A selection of recent articles.
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Asia’s Expansion: Opening Up New Markets For International Acts And Hothousing New Talent For Export – Pollstar
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Indie-gestion: With Universal Ravenously Hungry, is the Independent Label Sector Facing an Existential Crisis? – The Quietus
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Wrangling with Abba, risking jail for the Stone Roses … the lawyer behind pop’s big spats – The Guardian
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Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota: “Licensing has always been too restrictive” – Music Ally
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Ex-Black Midi star Geordie Greep: ‘You don’t have to get every bit of toothpaste out of the tube’ – The Big Issue
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Peermusic CEO Mary Megan Peer: “We’re seeing K-pop become part of the rubric of songs” – Music Ally
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Wasserman Music president Lee Anderson: “Festivals need to take more of a risk” – Music Ally
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The Aussie Big Build: Brisbane Going Live For 2032 Olympics – VenuesNow (advertorial)
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Meta The Devil You Know: Educating Artists On The Importance Of Metadata – Synchtank
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A Penury for Your Thoughts: The Romance & Myths vs the Reality of the Starving Artist – The Quietus
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Orfium CEO Rob Wells: “If you’re not delivering your information correctly, you’re underserving your constituents.” – Music Ally
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Still No 1? How the music charts lost their lustre – The Guardian
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SoundCloud global head of music Emmy Lovell: “To have zero plays is soul destroying for musicians” – Music Ally
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Jesus and Mary Chain, Robert Fripp and more sue PRS for Music over concert royalties – The Guardian
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The cautionary licensing tale of Musicmaker.com (extract from my book 1999: The Year The Record Industry Lost Control) – Music Ally
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How The Music Industry Is In A New Age Of Arrogance – The Quietus
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Here’s what happens to the economy when Taylor Swift tours – Big Issue
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The State Of European Travel: Opportunities, Challenges & New Norms – Pollstar
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Synchronized Swimmingly?: The State of Sync Licensing in 2024 – Synchtank
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Homecoming Kings: Take That To Play 7 Nights At Manchester’s Co-op Live – Pollstar
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DiMA president and CEO Graham Davies: “We’ve got to be careful with streaming’s success story.” – Music Ally
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Putting the ‘vinyl revival’ in proper perspective – Music Business Worldwide
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How DSPs can bring about a new music altruism – Music Business Worldwide
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On… the value of ‘storytelling’ in the marketplace of ideas – Music Business Worldwide
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On… ‘industry plants’ and the false comfort of conspiracy theories – Music Business Worldwide
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‘The internet is an alien life form’: how David Bowie created a market for digital music (extract from my book 1999: The Year The Record Industry Lost Control) – The Guardian
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NMPA president & CEO David Israelite: music publishing must be the first thought, not an afterthought – Music Ally
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OVG’s Tim Leiweke, Francesca Bodie Discuss Co-op Live, Announce New London Venue – Pollstar
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The Touring Business Handbook 2024 (co-editor and contributor) – published by IQ magazine.
