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Sony’s new deal in China, TikTok signing Daddy Yankee… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-Up
This week’s music business developments include licensing, distribution and royalty agreements involving Sony Music, NetEase Cloud Music, TikTok’s SoundOn, DistroKid, YouTube and Roblox. Together, the deals and chart changes show major platforms expanding music partnerships and services, while changing how streaming is counted and paid.
Sony renewed its multi-year NetEase Cloud Music licence, making NetEase’s 2026 agreements with all three major labels complete after deals with Universal in January and Warner in July. SoundOn partnered with Daddy Yankee on his 15-track album *La Postal*, released on 30 October, in what TikTok calls its biggest artist partnership to date. DistroKid Publishing, developed with Kobalt, charges eligible users a one-off US$75 setup fee and passes on 80% of collected publishing royalties. Billboard’s revised weighting of paid and ad-supported streams clears the way for YouTube to return to its US charts in 2027, while Symphonic says its Roblox deal covers hundreds of thousands of songs and includes royalties for plays.
In short
- Sony renewed its NetEase Cloud Music licensing deal.
- SoundOn partnered with Daddy Yankee on *La Postal*.
- YouTube is set to return to Billboard’s US charts in 2027.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
These agreements can broaden artists’ reach and give listeners more access to music across streaming, social media and gaming platforms. Licensing and royalty arrangements may also create new income, while updated chart rules could better reflect different kinds of listening and bring YouTube back into Billboard rankings.
The case against
Concentrating distribution and promotion across a few major platforms may leave artists and rights-holders with limited bargaining power and less clarity about how revenue is calculated. The deals’ reach and headline figures do not establish how much individual creators will earn, and changes to stream weighting can affect chart positions without necessarily reflecting a clear improvement in how audiences value music.
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