Damian Pelliccione

Concord and BMG are reportedly exploring a merger that could reshape the future of independent music rights, publishing, catalog ownership, and artist legacy management. If this deal moves forward, it could create one of the most powerful music companies in the world outside of the traditional major label system. Between Concord’s massive catalog acquisitions and BMG’s publishing and recorded music infrastructure, the combined reach would be enormous. As someone who grew up around this business, these moments always make me reflect on the history behind the catalogs being traded, preserved, and reintroduced to new generations. My father, Johnnie Taylor, recorded for Stax Records during one of the most important eras in soul music history. Years later, Concord acquired the Stax catalog, which means a large piece of that musical legacy now lives under the Concord umbrella. There’s something fascinating about watching these legendary catalogs evolve from vinyl records and tape reels into billion-dollar assets that continue generating cultural and economic value decades later. The hopeful side of all this: • Better preservation of classic music • Expanded licensing opportunities for film, TV, and digital media • More investment into legacy artists and catalogs • Greater global reach for timeless records The concern, of course, is what happens as ownership consolidates more and more. Music is art, history, and culture before it’s just data on a balance sheet. Either way, this potential merger is another reminder that music catalogs have become some of the most valuable intellectual property assets in the world. And for families connected to these legacies, it’s personal.

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 HWAL opened new division, Melody music sync licensing division and added Jesse Wright to the executive managing team for the licensing of the company’s music catalog for use in Film, TV, games, Trailers, and Advertisement. Jesse Wright brings to the company over 15 years of seasoned experience as music supervisor and director roles at Warner Music Group, Artist Publishing Group, and several boutique music houses. Jesse has contributed to countless sync placements, including campaigns for Netflix, Hulu, Universal Pictures, Activision, the NFL, Paramount Pictures, NBC, Disney, and more. Under Jesse’s leadership, Melody has recently signed a strategic alliance with the Music Supervisor Music Clearance platform, DISCO. Currently Music supervisors for film, TV, games and advertisement commercial projects from all parts of the world, can source, review, listen and license over 400 soundtracks from the Melody music publishing channel at Disco. https://lnkd.in/ecwEF37i

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The recent global agreement between Sony Music Entertainment and Spotify marks a strategic victory for major record labels, which now have greater influence in the streaming ecosystem. For them, it means optimized profits and a reaffirmation of their power. However, the outlook for independents remains uncertain. This agreement raises a crucial question: Will small artists and labels be able to negotiate directly with Spotify on equitable terms? The big challenge for streaming today is not how it distributes profits among the industry's powerhouses, but how it ensures that smaller voices and independent creativity have a fair chance to survive and grow. #musicpublishing #musicindustry #spotify #sonymusic

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CA's Largest Movie Theater Chain To Close Locations The largest movie theater chain in California plans to close even more locations after shuttering 213 theaters over the past five years. https://lnkd.in/gbVrJuj9 #movie #theaters 📽️ 😥

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LANDMARK FILM DISTRIBUTION DEAL! Award-winning filmmaker and storyteller Jorge Xolalpa has signed a groundbreaking distribution agreement with Lumexx Media, paving the way for his complete eight-film canon to premiere on Apple TV+ in 2026. The multi-picture deal marks a career-defining milestone for one of independent cinema’s most daring and emotionally resonant voices, offering Xolalpa’s decade of work its first unified global streaming home. Full Article: https://lnkd.in/ghp8Zmaf #jorgeXolalpa Lumexx Media #Indiefilmmakers @appletv #indefillmmaker #distributiondeal

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Tip 1:How I Built Community-- Pt 2 of a Series on how I became a film Director of #SuitcaseKiller with my movie on Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, Hulu, Amazon Prime & Lifetime --- To Support me as an artist purchase a copy of my book Film Dreams available for sale at https://lnkd.in/ehwKdCwZ To take a film class taught by me sign up at https://lnkd.in/epXg-mTq Follow @filmdreamz To Connect on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Tiktok Subscribe to @filmdreamz on Youtube For more information about me visit www.nicoleLthompson.com -- P.S.I am in search for a film & TV agent. If you have any recommendations let me know! #DirectedbyNicoleLThompson #usc #film #filmmaker #uscschoolofcinematicarts

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BMI’s Big Win on Radio Royalties: Milestone for Songwriters, or Mask for Inequality? BMI just announced its biggest-ever increase in the royalty rate for terrestrial radio — nearly 24%. At first glance, it feels like a victory for songwriters and publishers. But when we dig deeper, the story gets more complicated. Yes, the overall pie is bigger. But here’s the reality: 📻 Radio is only ~8% of publisher revenues today. If your catalog isn’t in heavy radio rotation, you won’t feel much of this increase at all. 📻BMI raised its own cut from 10% to 15%. That means they take a larger slice off the top before any songwriter or publisher sees a dime. 📻The biggest winners will be the usual suspects — the writers and publishers of radio hits. Independent creators, as always, are left on the margins. This isn’t just about radio. It reflects a broader pattern in our industry: headlines that celebrate “wins for songwriters” often disguise structural changes that widen the gap between the top earners and everyone else. The rich catalogs get richer, while independents — the very heart of musical diversity — struggle to make rent. I don’t want to dismiss progress. Every rate increase matters. But let’s call this what it is: a win dressed up as universal, that will in practice serve the few. For the rest of us, the fight must stay focused on areas where independent songwriters and publishers actually have the potential to thrive — streaming, digital, and live performance. That’s where equity is needed most. Let me know what you think, is the BMI announcement a meaningful shift, or just another shiny headline masking the same old inequities? https://lnkd.in/gNKrJ6sq

