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 is going to cease offering knowledge to Billboard‘s US charts after greater than a decade, following modifications to Billboard’s streaming methodology.
Elsewhere, HYBE made a push into Africa by way of a brand new partnership with Tyla’s managers Brandon Hixon and Colin Gayle.
Additionally this week, The Weeknd closed a reported $1 billion catalog cope with Lyric Capital whereas sustaining inventive management.
Moreover, MBW broke the information that Common Music Group proposed divesting Curve to deal with European Fee competitors considerations over its $775 million acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings.
Listed here are among the largest 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 accordance 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 yr. In response to the report, “development is slowing largely as a result of that is the primary yr 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 is going to quickly cease offering knowledge 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 International Head of Music, comes simply sooner or later after Billboard revealed modifications to its chart methodology that can really slim the weighting hole between paid and ad-supported streams.
Below Billboard’s present system 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 large HYBE has been quickly rising its geographic footprint past its dwelling 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 cope with Lyric Capital Group that brings exterior funding into his music catalog whereas protecting the artist and his crew as shareholders with “inventive management” over his catalog.
That’s in accordance 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 accustomed to the matter, that the Canadian singer is trying to elevate 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 bundle 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 deal with European Fee competitors considerations 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 impartial purchaser permitted by the Fee.
The EC despatched out letters final week to potential patrons as a part of the proposed divestment course of. A doc outlining the treatments bundle, seen by MBW, commits UMG to divesting all the Curve enterprise, together with all workers (besides two retained engineers), buyer contracts, and the Curve Platform software program and associated belongings... (MBW)
Companion 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
