News YouTube just generated $5bn from ads in a single quarter – and YouTube Music has over 30m subscribers Alphabet video platform looks in contention to generate $18bn from ads this year
Analysis Spotify is testing price rises and paying labels billions – but, in alarming news for investors, it appears to have a subscriber problem in emerging markets (update) MBW digs into the numbers behind Spotify's newly-announced Q3 results – and discovers a surprising failure in the company's mission to grow everywhere
News Spirit Music Group sells B-Unique catalog to rival Concord for ‘strategic, one-time tax reason’ Deal does not include songs signed after Spirit B-Unique JV was formed in 2015
Analysis News Sony ups its annual Music revenue forecast by over $500m… during a pandemic Firm's recorded music streaming revenues grew by over $120m in the three months to end of September
News Tencent buys stake in AI-driven A&R scouting specialist Instrumental Chinese giant acquires minority stake in UK-based firm used by all three major music companies
Interviews BMG on its expansion into live music: ‘This is the opposite of a 360 deal.’ Dominique Casimir on music right's company's surprise acquisition in Germany, and its future ambitions in the concert space
Analysis News In tough year for merch sales, Bravado CEO exits Universal Music Group Stat Of The Week: Universal Music Group had its best ever quarter in Q3 2020, generating over $2bn... despite its merch division seeing revenues fall 44.4% year-on-year
Interviews Round Hill: Our $375m IPO will be good news for songwriters Josh Gruss and Neil Gillis on their new public fund, Hipgnosis – and the future of music rights ownership
News BMG expands into live music, buying majority stake in German concert promoter Undercover CEO Hartwig Masuch explained last month that super-fan data was a big reason behind his interest in live
Analysis News Universal Music Group just generated over a billion dollars from streaming in a single quarter… during a global pandemic Vivendi-owned company has already posted over $400m more from streaming in 2020 than it did at the same stage of 2019
News Universal Music Group will IPO in 2022, confirms Vivendi Music company parent puts firmer date on Universal's flotation plan
News Warner IPO saw group of senior execs share $593m result from long-term incentive plan Stock-based compensation realized for long-term employees following successful flotation on the Nasdaq
News Warner Music Group expects annual revenue to top $4.4bn in FY2020, with streaming up over $260m YoY In a nutshell, WMG is expecting a flat-ish year, with recorded music revenue slightly down and music publishing revenue slightly up
News Warner Music Group raises $250m in debt to fund future acquisitions (Update) New influx of money adds to WMG's $532m in cash and cash equivalents to boost spending power
News TuneCore has paid indie artists over $2bn to date – and is now paying them over $400m per year Fresh statistics shine a light on the growth of one of DIY distribution's biggest names