Yair Landau

“…music copyright valuation continues to grow at an accelerated pace. The global valuation ascribed to music copyright reached $41.5bn, according to industry economist Will Page. This is 14.5% more than 2022. More folks are streaming music than ever before. Vinyl sales are up. Concert ticket sales surpassed 2019’s figures, according to Live Nation. And beneath all of this are the songs, or copyrighted works. Without them, there would be no tours, no vinyl records and no streaming services. Funds that invest in this intellectual property are expected to continue to see a return. But across the industry, this is not the case.” “There are reasons for this - based both on data and perception. Qualitatively, the way the music industry - as a monolith - is perceived continues to be challenged. For example, in BBC’s daily news podcast, Global Story, a report on Taylor Swift referred to the music industry as ‘in crisis’ despite the macroeconomic data arguing otherwise. This is supported by the evidence of burgeoning inequality. While arenas and stadiums celebrate a bumper year, small music venues in the UK suffered their “worst year in a decade” according to the Music Venue Trust. Music education hubs - often the places where music is first created - are being cut by two-thirds in 2024-2025. However, quantitatively, the data reveals a different story. Music listenership is up, according to the IFPI. Revenue collections from CISAC, the international trade body representing collective management organizations was up 28% in 2022. Simply, more music would mean more return, especially for firms that own much of the music that is consumed, such as funds like Hipgnosis, Round Hill or Primary Wave or the three multinationals, Universal Music Group, Warner Music and Sony Music. However, debt is now more expensive, and liabilities are outstripping return. Listening to more music is not enough.” #CMOs #CISAC #IFPI #Artists #UK #RecordingRights #Performers #Royalties #MusicRoyalties #Music #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #Copyright #Copyrights #Songs #Songwriters #Recordings #MusicPublishing #Streams #Streaming #MusicStreaming #LiveMusic #Global #RecordedMusic #RecordLabels #IndieMusic

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“Warner Music Group (WMG) CEO Robert Kyncl has come out in favor of a US Senate bill that would crack down on unauthorized deepfakes, arguing that the technology could ruin lives, reputations and businesses if left unchecked. Although many in the music business are embracing AI, it’s also the case that “generative AI is appropriating artists’ identities and producing deepfakes that depict people doing, saying, or singing things that never happened,” Kyncl will tell a subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Commitee on Tuesday (April 30). “Through AI, it is very easy for someone to impersonate me and cause all manner of havoc,” Kyncl said, according to his pre-prepared remarks shared with MBW. “They could speak to an artist in a way that could destroy our relationship. They could say untrue things about our publicly traded company to the media that would damage our business.” #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Legal #GenerativeAi #GeAi #Music #MusicBusiness #Musicians #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicLicensing #WMG #MusicVideos #Artists #MusicBiz #Streaming #StreamingServices #StreamingMedia #WarnerMusicGroup #USCongress #USA

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O P T I M I S T I C ! ! ”Los Angeles Film and TV Production Sees Sluggish Rebound From Strikes, but There’s Optimism” according to a report from FilmLA which notes an anemic return to filming in the region but that jobs appeared to return in full force in March. Filming in Los Angeles has been slow to bounce back after production in the region was decimated by Hollywood’s historic season of strikes.  The main reason for the sluggish rebound: A double-digit drop in television shoots compared to the same period last year.  Also playing a factor in the decline were reductions in content spend across most major studios, series cancellations and runaway production.  While the difference was steep in January (30.6 percent fewer jobs, totaling 2,282), it was modest in February (5.1 percent fewer jobs, totaling 3,061) and nearly unnoticeable by the end of March (a 0.4 percent increase, totaling 3,274 jobs).  There’s optimism in production levels for feature films. The category rose slightly in the quarter, picking up 634 shoot days to finish an estimated 7 percent ahead of the same months last year. Movies in production included Beverly Hills Cop 4, Atlas, and Lurker, all of which are getting tax credits to film in California.  FilmLA also flagged the loss of commercial production — which slipped nearly 10 percent year-over-year and more than 33 percent below the five-year average — to other jurisdictions as a concern. Filming for smaller, lower-cost shoots, such as documentaries, music videos and still photography, similarly fell by roughly 5 percent. Entertainment Partners https://lnkd.in/g5veEE6R https://lnkd.in/gjhbnQdG

