Drawing signed music licensing deals with all three major record labels — Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment — as well as “a large number” of indie labels represented by Merlin, according to a blog post. The offers specifically cover DJs streaming live on the platform. other uses of the music are not covered.
Under the agreements, starting this summer, DJs will have to choose a new deal that will apply to all streams on their Twitch channels. A portion of the DJs' earnings on the platform will then be paid to music companies, with the majority of those earnings subject to a 50-50 split between the DJs and Twitch. To help DJs adjust to the change, Twitch says it will offer a one-year subsidy to help make up the difference in revenue paid to music companies, with the subsidy amount gradually decreasing over time.
“It's important for DJs to understand that the status quo on Twitch was unsustainable and any viable future for the community required us to find a solution,” the blog post reads. “We have worked with musical partners over the past few years to develop this program. Without it, those who stream DJ content on Twitch without the necessary rights do so at the risk of receiving DMCA notices and copyright penalties that could limit their ability to stream on Twitch.”
According to Twitch, the number of DJs streaming on the platform has “more than quadrupled” since the beginning of 2020.
Tencent and its subsidiary Tencent Music Entertainment acquired a 10% stake in the Thailand-based entertainment platform GMM music for $70 million, valuing the company at $700 million. The stake will be paid for with a combination of cash and a minority stake in Tencent-owned music streaming app JOOX Thailand. According to a press release, the deal “will strengthen GMM Music's spin-off plan” and allow it to “expand its operations, achieve sustainable growth, acquire world-class expertise and invest in future music innovations to keep pace with the rapid evolution of the global music industry.” In a statement, the CEO of GMM Music Phawit Chitrakorn said the deal will help the company “lead the New Music Economy in Thailand towards sustainable development” while allowing it to expand its business into additional markets, including China.
Neon Gold Recordsthe independent label known for launching the careers of artists such as Tove Lo, Charli XCX and MARINA, has signed a global distribution deal with Virgin Music Group. Recent releases from Neon Gold include Good Neighbors' debut single “Home” (now receiving worldwide support from Capitol and Polydor) and “Highway Queen” by Mt. Joy. Other roster additions include The Knocks and Juliana Madrid. The label also unveiled its newest signing: alt-pop band Phantogram, whose new single, “All a Mystery,” was released on May 31. Neon Gold previously had joint ventures with Columbia (2010-2013) and Atlantic (2014-2024).
Bandcamp works with EMPIRE in a deal that will allow the independent label to expand retail opportunities for its artists including Shaboozey, Key Glock, Conway the Machine, Dinner Party, Olamide, Asake and Black Sherif. With the deal, EMPIRE artists will now be able to connect with Bandcamp's community of 47 million fans to whom they can directly sell digital releases, vinyl and exclusive merchandise through the Bandcamp platform.
LA based record label D36which focuses on aspiring musicians from South Asia and its diaspora, has formed a joint venture with Sony Music Entertainment. Through the joint venture, acts of South Asian heritage will be able to better connect with audiences in both South Asia and international markets, including the United States. D36 is led by the CEO Abhi Kanakadandila and GM/co-founder Abdullah Ahmad.
Based in the United Kingdom Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) works with KUVO Powered by DJ Monitor to help promote the adoption of KUVO's music recognition technology in UK venues — all in the hope of securing appropriate royalty payments for the creators of the music DJs play. According to a press release, NTIA will work to make KUVO's technology “standard practice across the UK DJ and club events industry… with a focus on building towards a more transparent and fair music rights ecosystem in the UK”. There is no cost for venues to participate in the initiative and there will be no impact on the license fees that venues pay for the music. It also “respects the privacy of the DJ setlist — details about which DJ played which tracks are recorded by the technology and no playlists are made public,” the release adds.
Downtown Artist & Label Services officially partnered with the AI-powered marketing operating system SymphonyOS to offer SymphonyOS marketing tools to Downtown artists at a discounted rate. The deal comes after Downtown ran several successful campaigns based on SymphonyOS with artists such as Hunter Hayes, Mehro and Ryan Nealon. SymphonyOS offers AI-powered campaign creation, aggregated analytics, a website builder, and features like Forever Saves, which allows fans to “subscribe” to an artist's future releases.
1336 Entriesa new label venture from System of a Down's Shavo Odadjian, launched in collaboration with Sumerian Music Group. The first release from the deal is “Paradise,” the debut single from Seven Hours After Violet — Odadjian's new band, which also features Taylor Barber (Left To Suffer), Morgoth (Winds of Plague), Alejandro Aranda (Scarypoolparty) and Josh Johnson.
SURF music — a platform that allows songwriters, producers and other creators to connect, collaborate, package, present and sell their original unreleased music to Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese record companies and A&R professionals. Universal Music Japan, Sony Japan, Avex and Fujipacific on the platform as official users. By joining SURF Music, record labels will be able to explore the market for SURF's unreleased demos using AI-powered search tools.
VNYLaba new music platform designed to bring independent artists closer to their fans, has acquired Prostate Enhancement, the developer of the similar platformer Rhythmic Rebellion. The multi-million dollar deal will accelerate the development of VNYLab, which is set to make its official debut this summer. VNYLab was founded by Jon Zeit, Wes Mason and Nikki Fernandez. Founder/CEO of Patron Empowerment Greg Allen has joined VNYLab as a partner.
Passage signed a ten-year naming rights deal with Notes Live about a new music theater coming to Colorado Springs, Colo. The 8,000-capacity venue, formerly known as The Sunset and now called the Ford Amphitheater, is set to open on August 9 with a performance by Ryan Tedder and his band OneRepublic.
