Brian Ward

I've been collecting my thoughts on the recent news that Saudi Arabia will host the first Olympic Esports Games in 2025. 🎮🏅 This announcement is not just another event - it's shows how far our industry has come and the growing recognition of esports as a legitimate competitive discipline. As someone deeply embedded in the esports world through my time at Activision Blizzard and now Game Focus Consulting, I'm thrilled to see this level of integration between traditional sports and esports. The Olympic Esports Games will not only bring visibility to our industry but also pave the way for new opportunities and partnerships. Currently Saudi Arabia is also hosting the Esports World Cup, which has already been showcasing incredible talent and fostering international competition. These events do raise some interesting questions: 🤔 What does this mean for the future of esports as an Olympic discipline? 🤔 How will this impact the development and support for grassroots esports communities worldwide? 🤔 What new opportunities will grow for stakeholders within the esports ecosystem, including players, developers, and sponsors? The Esports World Cup has already set the stage, demonstrating the Saudi commitment to esports. You would have wonder how these two significant events may influence each other and what this means for the broader industry. Exciting times! #Esports #OlympicEsportsGames #GameFocusConsulting #EsportsWorldCup #SaudiArabia #EsportsOlympics

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The future of esports is not coming; it’s HERE, and it’s unfolding at an unprecedented scale in Riyadh! - 🌍 The Esports World Cup, hosted in Boulevard Riyadh City from July 4 to Aug 25, is set to be a game-changer. - 🎮 Over 2,500 elite gamers from diverse teams and clubs will be competing, showcasing their extraordinary skills and strategies. - 💰 With a record-breaking prize pool of $60 million, this event marks the largest financial commitment in esports history. - 🤝 Organized by the Esports World Cup Foundation, the tournament aims not only to advance the e-gaming industry but also to create abundant opportunities for players and clubs. - 🌐 Beyond mammoth prize offerings, the cup is designed as a platform to unite the global gaming community, fostering connections among players, fans, producers, and publishers. - 🚀 Aligned with Saudi Arabia's vision, the event seeks to boost esports and demonstrate its positive impact on society, promoting cultural exchange and attracting investments. As this landmark event seeks to redefine the scope and scale of esports, one can envision the industry evolving from here Let's discuss the future of esports and its potential impact in the region and beyond. #SaudiArabia #esports #esportsworldcup

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“Sony Music Entertainment is set to acquire the catalog of legendary rock band Queen in a landmark deal worth GBP £1 billion (USD $1.27 billion at current exchange rates). That’s according to Hits, which reported on Wednesday (June 19), citing sources, that Sony Music has emerged as the winning buyer for Queen’s recording and publishing rights, as well as royalties from previous deals with Disney Music Group and Universal Music Group. Disney owns the band’s recorded music catalog in North America, while UMG has a global distribution agreement with Disney. Separately, Queen band members Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon – plus the Freddie Mercury estate – each own equal shares in the company Queen Productions Ltd, which owns the group’s recording catalog outside the US and Canada, Music Business Worldwide noted in a report last year. UMG, as Disney’s distributor, will reportedly retain distribution rights in North America, although Sony will receive the royalties. UMG’s worldwide distribution rights will then transfer to Sony in 2026 or 2027, making Sony Music the sole distributor and owner of all Queen content globally, Hits explained. The deal also reportedly includes name and likeness rights, opening doors for merchandise and other ventures. Meanwhile, Queen’s founding members, May and Taylor, who continue to tour with vocalist Adam Lambert, will reportedly retain control of revenue from live performances.” Read the full article for more: #Queen #SonyMusic #UMG #DisneyMusicGroup #UniversalMusicGroup #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz #Creators #Artists

