US-based recorded music revenues, all formats, inflation-adjusted, 1994-2023 (Data Source: RIAA) Here’s a hard, inflation-adjusted look at the actual state of recording music sales in 2024 – and where things might go next. Somewhere, in the gigantic and conflicting jumble of music industry statistics being bandied about, recorded music sales made a clean comeback. The phrase, ‘streaming saved the music industry,’ is partly true. However, when it comes to actual recorded music revenues, the latest data ... Read More...

After flatlining into obscurity, is the CD format quietly staging a comeback?

Has the vinyl comeback been wildly overstated? In our latest DMN Pro investigatory research report, we take a closer look at a mess of confusing new data from Luminate. 

Far from slowing since DMN Pro’s last lawsuit breakdown, music industry litigation has continued ramping up both in quantity and in significance. Here’s an updated list of eight especially important suits to watch during 2024’s final quarter and into the new year. 

Amid a streaming-growth slowdown in developed music markets, Goldman Sachs is banking on continued revenue results due largely to expansions in emerging spaces. But is this a rose-colored attempt to talk past a plateau? 

Music Industry Investment by Category, Q3 2024 (Source: DMN Pro) In keeping with existing 2024 trends, third-quarter music industry funding rounds fell well short of their Q3 2023 counterparts in both volume and cumulative value. Even so, the newly completed quarter wasn’t without signs of a possible rebound. These and other insights are made possible by the Music Industry Funding Tracker, DMN Pro’s one-stop database of raises from in and around the music world. The Tracker, which complements this r... Read More...

After $53 million in investor funding, ticketing platform Lyte is melting down—complete with a shuttered website, a rapid-fire selloff, and major disruptions for music festivals and fans. Here’s our preliminary finding on what led to the crash and the industry-wide damage. Scrutiny of the available clues tells us that Lyte may have shown signs of distress well before it suddenly suspended operations. Evidently, these signs weren’t too obvious; clearer indicators of trouble probably would have prompte... Read More...

Between mid-August and mid-September 2024 alone, music industry companies secured over $360 million in funding. But where’s the money going?

Spotify Average North American Ad-Supported Users by Quarter (Source: Spotify Financial Disclosures, DMN Pro) Amid slowing subscription streaming growth and a larger-than-ever number of ad-supported listeners, is it time for leading music platforms to make near-term monetization the priority? Starting with what we know for certain, Americans don’t have a problem paying for streaming in one form or another. According to Forbes, 99% of households are subscribed to at least one streaming service. Specific... Read More...

For 2024’s opening half, the RIAA reported that U.S. on-demand streaming subscriptions had grown by a modest 2.7% year over year (YoY) as subscription revenue increased by 5.1%. Amid discussions about the slowdown, what does historical data tell us?

Warner Music Group consolidated quarterly streaming revenues (source: WMG 10-Q disclosures) For Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, calendar Q2 2024 was a tale of two earnings reports — and streaming forecasts. While UMG acknowledged a subscription-growth slowdown, the Robert Kyncl-led WMG emphasized “strong” improvements. But are things as rosy as they seem for today’s third-largest major label? DMN Pro crunched the numbers to answer that question, which is particularly pressing given the in... Read More...

Is Melodio being trained on copyrighted music? DMN Pro takes a look under the AI hood.