This week, Tech showed how much it could impact Music, from creation to diffusion. Let’s dive into the complex relationship of the two with a selection of news.
#1. The impossible challenge for new artists
There’s no way around it: being an emerging artist today is a rough position to be in. Considering the fact that thousands and thousands of tracks are released every day is one thing, but it’s not the only factor.
Interestingly enough, the several generations of artists pre-streaming, the beginning of streaming and the one we are in now are very different from one another. Figuring that before the streaming era, it was way easier to become a mainstream artist, the memory of huge successes allow artists such as Beyonce to keep a dominance whenever a new release comes up. Then, at the beginning of streaming, some artists took the full advantage of the availability these new platforms offered. Today, a lot of streams still go to Taylor Swift’s main hits. And now?
Now it’s difficult to stand out in the midst of all the releases happening at the same time. But it’s also difficult to face the full history of music online; previous tracks are also part of recommendations and are as available as the new track just out of the distribution platform. Now, it’s more a question of a niche to target rather than becoming a mainstream artist through music releases.
Find out more about the reflection here!
#2. The state of virtual artists
Speaking of, maybe yet another competition is arising: virtual artists. We have heard a lot about it this summer; the record label briefly signed FN Meka (though they had to give him up because its community was really upset about it).
Right now, Sony Music Entertainment is going full speed into the trend of virtual artists in Japan. The Major is setting up PRISM, a talent competition for virtual creators and VEE, their very own agency to develop these virtual artists. All these actions are happening in anticipation that virtual artists will become more and more accepted, and Japan seems to be the perfect starting point for that.
But to go a little further, virtual artists are only their very beginning, and of course some projects may raise some questions. For instance, are they going to take too much space compared to “real persons” artists? Here, it seems like the most interesting takeaway would be the novelties they bring to the table on the matter of creation. There are a few details in this article on the topic: sure, some projects are here to generate strong marketing and sales strategies, but others are revisiting the creative process.
#3. What to do with the growth of music industry revenue?
Before summer, good news came from Goldman Sachs, predicting the revenue from the music business to double over the decade. But now comes the real question: what should we focus the change on?
For Music Business Worldwide, the aim is clear: artist services and songwriters’ revenues should be at the heart of reflection. Overall, it requires a rethinking of the music industry’s structure, rights management and revenue streams. Find out all the details of the predictions here!
#4. YouTube fights back a lawsuit
Recently, a lawsuit has been filed by the Jazz musician Maria Schneider, over copyright infringement not taken into account by Content ID. (Note: Content ID is YouTube’s tool to track music on their content and generate royalties, spot copyright infringement in videos).
Defending themselves, YouTube stated that giving access to the tool would be too dangerous for the platform and the content already shared by users. The plaintiffs are requesting an access to recoup their losses. The legal battle is set to last for a while.
#5. NFTs & Music, the guide
Let’s wrap up with a last piece of content about music and tech. NFTs are on all fronts and maybe everything isn’t clear on every topic. We found a survey on NFT licensing so that you could find everything you need to know, right here.
