All figures approximate, but based on numbers provided by Morgan Stanley and IFPI.

1. Berklee College of Music/Rethink Music report on fair pay and transparency in music business primarily focuses on “black box” at traditional music industry players like labels, PROs and publishers. Ignores black box at the digital services.

2.  The Berklee College of Music/Rethink Music report derides the NDA (non-disclosure agreement) culture that pervades the digital music business, but implies that this is a problem with the labels, publishers and PROs.  But it is a well known fact that it is the digital services that demand the non-disclosure agreements.

3. The Berklee College of Music/Rethink Music report was funded by Kobalt Music which is a Google Ventures company. And Google owns YouTube.  Rethink Music was started by The Berkman Center.  The Berkman Center is an “academic” institution that has close ties to Google.  For this reason we believe this report to be a damaging piece of propaganda that distracts artists from the bigger problem: Low pay and no accountability from the digital services like YouTube.  At best Berklee College of Music is “fighting the last war” and in effect protecting those who exploit their students.