark has drawn the ire of the music industry by — amongst other things — allowing users to upload their own music to share with others, even if it's copyrighted material. Grooveshark does pull files when served with DMCA takedown notices, but the battles have put the company in an increasingly fragile state. With players like Apple and Google getting into the streaming game with licensing agreements already in hand, it's unclear if there's room for a service like Grooveshark in an increasingly crowded marketplace.