Music Business

In a significant ruling that could reshape music streaming economics, Spotify has emerged victorious in its legal battle with the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) over royalty payments. On Wednesday, January 29, Judge Analisa Torres of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed the MLC’s lawsuit “with prejudice,” potentially setting a

Roblox, the popular online platform that allows users to create and share games, has struck a deal with DistroKid, a leading independent music distribution service. This collaboration is set to allow DistroKid artists to upload their music directly to Roblox, making it available for use in games and experiences across the platform. However, one controversial

UMG and Deezer introduced a new “artist-centric” payment model for streaming, gaining traction with Wagram Music’s endorsement. While some laud the model for its potential to revolutionize payouts, others stress the importance of inclusivity, transparency, and support for emerging artists. Proposals include subsidizing new artists through top earners, a flat fee for track uploads, anti-fraud measures, and continuous price adjustments. The challenge lies in balancing fairness, genuine music content, and industry growth.

The End of a Legal Battle After a prolonged legal battle, the estate of Ed Townsend, co-writer of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On,” has formally ended their court battle with Ed Sheeran over their claims that Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” copied the iconic 1970s R&B song.  Jury’s Verdict In May, a jury in a

​ Earlier this week, Tim Ingham at Music Business Worldwide published an insightful analysis on emerging tensions in how the distribution of streaming royalties might change. Specifically, Tim examined proposals by a major music corporation and a well-known streaming service to implement an “artist-centric” royalty model that appears to take inspiration from approaches used by

You might have heard whispers about streaming fraud lurking in the corners of the music business. It seems to be a pesky game of hide and seek that platforms like Spotify are grappling with. Let’s dive a bit deeper into this narrative, shall we? A recent expose by Svenska Dagbladet, a Swedish newspaper, sheds light

Yesterday, I wrote a post exploring the potential downsides for songwriters of a BMI sale to private equity. I laid out the legitimate concerns around declining royalty distributions and lack of transparency. However, after reflecting further, I decided to challenge myself to see if I could make a case for why the deal could potentially