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AIM CEO Silvia Montello: Apple Music Atmos royalty change hurts indies – Music Ally
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Taylor-made deals: how artists are following Swift’s rights example – The Guardian
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2023
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Who is the only person to sing their own name in Do They Know It’s Christmas? Try our 2023 festive No 1s quiz – The Guardian
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2023 in review: from new royalty models to catalog sales and label services powering forward – Synchtank
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The hardest-working words in the music business in 2023 – Music Business Worldwide
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Low Culture Essay: Eamonn Forde On The Harrods Princess Di & Dodi Statue – The Quietus
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AI of the storm: artificial intelligence and the music industry in 2023 – Synchtank
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I can’t go for that: the vexed business of artists selling off their songs – The Guardian
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Spotify Wrapped & Apple Music Replay Vie To Be The “John Lewis Ad” Of Streaming – The Quietus
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How Spotify Is Taking Crumbs From Quietus Artists’ Tables – The Quietus
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We Can Wipe It Out: The Beatles’ ‘greatest hits’ as a catalogue palimpsest – Music Business Worldwide
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Sync in 2023: opportunities, challenges, uncertainties and revisions – Synchtank
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Superfans and supine fans: the music industry is getting its priorities the wrong way around – Music Business Worldwide
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Production Values: Strikes, AI and the Future for Production Music – Synchtank
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In defence of white noise – Music Business Worldwide
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Tongue and cheek: the Rolling Stones and the unpalatable ascendancy of fauxganic marketing – Music Business Worldwide
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Leave It Be – Music Business Worldwide
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Lost in a crowd: why phone signal is still so scarce at UK music festivals – The Guardian
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Former Utopia staff left in financial ‘double limbo’ amid liquidation – Music Ally
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How acts can fully monetise their setlist – Music Business Worldwide
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The concert business could learn a lot from the software sector’s process of ‘dogfooding’ – Music Business Worldwide
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How NME Has Flushed Its Moral Compass Partnering With Ladbrokes – The Quietus
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What will Spotify’s price rise mean for its recording artists and songwriters? – The Guardian
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Music’s addicted to the ‘Monthly Active User’ metric. But it tells us nothing – Music Business Worldwide
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Hyper space: when A&R overreaches itself – Music Business Worldwide
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If you are terrified about AI music stealing your audiences, what does that say about your faith in your own music? – Music Business Worldwide
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Closing the book on ‘storytelling’ – Music Business Worldwide
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U2 versus ‘The Nostalgia Yield’ – Music Business Worldwide
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What impact will Metallica’s pressing plant acquisition have on the vinyl industry? – Music Business Worldwide
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By royal disappointment: Why the coronation will present British pop at its most anaemic – Music Business Worldwide
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Movie On Up: Action Time For Film Soundtrack Acquisitions – Synchtank
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Intelligence Test: Techno-Plagiarism and the Battle for Music in a New Age of AI – Synchtank
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It’s time to stop romanticising the music business ‘radical’ – Music Business Worldwide
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And the winner is…: measuring the impact of awards on streaming – Music Ally (partner content)
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The music industry frets about AI music, but is it just a new form of Muzak? – Music Business Worldwide
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In music, how much productivity is too much productivity? – Music Business Worldwide
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At least let the CD die with some dignity – Music Business Worldwide
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2022
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Why it’s time to formulate your Twitter escape plan – Music Business Worldwide
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Growth X Complexity: Tracking Music Publishing’s Royalty Admin Challenges – Synchtank
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Move in and rock out: why bands love a residency – The Guardian
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Rock ’n’ yule: charting the Christmas music peak with Last.fm data – Music Ally (partner content)
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Library Assistance: Production Music’s $1bn (and Counting) Surge – Synchtank
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Listen and learn: understanding uneven album consumption – Music Ally (partner content)
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Livestreaming post pandemic: What does the future look like? – M magazine
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K-pop’s global rise: a series of well-planned explosions rather than a single big bang – Music Ally (partner content)