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I'm a bit late to the discussion on IGN Entertainment's acquisition of the Gamer Network. Seeing IGN Entertainment acquire the Gamer Network hits close to home for me. I grew up getting my gaming news and guides from mid-level publishers like Eurogamer and VG247. This consolidation trend is troubling, especially considering the layoffs and reduced editorial diversity that often follow. With my experience at ReedPOP, a subsidiary of Reed Exhibitions, I have insider knowledge of the dynamics at play. Reed should have invested more in these publishers because they didn't fit into the broader B2B portfolio strategy. This oversight has contributed to the consolidation we're witnessing now, where a few major entities control most of the gaming news landscape, pushing out smaller, independent voices. #GamingNews #IndustryTrends #Consolidation https://lnkd.in/eEDx-bfJ

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“Sony Music Entertainment is set to acquire the catalog of legendary rock band Queen in a landmark deal worth GBP £1 billion (USD $1.27 billion at current exchange rates). That’s according to Hits, which reported on Wednesday (June 19), citing sources, that Sony Music has emerged as the winning buyer for Queen’s recording and publishing rights, as well as royalties from previous deals with Disney Music Group and Universal Music Group. Disney owns the band’s recorded music catalog in North America, while UMG has a global distribution agreement with Disney. Separately, Queen band members Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon – plus the Freddie Mercury estate – each own equal shares in the company Queen Productions Ltd, which owns the group’s recording catalog outside the US and Canada, Music Business Worldwide noted in a report last year. UMG, as Disney’s distributor, will reportedly retain distribution rights in North America, although Sony will receive the royalties. UMG’s worldwide distribution rights will then transfer to Sony in 2026 or 2027, making Sony Music the sole distributor and owner of all Queen content globally, Hits explained. The deal also reportedly includes name and likeness rights, opening doors for merchandise and other ventures. Meanwhile, Queen’s founding members, May and Taylor, who continue to tour with vocalist Adam Lambert, will reportedly retain control of revenue from live performances.” Read the full article for more: #Queen #SonyMusic #UMG #DisneyMusicGroup #UniversalMusicGroup #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz #Creators #Artists

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The UPROXX newco is a smart media M&A rollup. Music and culture focus + a strong leadership team. I'm bullish on them doing well by *brands and fans*, and getting immediate revenue traction based on their WMG YouTube media sales partnership. In my newsletter tomorrow, I explain my insights on the deal, key questions I'm asking, why I think UPROXX STUDIOS is setup for success. For now, let's review the key deal details... UPROXX STUDIOS OVERVIEW �� A new “brand solutions studio” that “connects brands with talent, cultural arenas, and audiences”  • Founded by media veterans Jarret Myer (CEO), Rich Antoniello (Exec Chairman), and will.i.am (Chief Visionary Officer) • Result of acquisitions of Uproxx, HipHopDX, Dime Magazine, and other Warner Music Group media assets • Reaches 170M+ monthly US visitors and generates 12B+ monthly US video views POST DEAL OPS • “Expect significant investments in our brands, team, and the experiences we offer” • Includes the excl license to represent WMG’s YouTube inventory for all US media sales  • Will integrate will.i.am’s FYI AI tech and FYI radio into ops UPROXX DIVISIONS • Uproxx – Millennial-focused culture media brand and production co (acquired by WMG in 2018) • HipHopDX – Digital mag of hip hop music criticism and news (acquired by WMG in 2020) • Dime Magazine – Digital mag of American basketball lifestyle (acquired by Uproxx in 2015) • FYI – productivity tool designed to serve Creatives. Combines messaging and collab tools with file mgmt and content pub features NEWCO VALUE PROP  • Access to A-list stars via WMG YouTube inventory + UPROXX superfan communities gives brands and advertisers new ways to participate in music culture • FYI AI tech will enable creation of AI StoryLabs, a new branded content and social media mgmt unit within UPROXX Studios  • "Merging the agility and freedom of an independent entity with the reach and resources of a major music label.” UPROXX HISTORY • f/k/a as Uproxx • Founded 2008 by Jarrett Meyer and Brian Bater (also co-founded Rawkus Records in 1996) • Acquired by male-focused media ad network Woven Digital in 2015 • Rebranded to Uproxx Media, Jarrett became GM • Bought by WMG in 2018 • Price undisclosed, but previous Uproxx Media investment was ~$43M • Value prop of acquisition was to “create engaging new experiences for young consumers, global promotional possibilities for brands, and innovative marketing opportunities for artists” • WMG exec Max Lousada and Uproxx co-founder Jarrett Myer used to work together at Rawkus Records WMG RELATED HISTORY • Announced 600 layoffs in Feb 2024, incl potential sale of Uproxx and HipHopDX • Also wound down its podcasting brand Interval Presents and social media publisher IMGN • Overall faced challenges in its O&O and digital brand sales biz -- I'm the founder of RockWater Industries. We do M&A and strategy advisory for media, agencies, and creator economy. My DMs are open.

