✖️ Communities exchange value, or how no artist should care how much YouTube pays the industry
And: Social media reinvented; what will happen to livestream audiences?; Interactive livestreams through your TV?; Blackout Tuesday, one year later; Spotify's Only You campaign
Music rights holders get paid astonishing amounts of money, but most artists cannot make a living from their art. All the major DSPs love throwing around the big numbers they pay out to 'the industry.' Yet, most artists cannot rely on them to put food on their plate. There are, however, many methods that allow musicians to step away from over-reliance on big tech companies or major labels. Most of them involve community and, more specifically, community-building. I’ll lean on experienced community builders to talk you through how to start a community, what you need to focus on and then finish with a very specific call-to-action.
TECH
🔄 The startups reinventing social media (Rex Woodbury)
“Rodrigo’s lyrics capture the last generation of social media: performative, curated, inauthentic. But we’re seeing the rise of a new generation of social apps—apps that emphasize spontaneity and authenticity. I’m going to look at three new social companies—BeReal, Poparazzi, and Dispo—and then explore more broadly how social media is evolving.”
🍁 Should we be forced to see more Canadian content on TikTok and YouTube? (Robert Diab)
“Bill C-10 would [force] YouTube, TikTok and other sites to show me not more of what I like — wherever on the web it might come from — but more of what I like that happens to be Canadian.”
🎰 Would you bet on sports through your TV? FuboTV is trying to find out (Jared Newman)
This is a development to keep an eye on as most people interact with livestreams via the big screen in their house. More interactivity like this could pave the way for better ways to monetize those livestreams.
“This may seem gimmicky, but Fubo says it’s part of a bigger plan to let people bet on games through their televisions. Fubo plans to launch a sportsbook in the fourth quarter of this year, but by starting with something a little lighter, Fubo is hoping to figure out how much interaction people want from their TV screens and which users would be inclined to bet real money as well.”
🥩 Opulous to launch music NFTs with Lil Yachty and Kyle (Stuart Dredge)
“Opulous is also working on the idea of NFTs that will offer buyers “a share of a song’s future earnings in exchange for social media support” as well as other rewards.”
📤 Spotify launches Only You brand campaign & in-app experience (Will Brewster)
There seems to be a new Spotify feature every week recently. This is the latest and focuses heavily on its algoritm and utilizing users’ networks.
“The new offering draws from an individual’s Spotify history to create personalised playlists that reveal the uniqueness of their listening habits, with users then being encouraged to share the findings across their own social platforms.”
X
🍃 With In-Person Concerts Back, What Will Happen to Livestream Audiences? (Sam Blake)
“Yet the appeal to audiences of livestreaming has not been tested at a time when fans' options aren't limited by a global pandemic.”
🚴♀️ Foo Fighters design Brompton bikes for Crew Nation Coronavirus charity (Dalton Mac Namee)
There have been great initiatives already to support music crews out of work. I’m loving this one though (I honor the Dutch bike tradition of course).
🏆 Youth Music to launch fund for young music entrepreneurs (Andy Malt)
“We want to give young people the confidence to make it happen for themselves. This generation is building a fairer new industry, taking ownership of their work and imagining roles that don’t even exist yet. But they don’t all have the financial means to realise their ambitions”.
Project Lead Elijah Cushnie
⏸️ #TheShowMustBePaused continues one year later with ‘Still Paused’ (Francisco Rendon)
“In commemoration of the day of action taken by the entertainment industry one year ago, organizers of the original #TheShowMustBePaused campaign today announced the “Still Paused” campaign to follow up on the previous promises made and solidarity shown.”
☯️ Blackout Tuesday, one year later: Some progress, but racial parity is a long way off for music industry (Jem Aswad)
“I think that they can be more transparent and more explicit in articulating what they’re spending the money on, and what the plan is for the disbursement of funds. I believe it is incumbent upon every company that made a pledge to show us how they use the money to help achieve racial equity and to end racial injustice in the U.S., and for people to continue to have the conversation and support the movement however they can. In the absence of seeing concrete actions, most of us are left thinking if it was all lip service.”
Binta Niambi Brown, head of operations & strategy at Keep Cool/RCA Records
MUSIC
I’m really excited about Loraine James her new record, which will come out tomorrow (4 June). Revel in her wonderful sonic world with the already released single Running Like That