Analysis News What would happen if Spotify started charging a ‘modest fee’ for its ad-funded tier… or shut it down entirely?Music Business Worldwide runs the hypothetical numbers following Rob Stringer's suggestion of a modest fee on Spotify's ad tier
Analysis News Robert Kyncl turns up heat on PRO metadata matching, and other things we learned from his NMPA keynote in New YorkWarner boss was grilled by NMPA chief, David Israelite, at New York event this week
Analysis How Sony’s $6bn+ M&A splurge has set the pace for music acquisitions over the past decadeRob Stringer claimed last month that Sony has outstripped spending at other major companies
Analysis News Spotify’s bundle battle with songwriters dampens Reservoir’s earnings forecast for FY 2024Three things we learned from Reservoir’s latest earnings call
Analysis News Sony Music Group boss Rob Stringer talks acquisitions, artificial intelligence and how music streaming services should start charging free usersSony Music wants to see an end to free music subscriptions, and 5 other things we learned from its latest investor presentation
News Sony Music sues Marriott Hotels for alleged ‘rampant’ copyright infringement in social media postsSony alleges Marriott infringed works by Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Miley Cyrus and Shakira, among others
Analysis News TikTok is testing 60-minute videos. Could it expand into the lucrative live concert film business?YouTube, as well as the likes of Netflix and Spotify, will be watching the situation closely
Analysis Spotify is playing a dangerous game…This article originally appeared within the latest MBW+ Monthly Review email, issued exclusively to MBW+ subscribers.
Analysis News The train has left the station: AI music platform Udio is already spitting out 10 songs a SECONDYou might remember Udio: That’s the US-headquartered company co-created by ex-employees of Google’s DeepMind AI division
Analysis News Robert Kyncl talks Believe, M&A, India, superfans and more on WMG’s latest earnings callWMG says it's the only one of the major to grow market share in India and Sub-Saharan Africa last year
Analysis News Universal Music Group sees a future where 1 in 5 streamers pays for a ‘super-premium’ tier (and 3 other things we learned from UMG’s Q1 earnings call)MBW listened into UMG's Q1 earnings call. Here are a few things that stood out...
Analysis News A new ‘music-only’ subscription tier is coming to Spotify, confirms Daniel Ek… and 4 other things we learned on the company’s latest earnings callSpotify is making good on its aim to become more than a music streaming service
Analysis Universal Music Group generated 51% of its 2023 recorded music revenues in North America… and 8 other things we learned from its new annual reportMBW takes a deep dive through Universal's latest in-depth financial report
News On… DistroKid, Trefuego, modified audio, and the potential for a new ‘Napster Nightmare’Should distributors bear any responsibility for the spread of copyright-infringing modified tracks?
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.