Welcome to Music Enterprise Worldwide’s weekly round-up – the place we make sure that 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.
This has been every week of structural adjustments within the international music trade.
In the beginning was Warner Music Group‘s main shake-up of its recorded music operations, with longtime CEO of Recorded Music, Max Lousada, set to depart the corporate. In the meantime, 10K Initiatives founder Elliot Grainge is changing into CEO of Atlantic Music Group (AMG). Working alongside Grainge within the new Atlantic Music Group setup at WMG shall be Julie Greenwald, who has been named Chairman of AMG below the brand new construction…
On the opposite aspect of the Pacific, Okay-pop large HYBE introduced the small print of its ‘HYBE 2.0’ restructuring, following information every week earlier that CEO Jiwon Park is stepping down from the position, to be succeeded by Jason Jaesang Lee.
Additionally this week, Kobalt Music Group introduced that its Head of World Artistic, Alison Donald, shall be leaving the corporate to “pursue different endeavors.”
In different information, artists’ teams and main music firms applauded the tabling of the NO FAKES Act within the US Senate, a invoice that will, for the primary time, create a federal property proper in a single’s personal voice and likeness.
Lastly, MBW founder Tim Ingham took a have a look at the rising market share of indie music firms…
Right here’s what occurred this week…
1) WARNER MUSIC GROUP SHAKE-UP: MAX LOUSADA TO EXIT; ELLIOT GRAINGE NAMED CEO OF ATLANTIC MUSIC GROUP, WITH JULIE GREENWALD AS CHAIRMAN
Warner Music Group‘s recorded music operation is altering.
The key music firm has confirmed that its international CEO of Recorded Music, Max Lousada, shall be leaving WMG.
Lousada will step down from Warner on the finish of the agency’s fiscal yr (September 30), after eight profitable years within the position, and 20 years at WMG. Lousada will stay as an advisor to WMG via January 31, 2025.
Elsewhere in a worldwide shake-up of Warner’s construction, Elliot Grainge, the founding father of 10K Initiatives, is changing into CEO of Atlantic Music Group, house to Atlantic Data and 300 Elektra Leisure. That change will take impact from October 1.
Working alongside Grainge within the new Atlantic Music Group (AMG) setup at WMG shall be Julie Greenwald, who has been named Chairman of AMG below the brand new construction…
2) HYBE, THE HOME OF BTS, RESTRUCTURES GLOBAL BUSINESS AS PART NEW ‘HYBE 2.0’ STRATEGY
HYBE has unveiled a major reorganization of its international enterprise.
Final week, the South Korea headquartered leisure large introduced that Jiwon Park, who has served as HYBE’s CEO for the previous three years, had stepped down from his position on the firm.
Jason Jaesang Lee, the corporate’s Chief Technique Officer, was appointed as its new Chief Exec.
On the time, the corporate stated that the management transition had all been a part of HYBE’s “ongoing management initiative” for the reason that begin of 2024, positioning Lee as “the central determine” for its so-called “HYBE 2.0 technique rollout”.
On Thursday (August 1 ), the corporate printed an in depth clarification of HYBE 2.0, which it calls its new “strategic path and marketing strategy”…
3) ARTISTS AND MAJOR MUSIC COMPANIES APPLAUD INTRODUCTION OF ‘LANDMARK’ NO FAKES ACT IN US SENATE
Quite a few teams representing artists and rights holders have backed new ‘landmark’ laws designed to combat the proliferation of AI deepfakes – together with musical deepfakes – within the US.
The Nurture Originals, Foster Artwork, and Preserve Leisure Secure (NO FAKES) Act would set up, for the primary time, a federal property proper in a single’s personal voice and likeness.
The invoice was launched within the US Senate on Wednesday (July 31) by two Democratic senators – Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota – and two Republicans, Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
The invoice has acquired backing from many distinguished members of the music trade, together with Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl, who appeared earlier than the Senate Judiciary Committee in April in help of the laws…
4) ALISON DONALD, KOBALT’S HEAD OF GLOBAL CREATIVE, TO EXIT COMPANY
Alison Donald, Kobalt’s Head of World Artistic, has introduced she is going to depart the corporate on the finish of the month to “pursue different endeavors.”
In keeping with Kobalt, the exec has been a “key driver of tradition” throughout her seven-year tenure on the firm, signing expertise resembling Sam Fender, Cigarettes After Intercourse, Koffee, Gabriels, Jungle, Khruangbin, Rage In opposition to the Machine, The Final Dinner Occasion and Tom Odell.
Donald joined Kobalt in 2017, overseeing A&R and artistic within the UK and Europe for each Kobalt Music Publishing and AWAL’s UK and Europe artistic groups.
Donald was promoted to Head of World Artistic simply over a yr in the past, dividing her time between London and Los Angeles…
5) INDIES ARE NIBBLING INTO THE MAJORS’ STREAMING MARKET SHARE. AFTER BELIEVE SAGA, HOW MIGHT WARNER MUSIC GROUP RESPOND?
Six months in the past on this column, I laid out why I believed we had been odds-on to see a large-scale (probably $1bn+) acquisition within the unbiased distribution and providers area this yr.
Subsequent to that column being printed, Warner started sniffing round Imagine, mulling a possible USD $1.8 billion bid for the French firm earlier than in the end strolling away. Imagine was not deemed the perfect M&A goal for Warner – however I nonetheless reckon we’ll see one or a number of acquisitions from WMG on this subject within the months forward.
There are a couple of key the explanation why, past the truth that WMG CEO Robert Kyncl has beforehand expressed his need to speed up Warner’s presence amongst “middle-class” indie artists.
Firstly, Warner shall be eager to shut the hole, size-wise, on its two largest rivals, Sony and Common.
One other key driver for Warner Music Group’s acquisitive curiosity within the trendy indie distribution sector? The altering face of the music biz…
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