This week, a brand new report from economist Will Web page revealed that the worldwide worth of music copyright reached an all-time excessive of $47.2 billion in 2024.
In the meantime, YouTube introduced it’s going to cease offering information to Billboard‘s US charts after greater than a decade, following adjustments to Billboard’s streaming methodology.
Elsewhere, HYBE made a push into Africa through a brand new partnership with Tyla’s managers Brandon Hixon and Colin Gayle.
Additionally this week, The Weeknd closed a reported $1 billion catalog take care of Lyric Capital whereas sustaining inventive management.
Moreover, MBW broke the information that Common Music Group proposed divesting Curve to handle European Fee competitors issues over its $775 million acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings.
Listed below are among the greatest headlines from the previous few days…
1. GLOBAL VALUE OF MUSIC COPYRIGHT REACHED $47.2 BILLION IN 2024, SAYS NEW WILL PAGE REPORT
The worldwide worth of music copyright (each recordings and compositions) reached a brand new all-time excessive of $47.2 billion in 2024.
That’s in keeping with a brand new report from Will Web page, the previous Chief Economist at each Spotify and UK assortment society PRS for Music, printed on Web page’s web site, Pivotal Economics.
The 2024 determine was up simply $2.3 billion (5.2%) on the prior 12 months. Based on the report, “development is slowing largely as a result of that is the primary 12 months the place the pandemic results have vanished”… (MBW)
2. BILLBOARD JUST MADE ‘FREE’ STREAMS WORTH MORE ON ITS US CHARTS. YOUTUBE IS STILL NOT HAPPY – AND IS PULLING ITS DATA.
YouTube says it’s going to quickly cease offering information to Billboard for inclusion within the US charts, ending a partnership that has lasted greater than a decade.
The choice, introduced on Wednesday (December 17) by Lyor Cohen, YouTube’s World Head of Music, comes simply in the future after Billboard revealed adjustments to its chart methodology that can really slender the weighting hole between paid and ad-supported streams.
Beneath Billboard’s present formulation for the Billboard 200, one album ‘unit’ equals 1,250 paid/subscription streams or 3,750 ad-supported streams — a 1:3 ratio.
Billboard’s new methodology tightens that ratio to 1:2.5, with one album unit now equalling 1,000 paid streams or 2,500 ad-supported streams… (MBW)
3. HYBE ‘TO BUILD A GLOBAL PLATFORM FOR AFRICAN TALENT’ VIA NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH TYLA MANAGERS BRANDON HIXON AND COLIN GAYLE
South Korea-born leisure big HYBE has been quickly rising its geographic footprint past its residence market over the previous few years.
First, it expanded into Japan, adopted by the USA, after which Latin America in late 2023.
Extra just lately, the corporate established operations in China (April 2025) and India (September 2025). Now, after increasing throughout Asia and the Americas, HYBE is making a push into Africa… (MBW)
4. THE WEEKND CLOSES $1 BILLION CATALOG DEAL WITH LYRIC CAPITAL (REPORT)
The Weeknd has closed a take care of Lyric Capital Group that brings outdoors funding into his music catalog whereas protecting the artist and his crew as shareholders with “inventive management” over his catalog.
That’s in keeping with a report from Selection over the weekend, which cited affirmation from representatives for the artist. The reported affirmation arrives lower than 4 months after Bloomberg reported, citing folks conversant in the matter, that the Canadian singer is trying to increase roughly USD $1 billion in financing backed by his stake in publishing rights and grasp recordings.
The information outlet reported on the time that New York-based Lyric Capital was main the talks and that the artist already reached out to different traders to assemble the financing package deal of as much as $1 billion… (MBW)
5. EXCLUSIVE: UMG PROPOSES SELLING CURVE TO SECURE EU APPROVAL FOR $775M DOWNTOWN DEAL
Common Music Group has proposed divesting Downtown’s Curve royalty accounting enterprise to handle European Fee competitors issues over its $775 million acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings.
UMG submitted formal commitments to the EC on December 11, outlining a plan to promote Curve Royalty Programs as a standalone enterprise to an unbiased purchaser authorised by the Fee.
The EC despatched out letters final week to potential consumers as a part of the proposed divestment course of. A doc outlining the treatments package deal, seen by MBW, commits UMG to divesting your entire Curve enterprise, together with all staff (besides two retained engineers), buyer contracts, and the Curve Platform software program and associated belongings... (MBW)
Associate message: MBW’s Weekly Spherical-up is supported by BMI, the international chief in performing rights administration, devoted to supporting songwriters, composers and publishers and championing the worth of music. Discover out extra about BMI right here. Music Enterprise Worldwide
