Meet Angine de Poitrine, 2026’s First Breakout Band
The year isn’t even half over, but 2026 may have already seen its biggest breakout act — and it couldn’t be any further from the typical pop or rock stars. It’s Angine de Poitrine, a French-Canadian math rock duo that combines microtonal melodies, complex instrumentals and stunning musicianship with zany, polka-dotted costumes and a made-up alien language. […]
With Superfan Strategy, UMG Marches to the Beat of Its Own Drum
As the concept of superfandom gained interest in the Western music industry a few years ago, a broad ecosystem of platforms built from the ground up quickly emerged and garnered larger industry backing. One company that’s taken advantage of this blooming market is UMG, which made expanding its direct-to-fan services a core tenet of its […]
Taylor Swift Wasn’t the Only Winner of Physical Sales in 2025
Luminate’s 2025 Year-End Music Report is chock-full of useful data for those looking to learn more about the state of the music business and its consumer trends. Among the notable metrics from last year was that Total U.S. Album Consumption (album sales plus track-equivalent albums plus stream-equivalent albums) grew 4.8% year over year in 2025, slightly outpacing […]
Is DVD the New Vinyl? The Silver Lining to Spiraling Disc Spend
U.S. physical disc sales officially became a sub-billion-dollar business in 2024, a sobering milestone in the DVD’s long decline from household staple to tech novelty. Unfortunately, Digital Entertainment Group’s annual Digital Media Entertainment Report, released earlier this month, confirms 2025 showed no signs of the DVD’s popularity changing course as subscription streaming encompasses even more of […]
How Anime Is Key to J-Pop’s Global Expansion
Japan’s music industry is in a particularly unique position: One one hand, the country is home to the second-largest recorded music market in the world, according to IFPI. On the other — and unlike its neighbors in South Korea — the J-pop industry has remained singularly focused on its home market. But as covered in […]
BMG+Concord Deal Would Underscore the Power of Music Publishing
The potential merger of BMG Rights Management and Concord Music became the talk of the town during Grammy week. While the possible deal may not result in a new direct competitor for the “Big Three” label groups, it embodies the music publishing sector’s evolution from a minor income source to a major industry force. Publishing and […]
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. on AI’s Future in Music
In the midst of Grammy Week, Luminate hosted a fireside chat at West Hollywood’s Peppermint Club with Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, to discuss what lies ahead for an ever-changing music industry — or, as Luminate CEO Rob Jonas put it in their sit-down, “how we are trying to balance the math […]
Why The Weeknd’s Catalog Is a Safe Billion-Dollar Bet
After a year chock-full of massive and record-breaking music rights deals, The Weeknd is closing out 2025 as the first living solo artist to strike a $1 billion deal by leveraging his catalog. Whereas a typical catalog deal involves artists selling some or all of their music rights, The Weeknd — real name Abel Tesfaye — […]
Udio 2.0 Could Face Consumers Reluctant to Embrace AI Music
In October, Universal Music Group and AI music company Udio announced a watershed partnership with the goal of enabling consumers worldwide to enjoy AI-generated music via a new subscription platform expected to launch next year. Just a few weeks later, Warner Music Group entered a similar partnership with Udio, although it’s currently unclear if their licensed AI platform will […]
How Data Can Unlock Music Catalog Valuations
How can a $120 million price tag be assigned to the catalog of a band that isn’t exactly a household name outside of its rabid fan base in the nu metal music scene?