Business, Radio and Music Industry News

The European Parliament has voted to approve the controversial Article 13 digital copyright reforms, which promise to make internet platforms liable for the user-generated content published on their sites. [...]

Plex, the global media company, has announced its new partnership with TIDAL to add music service to its app.

This new partnership offers discounted access to TIDAL’s music catalog which has over 60 million tracks and 244,000 music videos for Plex Pass subscribers. The Plex Pass is the company’s own subscription program. In this subscription, subscribers can watch and record from live TV and other premium features and advanced controls.Throughout the past year, Plex has begun to try to be a one-stop app for all your media. They have started to add support for podcasts, streaming TV and a DVR, personalized news and web shows. In addition, Plex has the software to organize your home media collection of movies, TV shows, personal videos, music, and photos.Subscribers can also make their own playlist consisting of TIDAL tracks and personal MP3s. The service also generates music recommendations from TIDAL based on the user’s music library and add more tracks to Plex’s radio.Users can try out the apps through a free trial. But subscriptions plans start at $9.99 per month. The price does drop to $8.99 for Plex Pass subscribers for both existing Plex users and TIDAL subscribers.Plex is also giving TIDAL Premium subscribers access to Plex’s premium music features, including its full mobile app. And for those who pay $19.99 for TIDAL HiFi, gets a free Plex pass. The Plex pass includes perks like Perk’s DVR service and premium library features.Tidal will be available with Plex’s mobile and web app. The app will also be supported on Android TV and Apple TV.

[caption id="attachment_201294" align="alignnone" width="400"] Geoff Taylor, BPI[/caption]Despite record highs for British music exports, industry insiders are worried about the consequences of the Brexit on the UK music industry. The biggest issue at stake is uncertainty over the exact consequences to expect.Recently, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) has noted the need for a 'strong' deal with the EU will be needed to cushion possible negative impacts of the Brexit on the healthy British music industry. BPI CEO Geoff Taylor comments:“Over the next few years, our Government is going to be seeking to negotiate trade deals with countries around the world and this represents a potential opportunity to raise the profile of the UK in emerging markets and increase our share in developed markets, both of which will have the potential for growth, particularly in streaming services,” said Taylor. “At the moment, though, we are in a period of uncertainty.”The Brexit could potentially cause a variety of problems for the UK music industry, including customs hold-ups, additional costs and delays in importing physical products, visa concerns for artists and staff, or other unforeseen impacts. Their hope is for a Brexit deal that supports music rights and allows relative freedom in touring and music product transit.

[caption id="attachment_201400" align="alignnone" width="768"] Mike Windle/Getty Images[/caption]As of Sunday night, it has been announced that CBS CEO Leslie Moonves will be leaving CBS following a growing series of allegations of sexual harassment and assault.In a July 27th New Yorker exposé, several women had published accusations of Moonves' sexual misconduct, followed quickly by CBS' hiring of two New York law firms to lead an internal investigation. While this internal investigation is still ongoing, a recent article by Ronan Farrow detailed six further accusations of sexual harassment or assault by Moonves. Moonves' departure was announced mere hours after the publication of this report.Moonves' contract dictated Moonves a substantial severance package over the next four years, but if fired 'for cause' much of the package will be eroded. Up to $120 million is going to be held in a 'Holdback Trust' pending the results of their internal investigation.The departure is already making waves throughout the industry. Doug Morris is now leaving CBS' board of directors, having joined in 2007 as chairman and CEO of Vivendi's UMG. Morris had served on the compensation committee.

It has recently been reported that Jon Platt, Chairman/CEO of Warner/Chappell Music, will be leaving before year's end.