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The Middle East: A Rising Esports Powerhouse The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is becoming a central hub for esports, driven by a combination of high internet penetration, a youthful population, and substantial government investments. The region's contribution to the global esports market is significant, accounting for a substantial portion of the industry's revenue. Key Drivers of Growth Youthful Demographics: The Middle East boasts a large, young population that is tech-savvy and highly engaged in digital entertainment. For instance, about 70% of Saudi Arabia's population is under the age of 30, creating a fertile ground for esports adoption. Government Support and Investment: Governments in the region, particularly in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are heavily investing in the esports sector as part of their broader economic diversification strategies. Additionally, the country is hosting the inaugural Esports World Cup in Riyadh, which promises the largest prize pool in esports history. Infrastructure Development: The region is witnessing significant investments in esports infrastructure. Abu Dhabi, for example, is set to build the world's first esports island, a $280 million project that will include high-tech venues, professional training facilities, and luxury accommodations for gamers. High Engagement and Viewership: The Middle East has one of the highest rates of gaming engagement globally. In the UAE, 77% of the population are gamers, and in Saudi Arabia, 54% of the population engages in gaming, with a significant portion of these gamers being women[4]. This high level of engagement is attracting major esports events and tournaments to the region, further boosting its profile. Challenges and Opportunities While the growth trajectory is impressive, the Middle East esports market faces several challenges that need to be addressed to sustain its momentum. Infrastructure and Connectivity: Despite improvements, there is still a need for better internet infrastructure to support competitive gaming. Enhancing the strength and speed of internet services is crucial for the region to compete globally. The future of esports in the Middle East looks promising. With a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.1% projected for the MENA region through 2024, the industry is set for continued expansion. The region's vision to become a global esports hub is supported by strategic investments, the establishment of esports leagues, and the nurturing of homegrown talent through training programs and academies. As the industry continues to evolve, the Middle East is poised to not only participate in but also shape the future of competitive gaming on the global stage. https://lnkd.in/g7wJYhG6

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SiriusXM reported its Q1 earnings this morning, and the headlines are justifiably focused on its loss of subscribers (nearly 500k). Like all radio, its subscription business is highly vulnerable with the move to digital audio, especially in cars. But a bright spot? If you paid attention to Spotify's earnings, you wouldn't be surprised: "off-platform revenue." For SXM, this includes Pandora and podcast revenue, which saw a 7% revenue increase. During their investor call, they signaled the growth for podcasts, explicitly saying, "Podcasting revenue saw a 22% year-over-year lift in the quarter, while programmatic podcast revenue increased 12% sequentially and 97% year over year." I'd love to see SXM break out the podcast numbers even further, but if you look at what they do provide, it's easy to conclude that podcast revenue is growing much faster than other segments. For example, Pandora continues to bleed users (64k paid subs in Q1 alone), so podcast revenue seems to be the tide lifting all "off-platform" boats. When asked about their podcast initiatives, Scott Greenstein said, "One is, you know, the podcast thing and industry is really still in the second or third inning, so it's evolving." He is 100% right. SXM also signaled that it will continue to license more podcast content and is not closing the book on exclusive content. One more fun nugget: On today's call, podcasts were mentioned 30 times. Pandora was only mentioned ten times, SmartLess nine times, and Howard Stern... zero point zero. Where do you think their priorities are moving forward? Read more: https://lnkd.in/eRQTM2Kq ---- I'm the CEO and founder of DWNLOAD Media, a fund focused on acquiring majority stakes in podcast companies. With continued audience and revenue growth, podcasting continues to be the most under-valued medium, making it time to invest in audio. If you're interested in investing in the podcast space, DM me! #podcasting #audio #siriusxm #sxm #earnings #investor #investing #podcasts

