This masterful write-up summarizes several important announcements which were clustered into a single week. There are three connecting threads: 1. The (continued) astronomic rise of the independent artist; 2. The growth of creator tools; 3. Streaming’s growing pains. A must-read from a global leader in digital audio industry analysis.
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A fascinating flow chart of music streaming values that could be developed and captured by streaming services, but aren’t. (China is an exception.)
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Formats have shaped and dictated the evolution of recorded music. Here is a vision what innovation should look like in a post-format world. Continue Reading
In light of the recent IFPI global industry report, MIDiA Research’s Mark Mulligan explores several of the trends that may be adapting and altering the music industry in the future. Continue Reading
Drawing on insights from a recent report, Mark Mulligan of MIDiA Research explores the ongoing impact of YouTube on the music industry both financially and artistically. Continue Reading
Mark Mulligan of MIDiA Research shares his insights on Spotify’s direct public offering to join the New York Stock Exchange. The action has been years in the making, but what does it mean for the future of the streaming company? Continue Reading
Mark Mulligan of MIDiA Research reflects on the two Spotify developments that dominated yesterday’s headlines. First, the streaming service has taken its first strides toward launching a direct listing. Second, Spotify was sued by music publisher Wixen. Is the listing in trouble? Continue Reading
Mark Mulligan of MIDiA Research reviews developments centered on video content that appeared in headlines this week. Both music videos and music-related videos look to be strong categories. Continue Reading
Mark Mulligan of MIDiA Research delved into the recent milestone of 100 million subscribers accumulated by the streaming music industry. His latest blog post explores the significance of the achievement and what it might mean for the coming year. Continue Reading
Midia Research founder Mark Mulligan explored the broader context of the quarterly financial reports for the three major labels. Each of the majors reported increased revenue from streaming, but those data points don’t tell the complete story about where the money really comes from. Continue Reading
Spotify’s recently released 2015 financials created an interesting story: strong revenue growth and market domination, along with widening losses at the bottom line. Midia Research founder Mark Mulligan peels back the layers to analyze underlying dynamics. “Rights costs are the Spotify’s Achilles Heel.” Can scaling audience growth give Spotify enough leverage to gain better label rates? If not, the outcome might be unwelcome to those rights-holders. This guest column is a must-read. Continue Reading
Guest columnist Mark Mulligan projects the pace of disruption as consumers fade back from purchasing music downloads. “When new formats race to the fore it is easy to make the mistake of taking an eye off the legacy formats. This is risky because they usually still account for very large portions of existing revenue.” But a “download collapse” will happen to the iTunes Music Store. Continue Reading