music

The most frequent complaint I hear about streaming services is that they don’t pay artists fairly. Michael Pelczynski, the former Vice President of Strategy at SoundCloud, took that complaint personally. Over his five years with the streaming service, he helped conceive and implement a novel payment scheme that received much praise.

In an hour-long... See more

At a time when cultural homogenisation is on the rise, where generative AI is increasingly putting innovative creativity in competition with mass derivation, we risk a future where music diversity is also being actively commercially suppressed. The introduction of thresholds, especially where they de-monetise repertoire , but also where they apply... See more

While changes to a market are expected as it evolves, the interconnectedness of music streaming means that impacts are felt throughout the entire ecosystem. This is to say that there is a responsibility for all parties concerned to transparently engage in wider consultation before such impactful decisions are made. There is a shared responsibility... See more

There is also a slightly subtler impact, noted by labels that we interviewed, on new artists, whereby their growth trajectory has been impacted due to the chilling effect on their ability to monetise the earliest stage of their career, and their access to support and services from platforms. Applying arbitrary thresholds to artists who are just... See more

14. All those nasty, rebellious songs that defy authorities are now owned by hedge funds.

Although late to the party, this year Universal, through Virgin Music Group, acquired Downtown Music Holdings for $775 million in cash in December 2024. Downtown Music Holdings includes a number of companies, most notably CD Baby, Fuga, AdRev, SongTrust, and Downtown. Through these companies, Universal now owns independent music recordings,... See more