<p><strong>Your easy weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works. </strong><em>Become a </em><a href="https://www.patreon.com/12218634/join">⁠⁠<em>⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</em><em><strong>Superfan of the podcast for free – and enjoy the exclusive weekly Lock-in bonus section!</strong></em><em>⁠</em>⁠⁠</a><strong></strong></p><p><strong>This week... </strong></p><ul><li><p>$63.5bn is a very big number – but is it worth paying this much for Universal Music Group?</p></li><li><p>A report suggests that 2025 and 2026 saw a ‘pop slump’ in the streaming charts –  but what does ‘pop slump’ even mean?</p></li><li><p>If you were on the Artemis II moon mission, what space-related songs songs would you force your fellow astronauts to listen to?</p></li><li><p>And another study has found <a href="https://musically.com/2026/03/30/music-merch-survey-younger-fans-want-more-than-a-t-shirt/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">that nearly half of music fans think merch is becoming unaffordable</a> – what&#39;s your t-shirt buying budget?</p></li><li><p>Do you have an irrational hatred of a certain artist&#39;s music – and just can&#39;t change your mind?</p></li><li><p>People are getting hesitant about buying gig tickets – and gig cancellations due to poor ticket sales are starting to happen. Steve digs in and has some concerns.</p></li><li><p>Celine Dion: Now Big With The Kids! (OK, maybe not The Kids, but people under the age of 35 are reviving her career...)</p></li><li><p>Guitars, synths, drum machines... they&#39;re definitely all musical instruments. Mayonnaise? Not so much. <a href="https://creative.salon/articles/work/hellmanns-is-mayonnaise-an-instrument-ogilvy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Or is it...</a>?</p></li><li><p>Instagram says it’s the &quot;home of music superfans&quot;. But what does that actually mean for those fans and their favourite artists?</p></li></ul><p><strong>And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our </strong><a href="https://www.patreon.com/12218634/join" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">⁠⁠<strong>Patreon Superfans</strong>⁠⁠</a><strong>, Steve and Stu prop themselves at the bar – and Steve&#39;s getting the first round in – as they discuss this week&#39;s bonus material:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Steve remembers Paul Jackson, the man responsible for UK indie venue stalwart The Hull Adelphi.</p></li><li><p>More chat on the possible takeover of Universal Music - and what does it say about the state of the most successful music company? Is it good for artists? And what about fans?</p></li><li><p>Recommendations of music in other media: some good books to read on the music industry, and in the theatre, Rebecca Lucy Taylor (AKA Self Esteem) in the revived play <em>Teeth &#39;n&#39; Smiles</em>.</p></li><li><p>The huge increase in women headlining the major UK venue The O2 – and what it means about where pop is going.</p></li></ul><p>===================================</p><p><strong>As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular</strong> – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!</p><p>Email us: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">⁠⁠</a><a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"><strong>[email protected]</strong></a><a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">⁠⁠</a></p><p>See you next week!</p><p>Steve and Stuart</p><p>======</p><p>TPOM online: <a href="http://tpom.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">http://tpom.uk/</a></p><p>Support The Price of Music on Patreon:</p><p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">⁠⁠</a><a href="https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠</a></p><p>Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacq</p><p>Follow Stuart on X - @stuartdredge</p><p>Follow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpod</p><p>For sponsorship opportunities, please email - <a href="mailto:⁠⁠[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">⁠⁠[email protected]</a><br></p>