Ethan Millman

Ethan Millman covers the music business as a system of power, money and law, leading music coverage at The Hollywood Reporter. He focuses on how record companies, publishers, live entertainment firms and investors shape the music economy, rather than on artist promotion alone. His work centers on industry deals, legal fights, ticketing policy and the executives and lawyers who control rights and revenue. He covers the music industry, the craft of music making, artist and executive profiles, technology and financial news, major live events and the intersections of music with film, television and media.

Music industry deals and catalog sales

Millman writes closely on major catalog transactions and the financial structures behind hit songs. In his coverage of Max Martin and Shellback selling a catalog containing Taylor Swift and Weeknd hits to HarbourView, he examines ownership of songwriting rights and the growing role of investment firms in music assets. Pieces like this situate individual deals inside the broader shift toward catalog exploitation, emphasizing how producers, artists and funds negotiate control and long-term revenue.

This work uses specific transactions to explain how publishing, master rights and licensing feed into valuations and strategic power inside the music industry.

Live music, ticketing and monopoly scrutiny

Another strand of his coverage tracks the live music and ticketing business, particularly around concentration of power and consumer impact.

In his reporting on Live Nation Entertainment and Ticketmaster being found liable as a monopoly, Millman focuses on the court outcome and what it means for promoters, venues and fans. He extends that work into conversations about ticket scalping and pricing regulation, discussing legislative efforts around resale and access to shows on industry podcasts. He also moderates panels with independent venue operators on how public subsidies and city partnerships with dominant promoters affect artists, local businesses and competition.

Together these pieces show a sustained interest in how live entertainment policy, corporate structure and municipal decisions shape the concert business.

Legal and executive power in music

Millman devotes recurring coverage to the lawyers and executives who structure the business behind popular music. He contributes to features such as The Hollywood Reporter’s Top Music Lawyers, highlighting attorneys who negotiate deals, resolve disputes and steer major catalog and touring agreements. His profiles and industry roundups focus on management, label, publishing and technology leaders, treating them as central characters in the story of how music is financed and distributed.

Across this work he pays attention to contracts, regulatory risk and corporate strategy, giving a clear view of the decision-makers behind headline artists.

Music, culture and institutional decisions

Millman also covers how institutions respond to artists and their public stances. In his reporting on Cornell canceling an upcoming Kehlani concert over the singer’s past pro-Palestine statements, he shows how a university weighs student demand, safety concerns and reputational risk when programming live events. Stories in this vein track the intersection of music with campus politics, public controversy and organizational policy, showing how cultural decisions are made around shows and performers.

Investigative reporting on music’s power players

Before joining The Hollywood Reporter, Millman spent years reporting on the music industry at other major outlets. His award-winning exposés on figures such as Danny Elfman and Rodney Bingenheimer demonstrate a comfort with sensitive sources, misconduct allegations and reputational fallout around high-profile industry personalities.

That investigative background informs his current beat, where he treats executive behavior, boardroom decisions and behind-the-scenes conflicts as core components of entertainment coverage.