New issue of Music & Copyright with US country report

The latest issue of Music & Copyright is now available for subscribers to download. Here are some of the highlights.

SPECIAL FOCUS: Times get tougher for emerging artists, but there’s power in the fan base
Emerging artists are having a harder time than ever at the start of this new year. Apple Music, Spotify, and Deezer have all tweaked their payment models in ways that mean those who generate few streams get less, or in some cases, nothing at all. However, it’s not all doom and gloom, and some financial easing could be on the way in the form of new musician-focused legislation. In addition, superfans present an opportunity, while tech innovation could ease the burden of running a one-person music business.

NEWS FEATURE: US Internet Archive hits back in Great 78 Project copyright infringement dispute
The Internet Archive in the US, its creator, and a renowned audio engineer have hit back against copyright infringement claims made by a group of record labels. The claims included infringement of reproduction rights, distribution, and the unlicensed public performance of classic works. The alleged infringements were carried out as part of the Great 78 Project, which was set up by the archive to preserve old 78-rpm recordings. The project digitizes the records and makes them available to download and stream for free on the archive’s website. The archive said in a motion to dismiss that most of the alleged infringements should be ruled inadmissible because the record labels left it too long to make their claim.

COMPANY ANALYSIS: Markets impressed by Spotify’s latest results and prospects for the current year
Music streaming service Spotify has published its fourth-quarter and full-year results for the 2023 financial year. Total revenue for the three-month period was in line with the guidance provided with the third-quarter results, while the number of monthly average users (MAUs) and premium subscribers added in the quarter exceeded the service’s expectations. The city reacted positively to the news and Spotify’s market cap is now at its highest level for two years. There is, however, the issue of losses. The service has made such a great play in recent months that it is looking to become a consistently profitable business. However, despite a reduction in net losses in the quarter, the service has still not registered an annual profit since it was launched commercially some 18 years ago.

COUNTRY REPORT: US
In addition to the usual set of music industry statistics and news briefs, the latest issue of Music & Copyright includes a detailed US music industry report. The US is the biggest music market in the world. Each year, the country accounts for more than one-third of the total global recorded-music trade sales and approximately 40% of spending on tickets to live music events. Furthermore, the US is home to the single-biggest live music promoter, Live Nation Entertainment, as well as the two leading performers’ rights organizations (PROs), ASCAP and BMI, and the biggest performance rights organization, SoundExchange. In addition to leading the music world, the US is also the world’s biggest economy, with total GDP last year topping $25.4tn. In December, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) said GDP increased 3.3% in the final quarter of last year compared with quarter three. Year-on-year GDP in the last three months grew 3.1%.

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