Industry first: UMG changes royalty terms with Deezer — to favor artists

In an unprecedented shift in how streaming music royalties are assessed, Universal Music Group (UMG) has reached agreement with Paris-based global streaming service Deezer. It is an artist-centric model which scales payouts upward in an attempt to reward musicians who are most favored by fans. Click for the details. Continue Reading

Dr. Seuss enters podcasting with Wondery

Dr. Seuss Enterprises, owner of the epochal children’s books, is partnering with Wondery to enter podcasting. Rather than make literal audio dramas of the books, the approach of this partnership appears to create original content in audio. It drops September 18 and is an exclusive presentation; only Wondery+ users will gain access. Lots more details here. Continue Reading

The potential of podcast persuadables (Sounds Profitable research)

Sounds Profitable has released a revealing study of podcast listeners: The Podcast Landscape. Ninety-five percent of respondents, whether they were listeners or not, were familiar with the term podcasting. Not everybody is a listener, but this research defines a cohort of “Persuadables” and delivers a raft of metrics about them. Continue Reading

Mark Mulligan: AI, music rights, and known unknowns

by Mark Mulligan

“We need to look for early warning signs to try to understand when change is coming,” MIDiA Research head Mark Mulligan asserts in his latest guest column. “The music industry is full of them right now and the change to come will likely be so fast that music licensing will need a new playbook.” A must-read from one of the sharpest media observers. “If you thought change was fast this last decade, wait for the next one.”

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