UNLIMITED SUPPLY with Digital Music News Trouble at the top of the funnel, Lyor plays the hits, and the most valuable person in the room.
Mar 17, 2026
Discussion of shrinking top‑of‑funnel discovery and what that means for music revenue. A look at YouTube’s evolving role in monetization and strategy shifts. A debate about AI’s limits in creative judgment versus technical correctness. Coverage of new Apple hardware and reactions to product tweaks. Concerns about AI training data and fairness for different catalogs.
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Top Of Funnel Is Narrowing
- The RIAA year-end report shows modest revenue growth driven more by price hikes and enforcement than user expansion.
- Lars Murray highlights paid subscribers rose slightly while ad-supported and statutory revenues declined, narrowing the top-of-funnel for new listeners.
YouTube Positioning As Music Powerhouse
- YouTube remains a major music revenue driver and Lyor Cohen emphasized its global hit-making power in an open letter.
- Cohen cited Bad Bunny and Rosalia successes and reiterated AI should amplify rather than replace creators.
Design Judgment Beats Code For Choice
- Design judgment retains unique value because coding often has right answers while design does not.
- Citing Dylan Field via Jorone [Jorone Lazaro], Lars notes the most valuable person knows which thing to build, not just how to build it.