Music Business News: North America

Spotify rolls out personalized in-app ‘Merch Hub’ based on users’ listening habits

With Merch Hub, all artist merchandise is consolidated in one place

Universal just launched a claims-free music subscription service for content creators with 50,000 tracks and 200,000 sound effects

The Universal Music for Creators service starts at $5.99 per month

The strategic reason HYBE’s Chairman wants to retire in 10 years, and 2 other things we learned from Bang Si-Hyuk’s recent interview

Bang Si-hyuk explained the logic behind HYBE's US expansion, the differences between the US and Korean music industries, and his retirement, in recent chat with Bloomberg

News

Edgar Bronfman Jr.’s $200m SPAC shuttered in August with no acquisition, 24 months after IPO

Bronfman is a partner at a separate investment company called Waverley Capital, which via its Waverley Capital II Fund has invested in companies such as Wondery and generative AI startup Endel

News

Citrin Cooperman reduces CRB III royalties windfall estimate for Hipgnosis Songs Fund by $11.8m, causing HSF board to halt October’s interim dividend

Reduction in calculation leaves HSF investors without an interim dividend, which was due to be paid on October 27

News

Google launches measures to safeguard generative AI users from copyright claims

Move arrives amid rising concerns surrounding potential IP infringement claims around the use of generative AI

Interviews

‘As a publisher, you can’t just sit around and wait for the money to roll in. We really have to be proactive.’

MBW's Inspiring Women series meets Ashley Winton, Senior Vice President, Global Creative Services at Warner Chappell Music

Analysis News

From Block’s HIFI acquisition to Warner’s buyout of E-Positive in India… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-Up

The five biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days