A decade ago, major labels forgoing middlemen to sell direct to fans would have led to a revolt from retailers. Now, with the ranks of retailers diminished and streaming the new normal, ringing every dollar out of fans is so essential that Warner Music has created a division to focus…
Category archives: Major Labels
The Actual Value Of The Indie Music Sector [INFOGRAPHIC]
General wisdom suggests that indie labels account for about 20% of global revenue, but a recent study has revealed that their share is in fact much greater than previously suspected, something which has broader implications with regard to the independent sector’s ability to compete globally. ____________________________________ Guest Post by Mark…
DMCA Shields Vimeo From Record Label Lawsuits, Rules Appeals Court
The US Court of Appeal for the Second Circuit has overturned parts of a District Court’s ruling which were in favor of the record companies in the important DMCA case Capitol Records vs. Vimeo. _________________________________________ In a major victory for Internet service providers, the Second Circuit on Thursday rejected claims…
Pirate Bay Co-Founder Ordered To Pay Record Labels $395,000
Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Zunde and his cohorts have been on the losing end of several major lawsuits. This latest was brought by a consortium of major labels. Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Zunde has been ordered to pay a group of record labels $395,000 for enabling piracy. The action was…
Tax Break State Of Mind: New York Set To Offer Recording Companies Big Tax Credits
In a bit of good news for New York artists looking to save money, it seems the Empire State will soon be joining numerous others by offering companies which create music projects a sizable tax credit. __________________________ Guest Post by Bobby Owsinski on Music 3.0 Everybody likes to save money…
Guy Hands Suddenly Drops $2.5 Billion EMI Citigroup Lawsuit
After 9 year, its over. Guy Hands, the UK financier whose ill-fated purchase and management of EMI effectively brought down the once major music group, has abandoned his $2.5 billion fraud claim against US bank Citigroup. ______________________________________ At a special court hearing on Friday morning, lawyers for Guy Hand’s private…
RIAA Announces 91 Gold And Platinum Awards For May 2016 [Full List]
This May, the RIAA certified 65 Digital Single Awards and 26 Album Awards. Drake, Fetty Wap, Chrs Stapleton and Selena Gomez were among the recipients. View a full list here (pdf). Related articles Does The Reddit Revolt Foretell A Similar Uprising For The Music Industry? Full List Of MuchMusic Video…
Yes, Fans Still Buy CDs: Robert Ziegler New EVP Global Physical UMG
Universal Music Group has named veteran home entertainment executive Robert Ziegler as EVP of Global Physical Operations. Ziegler’s portfolio at the label group includes oversight of the manufacturing and distribution of physical products including CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray discs and vinyl LPs in 60 countries. Ziegler will be based at the…
YG Entertainment Adds $85 Million From Chinese Investors
Chinese social media company Tencent and it’s online ticketing company Weiying Technology have announced plans to invest $85 million in South Korean record label and booking agency YG Entertainment. According to Korea Times, Weying and Tencent Group invested $55 million and $30 million, respectively, to acquire 8.2 percent and 4.5…
UPDATED: WMG Acquires Pioneer Playlister, Repackager X5 Music For A Reported $25 Million
UPDATED: Wringing new profits from old catalog is one of the real positives of digital music’s long tail, and studies have shown that streaming, in particular, can generate income from deep catalog. That’s the motivation behind today’s WMG acquisition of X5 Music. ___________________________________________ Warner Music Group has acquired pioneer music…