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Elon Musk's introduction of the X TV app marks a significant shift in the ongoing #streamingwars, setting a new benchmark for #socialmedia platforms considering entry into the streaming domain. By merging social media with streaming, platforms like X TV not only diversify their revenue streams through advertising, subscriptions, and interactive features but also redefine economic models within the industry. This also clearly highlights how streaming competition now extends to social media platforms, which boast large audiences that are shifting away from traditional content programming towards offerings that better align with user preferences and personalities. This trend presents an additional challenge for the traditional content industry, which has recently found it difficult to create content that resonates with audiences and generates significant revenue.   Musk's recent business moves have been hinting at launching X TV as a next step, leveraging direct #engagement with a diverse audience and notable personalities to extend his brand’s influence.    The X TV app, with features like a trending video algorithm and AI-powered content curation, integrates social media dynamics into traditional viewing experiences, potentially catalyzing similar innovations across the streaming industry. This integration offers exclusive video content and could pressure traditional streaming services to adopt more diverse content creation and engagement strategies.    The fusion of social networking and streaming on platforms like X TV allows for interactive viewer experiences, including real-time comments, shares, and potential influence over live broadcasts. This strategic move by Musk could inspire further blending of technology and media formats across the industry, prompting a reevaluation of engagement metrics and monetization strategies. As the landscape evolves, agility and innovation in content offerings will become crucial for companies striving to remain competitive.    https://lnkd.in/g_y_BTkw     #streaming #ElonMusk #LITrendingTopics #UserEngagement

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Diversity in the workplace - awesome. Diversity in society - fundamental. Diversity in the stack - no. The more products you have in your environment the larger your attack surface, the more complex the sync, the more chances for data corruption, and the more pinch points by API limits. Furthermore, if you want to use AI you'll need to ensure your data is usable (vectorized) without duplicating all of it in an S3 bucket or other Cloud repo. AI is the carrot being dangled to customers to centralize all data into one hyperscaler - because they bank on the roach motel trap endemic to all Cloud providers. Once all your data is in one place, you will never leave. You'll have to make a choice - all in on one system to capture security and some stability, or keep sharding your environment and incur exponential tech debt.

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Move over, ElevenLabs. Dubai-based Camb AI claims to have surpassed the presumptive AI audio leader with a model that can capture even more diverse emotional tones and pitches, covering all sorts of complex speech scenarios, such as when a person is frustrated, commanding, calm, or even spirited. It also supports over 140 languages, compared to ElevenLabs’ 36. Normally, voice cloning and text-to-speech conversion are two separate offerings. With its new model, Camb AI is taking the work ahead by mixing both capabilities into a unified platform. All a user has to do is upload an audio file, ranging between a few seconds to a minute, and provide the text content. The model will then use the speaker’s voice in the audio file as a reference, capture the relevant details – including the original voice, speaking style, emotion, enunciation and meaning – and synthesize the provided text as speech using it. No doubt ElevenLabs is already working on improvements to its model, so I’m sure we’ll see new functionality from them soon. The only constant is change, and rapid change at that.

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“Among AI music generators capable of creating entire songs with just a prompt, Suno and Udio are considered by many to be among the best. They are also considered by many to have used copyrighted music to train their AI models, without authorization. Now, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is coordinating lawsuits on behalf of major recording companies against the two AI companies. Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group’s UMG Recordings, and Warner Records Inc. are among the plaintiffs in two new federal copyright infringement lawsuits filed on Monday (June 24). The lawsuit against Suno was filed in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, while the lawsuit against Udio was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, over what the RIAA calls “mass infringement of copyrighted sound recordings copied and exploited without permission by two multi-million-dollar music generation services.” “AI companies, like all other enterprises, must abide by the laws that protect human creativity and ingenuity,” the complaints against Suno and Udio state. “There is nothing that exempts AI technology from copyright law or that excuses AI companies from playing by the rules.” That assertion is likely to be the key point of contention in the lawsuits. US courts have not yet ruled that using copyrighted materials to train AI amounts to copyright infringement.” Read the full article for more: #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Suno #Udio #RIAA #Sony #SonyMusicEntertainment #UniversalMusicGroup #UMG #WarnerRecords #Legal #IP #IntelectualProperty #Copyright #CopyrightLaw #CopyrightInfrigement #DerechoDeAutor #DroitdAuteur #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz #Creators #Songs #SoundRecordings #Tech #Technology #GenerativeAi #GeAi

