State of the Arts
The qualities of the Met’s new pieces—literalness, signposting, pat plotlines, an impatience with the slightest ambiguity—are key tenets of second-screen television. They are also irreconcilable with good opera, in which text and music subvert one another and pieces permit manifold interpretations. In Don Giovanni, for example, Mozart quite intenti
... See moreThrough the Opera Glass, Jeffrey Arlo Brown. Source.
To prevent a future where cultural output is shaped by economic power alone, this report calls on digital services, rightsholders, regulators, and policymakers to take shared responsibility for ensuring that the streaming ecosystem supports innovation, inclusivity, and sustainable growth .
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
If the Tech Right sees this fight as the inevitable march of progress, the Populist Right is writing an entirely different anthem. Nowhere is this more visible than in Tennessee, where Governor Bill Lee signed the ELVIS Act, a landmark law recognizing an artist’s voice and likeness as a protected property right, specifically to block unauthorized A... 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 sta... 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
Gen AI for music has captured ~$300M in funding so far this year across several high-profile deals, the majority of which either focus on rights management and attribution (Musical AI, Vermillio, BRIA AI) or emphasize B2B partnerships (Music AI, ElevenLabs).
This suggests that industry alignment, rather t
Source: Water & Music, H1 2025: THE YEAR SO FAR IN MUSIC TECH DEALS
Goldman Sachs’ latest Music In The Air report is forecasting that the “superfan” market could be worth $4.3bn globally next year. The subtext here is that this needs to become a priority focus for the music business as recorded music revenues actually fell short of Goldman Sachs’ expectations in 2024, causing it to downgrade its forecasts for this ... See more
O Superfan: How Rock & Pop's Elite Screw their Loyal Supporters – and why it won't Work | The Quietus
Lawsuits from major publishers against Suno and Udio are not, as libertarian boosters, VCs and Tech Bros would say, an attack on innovation. They are a warning shot against a business model that turns creative labor into raw machine fuel under the pretense of fair use.
There is currently a general lack of transparency around Discovery Mode . At the market level, it’s unclear who is engaging with the programme, whether the major rightsholders are using it or gain similar bene fi ts through other means, and how other interested parties are affected when it is utilised on a track. These concerns are compounded by th... 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
This occurs across a competitive backdrop in the industry that has seen increased M&A activity, be that major labels acquiring indie labels and distributors, or catalogue acquisition. Heritage rights retain a premium, and market share is being bought, arguably, at the cost of investment in new, innovative music. Independent labels talk of it be... See more