Welcome to Music Enterprise Worldwide’s weekly round-up – the place we make sure that you caught the 5 largest tales to hit our headlines over the previous seven days. MBW’s round-up is supported by Centtrip, which helps over 500 of the world’s best-selling artists maximize their earnings and cut back their touring prices.
This week we discovered that $1 billion-valued Create Music Group has acquired once more, this time snapping up indie digital music label Monstercat.
Warner Music Group launched its calendar Q1 earnings, displaying income development of 1.2% YoY, whereas subscription streaming income grew 3.2% YoY.
In the meantime, Common Music Group filed a movement to dismiss Drake‘s amended defamation criticism in opposition to the corporate, calling Drake’s authorized motion an “try to save lots of face” after shedding a rap battle in opposition to Kendrick Lamar.
We additionally discovered this week that Google has teamed up with Vary Media Companions to launch a movie and TV manufacturing firm referred to as 100 Zeros. Google transferring into the leisure IP area might have implications for the music {industry}.
Lastly, MBW founder Tim Ingham‘s newest column casts a watch on the irony of AI music-making platform Udio teaming up with Audible Magic for “content material identification,” and why UMG could also be “assured” about its acquisition of Downtown Music, regardless of an EU investigation.
The corporate, which was valued at $1 billion following a $165-million funding spherical final yr, has swooped for unbiased digital music label Monstercat.
As a part of the deal, Create mentioned it has dedicated to investing an extra $50 million over the following two years in artist growth, advances, and platform help throughout Monstercat’s roster, “to speed up each new signings and long-term profession development”.
Monetary phrases past the $50 million funding dedication weren’t disclosed.
Monstercat has workers based mostly in Vancouver, Toronto and Los Angeles…
Warner Music Group revealed its calendar Q1 (fiscal Q2) outcomes on Thursday (Might 8), with CEO Robert Kyncl acknowledging industry-wide challenges on the corporate’s earnings name.
“We acknowledge it is a second of transition within the {industry} and for our firm,” Kyncl acknowledged on the decision, whereas sustaining his outlook for future development.
WMG reported company-wide income development of 1.2% YoY at fixed forex for calendar Q1, with recorded music revenues rising 0.7% YoY, and music publishing income rising 3% YoY. Subscription streaming grew 3.2% YoY, in comparison with double-digit development in the identical quarter final yr.
In his opening remarks, Kyncl recognized particular components behind these outcomes: “Our leads to [calendar Q1] mirror a lighter launch schedule, market share stress in China and a troublesome year-over-year comparability in subscription streaming, the place we noticed sturdy double-digit development within the prior yr quarter…”
Common Music Group has filed a movement to dismiss Drake’s amended defamation lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar’s hit observe Not Like Us, arguing that the lyrics are “nonactionable opinion and rhetorical hyperbole” quite than assertions of truth.
Drake filed an amended criticism final month that added new allegations concerning Lamar‘s efficiency throughout the Tremendous Bowl LIX halftime present in February.
In a authorized memorandum filed on Might 7, and obtained by MBW, UMG asks the courtroom to dismiss Drake’s amended criticism with prejudice.
The memorandum characterizes the lawsuit as “Drake’s try to save lots of face for his unsuccessful rap battle with Lamar” and describes the “new allegations” as “astonishing…”
The mixing of Huge Tech and the leisure {industry} has taken one other step, this time with information that Google has launched a movie and TV manufacturing firm.
Enterprise Insider reported this week that Google has quietly launched 100 Zeros, a movie and TV manufacturing initiative that gained’t be producing content material for YouTube (a la YouTube Originals), as a substitute providing it on the market to conventional studios and streaming providers like Netflix.
(“100 Zeros” is a cryptic means of claiming Google. A one with 100 zeros after it’s a googol, the amount for which Google was named).
For these within the music {industry}, one element about 100 Zeros stands out: It’s a part of a multi-year partnership with Vary Media Companions, a administration and manufacturing firm recognized for its involvement in music…
Tim Ingham‘s newest MBW+ Overview column is now on-line for subscribers. It covers:
1) The comedy of Udio partnering with Audible Magic for “content material identification” whereas concurrently being sued by majors for copyright infringement. As Udio churns out AI-generated songs with lyrics from Yesterday and Wonderwall, its so-called “dedication to content material provenance” quite sticks within the throat.
2) Why UMG may be remaining “assured” about closing the $775M Downtown acquisition regardless of an EC investigation.
3) The FUGA issue: Whereas indies protest UMG’s potential possession of distribution powerhouse FUGA, the place had been they in 2020 when Downtown’s Justin Kalifowitz acquired it for a reported ~$40M? Contemplating Merlin‘s $1.48B in annual revenues, might the unbiased sector have secured this important infrastructure themselves…?
MBW’s Weekly Spherical-Up is supported by Centtrip, which helps over 500 of the world’s best-selling artists maximise their earnings and cut back their touring prices.Music Enterprise Worldwide