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While in Qatar, gently weep: music and the rancid politics of culture-washing at the World Cup – Music Business Worldwide
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Why Music Clearance is So Complex & How It Can Be Fixed – Synchtank
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Make it pop! Do we really need the Beatles to sound new? – The Guardian
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Live Music Is Falling Apart – Music Business Worldwide
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‘The work we do isn’t algorithmic’: A&R in the era of TikTok – The Guardian
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Syncing or Rising? How Synchronization Fees Are Evolving – Synchtank
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Disc Drive: HMV Signs First Artist To New Record Label – Forbes.com
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British Music Economy In Partial Recovery But Demands More Government Help – Forbes.com
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The “fifth wheel”: just how financially secure is music publishing? – Synchtank
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Éire Supply: Irish Government Gives Musicians A Weekly Grant – Forbes.com
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UK’s Mercury Prize Cancelled Following Death Of Queen Elizabeth II – Forbes.com
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Purple Gain: Prince Estate Wins Trademark Ruling Against Energy Drink – Forbes.com
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How to justify Bruce Springsteen’s skyrocketing ticket prices – Music Business Worldwide
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Sales from the crypto: Muse NFT album to become first new chart-eligible format in seven years – The Guardian
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Licensing, Lawsuits & Revenue Sharing: Meta’s Evolving Relationship With The Music Industry – Synchtank
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Secret Garden Party review – math-goth and glitchy electropop satisfies the up-for-anything crowd – The Guardian
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That syncing feeling: how Stranger Things supercharged the music industry – The Guardian
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Music Publishing In The Age Of The Songwriter Report – Part 1: The Evolution Of Music Publishing – Synchtank
Music Publishing Report – Part 2: Future-Proofing Publishing Services – Synchtank
Music Publishing Report – Part 3: Economics, Transparency & Equality – Synchtank
Music Publishing Report – Part 4: Digital Drivers Of Growth – Synchtank
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Rap Sheet: Universal Music Sued Over Use Of Tupac Photo – Forbes.com
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The Status Quota: Canada Wants Greater Streaming Prominence For Local Acts – Forbes.com
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Learn ‘Em All: Metallica Offer Interactive Online Tuition – Forbes.com
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One Inflation Under A Groove: Study Claims Consumers Can No Longer Afford Music Subscriptions – Forbes.com
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Unleashing the power of local potential: the global rise of Regional Mexican – Believe
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Forecast: Apple Music To Hit 110 Million Subscribers By 2025 – Forbes.com
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Music streaming has a ‘tsundoku’ problem – Music Business Worldwide
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Unleashing the power of local potential: Vivek Raina on the booming Indian music market – Believe
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RIP RPM: Nick Drake’s Record Player Goes ‘On Tour’ – Forbes.com
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‘Holding the artist to ransom’: musicians struggle to break even as venues and Universal cream off merch sales – The Guardian
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Myth-understandings: what price truth in musical memoirs? – Music Business Worldwide
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Aladdin Screen: David Bowie Estate Approves New Film – Forbes.com
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Solar Power: Black Star Release New Album Within Podcast Platform – Forbes.com
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Music merchandise is big business. But for touring artists, it’s callously inequitable – Music Business Worldwide
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Let ‘Em In: Paul McCartney’s childhood becomes temporary venue – Forbes.com
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Eyes On The Price: Putting A Value On The Great Music Catalogue Bonanza – Forbes.com
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Web3-casting: preparing for the next revenue boom – Synchtank
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Why music companies should stop using vaguestats – Music Business Worldwide
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Off The Record: Megan Thee Stallion Sues Label Over Definition Of Album – Forbes.com
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Donda Replay: Kanye Ties New Album Exclusively To Stem Player Device – Forbes.com
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Pirate Flags: Music Business Says Piracy Still Threatens Its Future – Forbes.com
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Pressing Forward: New Vinyl Plant Promises To Support Local And Independent Acts – Forbes.com
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Greatest Hit: RIAA Targets HitPiece Over NFT Infringements – Forbes.com
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Shy of retiring: when artists really need to be told to stop making albums – Music Business Worldwide
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The Joe Rogan v Neil Young furore reveals Spotify’s new priority: naked capitalism – The Guardian
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Rogan In The Free (Speech) World: Neil Young Wants To Pull Music From Spotify Over Podcast Host Controversy – Forbes.com
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None louder: hello improved audio upsell, please meet consumer indifference – Music Business Worldwide
