UK competition regulator the CMA has officially cleared Sony Music’s acquisition of AWAL, following its provisional approval of the deal in February.
Tag: AWAL
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AIM and Impala respond to Sony / AWAL merger decision
The CMA provisionally cleared Sony Music’s acquisition of AWAL on Friday, but will await the views of interested parties before publishing a final decision.
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CMA provisionally clears Sony Music’s acquisition of AWAL
UK competition watchdog the CMA has published its provisional decision on Sony Music’s acquisition of distributor and artist services company AWAL.
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Tiny Hits split new single up as ‘Maximum Revenue’ version
Independent duo Tiny Hits have released their latest single ‘Control’ in what they’re describing as a ‘Maximum Revenue’ version on streaming services.
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CMA moves into phase two of Sony Music / AWAL investigation
Yesterday the CMA announced that it is now proceeding into a ‘phase 2’ investigation of the acquisition. What happens next?
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FAC and MMF set out their hopes for streaming reforms
As you’ll know from our news story yesterday on a competition snag for Sony Music’s acquisition of AWAL, the UK’s recent music streaming economics inquiry is already having some knock-on effects.
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UK’s competition regulator concerned by Sony Music / AWAL merger
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced that Sony Music’s acquisition of distributor AWAL “raises competition concerns”, and has given the major label a five-day deadline to head off a full investigation of the merger.
The CMA opened a ‘phase one’ investigation earlier this year, after the $430m acquisition from Kobalt – which also included the latter’s neighbouring rights division – was announced. The findings were published today.
“We’re concerned that this deal could reduce competition in the industry, potentially worsening the deals on the table for many music artists in the UK, and leading to less innovation across the industry,” said senior director Colin Raftery.
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Sony Music completes Awal deal but awaits regulator’s verdict
Sony Music has completed its acquisition of distributor Awal, and says it will become a new division within the company’s artist and label services arm “enhanced by the technology and […]
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Sandbox Issue 270: Always-on my mind: how do artists avoid social media burn-out?
Lead: Always-on my mind: Artists have long accepted – sometimes reluctantly – that their role includes intimate direct-to-fan digital connectivity, usually via Social Media. Grinding out content on multiple platforms, each with unique creative, time, and emotional pressures, was a stressful enough existence before Coronavirus made the need to be always-online seem all the more urgent. […]
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Awal acquisition is ‘not good news’ says Absolute boss
Following Awal’s acquisition by Sony Music, rival independent distributors are having their say on what it all means – and some of them are worried. Absolute Label Services boss Henry […]
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Sony Music’s $430m Awal acquisition makes waves. What next?
By now, you’ll almost certainly have seen the news that Sony Music is buying Kobalt’s label and distribution arm Awal, and its neighbouring rights division. After the initial announcement, the […]
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The future of streaming and music marketing post Covid-19
After an introductory session offering views on Covid-19’s music impact around the world, Music Ally’s Sandbox Summit Global conference turned its attention to what happens next.
The online event’s ‘Future of Streaming Post-Covid’ strand began with some views from Chaz Jenkins, chief commercial officer at Chartmetric.
“If we’re to use one word to describe what we’ve seen happen in the marketplace this year, it would probably be ‘volatile’,” he said, adding that a number of trends that had been happening slowly suddenly went into overdrive during the pandemic.
“Where we listen to music, when we listen to music, why we listen to music, and crucially what we listen to has changed fundamentally over the course of the year,” he said.