Analysis On… TikTok, Merlin, and the awkward arranged marriage of music’s independent sector How the changing face of the 'non-major' music companies has made for some unusual bedfellows in indie-land
Analysis News Concord acquires mystery Latin Music catalog for $217m, after raising $850m in latest asset backed securities transaction Concord catalog now worth more than USD $5 billion, according to Kroll report
Interviews ‘We have to establish some rules before creativity is suppressed and the marketplace is flooded with AI-generated music.’ RIAA President & COO Michele Ballantyne looks back on her 20 years at the organization, the changes she's seen, the lessons she's learned and the battles she's still fighting
News The MLC nears $2.5bn in royalty distributions to songwriters and publishers since 2021 The MLC's royalty payout count has increased by $1bn in just one year
News Kids’ audio platform Yoto aims to double revenue with $15m funding package from HSBC Company's Yoto Player smart speaker uses physical cards to play audio content
News Spotify sponsors ultra-competitive category at Music Business UK awards World's leading streamer backs one of the biggies at next month's sold-out event
News Macron calls for fairer music streaming model after France imposes ‘music streaming tax’ The French president would like to see 'artists who have average followings' get paid more
News TikTok slashes hundreds of jobs globally as it shifts focus to AI content moderation (reports) Some 500 people are losing their jobs in Malaysia, along with potentially 125 layoffs in the UK
Analysis News From UMG’s lawsuit against Chili’s to Ticketmaster’s bot problem… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-Up The biggest stories from the past week – all in one place…
Analysis News Rob Stringer talks Queen, Michael Jackson, and Pink Floyd deals – plus TikTok – at Bloomberg event Stringer spoke to Lucas Shaw at Bloomberg's event in Los Angeles on Thursday
News Africa-focused streaming service Mdundo hits 37.8m monthly active users, as paid subscription revenue jumps 112% in local currency terms The company reported a revenue decline in fiscal 2023/24, amid weakness in African currencies
Analysis News Ticketmaster hit by ‘billions’ of bots in Oasis ticket sale, and 3 other things Michael Rapino said at Bloomberg’s Screentime event The Live Nation CEO criticized scalpers saying there shouldn't be "a middleman that has nothing invested in the business making any money from it."
News Downtown’s FUGA expands in ANZ region via new deal with Australia’s UNIFIED Music Group Partnership will bolster UNIFIED’s distribution and marketing capabilities, and provide neighbouring rights services
Analysis News Latin Music generated $685m in US recorded music revenues in the first half of 2024 – up 7% YoY The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has published its mid-year 2024 Latin Music Revenue Report
Analysis News ‘Works for hire’? Jury trial to decide if 2 Live Crew’s members, heirs have any right to its music 2 Live Crew's members and their heirs are fighting to take back the recording copyrights on the 1980s rap band's music
News Reservoir acquires producer royalties of Grammy winner Jack Douglas The acquisition includes hits by Aerosmith and Cheap Trick
News Warner Music Group acquires Amsterdam-based label Cloud 9 Recordings Cloud 9 Co-founder Raymond van Vliet to remain as President of Cloud 9 Recordings
News Spotify launches Free tier in South Korea Spotify launched in South Korea in February 2021 without its ad-supported tier