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
Analysis News ‘Super-Premium’ music subscription tiers coming in 2025, and 3 other things we learned from Universal Music’s Boyd Muir at the Morgan Stanley conference UMG has 1,300 stores in its direct-to-consumer business, and the profit margins are huge
Analysis News Live Nation’s job is to ‘take the punch for the artist’… and 3 other things we learned from Michael Rapino during the company’s investor presentation Ticketmaster's dynamic pricing system means that, sometimes, ticket prices actually come down
Analysis News Tencent Music is using AI to create viral content… and three other things we learned on the company’s Q3 earnings call The music streaming operator is working to differentiate its services amid a long-running slump in monthly active users
Analysis News TikTok’s SoundOn is signing artists… and battling labels on the charts. 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 Michael Rapino talks superfans, the secondary ticketing market and more on Live Nation’s Q3 earnings call The live events company is also 'hopeful' about its antitrust fight under a Donald Trump administration