One thing the music industry doesn’t lack is litigation – or threats of litigation. But what kinds of disputes are behind the steady stream of lawsuits? DMN Pro zeroed in on that question by analyzing data from its soon-to-be-released Music Industry Litigation Tracker. Comprehensive and filterable, the one-stop database of industry and industry-adjacent suits will feature a variety of case-specific details – from the involved parties and their counsel to assigned judges and court venues. Table of Cont... Read More...

In March, Spotify officially flipped the switch on its controversial bundling strategy. One reporting month later, the streaming giant is showing few signs of letting up. Four months have passed since Spotify officially reclassified the vast majority of its U.S. subscriptions as bundles — thereby unlocking massive royalty savings. But just how big of an impact is the sweeping change having on stateside mechanicals? In this DMN Pro Weekly Report, we revisit this pressing question — and find that Spot... Read More...

From infringement complaints against generative AI developers to unpaid royalty actions targeting streaming platforms, the music industry certainly isn't lacking high-stakes litigation. Here are ten particularly important lawsuits with major implications to watch moving forward. How many active lawsuits, conflicts, settlements, negotiations, and legal stare-downs are happening in the music industry — right now? At last count, Digital Music News is tracking more than 140 different filed lawsuits in the ... Read More...

From Spotify’s now-numerous audiobook “bundles” to Apple Music One and many in between, on-demand streaming is building more multi-offering packages than ever — with considerable compositional royalty implications. But how big is bundling for leading music streaming platforms? The question is especially pressing today amid continued controversy over Spotify’s decision to abruptly reclassify its main tiers as bundles. As lamented by the publishing space (and as broken down by DMN Pro in detail), the piv... Read More...

Six years and many twists later, what’s going on with Hipgnosis Songs Fund (HSF), the Merck Mercuriadis-founded company that owns 138 high-profile catalogs? The question is front of mind in industry circles now that Hipgnosis, having for some time made headlines for its operational difficulties, is poised to sell. Report Table of Contents I. Introduction: Where Hipgnosis Songs Fund Stands Directly Before a Possible Sale II. A Recap of Hipgnosis Songs Fund’s Rollercoaster 2024: Key Developments from t... Read More...

It's been a dizzying month for AI music. Here's a closer look at some major recent advancements in music AI technology, as well as a potentially groundbreaking pair of lawsuits lodged by the major music labels. Thanks to a quick-moving June 2024, AI music technology has quietly taken a leap forward – and found itself at the center of two RIAA-spearheaded lawsuits. With the unprecedented technology’s evolution showing few signs of slowing, what will the corresponding music industry impact look like thro... Read More...

As confidential data pours in, DMN Pro crunches the numbers on the impact of Spotify’s bundling discount.

Spotify has once again raised prices in the U.S. as well as the U.K., where individuals must now pay $11.99 and £11.99 per month, respectively, for ad-free listening. That will create a handsome windfall for Spotify and well-positioned partners like major labels. Music publishers won't fare so well, however, despite the top-line increases. How will Spotify's latest price-hikes impact subscriber growth and revenue in the long term – including for music publishers? Many are asking that question in the wa... Read More...

How much are streaming music platforms actually paying for publishing in the U.S.? Amid an intensifying battle over Spotify’s bundling and a corresponding mechanicals decline, here’s a comprehensive look at actual payout data preceding Spotify's big move. DMN Pro's latest trove of exclusive data — sourced from actual mechanical payments receipts and documents — gives us the closest look yet at how Spotify's mechanical royalty payments compare to other streaming platforms in the United States. That is, ... Read More...

Where do streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music stand in the world’s largest music market? Here's our detailed look at leading platforms’ subscriber stats as well as key streaming landscape takeaways, exclusively for DMN Pro subscribers. Last week, subscriber data leaked to Digital Music News revealed that Spotify remains atop the heap of streaming music platforms, at least in the US. But despite Spotify's tally of more than 50 million subscribers stateside, Apple Music is narro... Read More...

Amid an uncertain economic climate and cooling industry funding, how are catalog acquisitions faring in 2024? We crunched the numbers to see where the space is positioned and where it could be heading during the rest of the year. This latest check-in on the song-rights arena is made possible by our Music IP Acquisition Tracker, a comprehensive, searchable database of catalog deals large and small. From the Hipgnosis Songs Fund bidding war to Pophouse Entertainment’s reportedly $300 million acquisition ... Read More...

Make no mistake, music publishers aren't thrilled about Spotify's big shift towards bundled offerings. NMPA head David Israelite has condemned in no uncertain terms Spotify’s “perversion of the settlement” behind Phonorecords IV, making clear as well that “all options” are on the table when it comes to pushing back against the “potentially unlawful” change. And the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) has likewise decried the “deeply cynical move.” Others are far less concerned. Book p... Read More...