Jon Platt, head of the world's largest music publisher Sony Music Publishing chats with host Larry Miller in a fireside chat in front of a live virtual audience at NYU.  Jon's pedigree of signing songwriters like Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Kanye, and Drake has afforded him a well-deserved place as a shrewd creative executive and a powerful advocate for music creators.  Jon discusses his unique career path from his early days as a DJ and his development as a creative at EMI,  the competitive advantage of diversity and inclusion and the future of music publishing.

Brick by Brick:  Jon Platt on Creating a Mighty Career and Culture

A live interview at NYU with David Israelite. United States Copyright Office Register Shira Perlmutter oversees a team of 500 people and advises the U.S. Congress and the executive branch on copyright policy.   

By definition her office is the foremost expert on copyright in the country.  But she is the foremost expert, as a person, on copyright in the country.  If you're excited or terrified by how music policy is being made around AI -- especially deepfakes and digital likeness -- you won't want to miss this wide-ranging public conversation with Register Perlmutter and NMPA President David Israelite.  Special thanks to peermusic.

Shira Perlmutter is the foremost expert on copyright in the country.

On this episode: Larry and Lynn discuss earnings season highlights -- UMG, Live Nation, Hybe and more. They unpack Kendrick v. Drake, and will Spotify's bundling move have a major unforeseen consequence?

Here's the Beef (and earnings roundup)

Spotify started offering limited audiobook listening late last year for no extra charge – after the first price increase in the company’s history went through for all US premium subscribers. What Spotify did was bundle their paid-for music subscriptions in the US with its nascent audiobook service in an attempt to lower the rates it pays to songwriters and music publishers.  Spotify says it’s entitled to bundle services in this way.  In this episode, why former Spotify Global Head of Music Publishing Adam Parness sees it differently.

Is bundling just a sneaky way to pay lower rates to songwriters?

On this episode: Larry and Lynn dive into the DOJ vs. LiveNation, what's behind recent arena tour cancellations, and Spotify's price increase and what it means. Also: is Queen's catalogue a billion dollar property?

Flash episode: DOJ v. Live Nation, Spotify's low churn, $1B for Queen?

Larry And Lynn on Warner Music's big restructuring. Also UMG earnings, the Labels' showdown with AI platforms, and has on-demand streaming peaked?

Flash episode: Warner Music's big restructuring, UMG earnings, AI

We're in a song economy but not yet a songwriter economy, according to a landmark report by MiDiA Research. In this episode:  the report's co-author Tatiana Cirisano, and two new-school independent music publishers rewriting the rulebook, Evan Bogart from Seeker Music and Lylette Pizarro from Influence Media.

Songwriters Take the Stage + Two Rising Music Publishers

In this episode, Larry and Lynn discuss a streaming fraud bust, Music meets presidential politics yet again, Kendrick spikes the ball, and  protect those copyrights!

Flash Episode: Music and Two Big Games

It's presidential election season and music is back in the thick of it. In 2016 we spoke with Ben Sisario of the New York Times, Professor Chris Sprigman of NYU Law School and music industry lawyer Joel Schoenfeld about the historical and then-current role of music in Presidential politics.

In this episode, we revisit that episode and provide a 2024 update.

Music & Presidential Campaigns

This week we'll take a close look at the vinyl resurgence and music's newest quasi-holiday, Record Store Day, which falls this year on Saturday, April 18. You'll hear from James Donio of the Music Business Association about how the vinyl resurgence came about. Michael Kurtz, the founder of Record Store Day, will talk with us about how Record Store Day got started, how it affects the vinyl pressing industry, and how Record Store Day became an international phenomenon. Finally, you'll hear from entertainment industry analyst Russ Crupnick of MusicWatch about the future of vinyl, its role in the music ecosystem and the willingness of consumers to pay for music.

The State of Physical Music Retail, Record Store Day and the Vinyl Resurgence

In this episode, we take a look back at the first half of 2025. Larry sits down with Tatiana Cirisano of MIDIA research to discuss underlying industry trends across the globe, including where music meets audiences. Larry also talks with Paul Sipio of Apollo Global Management, which has invested billions in the industry over the past few years, about why music catalogue has been, and continues to be, an attractive investment on Wall Street and beyond.