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Music Business Association Music Biz 2024 coming up in May. Find out more about Reactional Music and what we are delivering across interactive music, music personalisation, in-game economies, generative composable music and the possibilities for creators, composers, artists and developers

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I could not agree with this sentiment more: “Free is a great driver to get people to try something,” says John Buffone, vp and media entertainment industry adviser at market research company Circana, noting, “Free doesn’t keep you there.” Regardless of platform type ... you need to build an offering and cost of entry that lures audiences in to sample what you've created ... and then you have to work to deliver on that promise and expectation day after day and week after week to consistently support the path leading to your strategic long-term vision, so the audience develops a new habit of returning to your platform - because each time they visit your platform, their expectation is met. Consistency is key. This growth and shift in habit for the audience takes time and patience ... regardless of the offering, regardless of the platform. You need to be in it to win it, so to speak ... with a right-sized expectation that matches your content and marketing investment and a realistic view of the time and resources needed to build audience in such a fragmented market. I love working with my clients to help right-size their expectations as we work together on short and long-term strategies to meet their platform goals. It's what I have been doing for over 25 years. If this type of guidance and partnership might be useful to you and your company, let's talk!

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Transmedia is the new media. Knuckles became the most-watched Paramount+ original series of all time, with over 4 million hours streamed during its premiere weekend. This comes right after Amazon announced that its Fallout series has been watched by more than 65 million viewers worldwide. The success of both shows underscores the the strategic shift where a story/world is told across multiple platforms, tapping into new audiences and enhancing brand presence. Following the premiere of "Knuckles," Paramount+ saw a 278% jump in viewership across other Sonic the Hedgehog content, highlighting transmedia's ability to attract new fans and invigorate existing ones. This surge points to a successful formula for cultivating brand loyalty and drawing a broader audience into the Sonic universe. The success of "Knuckles" and "Fallout" provides valuable insights for the entertainment industry: 🎮 Transmedia Storytelling Works: These shows prove that telling a story across multiple platforms can be a potent strategy for growing a franchise and reaching wider audiences. 🎮 Cross-Platform Engagement Is Essential: Storytelling across various media helps maintain audience interest and loyalty when executed properly. 🎮 IP Expansion Drives Revenue: Transmedia storytelling creates new avenues for IP growth and merchandising, offering additional revenue streams. 🎮 Diversification Is Key: Success in this space underscores the importance of offering a diverse range of content to cater to different tastes and demographics. The power of transmedia and collaboration.

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Calling Investors: Invest in the original Xbox “Duke” controller… I am working with a new gaming peripherals company set to take the world by storm and they are looking for investors to join the team. Founded by Duke Schnepf, son of gaming visionary, and Xbox founder, Brett Schnepf, backed by multiple founding fathers of the Xbox, this company is pushing the boundaries of the gaming peripherals sector. Their journey began with Brett Schnepf, a luminary whose contributions to gaming history are etched in stone. As a founding member of the Xbox console team, Brett's design prowess shaped modern gaming, with iconic creations like the Sidewinder PC controller and the legendary Duke controller. Today, Duke Schnepf carries forth his father's legacy. Upside and a half! In late 2024, a major streaming platform will release a series chronicling the founding of a pioneering gaming console (can you guess which one) and the launch of Duke's ground-breaking products, offering an intimate look at the visionary minds behind this revolution. Looking for investments of $10K, $20K, $50K, $100K, $250, $500K, and $1M. Higher investments with equity shares are available for discussion. We foresee full returns and profits delivered within 1 year. If you're interested in being part of this exciting journey, please get in touch to set up a call ASAP. #Gaming #InvestmentOpportunity #Innovation #GamingPeripherals #TechInvestments #gamedev #investors #angelinvestors #gameinvestor #PEinvestment #AngelInvestment

