- - Music Industry Moves: Spotify and NMPA to Expand Direct-Licensing Audiovisual Opportunities for Indie Publishers

Thania GarciaNovember 11, 2025 at 5:40 PM

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Antony Jones/Getty Images for Spotify

Spotify and the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) have together opened an “opt-in portal” for NMPA members to retain access to direct license agreements for expanded audiovisual rights in the United States.

With a license, independent music publishers and songwriters will have access to higher royalty payouts. Spotify will also receive rights to build video features that better connect artists and fans. The portal is open strictly for audiovisual rights as the NMPA continues its legal dispute with the Federal Trade Commission against Spotify, challenging the company’s plan to bundle music and audiobooks — a move that would lower mechanical royalty rates for songwriters and artists. (Spotify has acknowledged the royalty reduction but maintains that overall creator earnings will continue to grow.)

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The portal is open to eligible publishers beginning Nov. 11, with onboarding continuing through Dec. 19.

“This new partnership with the NMPA will increase revenue for songwriters and independent publishers who are the heart of the industry.” said Alex Norström, co-president and chief business officer, Spotify. “We look forward to continuing to work with the NMPA to create new value and opportunities for their members.”

“We are pleased that this deal offers indie publishers the chance to enter into direct deals with Spotify in regard to audiovisual streaming functionality on the platform alongside the recently announced larger publishing companies,” added David Israelite, president and CEO of NMPA. “This new income stream reflects the growing value of songs as digital platforms offer new capabilities to consumers.”

+ The USC Thornton School of Music has tapped Greg Phillinganes to join the faculty as a part-time instructor. Phillinganes, whose career spans five decades and includes collaborations with many of the world’s most celebrated artists, will work directly with Thornton students beginning this semester.

A Detroit native, Phillinganes began his career in 1975 as a member of Stevie Wonder’s Wonderlove. Since then, he has become one of the most in-demand musicians in the industry, recording, performing, and touring with artists including Quincy Jones, Eric Clapton, Barbra Streisand, Andrea Bocelli, Herbie Hancock, Mick Jagger, John Mayer, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Lionel Richie, and countless others.

In addition, Phillinganes was the music director for Richie’s “Can’t Slow Down” tour, Jackson’s “Bad” and “Dangerous” tours, multiple “In Performance at the White House” specials, MusiCares’ Person of the Year events, the Super Bowl Halftime Show, and several Grammy Awards broadcasts.

“Greg Phillinganes is one of the most influential keyboardists and musical directors in the history of recorded music. We are honored to welcome him as an instructor to USC Thornton,” said Jason King, dean of the USC Thornton School of Music. “I know that his profound experience and artistry will inspire the next generation of musicians and leaders.”

Phillinganes’ teaching will focus on individual performance instruction, ensemble coaching sessions, and a keyboard masterclass. He will serve as co-musical director, along with Professor Tim Kobza, of the Thornton School’s annual senior pop showcase on March 6, 2026 at the El Rey Theater. During a November 12 masterclass, for instance, Phillinganes will discuss and contrast four unique recordings of the song “Behind the Mask”: the original Ryuichi Sakamoto version, Phillinganes’s own solo recording, Michael Jackson’s, and Eric Clapton’s.

Monday, Nov. 11

SZA and Los Angeles-based Italian restaurant Jon and Vinny‘s have teamed up to provide 1,400 free meals for people struggling without SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. SZA’s own NOT Charity is behind the partnership.

“Yall know how much I love Jon and Vinny’s,” SZA wrote on a collaborative Instagram post with Jon and Vinny’s. “But it ain’t no fun if the Homies can’t have none!!”

“Last week [SZA] reached out to us with an idea and now, with her help, it’s a reality,” wrote the restaurant. “Over the next 7 days we are partnering with her NOT Charity to provide 1400 free meals (100 dinners for 2 per day) for Los Angeles community members who receive SNAP.”

Each meal will be available as takeout at the restaurant’s Slauson location from 3 to 5 p.m. starting Nov. 11 and ending Nov. 17. “Thank you SZA for inspiring all of us to be there for our neighbors,” wrote Jon and Vinny’s.

The future of SNAP benefits for approximately 5.5 million Californians remains uncertain amid the government shutdown, leaving many without resources.

+ Luminate, a data partner, and TME Chart, a music chart under Tencent Music Entertainment Group (TME), have announced a new global data partnership. The agreement allows the integration of streaming and sales consumption metrics from TME platforms, including QQ Music, Kugou Music, Kuwo Music, and JOOX, into Luminate’s industry-leading music data platform CONNECT.

The new partnership provides international visibility into China’s music market and the data will be reflected in CONNECT’s global streaming and sales in the coming weeks.

Speaking on the announcement, Luminate CEO Rob Jonas shared, “This partnership marks a pivotal moment for the global music industry, underscoring Luminate’s unwavering commitment to providing the most accurate and comprehensive measurement of music activity worldwide. As the industry’s most trusted source of streaming and sales data, our customers and partners expect as much information as possible to make the best business decisions, and we know how valuable it is for a market as large and influential as China to be represented in those insights.”

TC Pan, Group Vice President of TME and President of the Content Cooperation Department, said, “This collaboration with Luminate represents a data-driven effort to establish a unified global content ecosystem. China is one of the most dynamic music markets in the world, and through this partnership, all content on TME’s platforms — whether domestic or international — will participate in, and even help shape, global music trends. Moving forward, TME will continue to strengthen its content ecosystem, enabling more quality content to be discovered worldwide, realizing long-term value through a journey from ‘data connectivity’ to ‘ecosystem synergy.’”

+ Sony Music Publishing today announced the appointment of Michael Young as chief information officer. Based in Nashville, Young will report to Sony Music Publishing’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Kelly.

As CIO, Young will lead the company’s technology strategy and its ongoing transformation initiatives to advance growth, scalability and efficiency on behalf of SMP songwriters and catalogs worldwide. He will also work closely across departments to optimize workflows, expand data-driven insights, and refine and implement best practices across software development, security, compliance and data governance.

Young said, “I am extremely excited to join Sony Music Publishing. As a career technologist and a lifelong amateur musician, it’s thrilling to be a part of SMP’s mission-driven culture. I look forward to working with the team to advance support for SMP songwriters throughout their creative journeys.”

Kelly said, “Michael is an experienced leader who understands how to innovate. We look forward to advancing our capabilities and delivering further growth on behalf of our songwriters around the world.”

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”