labels blog by MIDiA Research

Blog: labels

Read our latest daily deep dives, hot takes, and exciting updates about the digital entertainment world. Check out the latest from your favourite analyst, or search by coverage - games, video, music, audio, social, or critical developments.

Labels are going to become more like VCs than they probably want to be

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

30 Jul 2021

record labels

labels

artist accelerators

When you are in the midst of change it can be hard to actually see it. Right now, the music business is undergoing a consumption paradigm shift that is changing the culture and business of music. Streaming...

Streaming’s remuneration model cannot be ‘fixed’

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

12 Aug 2020

Music

Streaming

remuneration

The #brokenrecord debate continues to build momentum and new models such as user-centric are getting increased attention, including at governmental level in the UK. But as Mat Dryhurst correctly observes...

Data Says: E-sports Events Are More About Live Entertainment than Gaming

Blog post by Karol Severin

8 Aug 2019

brand activation

e-sports

festivals

Imagine you’ve got three behaviourally defined consumer segments: PC Gamers Console Gamers Live concert goers Which group is most likely to attend an e-sports event? Intuitively, it has to be Gamers,...

The Artist Marketing Playbook Needs Rewriting

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

5 Jul 2019

artist marketing

artist streams

artists

The whole essence of fandom is being turned upside down. An emerging crop of streaming-native artists is finding its audience in a much more targeted and efficient way than via the traditional music marketing....

Playlist Malfeasance Will Create a Streaming Crisis

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

9 May 2019

artists

labels

per stream rates

Streaming economics are facing a potential crisis. The problem does not lie in the market itself; after all, in Q1 2019 streaming revenue became more than half of the recorded music business and Spotify...

Kobalt is a Major Label Waiting to Happen

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

6 Mar 2019

artist contracts

artists

AWAL

Disclaimer: Kobalt is a label, a publisher, as well as a Performing Rights Organisation (PRO). This post focuses on its label business, but does not presume to overlook its other aspects. News has emerged...

Are Record Labels Facing an A&R Crisis?

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

30 Jul 2018

a+r crisis

labels

A succession of conversations with record labels over the last couple of months has made me start to ponder whether we are approaching a tipping point in streaming era A&R. At the heart of the conversations...

Could Article 13 Kill Off Music on YouTube?

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

21 Jun 2018

Alphabet

article 13

European parliament

It was a day of two halves for YouTube. On one side a big press release went out championing a host of impressive new stats – including hitting 1.9 billion logged in users, following an official launch...

Facebook Might Just Have Done YouTube a Massive Favour

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

13 Apr 2018

content id

Facebook

fair use

The word on the street is that the deals labels have struck with Facebook for its forthcoming music service have been done on a blanket license basis (i.e. a flat fee) with no reporting. This was reported...

The Music Industry Is Forcing Consumers To Choose Between Buying a Lexus And Taking The Bus

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

28 Jan 2016

CÜR Music

digster

Innovation

It has been an eventful few days for the digital music market with developments such as the launch of a whole new breed of unlicensed Spotify clones using the APIs of Spotify and YouTub e, and with Spotify...