[caption id="attachment_201652" align="alignleft" width="273"] cr: Nadav Kander[/caption]Industry insiders expect Platt to helm Sony/ATV to succeed Martin Bandier, whose contract expires in April of 2019.Internal memos obtained by Variety comment on the departure. In the memos, Warner Music Chief Steve Cooper notes:'As some of you have heard from JON PLATT, he will be leaving WARNER/CHAPPELL before the end of this calendar year. An announcement will be made in due course about where he’s headed...'WARNER/CHAPPELL is a very different company than the one he joined in 2012, and he leaves it well positioned for continued growth and change...'While we identify a new CEO, JON will work with COO CARIANNE MARSHALL and the senior management team to ensure a smooth transition. With the WARNER/CHAPPELL U.S. team’s upcoming move to our new L.A. HQ, we have a great opportunity to build on our strong momentum.'Expect future updates as details become more widely available.

[caption id="attachment_201208" align="alignnone" width="400"] Submitted photo[/caption]Veteran Nashville music executive Roy Wunsch, whose 30-year career advanced the careers of many influential country stars, has passed away in Nashville on Friday after a long struggle against Alzheimer's disease.  Wunsch, 75, worked with and promoted the careers of Tammy Wynette, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton among others.Much of Wunsch's career was spent working at CBS/Sony Music's Columbia and Epic labels. Wunsch was picked to lead the Nashville division of CBS in 1975, moving upwards until being named the president of the Nashville division of Sony Music in 1990.  He was known as an innovator, adopting marketing strategies that shifted the traditional image of country music towards an embrace of more modern styles. Wunsch also chaired the boards of both the Country Music Association and the Country Music Hall of Fame.Wunsch leaves behind Mary Ann McCready, his wife of 30 years, daughter Cynthia Wunsch Bowen, and son Roy Wunsch.

[caption id="attachment_201251" align="alignleft" width="258"] Spotify Logo[/caption]The second series of Spotify's original podcast series 'Who We Be Talks' arrives September 20th. This series will differ from the podcast's initial 11-episodes earlier this year. There will be new lifestyle content, a different presenter line-up, and the show now appears every week. It will expand to 50 episodes.The first guest artist on the show will be UK rapper Ghetts, discussing his new album Ghetto Gospel: The New Testament. He will be interviewed by host DJ Semtex, who recently announced his departure from BBC Radio 1Xtra after 15 years. Who We Be Talks will also feature Parris O'Loughlin-Hoste, recently promoted to senior urban artist manager at RCA, as new podcast co-presenter.Semtex discussed his excitement about the changes to the show:"This is big. We knew we had something special with the original run of shows, and to bring all the new changes to this season and take it weekly is going to cement Who We Be Talks as the number one podcast in urban culture.”Parris OH said of joining the show:"I am thrilled to be joining the Who We Be Talks line-up, working with Semtex on what has become a must-listen show for urban music fans in the UK, and around the world.”

 [caption id="attachment_201251" align="alignnone" width="355"] Spotify Logo[/caption]While around 80 percent of the music business is controlled by three massive conglomerates Universal, Sony, and Warner, a new Spotify endeavor may disrupt business-as-usual in the music industry. Over the last year, Spotify has struck direct licensing deals with a small but increasing number of independent artists, providing these artists access to the major streaming platform and advantages in their Spotify playlist placement, all without label support.While these sorts of deals are currently modest, the major record labels are seeing it as a possible threat to their business model. Spotify has carefully declined to publicly state its talent roster, but insiders have noted that the emerging model involves Spotify's payment of advances to management firms representing unsigned artists. What Spotify offers in return is a larger financial cut (currently Spotify pays a record label around 52% of the revenue of each stream, and the label pays the artist somewhere between 15-50% of its return). Additionally, Spotify's current deals have not been exclusive, leaving artists free to license their songs elsewhere.Spotify's current contracts with larger labels directly prohibit it from becoming a label. As clarified by Daniel Ek, Spotify's chief executive, “licensing content does not make us a label, nor do we have any interest in becoming a label." The growing service still makes major labels nervous, and at a time where tensions between the major labels and Spotify have already been stressed with music labels reportedly viewing Spotify as an arrogant and unreliable partner.Music executives have noted that this tension may produce problems for Spotify in the near future, both as its contracts with labels expire over the next year and in its acquisition of the licenses needed to expand to India. The full implications of these deals have yet to be seen.