Much ballyhooed music social network Crowdmix has entered Administration, the UK version of bankruptcy. The unlaunched startup claimed that it would revolutionize music marketing, but industry consultant Mark Mulligan says Crowdmix was likely always doomed to failure and looks at why. ________________________________________ By Mark Mulligan of MiDIA Crowdmix was one…
Category archives: Startups
Stagelink Closes 2nd Seed Round For Crowdsourced Concerts
[UPDATED] Only playing the places where your fans are is the holy grail of touring. Several startups have tried to achieve that goal by crowdsourcing live shows. Stagelink is the latest, and their off to a solid start. _____________________________________ Berlin based Staglink has completed its second round of seed funding…
Can Tokens Usher In A New Era of Price Flexibility for Artists?
Could bitcoin and tokens be way for artists to better control the sales of their work? In this piece, Adam Levine, Founder & CEO at Tokenly, explains that embracing new technology can help artists forge deeper connections with fans and make money based on what they think their work is…
Paul René Albertini On MarathonArtists And Supporting Artists, Managers, Music Tech Startups [INTERVIEW]
Here music industry veteran and chairman/co-founder of the music tech accelerator MarathonArtists Labs, Paul René Albertin discusses his tech investment companies, as well as the changing landscape of the music business overall, and how technology is affecting this change. ______________________________ Paul-Rene Albertini is Chairman and co-founder of Marathon Artists. Paul-Rene…
Open Source Music Proponent Jason Herskowitz Joins Spotify [UPDATED]
[UPDATED] Jason Herskowitz has joined Spotify. Herscowitz, who developed open-source cross-platform music player Tomahawk, has been an outspoken critic of the music industry. He’ll be based in NYC and according to his tweet "part of the team dedicated to delivering more insight, fan engagement and $ to artists." ___________________________________________ It’s…
Apple In Talks To Buy Tidal Says Wall St. Journal, But New York Times Says ‘No Way’ – A Look At The Pros And Cons
Apple is in talks to acquire Tidal, according to a Wall Street Journal report confirmed by re/code. But a respected New York Times reporters says his sources say the sale is off. Here is a look at the case for and against an Apple Tidal purchase. ______________________________________________ Apple is in…
Festicket Raises $6.3M For Festival Travel Booking
UK based startup Festicket has closed $6.3 million in funding to expand its festival experiences and travel booking service. Lepe Partners led the Series B round, with participation from current investors Wellington Partners, PROfounders, and Playfair Capital. New backers from within the industry include Arthur Kosten, ex-CMO of Booking.com) and…
Music-Based Social Networks Are Doomed: Here’s Why [Cortney Harding]
In this piece, Cortney Harding looks at the struggles faced by music-based social networks like Crowdmix and Myspace, and why problems with scalability so often doom these networks to failure. By Cortney Harding A few months ago, when “The Music Startup Meltdown” first ran, I singled out Crowdmix and its…
Spotify, iHeartMedia Sued Over Audio Playback Patents
Patent infringement lawsuits, both valid and unjustified, are a fact of life in tech. As the value of music streaming has grown, so have the legal action surrounding it. Spotify and iHeartMedia are the latest targets. _____________________________________ Spotify and iHeartMedia are being sued over allegations that they are infringing on…
3 Steps to Building Credibility for Your Startup
The majority of startups fail. Leverage what you’ve done in the past — as well as who you know — to beat those odds.