Economics of music streaming review: Where are we now?

03 March, 2023
Over the past decade, music streaming services have grown rapidly, now accounting for more than 80% of music sales in the UK.  Consumers have benefitted from access to large catalogues of music, at lower prices, using a range of innovative services such as higher quality audio, view video content and synced song lyrics.  Music streaming … Read more

Ofcom Guidance for Video Sharing Platform Providers

24 January, 2022
Introduction On 6 October 2021, Ofcom published guidance on measures Video Sharing Platform (“VSP“) providers can take to protect online users from harmful material and how to implement such measures effectively (the “Guidance“). The Guidance is intended to help VSP providers comply with their obligations under Part 4B of the Communications Act 2003 (“CA“), which … Read more

Government and CMA respond to DCMS report on reform of music streaming industry, but action to be taken remains uncertain

13 October, 2021
On 22 September 2021, the UK Government and the Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA“) published their response (the “Response“) to the Digital, Cultural, Media and Sports Committee (“DCMS Committee“) report (the “Report“) on the economics of music streaming. The Report was published in July 2021 (see our previous blog post here) and set out a … Read more

The DCMS calls for a complete reset of the music streaming industry

06 August, 2021
Following a wide-spread inquiry, the Digital, Cultural, Media and Sports Committee (DCMS) published a report which has called for a complete reset of the music streaming market. The proposed reform of legislation and regulation is aimed at addressing the: ‘pitiful returns’ that creators receive from streaming; disparity in power between creators and companies; major music … Read more

Introduction to Non-Fungible Tokens and their potential applications in the media and entertainment industry

15 July, 2021
Non-fungible tokens (“NFTs”) have been dominating technology columns in the media lately. Items that would previously not have been considered traditionally ‘marketable’ or high value are now being sold for eye-watering sums. For example, a digital artwork by Beeple sold for US$69 million, a token of Jack Dorsey’s first tweet sold for US$2.9 million, a … Read more

The Crackdown on Undisclosed Advertising: ASA issues Warning to Influencers

19 March, 2021
The Adverting Standards Authority (“ASA”) has released its influencer monitoring report, summarising the results of the analysis the ASA conducted in September last year. The ASA conducted an analysis of over 24,000 Instagram stories, posts, and reels across 122 influencers to assess whether the rules in respect of influencer advertising were being followed. The ASA … Read more

Gambling and the COVID-19 Crisis

26 March, 2020
Gambling Commission Guidance The Gambling Commission has released new guidance acknowledging the increased challenges that businesses in the industry are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidance explicitly reminds licensees that: they are expected to follow Public Health guidance; they should assess their ability for continued compliance with their relevant licence conditions … Read more

UK may be a nation of streamers but public service broadcasting remains essential!

08 November, 2019
Earlier this week, the UK’s House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee published its report titled “Public Service Broadcasting: As Vital As Ever“, following its consultation on the impact of Subscription Video-On-Demand (SVOD) services on the UK’s public service broadcasters (PSBs) such as the BBC, Channel 3, Channel 4 and Channel 5.   Amongst other aspects, … Read more