Quick take: What the Apple event’s creator focus means for lean-in entertainment

Blog post by Hanna Kahlert

21 Oct 2021

creator tools

apple event

mainstream

The October 18th Apple event –for all its usual showmanship – did not have anything hugely innovative to unveil. New colours of the Apple HomePod, a new tier of AirPods, and the return of MagSafe charging,...

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Did July 1st 2019 mark the end of Spotify’s music creator dream?

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

8 Oct 2021

creator tools

Spotify

Soundbetter

On July 1st2019, Spotify announced that it was closing its system that allowed artists to upload their music directly to Spotify . The move came in the wake of fierce opposition from record labels who...

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Creator TAMs: a new way to assess the creator economy

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

1 Oct 2021

creator tools

Music

Business Strategy

The music creator tools space is undergoing a change that is simultaneously renaissance and transformation. The creator culture boom has driven an unprecedented degree of investment and investor interest....

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Creator tools will drive the (equal opportunity) future of music

Blog post by Hanna Kahlert

17 Sep 2021

women in music

creator tools

synth

The last two years under a pandemic have driven more music creators in a DIY direction. Equipment and instrument sales reported record-breaking growth over lockdown – Sweetwater, for example, had its...

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Kanye just obliterated the creative full stop

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

3 Sep 2021

Kanye West

music product strategy

creator tools

Kanye West knows how to stir things up, not least in making us rethink what music is and nudging us away from considering it as linear and static. First there was his announcement that Life of Pablo was...

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Creator tools are changing the power dynamic of audiences and platforms

Blog post by Hanna Kahlert

31 Aug 2021

creator tools

social media

Streaming

As ever, the maturation of markets begs the question: “what next?” – and we have now hit this point with streaming, as the ‘ big bang’ moment of D2C video streaming platforms coincides with the...

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Fluid audio is here, and music is about to meet its next mp3 moment

Blog post by Kriss Thakrar

26 Aug 2021

creator tools

ugc

gen z

Kanye West has released the Donda Stem Player, a handheld remixing speaker that can interact with music, as a way to create a personalised experience with his new album. However, this is not just an interactive...

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Music is no longer about consumption, but participation (and women are leading the charge)

Blog post by Hanna Kahlert

27 Jul 2021

women in music

creator tools

Music

The mainstream shift to digital-first life in the last year and a half has affected video content production, games sales, and social media habits. It has also (notably) exacerbated the music industry...

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From creator tools to commercial tools

Blog post by Kriss Thakrar

1 Jul 2021

creator tools

live streaming

Twitch

Creator tools are taking an evolutionary step toward commercially empowering creators. Live streaming tool Happs’ recent $4.7 million investment is a relatively small yet significant bet that the future...

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The content versus culture conundrum

Blog post by Hanna Kahlert

3 Jun 2021

Fandom

tulsa

Mad Men

Creating something which will please audiences in the moment and also have resonant staying power among the surrounding culture is a puzzle faced by the content strategists of today. It is also the age-old...

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The social studio will empower the next million producers

Blog post by Kriss Thakrar

23 Apr 2021

creator tools

Social Studio

social media

MIDiA recently explored the concept of the social studio and the more sophisticated tools for creation that are being embedded in social media platforms. It did not take long for this to go from concept...

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The music industry’s centre of gravity is shifting

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

16 Apr 2021

creator tools

music industry investment

music investment

Regular readers will know that MIDiA has been analysing the creator tool space for some time now and building the case for why the changes that are taking place will be transformational not just for the...

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Social media is becoming a social studio

Blog post by Kriss Thakrar

13 Apr 2021

creator tools

social media

TikTok

Social media platforms have spent the past decade redefining what it means to be a visual creator. They are now on the cusp of doing the same with music. TikTok has announced a wave of new features , including...

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The Music Industry’s Next Five Growth Drivers

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

22 May 2020

creator tools

Fandom

fitness

The risk with trying to imagine what the future might look like is to simply think it is going to be a brighter, shinier version of today. At this precise moment in time, this has perhaps never been truer.  ...

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