Catalogs + Capital

In this episode of Musonomics, Larry Miller looks at the lack of information transparency in the music industry. Why do artists still get indecipherable paper reports from labels and music services in the digital age, and how do we know those reports are accurate? Why is it so hard to get easy answers to simple questions about royalty rates and royalty payments? Grammy Award-winning composer and big band leader Maria Schneider shares how the lack of transparency drove her to take her music off the internet and Jeff Price of Audiam and Revelator's Bruno Guez outline the byzantine complexity of the music industry's royalty payment systems.

The Transparency Moment

Superfan is a strong contender for Music Industry Buzzword of 2025-26. But what does it mean, exactly?  And what does it mean for the industry? 

On this episode, Larry talks with Olivia Dean from MIDIA research who is watching the space closely, and Musonomics correspondent Mariel Darling sits down with Mag Rodriguez, founder of EVEN, one of the leading platforms doing the heavy lifting to talk about the challenges and rewards of superfan engagement.

What is a Superfan?

Songwriters struggle to get paid while the copyright system designed to protect their rights is partially to blame, but why?

In this episode of Musonomics, Larry Miller takes a look at how the copyright and royalty payment system is failing a new generation of songwriters. Ari Leff, a developing songwriter/producer who records as LAUV, and Nashville songwriter Brett James, who has written huge hits for Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney and Martina McBride, share the struggles of modern songwriters. We take a look back at how the collective licensing system was put in place -- and how the Consent Decrees that govern ASCAP and BMI fail to protect the economic interests of songwriters in the modern music-consumption landscape. With ASCAP's Clara Kim, music attorney Chris Castle and The New Yorker's John Seabrook, this episode is packed with expert analysis and insight into how our antiquated music copyright system is breaking down -- and how we might start to mold a better future for American songwriters.

Songwriters, Consent And The Age Of Discontent

In this episode of Musonomics: how China's music market is going legit. Larry Miller of NYU Steinhardt talks to music executive Ed Peto who moved to China ten years ago to try and build a bridge between China and the western music industry. Now he runs Outdustry, a Beijing based music industry service company. Billy Koh, a popular judge on the TV talent shows and the founder and former CEO of the record label Ocean Butterflies, talks about how the financial crises in 2008 made China turn its eyes towards intellectual property.

How China's Music Market is Going Legit

Last year was a painful reminder of the mortality of the music industry’s biggest acts. And sadly, it’s just the beginning. Fifty percent of last year’s top 100 grossing acts are over 50 years old. So what will happen to the live music industry when they’re no longer around? And what role will music festivals play in the live music industry in the future? In this episode of Musonomics, Larry Miller speaks with Neil Shah from The Wall Street Journal and Cherie Hu from Forbes about the future of the live music industry and rock’s demographic crisis.

It's (Still) a Long Way to the Top:  The present and future of the concert and festival business

Digital music services continue to drive recovery of the music industry after a long period of decline, and the AM/FM music radio business is starting to feel it.  Young people born after Millennials don't use radio the same as previous generations. Can commercial AM/FM radio compete with pure play digital music services? Russ Crupnick of MusicWatch and Steve Goldstein of Amplifi Media join us to discuss what's happening to radio listenership, and how radio needs to respond to the threat posed by unlimited, commercial-free music.

Is Radio Headed For a Digital Cliff?

The most sweeping update of American music copyright in a generation is now law.  In this episode of Musonomics, Larry Miller talks to three people that shaped or closely followed this bill from draft to signing:  Jacqueline Charlesworth, Mitch Glazier, and Robert Levine on why the Music Modernization Act was so urgently needed, how it came to be, and what happens next.

How Music Got Modernized

Spotify supports music and the people who create it, and recently launched "Secret Geniuses," to recognize often-unheralded songwriters.  So why did Spotify join with Amazon and others to challenge how they pay music creators after this matter was decided in federal court over a year ago?  In this episode of Musonomics, Larry Miller talks with David Israelite, CEO of the National Music Publishers Association.

Is Spotify Suing Songwriters?

Musonomics is a twice-monthly podcast about the business of the music and culture industries. Hosted by Larry Miller (@larrysmiller) and produced with support from the NYU Steinhardt Music Business Program, we use data, music and interviews with newsmakers and analysts to provide insight into what's happening now -- and what's coming next. Look for our podcast in the Podcasts app, in the iTunes Store, or here on Soundcloud.

Tweet us @musonomics


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