Congrats to Gracie Abrams on her Billboard Songwriter Award presented at the NMPA Annual Meeting. Not since Taylor Swift have we seen a young singer-songwriter connect with her fans to such an incredible extent.She is a true star and her support of all songwriters is inspiring.
🎤 Introducing the first speaker for The Ivors Academy Summit – @DavidIsraelite, President and CEO of the National Music Publishers’ Association (@NMPAorg).
As a leader in music publishing, David has been at the forefront of major industry negotiations, including the NMPA’s success in securing a landmark 44% increase in mechanical streaming rates in the U.S. 📈
David said: "The economics of songwriting and publishing in the U.S. are intertwined with the global landscape. I look forward to discussing the many challenges we face stateside – from Spotify’s bundling scheme to the value of songs in age of AI."
@RobertoNeri47, CEO of The Ivors Academy, said: "David Israelite is a relentless champion for U.S. music publishers, leading critical battles for fair pay and rights."
This is one of the craziest stats I have ever seen in the music industry. In 2024, it’s reported Daniel Ek cashed out $376m in stock. In that same period, it’s estimated ALL songwriters in the US received $320m from Spotify. The system is broken.
The February NMPA Streaming Report just in. The value to songwriters and music publishers from 1M streams by service. None of these services would exist without songwriters.
Congratulations to the Philadelphia Eagles and their fans. A dominant performance. For the Kansas City Chiefs, in the words of Sir Andrew Barton, “I am hurt, but I am not slain; I'll lay me down and bleed a while,
And then I'll rise and fight again.”
The Universal Music Publishing agreement with Spotify is good news for UMPG songwriters and a hopeful sign for the industry. But until ALL songwriters get relief from this bundling scheme, the fight continues.