This is a guest post by Rory Kenny, CEO and co-founder of AI-powered music creation platform Loudly, who we have previously featured in a Startup Profile. Loudly’s platform allows AI […]
Tag: Guest Columns
We occasionally publish posts which voice the opinions of guest authors, and advance specific perspectives on important issues. They are chosen at the Editorial team’s discretion and are not paid-for.
Posted inNews
Why the tech industry should care about representation (guest column)
This is a guest column from Wilfrid Obeng (pictured), CTO and Co-Founder of gaming audio ad-tech platform Audiomob, which Music Ally has written about a number of times recently. It’s currently […]
Posted inNews
How the metaverse promises to transform how we interact with music online (guest column)
This is a guest post by Tim Exile, CEO and founder of music-making app Endlesss, which is experimenting with some interesting projects that connect with its core business, including minting royalty-sharing NFTs and launching a […]
Posted inNews
From the margins to the spotlight: an AI-powered deep dive into Afrobeats (guest column)
This is a guest post written by Dr. Ari Katorza, senior researcher and Doron Gabbay, content manager at MyPart, which uses AI music analysis for A&R and other purposes. We asked […]
Posted inNews
An independent artist’s view on NFTs: providing fans with a stake in their future success (guest post)
The Brooklyn-based VÉRITÉ is a very modern artist, with multiple threads running through her career that connect with audiences and generate income. She’s not only an independent singer-songwriter, but is […]
Posted inAnalysis
To succeed in the music business, technical skills are not enough (guest column)
This is a guest post by David Loscos, Director of the International Music Business School. IMB School offers courses on the global music business, including its own Masters and Postgraduate […]
Posted inNews
Russia: understanding Europe’s fastest growing market (Guest post)
This is a guest post from Alexander Blinov, Managing Director of Warner Music Russia, and Alexander Kasparov, Head of ADA Russia. We’ve been keeping a keen eye on Russia recently, and we asked them to explain this exciting market from their perspective – and they spoke about the rapid growth of the market, a flurry of new local streaming platforms, the explosion of popularity in local hip-hop – and which global music works surprisingly well in the country. It’s a fascinating read for anyone who needs to get up to speed on Russia…
Posted inNews
Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘drivers license’ and Rhythmic Surprise (guest post)
This is a guest post by Scott Miles, PhD, – Chief Visionary Officer and President at Secret Chord Laboratories, a music-tech company that uses insights from neuroscience and artificial intelligence […]
Posted inNews
What I’ve learned from running the Hot Girls Podcast (guest column)
This guest column is by Lex Hearth, founder and host of the Hot Girls Podcast:
Back at the beginning of 2020, before Covid meant a thing, and restaurants didn’t feel like a new experience, my mind was mulling over the diversity debate. T.I. had released a well-circulated list of the 50 greatest rappers of all time and included only three women. And underneath the post on Instagram… “nah man, Nicki doesn’t deserve to be that high.”
Whether it’s in festival line-ups, award shows, or “best of” lists, the shortage of females is consistent. Billboard’s list of the Top Ten rappers features only one woman, and the highest entry on Ranker, a site which invites public voting, was Missy Elliott at number 51. The issues are both in the volume of women releasing music and in the perceived credibility of that output. And while I felt there were many contributing factors, I knew that ability wasn’t one of them.
I wondered therefore, if it was down to the way we guided talent. Were women being told to get in the gym, and men the studio? Or was it something else. Either way, I decided the only way to go further in fixing diversity in music, was to really understand how we got here in the first place.
That’s where the Hot Girls Podcast started, but it rapidly developed into a safe space for guests. A buzzing podcast where artists, DJs and those working behind the scenes, opened up about their experiences with complete transparency, and fearlessness. Now, with 55 episodes down, a year and a half of interviews, research, and writing, I’ve learnt many things. Some very personal, but some which I think are quite universal – so here’s five of them.
Posted inNews
A better deal for musicians and songwriters from streaming (guest column)
This guest column is by Naomi Pohl, Deputy Secretary of the Musicians Union:
“During the pandemic, we have turned to streaming music more and more as the world has moved online. While we have valued recorded music more than ever, many artists whose works are available on streaming services have not received fair payment.
Some are on outdated deals that were written before music streaming even existed and songwriters are receiving a smaller share of streaming revenue than they deserve, with the major labels taking the lion’s share.
Music industry organisations and campaign groups have considered various fairer payment systems and a few organisations have made improvements but they are in the minority. Soundcloud have moved to a user-centric payment system, for example, which means money paid by subscribers is divided among the artists they actually listen to.
Sony Music Entertainment has pledged to wipe unrecouped legacy artist debts, which means they will start to receive royalties for the first time; something that Beggars Group put into practice over five years ago. So, change is afoot in the music industry but we still have a way to go to fix all the problems with streaming economics.
Posted inAnalysis
Why esports and music collaborations will drive growth across both industries (guest column)
This guest column comes from Phil Hübner, Chief Business Development Officer of esports platform Challengermode
The intersection of esports and music isn’t a new phenomenon. Esports has often used live acts in the opening and half time of its major live events, musicians have joined the wave of star athletes investing directly in esports teams, and both streaming services and record labels have been keen to sign deals with first gaming and, more recently, key esports stakeholders.
What we are seeing now is an acceleration of this trend, spurred on by just how astronomical esports’ industry’s growth has been in the last decade. Global esports revenues will hit $1.084bn in 2021 (a year-on-year rise of 14.5% from 2020) with esports competitions drawing in an audience of almost 500million worldwide outperforming many mainstream sports. Esports organisations are blooming into highly successful media brands, and are coming to the music industry with significant financial and cultural clout.
Posted inMarketing
The five E’s of fan engagement in music marketing (guest column)
This is a guest post by Sandra Croft (Artist & Promotions Representative, UK & EU) and Henriette Heimdal (Market Development, UK & EU), of CD Baby. This is their five-point strategy for “transforming audiences into fans” – to go from “initial awareness to lifetime advocacy around artist brands in a hyper-competitive world. These qualities aspire to forget lasting bonds with your audience by serving your fans first before asking them to serve your artist brand.”
Note: there’s more high-level advice on making stand-out artist brands in a hyper-competitive world in our recent Global Experts panel.
1) ENTICE: meet audiences in their places and spaces, rather than asking them to make the first entry into your artist brand.
Before inviting new audiences to tune into your music, you first demonstrate real interest in tuning into their lives, joining contemporary conversations or adding something of high social or entertainment value. Entice your fans into your world by understanding the necessity of first stepping into theirs.
