Analysis News From the bidding war for Hipgnosis Songs Fund to ByteDance’s battle for TikTok in the US… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe five biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days…
Analysis News ByteDance would rather shut TikTok in the US than sell if legal challenge against ban law fails (report)Citing sources, Reuters reports that TikTok's parent 'would prefer' to shut the app down in the US if court challenge is unsuccessful
Analysis News Epidemic Sound has courted controversy over its ‘buy-out deals’. Here’s exactly how the company pays artists…MBW Explains is a series of analytical features in which we explore the context behind major music industry talking points
Analysis News A new ‘music-only’ subscription tier is coming to Spotify, confirms Daniel Ek… and 4 other things we learned on the company’s latest earnings callSpotify is making good on its aim to become more than a music streaming service
Analysis News Concord isn’t giving up on Hipgnosis Songs Fund, as it bids $1.51 billion – less than 1% higher than Blackstone’s proposed offerHSF's board is unanimously recommending this offer to shareholders
Analysis News Believe generated $250 million in Q1, up 15.9% YoYParis-headquartered music company Believe has published its financial results for Q1 2024
Analysis Blog ‘Culture and Content are two cross-cutting descriptors that can help us signpost the commercial value gap between human-created and AI-generated works.’This op/ed comes from Sarah Williams, CEO of IMPEL, the international collective licensing agency representing digital music publishing rights
Analysis The risks of AI to music streaming services… according to Tencent Music EntertainmentTME is one of the most enthusiastic adopters of AI among music streaming companies, but it sees plenty of unknowns in the technology
Analysis News Latin music generated $1.4 billion in US recorded music revenues last year – up 16% YoYThe RIAA has published its Year-end Latin Music Report
Analysis News Spotify subscriber base grew by 3m to 239m in Q1, as company posts biggest ever quarterly profitSpotify posted a "quarterly high" operating income of €168 million ($182.41m)
Analysis Hipgnosis Song Management rubbishes criticism over its service to Hipgnosis Songs Fund – while warning it and Blackstone will deploy ‘all means necessary’ should HSF attempt to terminate its dealIt basically says... Hey, HSF board – don't even think about firing us. But just in case you do, know that Blackstone will come down on you like a ton of bricks.
Analysis News TikTok plots US court battle as divest-or-ban bill heads for Senate vote (reports)Legislation forcing ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban in the US has passed the House and is headed for a vote in the Senate
Analysis Blog Music tech entrepreneurship requires more than product-market fitThis op/ed comes from Vickie Nauman, Founder and CEO of LA-based boutique music tech consulting and advisory firm CrossBorderWorks
Analysis News From the NMPA’s criticism of Spotify’s bundling plans to Concord’s bid for Hipgnosis assets… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe five biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days…
Analysis Blog Yes… Udio’s output resembles copyrighted music, too.After playing with Suno, Ed Newton-Rex gets his hands on the next hottest new app in generative music AI, Udio