Zach Fuller

Downtown Acquires AVL: Value Chains in a Post-direct Distribution Era

Zach Fuller

28 Mar 2019

avl cd baby music distribution downtown

When Spotify announced that it was going to launch direct distribution on its platform, it was clear the various digital distributors that emerged in the post-Napster wave of online music (Tunecore, CD Baby, Ditto etc) would have to do something to counter the impact.

AI and the Disruption of the Music Persona

Zach Fuller

22 Mar 2019

Discussions on AI and music continue to grip the music industry, with fears we stand on the precipice of a post-musician world, yet in many ways we have been here before. History dictates that shifts in music composition are influenced more by the context in which it is consumed rather than the tech...

SXSW 2019: Streaming, Radio and the Unevenly Distributed Future

Zach Fuller

18 Mar 2019

sxsw Technology Uncategorised

‘The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed’. In many ways, this quote by science fiction writer William Gibson surmises the work we do at MIDiA: cautiously observing new tech developments and remaining aware of the hype cycle that characterises the adoption curve.

Music Publishing as an Asset Class Could Be the Recorded Industry’s Next Big Growth Story, But How Will it Impact the Overall Business?

Zach Fuller

7 Mar 2019

‘ Money doesn’t talk, it swears’ – Bob Dylan, 1965 For most of their history, music royalties have operated under a nebulous framework of rights owners and collection societies with staggered payments and general lack of transparency largely attributable to the technology available.

Sampling and Streaming: De La Soul’s Catalogue Disputes and Streaming Economics

Zach Fuller

28 Feb 2019

Critical Developments

De La Soul’s seminal early albums, including 3 Feet High and Rising and De La Soul is Dead , have been among the more notable holdouts from streaming services. Major artists such as Prince and Led Zeppelin also held off for years but eventually ceded, acknowledging the impact that not appearing on...

Direct Distribution: Breakthrough or Bust for SoundCloud?

Zach Fuller

22 Feb 2019

It has been a strange few years for SoundCloud. Since its emergence out of the Berlin tech scene of the late 2000s, it struggled to convert its popularity with creators into a commercially viable business, despite courting $1 billion-plus valuations and mooted acquisitions from Spotify back in 2016.

Are Prices For Music Publishing Catalogue Acquisitions Justified?

Zach Fuller

15 Feb 2019

Media and Marketing

Scooter Braun and Zach Katz’s venture Raised In Space Enterprises, owned by Braun’s Ithica Holdings, announced last week it had acquired New York-basedAtlas Music Publishing. The deal was the latest in a wave of catalogue acquisitions, whereby it’s no longer just conventional music companies c...

Thoughts on Spotify’s Acquisition of Gimlet Media and Anchor

Zach Fuller

6 Feb 2019

Amazon Alexa Anchor apple homepod

Spotify is reported to have purchased the podcast companies Gimlet Media and Anchor. Having only just reported an operating profit for the first time, the deals demonstrate not only how Spotify is still firmly locked in growth mode and its market share in music streaming platforms but also how much ...

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Music Publishing Acquisitions
Bubble Business or Sustainable Market?

Zach Fuller

4 Feb 2019

Apple Spotify Warner Chappel

Music publishing mergers and acquisitions have boomed in recent years, invigorated by streaming’s user growth and the multitude of revenue options becoming available outside of music sales, such as micro syncs afford by user generated content (UGC) on YouTube and the steep growth of podcasts.

Lessons from the Disruption of News Publishing

Zach Fuller

1 Feb 2019

Digital Media Media new publishing

At the 2019 DLD conference in Munich, various media commentators were suggesting that the attention economy paradigm of news mean ominous clouds are gathering not just over new media entities such as BuzzFeed, Vice and Vox, but also those with subscription businesses.

Music Tech and Unintended Consequences

Zach Fuller

23 Jan 2019

Innovation Innovation Media

Recent discussions over how music will look in the app economy, with services such as TikTok effectively ‘meme-ing’ the concept of music and emphasising its social context, has led me to reflect on the second-order effects of technology on the arts - those unforeseen and often unpredictable cons...

An Alternative View: Why Apple Will Not Be a Service-Based Company

Zach Fuller

20 Jan 2019

Apple’s announcement of smartphone slowdown a few weeks back sent waves through the tech-centric investment landscape. Various requiems seem to suggest that with the stock price dropping 12%, the darkest day in the iPhone era means Apple will now have to focus on its service business if it is to r...

What a 19th Century Art Movement Tells Us About the Future of Technology

Zach Fuller

11 Jan 2019

A classic manoeuvre in business strategy, exalted by the famed investor Warren Buffett, is building a moat. The premise is that the value of a business can be determined by the barriers to entry it creates – a metaphorical moat deterring potential competitors.

Cover image for Quarterly Digital Content Trends: Q3 2018

Quarterly Digital Content Trends: Q3 2018

Zach Fuller

19 Dec 2018

Apple Spotify Amazon

In this report, we present highlights of content trends from MIDiA’s Quarterly Brand Tracker, a survey fielded in the US, UK, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Germany Sweden and Australia. The report explores how consumer behaviour in usage and expenditure for various formats stand as of Q3 2018, across music, video, games and social.

Media Musings: Who Will Buy Snap Inc?

Zach Fuller

14 Dec 2018

Disney Evan Spiegel Media

As outlined in our 2019 forecasting report, MIDiA predicts that Snap Inc. as we know it will be no more by the end of 2019. Its most notable asset Snapchat still has a sizeable audience among younger demographics but the company will be most likely acquired by a larger entity.

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MIDiA Research Predictions 2019

Alistair Taylor, Georgia Meyer, Mark Mulligan, Tim Mulligan and Zach Fuller

8 Nov 2018

Apple Spotify YouTube

In this report MIDiA Research analysts present their predictions for what will be the big trends in digital media and tech, across music, video, media, brands, marketing, games and sports in 2019. Companies and brands mentioned in this report: ABC, Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, Amazon Prime Video, Apple, Apple Music, AT&T, BBC, BT, BT Sports, BT T...

What UMG and Boomplay's Deal Tells Us About the Future of African Streaming

Zach Fuller

6 Nov 2018

african streaming boomplay Streaming

Universal Music Group have announced today they will be signing a landmark licensing agreement with Boomplay, Africa’s leading music streaming and download service, in a deal that covers multiple markets within Africa.

How Are Modern Media Subscription Services Building Competitive Advantages Against Traditional Media?

Zach Fuller

29 Oct 2018

media business models media finance Streaming

Media, with its creative nature, often likes to define itself as distinct from other industries, and yet it is governed by many of the same principles that shape other areas of commerce. With the shift to streaming in full swing, how are media business models being affected by the market forces that...

Cover image for Streaming Media Consumption

Streaming Media Consumption
Video Leads The Way

Zach Fuller

22 Oct 2018

Subscriptions Streaming Apple

In this report, we present highlights of content trends from MIDiA’s Quarterly Brand Tracker, a survey fielded in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. This report explores how consumer behaviour evolved between Q2 2017 and Q2 2018 across music, video, games and social.

Quick Take: Will Stream Djing be the Renaissance of Soundcloud?

Zach Fuller

19 Oct 2018

SoundCloud Music

After a difficult two yearsthat saw acquisitions fall through and a lack of meaningful uptake of its subscription service, SoundCloud have needed some positive news. Reveredwithin the creator community though still struggling to make a profit, SoundCloud CEO Kerry Trainorannounced today at Amsterdam...

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