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Paramount - WTAF is going on? "I have tremendous confidence in George, Chris and Brian... I am extremely excited for what their combined leadership means for Paramount Global and for the opportunities that lie ahead..." writes Shari Redstone to all Paramount Employees. Yet she knows, and they know, and she knows that they know, that she sees no future for their combined leadership. You're looking at three of the greatest leaders in the business being played as the Three Stooges. Despite tanking the Paramount share price from $55 to $12 a share, Bob Bakish did a tremendous job following Redstone's bidding to go headlong into the world of streaming with Paramount+. It's a great brand, brilliantly executed with world class content, and sits well alongside flanker FAST brand Pluto TV. It's all a bit 2021, when the Wall Street Ponzi Scheme opportunists were pushing all the Studios to do, to hell with sustainable profit models and theatrical, when there's easy money to be made through blowing their own bubbles. Turned out the only people to boost the Paramount Global share price were the Reddit activists, who propelled the share price to almost $100, making holding (and divesting) Paramount shares quite interesting for a few weeks. Since then it's been downhill all the way, but Redstone is still holding out like Captain Ahab with the promises of a pot of gold at the end of the streaming rainbow. It's hard to the value in the Skydance deal for anyone but Redstone's pride and her own shareholding, given she'll get a huge premium on her shareholding which will be mostly denied to the commoners holding non-voting stock. David Ellison is an insanely smart guy, so there's clear value for Skydance here, although given Skydance are a major supplier to Paramount it'd be challenging to make savings there. Maybe there's a plan to feed the whole Paramount library into an Oracle AI and make trillions, or maybe it's simply a ruse to try and heat up a bidding war? Sony and Apollo offering $26bn make the most sense, given the clear duplications and synergies to be made, with Paramount being a great production label with world class IP. Removing the Office of the CEO alone would save tens of millions right away, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I can't see why Sony would want to go near streaming, but they'd be well placed to offload P+ onto the highest bidder, and those 71m customers would add scale to WB's Max or Comcast's Peacock or maybe even Apple+. Worth a couple of billion dollars to someone else, rather than being a share price drag as it currently stands. Or maybe Comcast would come all-in, and outbid Sony to get their hands on the bigger prize? I can't speak for the TV business, but given the standout performer on the last earning call was CBS' Superbowl, it goes to show there's huge potential for TV - maybe without, rather than with, the trappings of the broader group? Or is it simply a case of "The Centre cannot hold, things fall apart..."

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Horrible news today about layoffs at Traega Entertainment, with 19 employees being laid off. Game Director Tony Mann shared their details here, if you are in the market for some amazing talent: https://lnkd.in/eJDgas_5 To those affected, please find a comprehensive list of resources, below: 🥇First, Discipline Games Jobs Resources: Over the past weeks I have created 8 (at time of writing) Games Jobs Resources to find jobs in a wide range of disciplines: 🎨 Art, Animation, VFX and UI: This resource contains around 1,200 jobs worldwide across all links. Link: https://lnkd.in/eu2bjadW ⚙ Engineering and Programming This resource lists just over 1,800 jobs worldwide across all links. It also talks about interview tips and questions to practice. Link: https://lnkd.in/eYdxANFM 🕹 Quality Assurance: This resource lists over 450 QA jobs worldwide. This post also talks about the craft of QA and contains tips and interview practice. Link: https://lnkd.in/dwwVjZuc 📑 Game Production: This resource lists around 400 jobs worldwide. It also contains info about game production as a whole and GDC talks. Link: https://lnkd.in/gxDvFM-Z 📢 Marketing & Community: This resource lists around 400 jobs worldwide. It also gives an intro into game marketing and community management. Link: https://lnkd.in/e5MuViug 🎶 Audio and Sound Design: This resource lists around 190 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/eSkPSsWf 📠 Studio Support, HR, Recruitment and BizDev: This resource lists around 290 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/ePG57_7v ⚙ IT, Helpdesk and DevOps: This resource lists around 140 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/e8ZsuiZh 🥈 Second, the Ultimate list of Video Games Career Resources: This should be your one-stop shop for all information. My dear friend Amir Satvat maintains these documents, he is a legend for doing this - please check them out: https://amirsatvat.com/ 🥉 Third, If you have worked in publishing, please message me. I am looking for quite a few roles right now! ⬅ 🎖 Finally, do not give up. Ever. No matter how dark things may look right now, I KNOW you will get through this, you have got this! 👊 Remember you are not alone. If you need help, advice, or even an ear to listen, we're here for you. Always! ➡ A request to my community, please can I ask you to repost this post to your colleagues and friends, so that we can get as many into jobs as possible! And please comment if you or your studio are currently hiring - let's help each other! Much love ❤️ #layoffs #gamesindustry #jobsingames #traega

