Music Rights Disruption The Transparency Agenda

The 20,000 Foot View: Music rights have never been simple but now the complexity is reaching such a level that the digital music marketplace is beginning to buckle under the strain. With growing demand across the board for increased transparency, effectiveness and speed, the music rights landscape is facing an unprecedented period of innovation and disruption. Traditional incumbents and technology companies alike are all pursuing their own solutions to what is in fact an intertwined mesh of challenges. Right now, the result is paradoxically more complex, not less.

Key Findings

• Increased reporting            transparency expectations from artists and            and changing regulatory environments are            music rights innovation
• Global music            revenues grew by            million            in            to reach            billion
• Music publishing            were            larger in 2016 than            compared to            growth for recorded            over the same period 
• Declining mechanical            focused publishers’ attentions on streaming
• Independent publishers            for            of publishing revenues in            up from            in 2012
• Companies like            and BMG Music Rights are            innovation, competing across as both            and music publishers
• There are            types of rights disruptors: next            music companies, established alternatives, music            pivots, news disruptors and PRO           
• Following the            of the Global Repertoire Database            is now a music database            race
• Collection societies            facing intensified competition from commercial            management companies
• Google could            use YouTube to pioneer a            music right

Companies and brands mentioned in this report:            ADA, AMRA, AMSGE, Apple, Audiam, Blackstone Capital, BMAT, BMG Music Rights, Caroline, Cooking Vinyl, Downtown Music, Dubsmash, Epidemic Sounds, Essential Music, Fintage House, GEMA, Google, HFA, Jukedeck, Kobalt, Medianet, Musical.ly, Music Reports Inc, Ninja Tune, Platoon, PRSfM, RED, Rights Flow, Rumblefish, SESAC, Socan, Sony ATV, Sony Music, Soundreef, Spotify, SUISA, The European Commission, Twitter, Universal Music, Universal Music Publishing, Warner Chappell, Warner Music, WARP, YouTube