TENNESSEAN - August 28th, 2018
Are you struggling to find a genre of music that speaks to your essence? Are you worn down by the constant redundancy of mainstream music? Are you someone that identifies with the words: ‘underground’, ‘indie’, or ‘hipster’? If you have answered, yes, to any of these questions then there may be a solution for you. A new type of streaming service called, Craft Brewed Music seeks to bring undiscovered and under-exposed genres/artists into the light. Similar to the dynamic found in today’s breweries, the platform will offer listeners a taste testing of uncharted sounds. The company is modern thinking, both musically and ethically, giving their artists a 10% commission and a 40% cut in royalties. Make sure to be on the lookout as this company plans to launch within the next few months.
MIDiA - August 28th, 2018
This years MIDiA “State of the YouTube Music Economy Report” details Youtube’s shift in focus from videos to music. Research shows that users on Youtube are more inclined to use the service to listen to music, rather than to watch videos. As a result, Youtube has developed stronger ties with record labels. The article also states that music videos currently hold 1st place ranking for most watched videos, alongside the music category which dominates overall. Looking long-term, it is evident that Youtube is changing to meet the needs of its audience and may develop better ways to cater to the music industry.
FAST COMPANY - August 26th, 2018
Spotify sits at the top of the food chain in terms of online music streaming. However, the company is currently attempting to host live podcast episodes, signing acts like Joe Budden and Amy Schumer. While some outlets claim that these deals are exclusive with Spotify, this article from Fast Company suggests that the shows only plan to be exclusive to Spotify for 48 hours, after which they are open for other platforms (Example: Youtube) to host. Perhaps, Spotify is trying to reach a broader audience or might even be attempting to conquer greater territory.
MARKETING WEEK - August 17th, 2018
Spotify is most one of the most influential and successful companies in the world of online music streaming. However, some may be left to wonder how the machine ticks. In this article from Marketing Week, Jackie Jantos outlines how Spotify’s creative team was formed. From humble beginnings, Jantos’ team has grown from a group of few to a group of many. The group is responsible for creative marketing, strategic planning, brand management and more. Although the team is well versed, they might collaborate with other agencies to bring a project into full bloom. An example of the material produced by this team can be found in the New york Subway in the form of a David Bowie tribute.
STEM - August 14th, 2018
Twitch, a popular live-streaming service used primarily by gamers and musicians, is attempting to find ways to protect musicians and artists on their platform. According to a recent article on Stem, broadcasters were using licensed music in the background of their live streams without proper permission, leading to heavy copyright issues. To combat this, Twitch curated its own playlist of royalty-free music including some of today’s most popular labels. Although this change benefits many artists, some remain concerned about how they will be able to generate revenue using the platform. This article suggests that the best way to generate revenue from Twitch is to utilize the platform as a tool to bring one’s audience to secondary services such as Youtube, Spotify, Patreon, and so on.