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Recap of Consensus 2024: why does this event exist? TLDR Thx for the BBQ, Austin! And it was great to meet up with old and new friends including EJ Ayala, Michael Dershewitz, Max Kaufman ⚡️, Erica Hamilton, Ron Cao, Colleen Sullivan, Alex M., Paul Thind, Dante Reminick, Parker Heath, Kiernan Fitzsimons, Conrad Sain, George V., Rodrigo Etcheto, Kelly DiGregorio, and more! In all it was a great time meeting with incredible partners. It's clear that: - Cloud compute and distributed hosting x web3 gaming has a lot of potential - Gaming-focused chains are ready to rock and roll, esp. powered by Sequence - Investments are increasingly sophisticated and focused on sustainability - Traditional gaming is headed into the space in droves, with strong teams with incredible backgrounds who truly understand gamers, data, A/B testing and more But Consensus, as with many generalist crypto or web3 events, is obsolete. Events in new industries are important, but as the space matures and consolidates, I'm not sure that there's a need for several days devoted to basic underlying technology. It's like going to Servers 2024! We all get it, we know what servers are, what they do. How this gets applied, what benefits it brings to developers, players, users, that's what matters. I'd love to see Consensus get a bit more serious around specific tracks or reconsider its focus.

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Deepna Devkar, Ph.D. what a treat having you on the podcast! If you’ve ever wondered what goes into building your personalised experience on Max, this is the episode for you. Tune in to hear from one of the minds leading the build of the platform experience!

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Mission: Impossible—Troika Force Logline: In a world where media giants wrestle for dominance, Paramount Global entrusts its fate to ‘THE TROIKA’— 3 visionary leaders tasked with a high-stakes mission to rescue the studio from the brink. Through strategic cuts, covert partnerships, and bold innovations, they race against time to save PARA from collapse. Will they succeed in this epic quest, or will their efforts be the final act in a storied legacy? Originally seen as a temporary fix, ‘THE TROIKA’ is now set to steer the ship through some stormy seas and possibly redefine Paramount’s future. With PARA’S $14 billion debt & lagging stock, ‘THE TROIKA’ are tasked with making tough decisions, including significant layoffs & asset sales. Their goal? Transforming Paramount into a leaner, more agile company. Despite the unconventional setup and skepticism from some analysts, the team has a unified vision & close working relationship, always a good omen — if sustained. Cough. However, their success could end up paving the way for JUST 1 of them to take the helm — solo — eventually. #ParamountGlobal #Leadership #MediaIndustry #BusinessTransformation #filmindustry #entertainment #media #business #news

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“Warner Music CEO Robert Kyncl says metadata issues make the industry more susceptible to AI in his NMPA meeting keynote: “It takes the teeth out of things.” Metadata problems have been a continual thorn in the side of music rights holders for the last two decades. When performing rights organizations (PROs) can’t accurately match a track’s metadata to its use, artists and their contributors miss out on hard-earned revenue. Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl wants to bring those issues to light for the industry to solve, and he’s got some suggestions for going about it. At the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA)’s Annual Meeting in New York on Wednesday (June 12), Kyncl was interviewed by NMPA President and CEO David Israelite, during which the Warner exec was asked for his views on positive reform in collection societies. “One of the things that troubles me personally is that we’re basically collecting digital revenue the way we’ve collected analog revenue for decades. The speed of it; everything is the same,” said Kyncl. “That’s something we all collectively can do better and I think that will help songwriters tremendously.” “There’s a wealth of repertoire ownership information that sits with the collection societies, PROs, the [Mechanical Licensing Collective] and not everything matches perfectly,” he explained, calling for the industry to enable collection societies worldwide to collaborate in order to solve the continued issue of unmatched data. Kyncl stressed that reducing the amount of mismatched data is “incredibly important, not only for a faster flow of money today,” but for the music industry down the road as AI technology continues to grow. “If we set the rules of the road correctly with the platforms, it will have to depend on ownership information,” he added. “It’s one of the things that we really need to focus on.” Read the full article for more: #Metadata #PROs #CMOs #MLC #WarnerMusicGroup #WMG #NMPA #MusicRights #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz

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Paying out an additional £6 million (approx. USD $7.7 million) in royalties from online services - “UK-based royalty collection society PRS for Music says it will be paying out an additional GBP £6 million (approx. USD $7.7 million) in royalties from online services to songwriters and composers annually, thanks to a reduction in its administration rate. The collection society said it’s reducing its admin rate on multi-territory online (MTOL) royalties by 20% – from a 10% rate to an 8% rate – as a result of the CMO “surpassing its targets, delivering historic distributions and revenues, and becoming a billion-pound society.” Announced at its 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) today (June 4), PRS estimates the reduction will see £1.5 million more paid out to members in each of its quarterly royalty distributions starting from October this year.” #PRS #CMOs #UK #MusicRoyaties #Songwriters #Composers #MusicPublishing #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz

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