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Spotify Comfortably Remains The Biggest Streaming Service Despite Its Market Share Being Eaten Into – Forbes.com
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Jaws Of Victory: ‘Baby Shark’ Passes 10 Billion Views On YouTube – Forbes.com
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Revolution Indie Air: Independent Music Publishers Call for Greater Share of Streaming Money – Synchtank
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Sound Off: Spotify HiFi Appears Locked In Development Hell… For Now – Forbes.com
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Catch ’22: A Complete* List Of Absolutely Everything The Music Business Needs To Fix Or Get Rid Of In 2022 (*Almost) – Music Business Worldwide
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UK AOK? Streaming Booms For Britain’s Record Labels, But Artists Feel Increasingly Disenfranchised – Forbes.com
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2021
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BBC radio: a British institution – M magazine
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How Måneskin embraced Reality TV, Eurovision and TikTok to become rock’s hottest property – Louder
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The valued gap: 2021 in review – Synchtank
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Get Bucks: The Beatles are pushing D2C to breaking point – Music Business Worldwide
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Adele-vision: getting back from the brink of the new class system in music TV – Music Business Worldwide
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The diverse chorus: UK Music assesses progress in its 10-point diversity plan – Forbes.com
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Harm-em Shuffle: Adele Wants You To Listen To Her New Album In Sequence – Forbes.com
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Brand practice: UMG partners with ABG as it expands into the ‘name and likeness’ business – Forbes.com
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Wax on, wax off: unblocking the great vinyl logjam – Music Business Worldwide
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Box clutter: why special edition albums need to forget the kitchen sink drama – Music Business Worldwide
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People power: kinetic dance floors to power clubs and concerts – Forbes.com
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The Ubiquity Paradox: do far more of this but also do a lot less of that – Music Business Worldwide
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Artificial flavouring: AI and the real future of unreal music – Believe
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Reality check: the real rise of virtual pop – Believe
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Profiling publishing’s pandemic performance – Synchtank
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Catalog Jam: Springsteen And Bowie Join The Great Music Sales Bonanza – Forbes.com
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Cue jumpers: the moves to get cue sheers ready for the digital age – Synchtank
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20 years of the iPod: how it shuffled music and tech into a new era – The Guardian
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When You Tok About Destruction… The Beatles Arrive On TikTok – Forbes.com
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Spotify To Pass 100 Million Users In The US By 2025 While Pandora Continues To Slide – Forbes.com
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The Indemnity-Gritty: Marillion Crowd-Source Tour Cancellation Coverage – Forbes.com
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Staging Posts: The Growing Consolidation Of Livestreamed Music – Forbes.com
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Ex-Stream Measures: Spotify Clamps Down On ‘artificial Plays’ – Forbes.com
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Neighbourhood watch: peermusic on the booming neighbouring rights business – Synchtank
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BMG’s Ben Katovsky on the DCMS Inquiry & Future of Music Publishing – Synchtank
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Concerts have been pummelled by the pandemic. These should be the live music industry’s golden rules for the next year – Music Business Worldwide
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The new wave of breakthrough female talent in Southeast Asia – Believe
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Reissue, Re-Paak-Age: Rapper Gets Tattoo Banning Posthumous Releases – Forbes.com
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Calls For Greater Safety Measures For Women At Live Music Events – Forbes.com
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NFTs and wine: What could they mean for collectors? – Decanter
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Leaving The Building: Process (on writing the book) – Omnibus
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Eyes On The Fries: Why Musicians Keep Creating McDonald’s Menus – Forbes.com
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Tellin’ Stories: The Art Of Building & Maintaining Artist Legacies – report for the BPI
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Spotify Tests New Dollar ‘subscription’ – Forbes.com
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Kurt Cobain’s Childhood House To Open For Tours – Forbes.com
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Brain Stormzy: UK Rapper Expands University Scholarship Scheme – Forbes.com
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What’s behind the growth of independent record labels in the UK? – Independent Music Insider
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Biopic-ing Up The Pieces: When Biographical Films Hit The Buffers – Forbes.com
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Inquiring Minds: What the DCMS Investigation Into The Economics Of Streaming Means For Music Publishing – Synchtank
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Pressing issues: vinyl revival held back by production capacity, Brexit and more – The Guardian
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Longer Players: Have Albums Become Too Full? –– Forbes.com
