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 earnings 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 amass the catalog of legendary rock band Queen in a landmark deal reportedly price roughly GBP £1 billion (USD $1.27 billion at present change 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 bought 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 develop into the unique international administration companion 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 software by Common Music Group, indicating the corporate is engaged on a way for producing neural beats and including them to current tracks.
Lastly, file firms advised MBW this week that they see no signal of a decline in music streaming subscriptions in Sweden, regardless of a latest 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 amass the catalog of legendary rock band Queen in a landmark deal reportedly price roughly GBP £1 billion (USD $1.27 billion at present change charges).
Sony is known to be shopping for the band’s international music publishing rights, their ‘identify 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 at present globally distributed by way of Common Music Group.)
On the finish of Could, Bloomberg reported that Sony was negotiating a take care of Queen and that the main 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.
Based on the announcement Tuesday (July 2), his departure from the corporate might 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’s the suitable time for me to step again from my position as Chairman. It is 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 international admin companion 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 Woman,” and “I Gained’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 a press release: “We’re trying ahead to this new partnership with the group at Warner Chappell, as we increase 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 latest patent software from Common that describes expertise that would considerably affect the wellness house.
The submitting, titled, ‘Producing tonally suitable, synchronized neural beats for digital audio recordsdata’ describes what UMG calls “new and revolutionary programs and strategies for producing and including neural beats to current audio tracks“.
As defined by Common within the software, neural beats, performed at sure frequencies, could “embody any audio beat designed to provide or encourage a desired psychological state in a person”…
5) RECORD COMPANIES TELL MBW: NOPE, THE INDUSTRY ISN’T LOSING PAYING IN SWEDEN
Among 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 Could 2024, by which 4,000 people had been quizzed throughout the Nordics.
These interviews instructed a downturn within the variety of individuals paying for music streaming in Sweden.
Of the YouGov ballot’s respondents based mostly 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 earnings and cut back their touring prices.Music Enterprise Worldwide