Analysis Whether it’s Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, the music business has something to fear from the US election. They're AI-ting the dogs...
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 On… Irving Azoff, big money, and private equity’s lust for music’s collection societies MBW founder Tim Ingham on the most talked-about music biz story of the past few weeks
Analysis Universal Music Group just completed the $70m acquisition of Thailand’s second-biggest recorded music catalog… while suggesting many more M&A deals in ‘high-potential’ markets are on the way. Why Universal has hundreds of millions of dollars of cash to spend in these markets – and where it might splash that money
Analysis On… Oasis, Ticketmaster, ‘Dynamic’ pricing, Uber, money, and the truth. Music Business Worldwide founder, Tim Ingham, on the facts and the numbers behind the concert tour launch of the summer.
Analysis On… Elliot Grainge, major labels, megastars, and a new era at Atlantic Music Group MBW founder Tim Ingham on the most talked-about music biz story of the past few weeks
Analysis Warner Music Group just bucked the trend of streaming revenue growth slowdowns. How? Robert Kyncl explains why Warner was able to post double-digit streaming growth during a tricky time for the market
Analysis News On… the delicate power balance between Spotify and Universal Music Group (and why UMG might end up turning the screw on Spotify’s free tier). It's a complicated relationship – in which both parties need each other.
Analysis Blog News Indies are nibbling into the majors’ streaming market share. After Believe saga, how might Warner Music Group respond? This article originally appeared within the latest MBW+ Monthly Review email, issued exclusively to MBW+ subscribers
Analysis Blog Why Daniel Ek’s celebration of local artists is really anti-‘streaming tax’ spin MBW founder Tim Ingham on the real motivations behind the Spotify founder's LinkedIn applause for local artists in various nations
Analysis How Sony’s $6bn+ M&A splurge has set the pace for music acquisitions over the past decade Rob Stringer claimed last month that Sony has outstripped spending at other major companies
Analysis Hipgnosis Songs Fund’s catalog turned out to be worth more than a lot of people thought. In light of Blackstone's latest bid, MBW crunches the numbers on what HSF spent on assets... and what they're worth now
Analysis Spotify is playing a dangerous game… This article originally appeared within the latest MBW+ Monthly Review email, issued exclusively to MBW+ subscribers.
Analysis Taylor Swift has a laudable history of standing up to Big Tech in the name of artist compensation. By embracing TikTok in 2024, she’s broken ranks with that narrative. When Swift grappled with Apple in 2015, she noted that the fight was "not about me" – it was about other artists. The TikTok situation is the exact opposite.
Analysis 3 reasons why… Warner Music Group might be tempted to bid $1.8 billion for Believe Weighing up the positive differences an acquisition of Believe could make to WMG