Indie music
And “indie,” in the current day, doesn’t necessarily mean “small”: the big-tent Beggars Group (4AD, Matador, Rough Trade, XL, and Young Turks) is inarguably a major business. North Carolina’s Merge Records has had multiple Billboard top tens, and is distributed by a NASDAQ-listed public company that counts among other clients Walmart, Target,... See more
Worker’s Song | Franz Nicolay
We already know that by ownership independents account for nearly half of the recorded music market. The reality is that the feeding frenzy in the independent sector is a sign of the majors’ weakness rather than their strength.
Streaming has shattered the barriers to market entry the majors created in the CD age. That trend will only continue.
The... See more
Streaming has shattered the barriers to market entry the majors created in the CD age. That trend will only continue.
The... See more
Bruno Guez • Nothing will stand in the way of independents (and why the world’s first three-person indie unicorn is only a matter of time away) - Music Business Worldwide
The music streaming industry is at a critical juncture . While revenues are at an all-time high, driven by 800 million premium subscribers and a global market worth c. $22 billion, market developments threaten to create and entrench a two-tier system that disadvantages independent music stakeholders. This report evaluates industry changes through... See more
Dan Fowler • Combating the Emergence of a Two-Tier Music Streaming Market: Analysis and recommendations to support a future industry of innovation, inclusivity, and sustainable growth
Warmer. Very warm. Stratification here we come.
A month earlier, according to Music Business Worldwide, UMG acquired the remaining 51% of PIAS, Europe’s largest independent music company. These acquisitions illustrate Universal’s recognition that this is where the revenue growth in the music industry is happening.