MBW Explains

Indie labels question if record companies’ share of streaming royalties is ‘undervalued’ vs. music publishers’ slice of the pie

A new report from indie label group IMPALA asks if recorded music should have seen its share of the streaming pie grow faster

Bill Ackman thinks there’s a lot of growth ahead for Universal Music Group. These analysts agree.

Ahead of Universal's Q1 results tomorrow, a number of Wall Street watchers are reiterating their faith in music's biggest company

Why did Universal ask YouTube to take down an AI-generated Eminem ‘cat-rap’ track?

On this occasion, UMGs concern was with the music, rather than with the AI vocals, say MBW sources

Could Robert Kyncl’s ‘multiplier’ plan improve the way artists are paid from music streaming?

Speaking to Morgan Stanley, the Warner Music Group chief outlined a model that would reward certain artists more than others on streaming platforms

The major record companies release around 3,900 tracks every day. Their problem? That’s a drop in the ocean.

The major music companies release only 4% of the daily deluge of tracks hitting audio and video streaming services, new data shows.

Goldman Sachs predicted the global recorded music biz would generate $27.9bn in 2022. It didn’t. Here’s why.

We're sorry. We're going to talk currency models. It's kinda important.

In a shock move, Meta has pulled music by Italian songwriters from its platforms. Is this connected to Mark Zuckerberg’s ‘Year of Efficiency’?

A mega dispute is brewing in Italy between music publishers and Mark Zuckerberg's Meta

Universal’s music catalog spending has shrunk dramatically over the past two years. Why?

A dive into the reasons why Universal's spending on catalog rights has reduced by 61 percent since its 2020 billion-dollar splurge

Taylor Swift’s recorded music generated more money globally than any other artist in 2022

MBW explains why Bad Bunny didn't make the Top 3 - despite having the biggest streaming album by far in the US last year

TikTok’s bust-up with the major music companies is starting to simmer.

Following big news about Snoop Dogg and ARIA's condemnation, will TikTok be able to dodge the crosshairs of Ron DeSantis?

Universal is investigating new royalty payout models for streaming. Which one will it choose?

MBW Explains is a series of analytical features in which we explore the context behind major music industry talking points – and suggest what might happen next…