Welcome to Music Enterprise Worldwide’s weekly round-up – the place we be sure you caught the 5 largest tales to hit our headlines over the previous seven days. MBW’s round-up is supported by Centtrip, which helps over 500 of the world’s best-selling artists maximize their revenue and cut back their touring prices.
Sony Music Group and an unnamed co-investor are reportedly poised to shut the most important artist catalog deal in music historical past.
The corporate has reportedly agreed to accumulate the catalog of legendary rock band Queen in a landmark deal reportedly value roughly GBP £1 billion (USD $1.27 billion at present trade charges).
However who is that this different investor? Sources inform MBW that noises are getting louder that stated investor is Apollo World Administration…
Elsewhere within the music rights M&A world, we obtained phrase this week that Hipgnosis Music Administration founder and Chairman Merck Mercuriadis goals to step down from the corporate, upon closing of the proposed acquisition of Hipgnosis Songs Fund Restricted by Lyra Bidco Restricted, an organization owned by Blackstone-managed funds.
Talking of blockbuster offers, writer Warner Chappell Music has introduced it’s grow to be the unique world administration accomplice for Tom Petty‘s track catalog, encompassing the late rocker’s work as a solo artist and with the Heartbreakers.
In the meantime, MBW has unearthed a brand new patent utility by Common Music Group, indicating the corporate is engaged on a way for producing neural beats and including them to present tracks.
Lastly, file firms instructed MBW this week that they see no signal of a decline in music streaming subscriptions in Sweden, regardless of a current YouGov ballot suggesting a dip in paying subscribers within the Nordic nation.
Right here’s what occurred this week…
1) SONY MUSIC’S MYSTERY QUEEN CATALOG CO-INVESTOR IS APOLLO, SAY SOURCES
Sony Music Group has reportedly agreed to accumulate the catalog of legendary rock band Queen in a landmark deal reportedly value roughly GBP £1 billion (USD $1.27 billion at present trade charges).
Sony is known to be shopping for the band’s world music publishing rights, their ‘title and likeness’ rights, plus their recorded music pursuits — together with their recording copyrights outdoors of North America, the place their masters are owned by Disney Music Group.
(Sony already administers Queen’s publishing rights, whereas the band’s recorded music is presently globally distributed by way of Common Music Group.)
On the finish of Might, Bloomberg reported that Sony was negotiating a take care of Queen and that the key music firm was “working with one other investor” on the transaction.
2) MERCK MERCURIADIS TO STEP AWAY AS CHAIRMAN OF HIPGNOSIS SONG MANAGEMENT
Hipgnosis Music Administration introduced on Tuesday that its founder and Chairman Merck Mercuriadis has given discover of his intention to step away as Chairman.
In keeping with the announcement Tuesday (July 2), his departure from the corporate will likely be efficient upon closing of the proposed acquisition of Hipgnosis Songs Fund Restricted by Lyra Bidco Restricted, an organization owned by Blackstone-managed funds.
Merck Mercuriadis, founder and Chairman, Hipgnosis Music Administration stated: “Six years after founding HSM, I’ve determined that now could be the correct time for me to step again from my position as Chairman. This can be a well timed alternative for me to undertake a strategic shift of focus, and to spend extra time advocating on behalf of songwriters to make sure that they’re correctly compensated for his or her work…”
3) WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC NOW REPRESENTS THE PUBLISHING CATALOG OF TOM PETTY AROUND THE WORLD
Warner Chappell Music (WCM) is now the unique world admin accomplice of Tom Petty‘s storied track catalog.
The deal, which covers Petty hits together with “Wildlflowers,” “Free Fallin’,” “Studying to Fly,” “Refugee,” “Right here Comes My Lady,” and “I Received’t Again Down,” was inked between WCM and the Tom Petty property.
Known as a “milestone settlement” by WCM, the deal encompasses Petty’s work with the Heartbreakers and as a solo artist.
The Petty Property stated in an announcement: “We’re wanting ahead to this new partnership with the group at Warner Chappell, as we develop the attain of Tom’s iconic track catalog. This partnership will open the door to new licensing alternatives and serve to introduce his music to a brand new era throughout the globe…”
4) BINAURAL BEATS ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR POSITIVE EFFECTS ON THE BRAIN. UNIVERSAL MUSIC HAS INVENTED TECH THAT CAN GENERATE AND ADD THEM TO EXISTING AUDIO TRACKS
Common Music Group has been on the forefront of the convergence of the music and wellness industries over the previous few years.
Now, MBW has unearthed a current patent utility from Common that describes expertise that would considerably influence the wellness house.
The submitting, titled, ‘Producing tonally appropriate, synchronized neural beats for digital audio recordsdata’ describes what UMG calls “new and revolutionary programs and strategies for producing and including neural beats to present audio tracks“.
As defined by Common within the utility, neural beats, performed at sure frequencies, could “embrace any audio beat designed to supply or encourage a desired psychological state in a person”…
5) RECORD COMPANIES TELL MBW: NOPE, THE INDUSTRY ISN’T LOSING PAYING IN SWEDEN
A number of the world’s largest file firms have expressed bemusement over the outcomes of a survey within the Nordics which counsel that paying subscribers to music companies in Sweden are in decline.
Final week, MBW reported on a YouGov survey carried out with Scandinavian assortment societies throughout Might 2024, by which 4,000 people had been quizzed throughout the Nordics.
These interviews urged a downturn within the variety of individuals paying for music streaming in Sweden.
Of the YouGov ballot’s respondents primarily based in Sweden, 56% stated they had been Premium subscribers to a music subscription service, down from 59% in mid-2022…
MBW’s Weekly Spherical-Up is supported by Centtrip, which helps over 500 of the world’s best-selling artists maximise their revenue and cut back their touring prices.Music Enterprise Worldwide