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“Recent lawsuits highlight the complex copyright issues faced by labels and producers where multiple people are involved in the production of a track, with a number of clashes over unauthorised use of stems, loops and beats in hit songs. A series of lawsuits have highlighted how critical it is for labels and producers to meticulously track and clarify ownership of any beats, stems or loops used in their releases. In particular, where elements of the track have come from third parties, it is essential to understand who created what and who owns the copyright. The most recent case involves songwriter and producer Jon Hume, who is suing Universal Music over allegations that the Dean Lewis track ‘Be Alright’ contains stems that he created. They were used without his permission, he claims, after the label told him that his work was not going to be used in the final release. The dispute echoes similar recent cases, including 2Point9Records’ lawsuit against Sony Music’s Ministry Of Sound Recordings, producer Sébastien Graux’s claim against Feid and Universal Music, and a dispute between Dutch producer Noam Ofirand and Norwegian Frederik Øverlie. No one disputes that Hume was involved in the writing of ‘Be Alright’ back in 2015 and, according to the MLC database, he has a 50% stake in the song copyright. He also created an original version of the track, playing all the instruments and adding Lewis’s vocals. He then provided that recording - and its constituent stems - to Lewis’s label. There was talk of Universal using his stems at one point, but he was ultimately told - before the record’s release in 2018 - that “we did not end up using any of Jon’s files in the final master”. However, last year he discovered that more than half of the stems in the released version of ‘Be Alright’ were from his original recording, contradicting the assurances the label gave.” Read the full article for more: #IP #IntelectualProperty #Legal #CopyrightInfrigement #Copyright #DerechoDeAutor #DroitdAuteur #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz #Creators #Stems #Loops #Beats #Songs #Songwriters #Artists #SoundRecordings

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Exciting news for music enthusiasts and investors alike! According to a recent report by Goldman Sachs Research, the global music industry is seeing growth thanks to live concerts, music publishing, and streaming services in emerging markets. After a landmark year in 2023, the industry is forecasted to grow 7.6% in 2024. This growth is supported by an 11% increase in new tracks available to stream year on year in 2023. Check out the full report here: https://lnkd.in/emNn_wDB #MusicIndustry #Finance #EmergingMarkets #GoldmanSachsResearch #musicacquisition

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“US music publishers are ready to “fight again” as they attempt to halt efforts by Spotify to reclassify its subscription package. The streaming service wants to say that its main subscription product is a ‘bundle’ of music, podcasts and audiobooks. This would allow it to pay less to songwriters. The campaign against Spotify’s sneaky audiobook bundling plans in the US is gaining momentum, with the boss of the National Music Publishers Association declaring “it’s time to fight again”, and the Association Of Independent Music Publishers committing its “unequivocal support” for the NMPA as it embarks on a “critical battle to prevent Spotify’s scheme from taking effect”…. Spotify has been reshuffling its range of subscription products in the US, so that there is one subscription option that offers music and podcasts, and another that offers audiobooks. Meanwhile, the existing premium subscription option - which includes music, podcasts and audiobooks - is being defined as a bundle of those two other products. That is important because of the compulsory licence that sets out the payments streaming services must pay to music publishers and songwriters in the US. That licence has provisions for bundles, meaning that if Spotify reclassifies its main premium subscription as a bundle it will reduce what it has to pay publishers and songwriters on its core product. It’s been estimated that this move could result in $150 million of lost revenue.” #Spotify #NMPA #AIMP #Streaming #Songwriters #StreamingRoyalties #Royalties #MusicTracks #MusicStreams #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz #CompulsoryLicense #US #MusicPublishing #CRB #DiMA #StreamingServices #StreamingMedia #MLC #Pandora

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Global on-demand audio streams surged by 15.1% to a staggering 2.3 trillion in the first half of 2024, marking a significant uptick in the music streaming industry. Within this total, U.S. streams accounted for 665.8 billion, showcasing an 8% year-over-year increase. Interestingly, the U.S. streams represent less than 30% of the worldwide total, signaling accelerated growth in international markets. This rapid expansion is not only reshaping the industry but also driving music content IP revenue upwards. #MusicStreaming #MusicIndustryGrowth