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European regulators will issue an initial ruling by July 22 on Universal Music Group’s proposed $775 million acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings. The deal includes key assets such as FUGA, CD Baby, and Curve Royalty Systems, raising concerns from independent music advocates about its potential impact on market competition. It's currently under Phase 1 review by the European Commission after being flagged by Dutch and Austrian authorities. If no major competition concerns arise, the merger could be cleared without conditions; however, if they do, it may proceed to a deeper Phase 2 investigation. https://lnkd.in/gGCkCtu7 #UniversalMusic #DowntownMusic #musicbiz

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“Contracts reviewed by DMN show that each of the entities (or their member organizations) save the International Skating Union, in exchange for naming ClicknClear an approved music licensing platform or partner, is entitled to a 5% piece of ClicknClear’s share of licensing fees from their athletes. Also sweetening the pot are indemnification protections (not unlike those in PRO licenses) against third-party claims. ClicknClear’s “license verification system,” a significant part of Tresóna’s aforementioned suit, factors into the terms as well.”

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"Sub-$5M-per-episode series, once 82% of US scripted TV releases, accounted for fewer than two-thirds in 2025. This echoes the film industry shifts of the 2010s, where blockbusters increasingly crowded out mid-budget titles." This and more in Tyler Aquilina's latest Luminate Intelligence report 👇

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Today’s acquisition of IndiCue marks a transformative day for Cineverse. For the last decade, our shared vision at Cineverse has been to establish a next-generation studio specifically built to compete in the modern streaming era, this isn't an easy task and doesn't happen overnight.  It happens piece by piece... Today's announcement brings us closer to fulfilling this vision. There is substantial value this acquisition brings us, it places us in a very unique position within the industry were we now control the underlying data pipes from end-to-end. This means that everything we do during the content mastering process, as it relates to metadata enrichment, can now make its way through the entire supply chain and flow all the way to the ad platform and subsequently to our back-end AI content analytics & reporting platform. Contextual advertising has been attempted by various companies over the years with limited success. A big part of their inability to bring an effective solution has been due to the highly fragmented nature of the media supply chain that precedes the monetization end-points. We believe we can solve this problem and are excited to bring cutting-edge innovation to the advertising ecosystem. A huge congratulations to the IndiCue leadership team consisting of Nicholas Frazee, John Marchesini and Yuriy Gorokhov! Congrats to the entire IndiCue team and a hearty welcome into the Cineverse family! #cineverse #matchpoint #indicue #adtech #ott #videostreaming https://lnkd.in/gySsEJbZ

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Los Angeles Is One Step Closer To Streamlining Local Film & TV Production Processes - new article: https://lnkd.in/gc4X7TK4 - plus City Council Unanimously Greenlights Measures to Boost Production in Los Angeles - new article: https://lnkd.in/gwc_Py7N - Carlo Perez, the business manager for Local 755 of the plasterers, sculptors, & shop hands union, recalled shooting a Fast and Furious movie in Georgia & swapping the cars’ Georgia plates for California plates - “We need to stop this, we need to cut it off while there’s still something to save”

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#RecordedMusic #Streaming #RIAA “…WASHINGTON, DC (March 16, 2026) – The Recording Industry Association of America® (RIAA) today released its 2025 Year-End Recorded Music Revenue Report, which reported that #US wholesale annual revenue achieved a record high of $11.5 billion. Fostered by #labels’ commitment to using technological innovation to deepen the connection between #artists and #fans, streaming is an important part of industry revenues that also creates pathways to new formats and experiences. The US remains the world’s largest paid subscription market with 106.5 million accounts generating $6.4 billion in revenue. Premium paid subscription revenues grew by 6.8% to $5.88 billion. That sustained growth is enabling deeper investment, experimentation and agility to make the most of emerging opportunities. Additionally, US vinyl sales grew for a 19th consecutive year, representing nearly 50% of the format’s global value. “Fans are consuming music from the artists they love in more ways than ever, and that passion is reflected in today’s report. 2025 reveals a strong and stablemusic economy resulting from committed label investment and identification of new spaces to expand artists’ #creativity…” Read the article for more: #MusicRoyalties #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz #CreatorEconomy #CreatorsRights #RightHolders #MusicRights #Vinyl #Digital

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Campaigns in 2026 need to do more than just look cinematic — they need to feel real. From day one, the intention behind this campaign was simple: keep it honest. No scripts. No rehearsed soundbites. Nothing overproduced. This is the second piece from our ‘Never Give Up’ campaign with @gshock_us — built around authentic voices & storytelling that prioritizes truth over polish. More from this series rolling out soon.

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Los Angeles is starting to see the impact of California’s expansion to its film and TV subsidy program, with production in the region trending upwards, though production levels sit well below the five-year average. https://lnkd.in/eMEm7KRY

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California Steps Up for Indie Film Fantastic news for creators—especially independent ones! So encouraging to see real investment in reviving California’s film, TV, and animation industry. It would be even better to see a built-in incentive specifically designed to support lower-budget films. Those stories often carry the most grit and heart—and with the right boost, they can go far. #IndieFilm #FilmIncentives #CaliforniaFilm #CreativeEconomy #SupportIndieVoices #Filmmaking #StorytellingMatters #WomenInFilm #NarrativeNonfiction #ContentThatMatters #GetInTheBoat

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48 new film projects are the latest recipients of tax credits under the Film and Television Tax Credit Program. California Film Commission #FilmCalifornia #indiefilms

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One Hopeful Sign for California’s Film Industry: Features May Return For years, feature films have increasingly elected to shoot in other regions, but a production report suggests that they may soon return to the Golden State in greater numbers. https://lnkd.in/grRMPtwb

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