In 2010, former hedge fund manager Josh Gruss founded the music publishing company Round Hill Music in New York City together with Neil Gillis and Richard Rowe with the aim of acquiring and commercially exploiting music copyrights. How Round Hill Music has become a major player in the music rights market that has raised hundreds of millions of dollars over the past decade through investment funds to acquire music rights is now presented in more detail in this blog entry of the series “Music as an Investment”.
Read moreMusic as an Investment – Part 1: An Overview
Until a few years ago, music publishing was considered to be a rather boring business field in which music rights are acquired and licensed for various uses. This business model has not principally changed, but music rights have become a speculative investment in recent years, when new players such as Hipgnosis, Primary Wave and Round Hill entered the market with spectacular music catalogue acquisitions in the multi-digit million range.
This blog entry traces the development of the music rights market and the most important players in recent years and is the introduction to a multi-part blog series on “Music as an Investment”.
The Music Industry in the COVID-19 Pandemic – Live Nation
The COVID-19 pandemic hits the live music sector hardest since the end of World War II. The sector has been shut down since March 2020 in most of the countries. Concert and festivals were cancelled or postponed due to social distancing and lockdown measures. A report of Media Insight Consulting[1] estimates that 64 per cent of the UK’s live music workforce of 262,000 full-time employees will have lost their jobs by Christmas. Thus, 170,000 cultural workers in the music sector – most of them self-employed and freelance workers – will be out of work. At the end of March 2020, the German music industry associations estimated a loss of revenue for the live music sector of EUR 4,543 million for the period from April to September 2020. We can expect a much higher revenue loss for the last quarter 2020 due to the continued lockdown of the German music festival and concert sector.
However, the live music sector is highly fragmented and diverse. The international concert promoting market is dominated by large live music conglomerates such as the US-based Live Nation and Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) as well as the German CTS Eventim. They control an oligopolistic industry with myriads of small music venues, concert promoters, bookers and management agencies that have no impact on the market structure and processes. These medium and small sized live music organizers struggle for survival and are dependent on public financial support. However, how is the situation for the large conglomerates? Is their existence also at stake? This blog post tries to answer these question by analysing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world’s largest concert and ticketing conglomerate Live Nation. Based on the quarterly reports from January to September 2020, it is analysed how the live entertainment giant has been affected by the pandemic and highlights Live Nation’s strategy to weather the storm.
International Journal of Music Business Research – October 2020, vol. 9, no. 2
The October issue 2020 of the International Journal of Music Business Research (IJMBR) is a special issue on the “Festivalisation of Live Music” edited by Erik Hitters and Carsten Winter. After a introductory editorial, the first article by Jeff Apruzzese presents a close-up look into the practices of the music festival industry in the USA, by focusing on radius clauses, also known as exclusivity deals. Apruzzese draws up a compelling argument on how these clauses affect local venues and other organizers of live music, effectively obstructing their choice of bands to play for local audiences.
Erik Hitters & Marijn Mulder explore local policies on live music and festivals in their contribution “Live music ecologies and festivalization: the role of urban live music policies”. In particular, their focus is on how such policies have been subject to festivalization.
A special contribution is from renowned live music researcher Martin Cloonan, who looks back at fifteen years of active involvement in live music research in the UK. In “Trying to have an impact: Some confessions of a live music researcher” he mindfully reflects on the paradoxes of his role as an academic observer and analyst and the need for informed and impactful interventions in the business and policies of live music.
The special October issue rounds up with a book review by Daniel Nordgard on “Can Music Make You Sick? Measuring the price of musical ambition” by Sally A. Gross and George Musgrave.
Volume 9, no 2, October 2020 – special issue on the festivalization of live music
Editorial by Erik Hitters & Carsten Winter: The festivalization of live music, pp. 4-12
Martin Cloonan: Trying to have an impact: Some confessions of a live music researcher, pp. 58-82
Introducing our guests: Ania Kasperek (Chimes Agency, Poland)
In times of the COVID-19 crisis it’s impossible to have an international conference with guests from all around the world in Vienna. Therefore, the 11th Vienna Music Business Research Days on “Emerging Music Markets” will be held as an online conference only. Nevertheless we will have exciting conference guests from Asian as well as Eastern European countries to highlight the specifities of emerging music markets in these regions. Find the program (Central European Summertime) here.
Ania Kasperek (Chimes Agency, Poland) gives a short presentation on the Polish music market on Zoom on Sep. 23, from 14:20-14:40 (CEST) and will then join the virtual panel discussion on “Emerging Eastern European Music Markets” with Dartsya Tarkovska (Soundbuzz & Music Export Ukraine, Kiev) and Carina Sava (Agentia de Vise, Bucharest, Romania.
Ania is a manager with a demonstrated history of working in the Music Industry. Skilled in Artist Management, Music Business, Digital Strategy and International Strategy. Strong arts and business professional. Works hands-on with talent, plans and executes strategy, builds and manages teams around artists. Co-founder of all-female Chimes agency – artist management & consulting agency supporting artists & brands in strategy development and implementation. Part of Balance It Out talent development collective. Currently heads management teams for Hildur (IS), Wojtek (PL) and Reuben Gray (UK). Additionally, Ania is among the co-founders and serves as Operations Manager at European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA).
