From Utopia Music downsizing its workforce to Warner’s $1.5bn in calendar Q3… it’s MBW’s Weekly Spherical-Up

Welcome to Music Business Worldwide’s weekly round-up – the place we make certain you caught the 5 greatest tales to hit our headlines over the previous seven days. MBW’s round-up is supported by Centtrip, which helps over 500 of the world’s best-selling artists maximise their earnings and scale back their touring prices.

This week, Utopia Music turned the newest firm to considerably minimize the scale of its world workforce.

The acquisitive Switzerland-headquartered firm confirmed to MBW that it has made a lot of layoffs.

A Utopia spokesperson informed us that, “Like many development firms in as we speak’s macroeconomic setting, Utopia is making modifications to its inside construction to optimize the enterprise”.

Information of job losses at Utopia follows a wave of layoffs sweeping throughout the tech-leaning facet of the worldwide music enterprise.

Additionally this week, Warner Music Group reported its monetary outcomes for calendar Q3 2022 (the three months to finish of September).

The corporate informed traders that it generated complete revenues of USD $1.497 billion throughout recorded music, music publishing and different actions, up 16% YoY at fixed forex.

This quarterly earnings announcement was the final in Steve Cooper‘s 11-year tenure as Chief Govt of WMG; Cooper will probably be succeeded within the position within the New Yr by YouTube‘s Chief Enterprise Officer, Robert Kyncyl.

Elsewhere, Universal Music Group-owned Deutsche Grammophon, which claims to be the world’s oldest file label, unveiled its personal high-res classical music streaming service.

Plus, artist financing platform beatBread closed a $100 million institutional fund, whereas a Senate committee plans to carry a listening to to look at the US ticketing trade.

Right here’s what occurred this week…

1) UTOPIA MUSIC MAKES LAYOFFS AS IT DOWNSIZES GLOBAL WORKFORCE

Utopia Music has grow to be the newest firm to considerably minimize the scale of its world workforce.

The acquisitive Switzerland-headquartered firm has confirmed to MBW that it has made a lot of layoffs.

Sources counsel these cuts have primarily are available Utopia’s central staff – together with some high-level executives – in addition to its tech-focused workforce.

Thus far, Utopia’s tech staff have been tasked with constructing the agency’s proprietary music monitoring platform, typically referenced because the ‘Utopia Open Platform’ (UOP).

MBW understands that Utopia’s world staff numbers 1,200 individuals. That determine contains each contractors and round 800 staff…

2) WARNER MUSIC GROUP GENERATED $92M FROM ‘EMERGING PLATFORMS’ IN CALENDAR Q3 – AND OTHER TAKEAWAYS FROM STEVE COOPER’S LAST EARNINGS CALL WITH WMG

Warner Music Group‘s earnings name on Tuesday (November 22) ended on an upbeat be aware – and it’s straightforward to see why.

WMG posted revenues of $1.5 billion for the three months to finish of September (up 16% YoY at fixed forex), with adjusted EBITDA additionally up by 16% YoY.

In consequence, WMG’s share value flew upward by 15% on Tuesday, as Financial institution Of America upgraded the agency’s inventory.

Fittingly, this glowing quarterly earnings announcement was the final in Steve Cooper’s 11-year tenure as Chief Govt of WMG; Cooper will probably be succeeded within the position within the New Yr by YouTube’s Chief Enterprise Officer, Robert Kyncyl…

3) UNIVERSAL JUST LAUNCHED ITS OWN STREAMING SERVICE FOR CLASSICAL MUSIC VIA DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON

Common Music Group-owned Deutsche Grammophon, which claims to be the world’s oldest file label, simply launched its personal high-res classical music streaming service.

Referred to as STAGE+, the service is described by Deutsche Grammophon in a press launch as “ground-breaking”. The label calls it the “newest milestone in classical music’s digital improvement”.

In accordance with the STAGE+ web site, a subscription for the service will price EUR €14.90 monthly, or €149 per 12 months…

4) ARTIST FINANCING PLATFORM BEATBREAD CLOSES $100M FUND TO ‘EMPOWER INDEPENDENT ARTISTS AND LABELS’

Music funding platform beatBread has been making a whole lot of head-turning headlines this 12 months.

In February, for instance, the agency raised $34 million in a seed spherical led by Fintech-focused enterprise capital agency, Deciens Capital.

Over the summer time, beatBread struck what it mentioned was a “seven-figure artist financing deal” with singer-songwriter Elley Duhé – its greatest deal but.

Now, MBW can reveal that beatBread has large plans to speed up its development within the artist funding house, and it’s simply closed a $100 million institutional fund with asset supervisor Variant Investments to take action..

5) SENATE COMMITTEE TO HOLD TICKET INDUSTRY COMPETITION HEARING AFTER TAYLOR SWIFT TOUR SALE DRAMA

US Senators Amy Klobuchar and Mike Lee of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competitors Coverage, Antitrust, and Shopper Rights, confirmed on Tuesday (November 22) that they may maintain a listening to to “study” what they are saying is a “lack of competitors within the ticketing trade”.

In a press launch, they write that listening to follows the “vital service failures and delays on Ticketmaster’s web site that left followers unable to buy live performance tickets”.

Klobuchar and Lee mentioned that the listening to date and witnesses will probably be introduced at a later date…

MBW’s Weekly Round-Up is supported by Centtrip, which helps over 500 of the world’s best-selling artists maximise their income and reduce their touring costs.

Music Enterprise Worldwide