Facebook has allegedly had early discussions about working with the major music labels. According to a report by The Verge, the social network has expressed an interest in getting involved with the music industry, but it is still unsure what form that interest might take. It has reportedly spoken with Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group. Continue Reading
Attorneys from Universal Music Group have responded to an investigation that the label colluded with other leading music companies to push out free, ad-supported tiers from streaming services. In a letter responding to a subpoena, UMG denied having any agreements with Sony Music, Warner Music Group, or Apple to “impede the availability of third-party free or ad-supported music streaming services.” Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: How the major labels kept control; podcasting as the new business tool; Radio France’s ongoing strike and media support. Continue Reading
Universal Music Group has entered into a partnership with Bradesco, a Brazilian bank. Bradesco Music will stream audio and video from Universal’s catalog and deliver music-related editorial through an application for both desktop computers and mobile devices. Continue Reading
Today’s brief news items are all about Apple: Beats Music royalty payouts; the future of car radios; UMG ready to settle musician lawsuit. Continue Reading
Universal Music Group has partnered with Mondia Media for the launch of a white-label mobile music service. According to the press release, Mondia Mix is a playlist-based listening platform for iOS and Android that’s aimed at mobile operators interested in providing entry-level streaming to their customers. Continue Reading
Spotify has allegedly projected that it will pay Universal Music Group $1 billion over the next two years. Internal emails obtained by the New York Post detailed the streaming service’s financial predictions. The $1 billion figure covers music royalties, ad revenue, and subscription fees. Continue Reading
Universal Music Group has entered into a new partnership with Havas Group to form the Global Music Data Alliance. This data-centric entity will use Havas’ algorithms to analyze information about UMG artists, from ticket sales to streaming counts to social media stats, to look for new revenue opportunities. In particular, GMDA will examine behavioral data to better understand the relationships between artists, fans, and brands. Continue Reading
Universal Music Publishing Group announced that it has hired a special advisor on performing rights. The new post will be filled by Richard Conlon, who will advise the publisher on matters tied to advocating, protecting, and maximizing the value of performing rights for its songwriters. Conlon led the label’s digital new media licensing divisions as a former senior vice president at BMI. Continue Reading
As the Department of Justice weighs what to do about digital performance rights, Sony/ATV/EMI has been making bold claims that it would consider leaving the collective licensing system in order to negotiate its own rates. According to The New York Post, that could be happening soon. The paper reported that Sony could split from ASCAP and BMI by the end of the year. Continue Reading
The Financial Times reported that SoundCloud has hit stumbling blocks in its negotiations with three major music labels. Sources told the publication that Universal, Sony, and Warner have all rejected SoundCloud’s proposed terms and are looking for a better deal. In fact, Universal is allegedly not in conversation with the online music portal anymore. Continue Reading
Sirius XM was on the receiving end of some bad copyright news last week, and this week the recipient is Grooveshark. Universal Music Group is pushing for a summary judgment, claiming that it is the owner of pre-1972 recordings played on the streaming service. Since Grooveshark’s users are the ones uploading content and since labels can issue takedown notices, the platform has argued that it is covered by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s safe harbors and thus is not liable for infringement. Universal is arguing that this provision should not apply to the music dating before 1972. Continue Reading