Introducing our guests: Philipp Grefer (WISE, Beijing, China)
In times of the COVID-19 crisis it’s impossible to have an international conference with guests from all around the world in Vienna. Therefore, the 11th Vienna Music Business Research Days on “Emerging Music Markets” will be held as an online conference only. Nevertheless we will have exciting conference guests from Asian as well as Eastern European countries to highlight the specifities of emerging music markets in these regions. Find the program (Central European Summertime) here.
Philipp Grefer (WISE, Beijing, China) gives a keynote talk on the “Music Market in China” on September 23, 10:15-11:00 (CEST) and will then join the virtual panel discussion on “Emerging Music Markets in Asia” with Weining Hung (LUCfest, Tainan, Taiwan), Bernie Cho (DFSB Kollective, Seoul, South Korea) and Achille Forler (Music Curator and The Indian Performing Right Society, Mumbia, India).
In 2018 Philipp Grefer founded WISE – The Future Think Tank, (www.wisenotwise.com) in Beijing, bringing together thought leaders of the creative industries, science and tech to discuss how we will and should live in the Future.
He has been at the forefront of China´s music and events industry for over a decade – the only German and one of the few Westerners with such a deep experience in China’s music industry.
Since he first visited China in 2007 for the Midi Festival, he has worked at one of the world´s largest events, the EXPO 2010 Shanghai for German government institution GIZ, and co-founded his own music & creative agency / label FakeMusicMedia (FMM) / FakeLoveMusic (FLM)
He brought over 300 artists and speakers to China since (e.g Die Toten Hosen, Hot Chip, Royksopp) and has managed some of China´s best talents. Philipp has authored several reports about the Chinese Music Industry and consulted & curated for various brands and government organizations and is author of The China Music Industry Report.
He is fascinated by the possibilities of AI & VR for the creative sector and DJs sometimes under his moniker Metro Tokyo.
He holds a master in International Relations / Economics which he studied alongside Latin American Studies in Cologne and San Diego. Before coming to China he worked as a freelance journalist at Germany´s biggest broadcaster.
Introducing our guests: Weinig Hung (LUCfest, Tainan, Taiwan)
In times of the COVID-19 crisis it’s impossible to have an international conference with guests from all around the world in Vienna. Therefore, the 11th Vienna Music Business Research Days on “Emerging Music Markets” will be held as an online conference only. Nevertheless we will have exciting conference guests from Asian as well as Eastern European countries to highlight the specifities of emerging music markets in these regions. Find the program (Central European Summertime) here.
Weining Hung (LUCfest, Tainan, Taiwan) is one of the discussants in the panel on “Emerging Music Markets in Asia” with Bernie Cho (DFSB Kollective, Seoul, South Korea), Achille Forler (Music Curator and The Indian Performing Right Society, Mumbai, India) and Philipp Grefer (WISE, Beijing, China) on September 23 from 12:00-13:00 (CEST).
Weining Hung is the co-founder of LUCfest, a three-day showcase festival and conference in Tainan, Taiwan. She has always been a force for getting Asian musicians into European market. She is also the international manager for emerging artists like Phum Viphurit and ADOY. All over the years, she develops good knowledge of music market, especially Asia and Europe. Nowadays, Weining splits her time between Asia and Europe and passionate about stimulating networking activities and building Asian music industry platform.
11th Vienna Music Business Research Days on “Emerging Music Markets”
The 11th Vienna Music Business Research Days on “Emerging Music Markets” will be held as an online only conference in times of the global COVID-19 crisis. Nevertheless we will have guests from all over the world to talk and discuss on emerging music markets in Asia and Eastern Europe.
Join the Zoom-conference here: ZOOM-LINK TO THE VIENNA MUSIC BUSINESS RESEARCH DAYS 2020
or stream us on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ViennaMusicBusinessResearchDays/
and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSQ_kzb0cbCThmPLpGYNM6A
The conference day on September 23 will be also live video-streamed from 9:00-16:30 CEST at mdw’s Mediathek: https://live.mdw.ac.at/
The morning sessions of the conference day on September 23 will highlight the specifities of several booming Asian music markets. Bernie Cho from the DFSB Kollective in Seoul/South Korea will talk about the South Korean music market and the economic relevanve of K-Pop. In the following sesssion the founder of Fake Music Media, which organizes the WISE Festival in Beijing, Philipp Grefer, highlights the network of the Chinese music industry and music market. The music market in India, which is still driven by the Bollywood film studios, will be analyzed by Achille Forler from the Indian-based sound design agency Music Curator and The Indian Performing Right Society in Mumbai. All three speakers will then discuss with Weining Hung, founder and organizer of the LUCfest in Tainan/Taiwan on “Emerging Music Markets in Asia”.
In the afternoon of September 23, Carina Sava (Agentia de Vise, Bucharest/Romania), Ania Kasperek (Chimes Agency, Poland) and Dartsya Tarkowska (Soundbuzz & Music Export Ukraine, Kiev) will highlight the specifities of the music markets in Romania, Poland and the Ukraine in short presentions in order discuss the economic relevance and future development of “Emerging Eastern European Music Markets”.
