Music Business Worldwide

Salaam Remi, a Grammy-winning producer known for his collaborations with Amy Winehouse and Nas, shares insights on staying creatively hungry and navigating the evolving music landscape. He reflects on his decision to halt active production at 50 and the lessons learned from music legends. Salaah discusses his innovative rights management venture, Analog Metaverse, and a pivotal partnership with Warner Chappell Music. He emphasizes mentorship, transparency, and adapting to the industry's transformation to support the next generation of artists.

Sherrese Clarke Soares, founder and CEO of Harbourview Equity Partners, shares insights on her company’s impressive music assets acquisitions, which include major stars like Wiz Khalifa and Lady A. She discusses the shifting landscape of music investments, emphasizing the role of data analytics and the challenges posed by rising interest rates. Soares also elaborates on Harbourview's expansion into film and sports, the importance of engaging with artists, and how an inclusive, pluralistic approach could shape the future of the industry.

Tomas Ericsson, CEO of Amra and former Deputy CEO of STIM, discusses the evolution of global royalty collections. He highlights Amra's rapid growth, generating over $110 million in revenue and its strategic shift to digital platforms. The conversation includes the importance of transparency in royalty distributions and Amra's commitment to impartiality despite its Kobalt affiliation. Ericsson debates the effectiveness of for-profit versus non-profit PROs, emphasizing service efficiency while tackling the challenges of ownership transitions and data management in the music rights landscape.

Eliah Seton, CEO of SoundCloud and former President of the company, discusses SoundCloud's future potential, including a possible sale or IPO. SoundCloud is a platform with 400 million tracks, supporting creators and engaging fans. The podcast explores SoundCloud's unique position in the music industry and its focus on monetizing fan engagement and artist support.

Emmanuel Zunz, the founder of ONErpm, a disruptive global music distribution company that started in Brazil, shares insights on his remarkable journey. He discusses the bold strategy that challenges major labels and the company's aspirations to become the fifth largest record company globally. Zunz emphasizes artist independence and the evolving power dynamics in the industry. He also talks about navigating the challenges of emerging markets, rejecting venture capital for sustainable growth, and championing innovation in a rapidly changing digital landscape.

On this episode of Music Business Worldwide's Talking Trends, MBW founder, Tim Ingham, is once again joined by Charlie D'Atri, to discuss two key recent headlines from the world of entertainment.This week's duo of topical picks get our hosts more irritated than usual:(1) The US Department of Justice suing Live Nation and Ticketmaster in a bid to break up what it describes as an "unlawful monopoly". (2) Generative AI Suno raising $125 million, as its prime investor – venture capital firm Lightspeed Partners – claims that the app can spit out music "worthy of Top 40 radio".People and companies mentioned on this Talking Trends podcast include: Live Nation, Ticketmaster, Michael Rapino, Lightspeed Partners, Suno, Olivia Rodrigo, and more.Music Business Worldwide's Podcasts are supported by Voly Entertainment (previously known as Voly Music).

On the latest Music Business Worldwide podcast, MBW founder Tim Ingham is joined by Temi Adeniji, Managing Director of Warner Music Africa and SVP of Sub-Saharan Africa at Warner.Africa, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, is already a major global music industry story with huge potential for the future. On the music-making side of things, the continent has produced global hits and superstars in recent years including the likes of Burna Boy from Nigeria, Tyla from South Africa, and many others.Based in Johannesburg, Adeniji has been instrumental in a number of initiatives from Warner Music Group in Africa in recent years, including its partnership in Nigeria with Chocolate City, signed in 2019, as well as its acquisition of distributor Africori in 2022.Adeniji was born in Nigeria before moving to the US as a child, where she later graduated from Princeton University and then Columbia University, before building a successful career in law. She then joined Warner Music Group in New York in 2016, working across international strategy and operations, before relocating for her current job in Johannesburg in 2021.On this podcast, Temi discusses the potential of various African markets, plus Warner’s own strategy in the region, and the general commercial excitement in the music biz surrounding the continent.

On this episode of Music Business Worldwide's Talking Trends, MBW founder, Tim Ingham, is once again joined by Charlie D'Atri, to discuss two key recent headlines from the world of entertainment: (1) Universal Music Group's kiss-and-make-up announcement with TikTok over the two companies' new deal, via which UMG says it's being paid more handsome compensation than it was previously; (2) Spotify quietly moving access to lyrics behind a 'paywall' – i.e. making lyrics a Premium-only perk.People and companies mentioned on this Talking Trends podcast include: Spotify, Universal Music Group, TikTok, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Sir Lucian Grainge, MySpace, Musixmatch, RIAA, SiriusXM, Michael Nash, WimP, TIDAL, and more.

David Israelite, President and CEO of the National Music Publishers' Association, discusses Spotify's controversial decision to lower mechanical royalty rates for songwriters by reclassifying premium subscription tiers. The NMPA is considering legal action to challenge this move. The podcast delves into the impact on songwriters, concerns about transparency, and the ongoing conflicts between Spotify and music creators.

On this episode of Music Business Worldwide's Talking Trends, MBW founder, Tim Ingham, is once again joined by Charlie D'Atri, to discuss two key recent headlines from the world of entertainment: (1) A battle between Concord and financial giant Blackstone to acquire Hipgnosis Songs Fund – the UK-listed bundle of music rights accumulated by Merck Mercuriadis; (2) Spotify's decision to re-categorize its Premium subscription tiers as 'bundles' – including audiobooks – that will materially lessen the royalty rate paid to songwriters in the US.People and companies mentioned on this Talking Trends podcast include: Spotify, Daniel Ek, Blackstone, Merck Mercuriadis, Concord, NMPA, David Israelite, EQT, Shot Tower Capital, BMG, Citrin Cooperman, and more.