Welcome to Music Business Worldwide’s weekly round-up – where we make sure you caught the five biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days. MBW’s round-up is supported by Centtrip, which helps over 500 of the world’s best-selling artists maximize their income and reduce their touring costs.
One unexpected news item this week was the announcement that artist and producer Timbaland is joining generative AI company Suno as a strategic advisor, despite Suno being embroiled in a legal battle with the record majors over alleged unauthorized use of copyrighted music.
Maybe less unexpected was the news that, with the licensing deal between TikTok and Merlin set to expire, a major independent music company has signed its own deal with the social media platform. TikTok announced this week it has signed a direct multi-year deal with UnitedMasters.
In other news, SESAC Music Group acquired HAAWK, a media software and services company that offers full administration for YouTube‘s Content ID system, and Facebook/Instagram‘s Rights Manager platform.
Finally, MBW founder Tim Ingham offered some reasons for why Sony Music has spent an estimated $2 billion on the catalogs of Queen, Pink Floyd, and Michael Jackson. Hint: It has to do with streaming numbers for classic rock, and interest rates in Japan.
AI music generator Suno is one of the most controversial entities in the music business today.
In June, the $500 million company was sued by the major record companies, along with fellow AI firm Udio, for allegedly training their systems using the majors’ recordings without permission – an accusation they pretty much admitted to in court filings in August.
The legal headache and negative perception in the record industry don’t seem to have stopped one Grammy-winning artist and producer from working with the company.
Timbaland has formed an official partnership with Suno, joining the platform as a strategic advisor after what it says were “months” of him “being a top user of the platform”…
TikTok has announced that it has struck a multi-year direct deal with prominent indie artist services and distribution platform UnitedMasters.
One interesting aspect of this story: UnitedMasters is a Merlin member. MBW understands that UnitedMasters was licensed through Merlin until this deal.
The current blanket licensing deal between social media giant TikTok and independent music licensing group Merlin officially expires on October 31.
As reported earlier this month, TikTok recently scrapped re-licensing discussions with Merlin, blaming “operational challenges with Merlin in the past where music that is not quality controlled for copyright is delivered”…
SESAC Music Group has acquired HAAWK, a media software and services company specializing in copyright management and monetization for independent music, film, television, and video catalogs.
HAAWK (which stands for Helping All Assets With Knowledge) provides ‘full-service’ administration of YouTube’s Content ID system and Facebook’s Rights Manager platforms (including Instagram), and works with a number of record labels, publishers, and music rightsholder clients.
The company also operates a distribution service called Diistro and a Micro Sync Music Licensing platform called Keyframe Audio.
The deal for HAAWK marks the latest in a series of acquisitions for SESAC Music Group in recent years…
Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) Executive Vice President Jennifer Knoepfle has been promoted to Head of US A&R.
The news was announced on October 23 by UMPG Chairman & CEO Jody Gerson, to whom Knoepfle reports. Knoepfle will continue to be based in the company’s Santa Monica headquarters and serve as an EVP of the company.
UMPG says that in her elevated position, Knoepfle will expand the company’s US A&R team and lead its executives in “identifying, signing and nurturing new and developing songwriters, artists and producers, as well as creating and providing opportunities for legacy talent to enhance their artistry and careers”.
Knoepfle will also focus on growing UMPG’s “catalog of contemporary hits and iconic songs”…
Earlier this month, speaking to Bloomberg in Los Angeles, Sony Music Group boss Rob Stringer publicly verified for the first time that Sony has bought the catalogs of Queen and Pink Floyd (even if he didn’t confirm the price).
Stringer further confirmed that Sony recently acquired a stake in Michael Jackson’s catalog, a deal which is thought to encompass 50% of the King of Pop’s music rights portfolio.
If you believe industry whisperers (MBW included), Sony — backed by cash from Apollo — has cumulatively spent over $2 billion combined on MJ, Queen, and Pink Floyd.
So why did Stringer and Sony lay down such vast sums on these vintage catalogs? And, Jackson aside, why has Sony bet so big on ‘classic rock’ in an age when it’s far from the dominant genre on streaming services?
