Analysis News The 21 biggest music business deals of 2024: From Irving Azoff to Daddy Yankee, Hipgnosis, and Queen. The year's biggest deals were dominated by private equity, securitization of music assets, and some blockbuster acquisitions by Sony Music
Analysis News Live Nation just majority-acquired a Hollywood influencer management company. Here’s why that matters. Company currently represents 25 clients, who, together, have nearly 200 million combined social media followers
Analysis News From Drake’s legal action to Spotify execs’ big cash-out… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-Up The biggest stories from the past week – all in one place…
Analysis Spotify paid Warner Music Group $1.16bn in FY 2024. (That’s around the same amount the streamer’s execs have cashed out in stock this year.) Warner's financial filings reveal Spotify's contribution to the company's revenues in the 12 months to end of September
Analysis News Key Spotify executives have cashed out more than $1 billion in stock this year… including $283 million for Daniel Ek. Following a series of blockbuster earnings reports, Spotify's stock is trading near all-time highs
Analysis News The Orchard inks global distribution deal with prominent Zagreb-based independent label, Croatia Records Company is led by Director Želimir Babogredac and formerly known as Jugoton
Analysis News From Amazon Music’s audiobook bundle to WMG’s subscription streaming growth… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-Up The biggest stories from the past week – all in one place…
Analysis News Robert Kyncl talks streaming growth, ‘bolt-on acquisitions’, and Elliot Grainge… Everything we learned on Warner's calendar Q3 earnings call...
Analysis News Warner Music achieves fourth straight quarter of double-digit subscription streaming growth as calendar Q3 revenues hit $1.63bn Warner Music Group has published its financial results
Analysis Spotify gains profitability… but loses the argument. MBW founder Tim Ingham on Spotify's new-found profit margin, its relationship with songwriters, and Netflix
Analysis News ‘Super-Premium’ music subscription tiers coming in 2025, and 3 other things we learned from Universal Music’s Boyd Muir at the Morgan Stanley conference UMG has 1,300 stores in its direct-to-consumer business, and the profit margins are huge
Analysis News Shazam tops 100 billion song recognitions since launch Shazam notes that’s equivalent to 12 songs identified for every person on Earth
Analysis News Amazon Music to bundle Audiobooks from Audible – and unlike Spotify’s bundling move, publishers say it won’t decrease revenue for songwriters Audible’s library includes a US catalog of more than 1 million audiobooks
Analysis Generative AI opt-outs are unfair and unworkable. Let’s drop the pretense that they’re some sort of compromise. The following MBW Views op/ed comes from Ed Newton-Rex, CEO of the ethical generative AI non-profit, Fairly Trained
Analysis News Universal Music Group’s stake in Spotify is now worth $3 billion. Is it time to sell? With Spotify's share price at an all time high, UMG and Sony jointly own more than $5 billion in stock