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Paying out an additional £6 million (approx. USD $7.7 million) in royalties from online services - “UK-based royalty collection society PRS for Music says it will be paying out an additional GBP £6 million (approx. USD $7.7 million) in royalties from online services to songwriters and composers annually, thanks to a reduction in its administration rate. The collection society said it’s reducing its admin rate on multi-territory online (MTOL) royalties by 20% – from a 10% rate to an 8% rate – as a result of the CMO “surpassing its targets, delivering historic distributions and revenues, and becoming a billion-pound society.” Announced at its 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) today (June 4), PRS estimates the reduction will see £1.5 million more paid out to members in each of its quarterly royalty distributions starting from October this year.” #PRS #CMOs #UK #MusicRoyaties #Songwriters #Composers #MusicPublishing #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz

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“Warner Music Group has sent a letter to tech companies declaring that its content can only be used to train AI with the music company’s permission. According to Warner’s letter, which can be read in full here, “All parties must obtain an express license from WMG to use… any creative works owned or controlled by WMG or to link to or ingest such creative works in connection with the creation of datasets, as inputs for any machine learning or AI technologies, or to train or develop any machine learning or AI technologies (including by automated means).” Warner’s move indicates that a common strategy could be blossoming amongst the major music companies in their approach to AI, after Sony Music Group sent a letter to some 700 AI developers and digital service providers (DSPs) in May. Sony notified those companies that it is officially “opting out” of having its proprietary content used in the training of artificial intelligence models.” Read the full article for more: #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #WMG #WarnerMusicGroup #Sony #DSPs #NMPA #EU #EuropeanUnion #SonyMusicEntertainment #Legal #IP #IntelectualProperty #Copyright #CopyrightLaw #CopyrightInfrigement #DerechoDeAutor #DroitdAuteur #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz #Creators #Songs #Composers #Songwriters #Artists #Suno #Udio #SoundRecordings #Tech #Technology #GenerativeAi #GeAi

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“…music copyright valuation continues to grow at an accelerated pace. The global valuation ascribed to music copyright reached $41.5bn, according to industry economist Will Page. This is 14.5% more than 2022. More folks are streaming music than ever before. Vinyl sales are up. Concert ticket sales surpassed 2019’s figures, according to Live Nation. And beneath all of this are the songs, or copyrighted works. Without them, there would be no tours, no vinyl records and no streaming services. Funds that invest in this intellectual property are expected to continue to see a return. But across the industry, this is not the case.” “There are reasons for this - based both on data and perception. Qualitatively, the way the music industry - as a monolith - is perceived continues to be challenged. For example, in BBC’s daily news podcast, Global Story, a report on Taylor Swift referred to the music industry as ‘in crisis’ despite the macroeconomic data arguing otherwise. This is supported by the evidence of burgeoning inequality. While arenas and stadiums celebrate a bumper year, small music venues in the UK suffered their “worst year in a decade” according to the Music Venue Trust. Music education hubs - often the places where music is first created - are being cut by two-thirds in 2024-2025. However, quantitatively, the data reveals a different story. Music listenership is up, according to the IFPI. Revenue collections from CISAC, the international trade body representing collective management organizations was up 28% in 2022. Simply, more music would mean more return, especially for firms that own much of the music that is consumed, such as funds like Hipgnosis, Round Hill or Primary Wave or the three multinationals, Universal Music Group, Warner Music and Sony Music. However, debt is now more expensive, and liabilities are outstripping return. Listening to more music is not enough.” #CMOs #CISAC #IFPI #Artists #UK #RecordingRights #Performers #Royalties #MusicRoyalties #Music #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #Copyright #Copyrights #Songs #Songwriters #Recordings #MusicPublishing #Streams #Streaming #MusicStreaming #LiveMusic #Global #RecordedMusic #RecordLabels #IndieMusic

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