Blog: music rights

Read our latest daily deep dives, hot takes, and exciting updates about the entertainment world. Check out the latest insight from your favourite analyst, or search by coverage areas - music, entertainment and fandom, creator economy and social.

TikTok’s music master plan is coming into focus

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Tatiana Cirisano
Oh how the tables have turned. Just a few months removed from its very public clash with Universal Music Group over music licences, TikTok is reportedly looking to buy up music rights of its own. Not only would this ease TikTok’s reliance on licences, but it would also presumably allow TikTok to prioritise its owned content in the algorithm, and do what music executives have been tearing their hair out trying to for years: reverse-engineer viral moments.
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YouTube Reaches $4bn In Music Industry Rights Payments

Cover image for YouTube Reaches $4bn In Music Industry Rights Payments
Mark Mulligan
YouTube just reported that it has paid $1 billion to ‘the music industry’ over the course of the last 12 months. That takes its cumulative payments (since 2007) up to $4 billion. The year-to-date payments for $900 million are a 22% on the full year payments made in 2015 – the year in which labels started going for YouTube’s jugular because they felt it was not paying its fair share (ie the value grab / value share).
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