Analysis News 11 quick (and important) takeaways from IFPI’s Global Music Report 2025 The IFPI Global Music Report 2025 reveals a music industry continuing to grow – while facing new challenges and opportunities
Analysis News Blackstone launches Recognition Music Group… but could the Hipgnosis elephant live on? (Meanwhile, AI has thoughts on the rebrand.) Blackstone confirms it's deleting the Hipgnosis name as the brand for its music assets and operation
Analysis News Universal spent $1bn+ on investments in 2024… and 5 other things we learned on UMG’s latest earnings call What UMG's leadership team said on the company's FY 2024 call...
Analysis Robert Kyncl talks Spotify deal, Warner Music’s distribution strategy at Morgan Stanley event Warner Music Group CEO opens up on strategy, interviewed by Ben Swinburne
Analysis On… Universal’s Asian Adventure MBW Reacts is a series of analytical commentaries from Music Business Worldwide written in response to major recent entertainment events or news stories.
Analysis News Warner has a new deal with Amazon Music… and 4 other things we learned from Robert Kyncl on WMG’s latest earnings call WMG's leadership team conducted the company's calendar Q4 earnings call on February 6. MBW listened in, here's what stood out...
Analysis News The major record companies lost market share again on Spotify last year. But BMG and ‘artist-centric royalties’ make this a more complicated picture than it first appears. To understand one of the industry's favorite graphs, a few things first need to be taken into account
Analysis News K-Pop in crisis? Around 93m albums were sold in South Korea in 2024 – 23m fewer than in 2023 New data shows that, even as K-Pop gets bigger in the US, album sales declines in its home country in 2024
Analysis On… Los Angeles, The Grammys, and The Recording Academy’s TV gamble. MBW founder Tim Ingham's latest 'Review' for MBW+ subscribers
Analysis News 4 observations on… Downtown’s agreed $775 million sale to Universal Music Group/Virgin Music Group It's one of the year's biggest deals – and it's come right at the final whistle of the year. We dig deeper into the details.
Analysis On… Drake, disgust, and Discovery Mode. What drove the Canadian star's legal filings, and what might the consequence of his actions be for the music industry?
Analysis News The 21 biggest music business deals of 2024: From Irving Azoff to Daddy Yankee, Hipgnosis, and Queen. The year's biggest deals were dominated by private equity, securitization of music assets, and some blockbuster acquisitions by Sony Music
Analysis News Robert Kyncl talks streaming growth, ‘bolt-on acquisitions’, and Elliot Grainge… Everything we learned on Warner's calendar Q3 earnings call...
Analysis Spotify gains profitability… but loses the argument. MBW founder Tim Ingham on Spotify's new-found profit margin, its relationship with songwriters, and Netflix