Venture funding is still flowing into music tech, but not if the concept involves licensing music. AmpMe pulls the tunes that power its app from the users library, Soundcloud and now the free-daddy of them all, YouTube. _____________________________________ Canadian startup AmpMe has raised $8 million in a new funding round…
Category archives: Startups
How to Value Your Startup — Without Getting It Wrong
Take time to evaluate the market and examine all your options.
Most Music Tech Startups Don’t Know Shit About How Labels Work – A Response To David Pakman
In response to David Pakman’s piece on the difficulty of building a successful music industry startup, Jim McDermott looks at why it is that so many of these startups have failed, and don’t seem to grasp how labels work in the music business. _____________________ Guest post by music and entertainment…
Pandora’s Biggest Investor Is Very Concerned About Its Future
Last month when founder Tim Westergren was named CEO of Pandora, many in the music, tech and investment communities expressed approval. Well, Tim, the honeymoon is already over. By Bobby Owsinksi of Music 3.0 Pandora’s largest investor is so concerned about its future that it sent a letter to the…
Flying Vinyl: A Vinyl Subscription Series With Global Aspirations
In an effort to combat the devaluation of music in culture, Flying Vinyl offers the best new alternative music, printed on gorgeous vinyl, as part of a monthly subscription series. Here founder Craig Evans discusses the origins of the company and where he sees it headed in the future. _____________________________…
Bandcamp Grew 35% Last Year, Monthly Transactions Top $4.3M
The indie music community has embraced Bandcamp and its suite of direct to fan monetization tools. And unlike most music tech startups, Bandcamp, which launched in 2008, has been profitable "in the now-quaint revenues-exceed-expenses sense" since 2012. _______________________________________________ Bandcamp grew 35% last year, according to new stats just released by…
DistroKid Launches Free Revenue Share Payment Tool, Reveals New Stats
DistroKid is thriving as a discount flat fee digital music distribution platform. Offering $19.99 a year for unlimited uploads has attracted a significant user base; and somehow the low price hasn’t stopped the startup from iterating. _________________________________________ 700,000 songs • 90,000 artists $1 million paid out monthly Flat fee discount…
Rule Of Seven For Music: Why You’re Probably Getting Discovery Wrong
Having a substantial and dedicated following is a massive asset when it comes to building revenue and effectively using social media, but guiding fans to your work and achieving a critical mass is no easy task, and one many do incorrectly. ________________________________ Guest Post by Bas Grasmayer, from the MUSIC…
13 Things ‘Ghostbusters’ Can Teach You about Starting a Small Business
Always be unafraid of risks, hard work and ghosts (when applicable).
Digital Rights Reporting With Medianet, SOCAN, YouTube And The Kobalt Effect [Mark Mulligan]
In this piece we look at the long overdue efforts being made by various groups within the music industry to develop a system for digital rights reporting and administration which is compatible with the streaming model. __________________________________________ By Mark Mulligan of the Music Industry Blog Since the demise of the…