The Vienna Music Business research Days will be opened on Sep. 21th with the Young Scholars’ Workshop for master and PhD students to present their research to renown music business researchers in a closed online workshop.
On Sep. 22th music business researchers from all around the world will present their findings on different music business/industry topics (see program).
Join the Zoom-conference here: ZOOM-LINK TO THE VIENNA MUSIC BUSINESS RESEARCH DAYS 2020
or stream us on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ViennaMusicBusinessResearchDays/
and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSQ_kzb0cbCThmPLpGYNM6A
The conference day on September 23 will be also live video-streamed from 9:00-16:30 CEST at mdw’s Mediathek: https://live.mdw.ac.at/
Introducing our guests: Bernie Cho (DFSB Kollective, Seoul, South Korea)
In times of the COVID-19 crisis it’s impossible to have an international conference with guests from all around the world in Vienna. Therefore, the 11th Vienna Music Business Research Days on “Emerging Music Markets” will be held as an online conference only. Nevertheless we will have exciting conference guests from Asian as well as Eastern European countries to highlight the specifities of emerging music markets in these regions. Find the program (Central European Summertime) here.
Bernie Cho (DFSB Kollective, Seoul, South Korea) will talk about the “Music Market in South Korea” and the economic impact of K-Pop on September 23, 09:15-10:00 (CEST) and will then join the onlinel panel discussion on “Emerging Music Markets in Asia” with Weining Hung (LUCfest, Tainan, Taiwan), Achille Forler (Music Curator and The Indian Performing Right Society, Mumbai, India) and Philipp Grefer (WISE, Beijing, China).
Bernie Cho is the President of DFSB Kollective, a Seoul-based Artist & Label Services agency that specializes in providing digital media, marketing, and distribution solutions to 600+ Korean Pop music artists. As more K-Pop acts aspire to go independent and international, DFSB Kollective collaborates with artists and their management companies to devise customized strategies that directly connect them to their local and global fans. Since 2009, the agency has successfully produced numerous K-Pop concerts and showcases in North America, Asia, and Europe as well as secured #1 Apple iTunes Music chart debuts for various K-Pop albums in the US, Canada, Japan, Korea, Greater China, Australasia, Southeast Asia, and Europe.
In order to raise the recognition of Korean music internationally, DFSB Kollective is a member of Merlin Network (global digital music rights agency for world’s leading independent labels) and an official Korean content provider for Apple iTunes Music, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube Music, Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, iHeart Radio, Facebook, TikTok, Tencent Music, NetEase, KKBox, AWA, JioSaavn, Boomplay, and Yandex.
As one of the first and foremost K-Pop music exporters, DFSB Kollective and its artists have been featured speakers/performers at top international music industry events (CMJ, CMW, SXSW, Coachella, The Great Escape, Glastonbury, Summer Sonic, Music Matters, MusicBiz, MIDEM) and profiled in leading international media outlets (BBC, Billboard, Bloomberg, CNN, Discovery, E!, Forbes, Monocle, MTV, Newsweek, New York Times, NPR, Pitchfork, Spin, Time, Wall Street Journal).
Prior to founding DFSB Kollective, Bernie served as the Head of MTV Korea’s Digital Media Production and worked for nearly 2 decades in the Korean music TV industry as a Creative Planner, Program Producer, and Show Host. He has earned a BA from Dartmouth College in Government/Asian Studies and has graduated from the UCLA Anderson School of Management (Executive Entertainment & Media Program) and the Vancouver Film School (Foundation Film Program).
Introducing our guests: Carina Sava (Agentia de Vise, Bucharest, Romania)
In times of the COVID-19 crisis it’s impossible to have an international conference with guests from all around the world in Vienna. Therefore, the 11th Vienna Music Business Research Days on “Emerging Music Markets” will be held as an online conference only. Nevertheless we will have exciting conference guests from Asian as well as Eastern European countries to highlight the specifities of emerging music markets in these regions. Find the program (Central European Summertime) here.
Carina Sava (Agentia de Vise, Bucharest, Romania) gives a short presentation on the Romanian music market on Zoom on Sep. 23, from 14:00-14:20 (CEST) and will then join the virtual panel discussion on “Emerging Eastern European Music Markets” with Dartsya Tarkovska (Soundbuzz & Music Export Ukraine, Kiev) and Ania Kasperek (Chimes Agency, Poland).
Carina Sava is an Artist Manager at Agentia de Vise, a Bucharest based artist development agency that manages all aspects of their artists’ careers including writing, recording, touring, publishing, brand partnerships, merchandise, endorsements, theatre, television and publicity. Agentia de Vise’s roster includes established artists such as VAMA and VUNK – top Romanian pop rock bands and Tudor Chirila – actor and musician.
Carina is a founding member of Romanian Artist Worldwide Association and the Conference Program Manager of Mastering the Music Business (MMB), the leading Romanian music conference and showcase event that takes place every year in March in Bucharest.
Music Business Research 