Welcome to our Weekly Headline Roundup!
This week, we’re looking at calls for investigations, Government supported music investments, NMPA, independent venues, and fair use.
Spotify’s Bundling Practices Spark Bipartisan Call for FTC Probe
Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Spotify on Friday (June 20).
– Elias Leight, Billboard
In a letter to FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson obtained by Billboard, the senators accused the streamer of converting “all of its premium music subscribers into different — and ultimately higher-priced — bundled subscriptions without their knowledge or consent.”
U.K. Government Announces £30m Investment Package to Drive Music Industry Growth
The U.K. government has announced a major financial investment worth up to £30 million ($40 million) to help drive growth in the local music industry.
– Thomas Smith, Billboard
The Fight Over AI Is Just Beginning, and Artists Like Elton John Are Leading the Way
The stimulus package is part of the government’s Creative Industries Sector Plan, which is due to be published in full next week in the wider Government Industrial Strategy report. The report will identify the music industry as a “high-growth sub-sector along with film and TV, video games, and advertising and marketing.”
NMPA Head David Israelite Says U.S. Publishing Revenue Cracked $7 Billion in 2024 — The 10th Consecutive Year of Double-Digit Growth
U.S. music publishing revenue grew by double digits during 2024 to crack $7 billion, per the NMPA, which says it’s time for labels and artists “to stand with non-performing songwriters whenever and wherever they strike.”
– Dylan Smith, Digital Music News
The figure and the quote come from a speech delivered by National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) president and CEO David Israelite during his organization’s recent annual meeting. Per the longtime NMPA head, stateside publishing revenue came in at $7.04 billion in 2024, up 13.41% from 2023 for the 10th consecutive year of double-digit growth.
The Majority of Independent Music Venues Were Not Profitable in 2024, According to New Report
Nearly two thirds of independent venues in the United States were unable to turn a profit in 2024, according to the first-ever National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) comprehensive national economic impact study, The State of Live.
– Taylor Mims, Billboard
NIVA ’25 Conference Preview: Ticketing, Declining Alcohol Sales & More Topics to Get…
Released on June 23 at the association’s annual conference, the report details how independent venues, festivals and promoters contributed $86.2 billion directly to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2024 alone and yet many (64% of venues surveyed) remained unprofitable due to inflation, anti-competitive practices and predatory resale. Just under a third (31%) of all independent stages’ expenses went directly to artist and booking fees.
Court rules Anthropic’s use of copyrighted books to train AI is ‘fair use’ – but it may not have much bearing on music rightsholders’ case against platform’s Claude
Toward the end of his speech, which included slams at Spotify and Amazon Music for their “bundling” packages that have enabled them to pay hundreds of millions of dollars less to songwriters, Israelite address the plight of what is often termed the “non-performing songwriter,” which is more accurately songwriters who are not major recording artists as well. In the vinyl and CD era, a non-performing songwriter could do well, because the percentage of the price of an $18 CD that their song earned was often substantial. Needless to say, in the streaming age, that same percentage of $.003 per stream is infinitesimal.
– Daniel Tencer, Music Business Worldwide