✘ The changing face of distro
And: YouTube's virtual creators report; Udio x Audible Magic to create fingerprinted output; Robot dexterity still seems hard; What's winning global audiences; Cultural participation
There’s more music than ever before. It’s easier than ever to create music. It’s also easier than ever to distribute this music. Last year, I co-authored a piece with Cherie Hu about how distributors are taking on label services. At the same time, competition is fierce and we may well be in a race to zero as services either get acquired or looking at other exits. We wrote:
“The few remaining “truly indie” distributors are scrambling to set themselves apart — whether by expanding into hands-on artist and audience development, focusing on superfan engagement, or automating social marketing efforts.”
Since we published that in October, the world has kept spinning. Deezer recently came out saying 18% of tracks uploaded to their service are fully AI-generated. This is up from 10% the last time they reported on it.
Meanwhile, Molly Neuman - president CD Baby - spoke with MusicAlly about the need “to bridge the gap between recorded and live music to help emerging artists thrive.” Of course, CD Baby was previously independent and will now be a part of UMG’s acquisition of Downtown.
Where does this leave distro? If price differentiation is a race to zero, where does true differentiation lie? Or, will distro be a service that’s necessary but ultimately a loss-maker to other revenue drivers?
It starts with metadata
Another thing Cherie and I wrote in the intro to that piece last October was how distribution “stands on the front lines of practically every critical industry trend and debate.” This is where lots of that 18% of fully AI-generated music gets uploaded through. The pipes, however, to ‘simply’ distribute music are not the issue - this is why the market is so competitive and saturated.
Most distributors are trying to set themselves apart through dipping into those label services:
having a playlist network
bringing more (often paid for) data about listeners
marketing tools
etc.
And this makes sense. Again, as Cherie and I wrote “artist development has turned into audience development.” This reflects into any artist basically needed lots of followers on one or more social platforms or lots of streams on a DSP before most labels or promotors are interested in working with them.
However, that doesn’t take away from another crux element of the music industry: metadata. Before an artist can reap any benefit of any potential success, they need to have made sure that their metadata is clean and they’re registered with a variety of CMOs.
Differentiation or focus
While most distributors think about the end of the line - what happens after the music is released, MusicTeam focuses on that starting point of metadata. They encourage artists to think about metadata at the point of creation. The platform serves as a single point of entry for all catalog management. Of course, they’re not alone here. Another full-service platform is, for example, Revelator. It’s not, then, that a service like MusicTeam is vastly different from other distributors, but it does bring artists to rethink priorities.
The focus on label services has led to a focus away from artist development and towards audience development. It takes time to think about music at the point of creation. Then, it takes time to help them bring that ‘truth’ into the world by both organizing metadata and registering it correctly where needed. Beyond a point of differentiation, this is almost a demand for focus on the basics. Something many indie artists, and labels, managers, etc., would be well-served with. It might not shift the narrative of the race to zero. What it could do, however, is to change the face of distro. Away from ‘we might get your song playlisted through our playlist network’ and towards ‘we will help you set up to reap any benefits that might fall your way in the best way possible.’
LINKS
🦄 Culture & trends report - Virtual creators (YouTube)
“Synthetic creators further reinforce “authenticity” as rooted in the message and messenger rather than appearance. Viewers find authenticity in synthetic personas, so must we.”
✘ With authenticity becoming ever-more contextual, it’s important to consider what that context is and how we can learn and adapt around it.
☝️ Udio partners with Audible Magic to fingerprint AI-generated tracks and to check for infringements (Kristin Robinson)
“By doing this, Udio and Audible Magic have created a way for streaming services and distributors to trace which songs submitted to their platforms are made with Udio’s AI. The company also aims to proactively detect and block use of copyrighted material that users don’t own or control.”
✘ A step in the right direction? Or, a drop of water on a searingly hot plate?
🦾 Robot dexterity still seems hard (Brian Potter)
“Robotic flexibility has improved over time (it’s much easier today to program a welding robot to follow a new path, for instance), but this flexibility still exists within a very narrow range of acceptable variation. The delta robot system above can grab randomly positioned objects, but would almost certainly require reprogramming if the size and shape of the objects changed, and I wouldn’t be surprised if even varying the color of the objects was enough to disrupt the existing automation.”
✘ While context is important around the authenticity of VTubers, it will also be important around the ever-improving dexterity of robots. It’s a while before they can do ‘simple’ human tasks, but once they can - how will we create the context for integration?
📺 TV or Digital: What’s winning global audiences? (Nielsen)
“Modern advertising is shaped by the interplay between diverse media channels, compelling savvy marketers to navigate a multifaceted environment for effectively reaching and influencing target audiences. While digital platforms offer precise targeting and interactive capabilities, traditional media like television provides broader reach or credibility with certain demographics.”
✘ There’s always advertising opportunities for music beyond the traditional channels. Figuring out the mix for an artist, label, release, etc. is something that takes insights into media usage of various demographics and locales.
🛝 Cultural participation: A connection between audiences, performers, and professionals (Laura Rosierse)
“Cultural organisations that have collaborated with their communities and strengthen their events, projects, and future, have shown to make for more memorable experiences compared to those that don’t. With a world that is torn and a day-to-day that is mentally consuming, communities long to reconnect and be included, battling loneliness and the fear of missing out. Specifically within the independent cultural sector, it is important to break down those walls to allow entry to those that spend their money within the industry; people buying tickets for theatres, festivals, events, tours, workshops, and merchandise, and help creative professionals develop sustainable careers.”
✘ Music, and culture more broadly, has the power to break down boundaries between people and communities. Working with communities to empower them to bring music and culture into their everyday lives will then help strengthen bonds and break down boundaries.
MUSIC
I’ve been obsessed with a bunch of releases from last Friday (what a day for music that was!). One of them is Djrum’s new record Under Tangled Silence. It’s a beautiful contemplation on piano, breaks, electronics, and melody. Perfect, as well, for a sunny day like I’m having today.