Data

IFPI, the global trade body for the recorded music industry and The Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) have announced a cross-industry collaboration to create the Repertoire Data Exchange (RDx), a centralized industry data exchange service. RDx will enable record companies and music licensing companies (MLCs), which collectively manage recording rights, to submit and access authoritative recording data via a single point.

Source: IFPI and WIN reveal cross-industry collaboration on centralized recording industry data exchange service

Many music publishers are thinking that they will just let the MLC clean up their data for them. Theoretically, that works if you want to slow implementation and the flow of royalty monies to you and your songwriters. And in this era, data maintenance should be a core capability of any copyright-based company.

Source: How music publishers can prepare for Mechanical Licensing Collective Database | Opinion

Sweden has long been a harbinger of trends which affect the global music business – whether it’s the advent of torrent-based downloads via The Pirate Bay, or the birth of mainstream audio streaming via Spotify. The latest data coming out of the market should certainly be monitored very closely by major labels because, if it starts to bite on a global scale, it’s going to cause some headaches.

Source: The major labels are starting to find life tougher in Sweden. Is this a wake-up call for the future?

IFPI’s research reveals that the highest rate of growth for music streaming is among 35-64-year-olds, with more than half (54%) of that age group using a streaming service during the survey period (April-May 2019). That’s an 8% rise on the previous year, although it’s worth noting that the early years of streaming were driven by early adopters and young consumers, so it is only to be expected that the age of users would rise as it becomes the dominant format.

Source: IFPI: Older Listeners Migrating to Streaming at Fast Clip, While Piracy Remains ‘Huge Concern’ Overall

Google and Facebook are racing to elevate quality journalism in the lead-up to the 2020 elections, but some n the news media are concerned that Google’s and Facebook’s efforts may actually prove to have less of a positive impact than the companies envision — and may even be detrimental.

Source: Google and Facebook’s latest efforts to ‘save’ journalism are sparking debate

The Mechanical Licensing Collective, which must be able to administer the new U.S. blanket licensing system for mechanical rights by its legislated start-up date of Jan. 1, 2021, estimates that it will need $37.25 million to build and then have a first year operating budget of $29 million.

Source: Mechanical Licensing Collective Requests Over $37 Million for 2021 Launch

Using the new ID system, studios and networks can register content with Gracenote’s video database for search and discovery in program guides, interfaces and OTT catalogs. Content owners can include their own content description metadata, tags and imagery.

Source: Television News Daily: Nielsen Gracenote Starts New ID System For TV/Movie Content

Speaking to journalists at a briefing in Paris last week, the company said that it has a “technical solution in place”, the implementation of which “does not require significant investment” and is now in talks with rightsholders and French policy makers to rally support for the new system.

Source: Deezer plans 2020 User-Centric Payment System pilot launch – if it can get rightsholders to sign up

The U.S. recorded music industry is still seeing strong double-digit growth, up 18% over the first six months of 2019, according to the RIAA’s mid-year report published Thursday. Here are four big takeaways.

Source: Streaming Growth (to a Point), Vinyl’s Victory & More: Four Takeaways From the RIAA’s 2019 Mid-Year Report

After Barack Obama posted his annual Summer Playlist on Saturday, Aug. 24, all 44 songs surged in sales, while nearly every song gained in streams, according to Nielsen Music, in the week ending Aug. 29 in the U.S. Terence Trent D’Arby’s cover of ‘Who’s Loving You’ saw the biggest percentage increase in streams.

Source: All 44 Songs From Barack Obama’s ‘Summer Playlist’ Increased in Sales Or Streams After Post