Blog: Music - Page 9

Read our latest daily deep dives, hot takes, and exciting updates about the entertainment world. Check out the latest insight from your favourite analyst, or search by coverage areas - music, entertainment and fandom, creator economy and social.

AI will transform music; the question is how?

Cover image for AI will transform music; the question is how?
Mark Mulligan
Every new technology goes through a period of being overhyped before the dust settles, and that technology either fades or builds steadily thereafter. Think 3D printing, VR, NFTs. In my 20+ years as a media and tech analyst, only three technologies have had a level of hype that felt like it was going to live up to expectations: 1) the internet (which was already in full swing by the time I started out – I’m not that old); 2) smartphones / apps; and 3) AI.
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Gig tickets: artist discovery versus consumer satisfaction

Cover image for Gig tickets: artist discovery versus consumer satisfaction
Ashleigh Millar
Since the return to normal, superstars and up-and-coming artists alike are creating new ways to adapt to the attention economy – and live performances are no exception. In a world accustomed to on-demand content, where trends and interests are fleeting, and the music market is hugely oversaturated thanks to the growing creator tools economy, creators need to find ways to entice fans to come to their live gigs.
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The music industry obsesses over artist performance statistics – where are label performance statistics?

Cover image for The music industry obsesses over artist performance statistics – where are label performance statistics?
Keith Jopling
One of the watchwords in labels recently has been a focus on the ‘value proposition’ for artists, and it is easy to see why. In the streaming and social age, where independent self-releasing artists can get their music out into the world without a label, why should they sign to one at all? Up until even recently it was clear, for both majors and for indies.
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Why AI music may make fandom even more important

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Tatiana Cirisano
Artificial intelligence (AI) was as hot a topic as ever at last week’s SXSW conference, where debate swirled around how human artists will compete with AI-generated music. As more parts of music-making involve AI assistance, this distinction between “AI” and “human” music may soon become as irrelevant as music created on a laptop versus recorded in a studio.
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Hybrid live streaming provides new opportunities to build authentic global fanbases

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Srishti Das
July 2022 saw Boiler Room’s hands in one of the most iconic dance music / pop culture crossovers that led to the era of “Fred againia”. Fred again..’s Boiler Room set has (so far) garnered 16 million views on YouTube, helping to introduce his music to a wider audience, generating significant buzz on social media.
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The industry’s narrative is not always the same as the artist's narrative: Redefining success for independent artists

Cover image for The industry’s narrative is not always the same as the artist's narrative: Redefining success for independent artists
Keith Jopling
Last weekend, there was a fascinating quote from Maseo of hip hop legends De La Soul in the UK Guardian: “On our second album, we learned the importance of controlling the narrative. I learned early on that a hit record can hurt your entire body of work if you let the industry control your narrative”.
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Streaming is becoming more like radio — what now?

Cover image for Streaming is becoming more like radio — what now?
Tatiana Cirisano
Last week, both YouTube Music and Spotify launched new, radio-like features. Spotify introduced an AI-powered voice DJ, which will talk to users about why songs are included in personalised mixes. Meanwhile, YouTube Music is giving users more ways to customise streaming radio stations — they can now choose up to 30 artists, and specify things like genre, artist frequency, and the balance of chosen artists versus new recommendations.
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Filling music streaming’s Disney+-shaped hole

Cover image for Filling music streaming’s Disney+-shaped hole
Mark Mulligan
Back when Disney+ started its meteoric rise, there was a lot of thinking around what lessons the music streaming market could learn. Three years on from the launch of the subscription video on demand platform, the shine has come off it a little, registering its first ever subscriber loss , but not before becoming a major market player and changing the way in which the industry thinks about developing streaming shows.
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At the Grammys and Super Bowl, the last hurrah of the mainstream era

Cover image for At the Grammys and Super Bowl, the last hurrah of the mainstream era
Tatiana Cirisano
Rihanna’s performance at the Super Bowl LVII over the weekend was remarkable for several reasons, but most of all was that she had not performed a show at this scale in seven long years. “The wait is almost over”, Apple Music’s Ebro Darden teased in promotions leading up to the big night, and the wait simply being over arguably mattered more than whatever Rihanna decided to do onstage.
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