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My Sweet Lorde: Are Plagiarism Cases Getting… Gentler? – Music Business Worldwide
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Killer (Dancing) Queen: Why Old Acts Are Enduring Like Never Before – Forbes.com
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Selling Music Rights As NFTs: Fad Or Future? – Synchtank
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Sound Cultures: Are bands really out of fashion? – Believe
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Has livestreaming become the latest grassroots enabler? – Independent Music Insider
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Raye Of Light: Singer’s Tweets Expose The Development Hell Of New Artists – Forbes.com
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UK pop pilgrimages: from Paul McCartney’s Kintyre to Giggs’s Peckham (on Derry and The Undertones) – The Guardian
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Dissolving Sault: Band To Make Album Disappear After 99 Days – Forbes.com
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The Billionaires’ Club: Streaming Music’s New Class System – Forbes.com
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Golden tickets! Gary Numan videos! How indie acts are dominating the charts – The Guardian
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No Sales Must Pass: The Music Box Set Bonanza – Forbes.com
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Let It Dolby: Apple’s Move To Make Improved Audio Mainstream – Forbes.com
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The $4 Billion Question: Will YouTube’s Pay-Outs Placate The Music Business? – Forbes.com
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Live streaming: what we learned from a year of streamed shows – Louder
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Green Light: Musicians Back Eco-Friendlier NFTs – Forbes.com
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Emoji-Nal Rescue: Coldplay Denied Use Of Emojis As Song Titles – Forbes.com
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Infinity On Trial: Bob Dylan Museum To Open In May 2022 – Forbes.com
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Film & TV Music Royalties: What’s The Score? – Synchtank
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Brand On The Run: how Brand Of Sacrifice went indie for their biggest success to date – Believe
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How artists and fans use technology to create new futures? – Believe
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The new wave of breakthrough female talent in Southeast Asia – Believe
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Between rock and a hard place: lessons in D2C and streaming from metal acts – Believe
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How digitalization has empowered independent artists – Believe
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I Saw Him Stamping There: Paul McCartney Gets Official Royal Mail Stamps – Forbes.com
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Death & Taxes: The Michael Jackson Estate, The IRS And Posthumous Celebrity Valuations – Forbes.com
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Another Brick In The Great Wall: Pink Floyd Move Into China – Forbes.com
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The Big Clean Up: How Do We Improve Music Rights Data? – Synchtank
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A Tale Of Three NFTs: What Eminem, Lewis Capaldi And Doja Cat Reveal About Music’s Latest Hype Format – Forbes.com
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World mapped: the future of music royalties on a global scale – Synchtank
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Green Scene: Indie Labels Outline Environmental Goals – Forbes.com
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What the f**k is an NFT anyway? – Louder
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Drowning In Data: A Wake-Up Call For The Music Industry – Synchtank
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Near-Vana: A ‘New’ Kurt Cobain Track Appears Courtesy Of Artificial Intelligence – Forbes
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Cash ‘gifts’ and strong-arm tactics: music’s problem with NFTs – The Guardian
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Streaming Writes: Music Publishers & DSP marketing – Synchtank
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All the Presidents’ Memos: The Music Industry Under Trump & Then Biden – Synchtank
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Indie-fatigable: the current state of independent publishing globally – Synchtank
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2020
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Taylor Swift Won’t Find Her Future In Her Past – Music Business Worldwide
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‘It’s iconic!’ Why the Coronation Street theme is still bold as brass – The Guardian
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A Light In The Dark: How D2C Stepped Up In 2020 – Ochre
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Coronation Street at 60: How TV’s longest-running soap shifted public debate – The Big Issue
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2020 X 20: the themes that defined the year in music publishing – Synchtank
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The streaming startups trying to save the music industry mid-pandemic – The Guardian
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The Music Industry Is Losing Its Stories – Music Business Worldwide
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The MP3 At 25: How A Digital File Dynamited The Music Industry – The Quietus
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Is Live Music About To Move Out Of London? – Music Business Worldwide
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All killer, no filler: why Greatest Hits are back at the top of the album charts – The Guardian Guide
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How The Music Industry Took On Napster And (Not Everyone) Lost – The Quietus
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Oversharing: how Napster nearly killed the music industry – The Guardian
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