UNLIMITED SUPPLY with Digital Music News Bulls in the money Trench; a Spotify Price hike? and Benji Rogers has an axe to grind.
Oct 24, 2025
Benji Rogers, the entrepreneur behind PledgeMusic and a music-tech advocate, joins the discussion to share his insights on AI licensing and creator rights. He warns that creators are at risk of losing power in the AI landscape unless they demand better licensing terms. As Spotify prepares for a price hike, Benji emphasizes the need for transparent AI agreements that include training fees and revenue shares. The conversation highlights the delicate balance between innovation and protecting creator value in the rapidly changing music industry.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
YouTube Music Is Big, But Distribution Matters
- YouTube Music reported $8 billion in payouts, signaling it's a real business channel for rights holders.
- The headline number masks how little of that may reach individual artists and songwriters.
Publishing Could Outgrow Recorded Music
- Omdia forecasts music publishing to reach $14 billion by 2030, outpacing recorded music growth.
- The projection depends on favorable AI licensing and licensing split assumptions.
Indies May Gain Relative To Majors
- Investors like Mike Morris see independent labels gaining share versus majors and aren't too worried about AI threats.
- He expects AI to increase demand for human-driven catalogs, not replace them.