MDLSKL Dario de Wet & Farhan Lalji

This week, we discuss creative freedom in the music industry, and how labels are still significantly impacting the creative direction of album and song releases in 2022. Whether established or not, we unpack why artists do and don't work with labels, despite the opportunities for self-ownership in the modern streaming era.

This week, we discuss NFTs and their potential impact on the music industry. We explore their origins, current market activity and give our predictions on what the future could hold.

This week, we unpack Square's $297m acquisition of Jay-Z's TIDAL and what this means for the future of the music industry. We explore the rationale behind the deal and why this is one of the most exciting industry developments in recent years.

This week, we put the spotlight on MDLSKL's year in review, unpacking the data behind our listening habits and what has made 2020 a year to remember (or forget). We explore active trends, our predictions and what we're expecting for 2021 and beyond.

We welcome award-winning music-tech journalist Cherie Hu to discuss the influence new digital experiences are having on artist monetisation, how this impacts the future of the music industry, and where video games and social media fit into it all.

This week, we discuss the controversial comments of Spotify CEO, Daniel Ek, suggesting that the secret to success in the digital era is not higher payout rates, but more output from musicians - "You can't record music once every three to four years and think that's going to be enough".