Music Startups Archives - Digital Music News

Music Industry Litigation Tracker

Paul Resnikoff — Mon, 19 May 2025 13:08:34 +0000

More than 300 music industry lawsuits updated daily. US-based jurisdictions with global cases coming soon. . .

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Can the Music Industry Monetize AI – And Like It? A Conversation With OpenPlay Cofounder Edward Ginis

Paul Resnikoff — Tue, 13 May 2025 01:00:35 +0000

Is it time for the music industry to radically reconsider its approach to AI? Edward Ginis, cofounder and Chief Client Officer of OpenPlay, is already focused on monetizing AI instead of fighting it. An ardent activist for modernizing the industry’s data infrastructure, Ginis launched OpenPlay in 2013 after serving as CTO at Concord Music Group and views AI as an opportunity to evolve rather than a threat to resist.

With over 15 years of experience in music, technology, and finance specifically, Ginis has serious chops in building large-scale software systems. . .

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Who Gets to Control the Music Superfan? A Look at the Looming Fragmentation of ‘Superfan 2.0’

Paul Resnikoff — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 05:00:08 +0000

As the music industry plans an extreme superfan makeover, who gets to control this party? The answer might be complicated – and seriously fragmented. . .

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Digital Music News Is Beefing Up Its Chart Intelligence With Chartmetric — Here’s a Look at What’s Coming

Paul Resnikoff — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 00:02:35 +0000

Digital Music News is now expanding its longtime partnership with Chartmetric, the industry’s most respected music intelligence and data platform.

Jumping in, DMN readers will soon have access to a constantly-updating track popularity ranking, complete with fast-emerging breakouts. Complementing the ranking will be Chartmetric’s latest data trend analyses, which will include a broad range of genres, artists, and broader worldwide music developments.

Everything will be available to Digital Music News readers in a neat dropdown widget, which will complement DMN’s existing industry coverage.

The dynamic chart ranking will lean heavily on Spotify Monthly. . .

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As PRO Inquiries Continue In Washington, Audoo Shares Some Shocking Song-Tracking Data from Denver

Paul Resnikoff — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 07:00:58 +0000

Theoretically, performing rights organizations (PROs) track and tally every song played in public and streaming platforms – then dole out the royalties accordingly. Now, London-based Audoo has hard evidence showing that billions of song plays can be counted with near-100% accuracy.

While mega-PROs like ASCAP and BMI do a laudable job of tracking, matching, and distributing royalties on billions of tracks played in the United States, a nagging question is whether these vast systems can be improved. This is more than just an academic musing: the answer. . .

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2025 Core Music Industry Funding Crosses the $500 Million Mark — But Remains Sharply Down from 2024 Levels

Paul Resnikoff — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 03:59:52 +0000

Duetti's recent $200 million in debt funding pushed core music industry funding past the half-a-billion threshold for 2025, per DMN Pro's Music Industry Funding Tracker. That's certainly a big number, though it pales compared to comparable YTD fingers in 2024 and 2023. Here's a breakdown of the numbers — and a look at which companies are scoring rounds. . .

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The Music Payments Playbook: A Nifty Little Guide for Anyone Overseeing Complex Royalty Payments to Artists, Songwriters, and Music IP Owners

Paul Resnikoff — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 02:45:13 +0000

The music industry faces a bevy of challenges in 2025 – as we'll cover exhaustively in the pages of Digital Music News – but ensuring accurate and timely payments to rights owners shouldn't be one of them. In partnership with Tipalti, we've created a guide to address this issue: introducing our playbook on How to Pay People In the Music Industry.

The global music industry is now projected to . . .

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AI Concert Analytics Startup Breakevent Scores Over $900,000 Raise, Targets Continued Expansion Initiatives in Spain

Dylan Smith — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 21:29:20 +0000

Breakevent, a startup developing AI-powered concert analytics software, has scored an over $908,000 (€876,000) funding round.

Madrid-headquartered Breakevent took to social media to disclose the raise. Led by Archipélago Next (which bills itself as “the first VC born in the Canary Islands”), the round also drew support from Estonia’s Startup Wise Guys, Women Angels for STEAM (WA4STEAM), and Miguel Echenique (a partner at Madrid’s AltamarCAM).

Founded in 2020 by Lucía Martínez Prado, who doubles as CEO, Breakevent. . .

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Spotify Individual Premium Subscribers Continue to Flatline In the US — As the Broader US-Based Streaming Music Subscription Picture Remains Soft

Paul Resnikoff — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 21:12:33 +0000

Surprising declines in Spotify’s US-based individual Premium subscriptions first emerged in September of 2024, part of a broader slowdown in music subscription growth in the country. Now, Spotify’s all-important subscription tier appears to be flatlining, with slight year-over-year gains surfacing for November of 2024.

After years of breakneck subscriber and revenue growth, 2024 offered the music industry a rude slowdown in music streaming subscription growth across multiple markets. Suddenly, the music industry discussion became dominated by a ‘streaming plateau’ that roiled labels, publishers, and investors while raising vexing questions about future revenue. . .

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Universal Music Group Bosses Finally Push Back on Spotify’s Bundling Shenanigans — Now There’s a Direct Deal with UMPG Dealing With the Royalty Loophole

Paul Resnikoff — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 02:41:38 +0000

Since early 2024, Spotify has been ramming nearly every subscriber into a cut-rate 'bundled' package involving music and audiobooks — and boasting about the huge royalty savings while fighting publishers tooth-and-nail. Now, there's. . .

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These Shuttered Music Industry Startups Raised Over $320 Million Between 2020 and 2023 — A Look at the Latest Music Startup Crashes, Pivots, and Acquisitions

Paul Resnikoff — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 06:43:03 +0000

Splashy funding announcements are extremely common in the music industry. But what happens to startups after they exit the media spotlight? It's not always pretty.

When it comes to startup success, getting the big funding round is just the beginning. Unfortunately for many startups, it's also the beginning of the end — with a brutal crash, hard pivot, or other unfortunate ending emerging just a few years later.

So how many promising music startups have crashed in the past few years? For our latest Weekly Report, we scoured our database to find out.

Dialing it back to. . .

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Core Music Industry Funding Actually Rose in 2024 Thanks to a Few Massive Raises — Is a Wider Resurgence In the Cards for 2025?

Paul Resnikoff — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 23:22:54 +0000

Music industry funding ticked upward in 2024, but year-over-year levels would have plunged if not for a few huge raises. Amid rumblings of a significant rebound, what does 2025 have in store?

Will 2025 offer a funding bounce? While we don’t have an answer to that all-important question, we certainly aren’t without valuable takeaways from 2024. Like with our prior analyses, those takeaways are made possible by DMN Pro’s Music Industry Funding Tracker, a one-stop database of raises from in. . .

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AI-Powered Concert Listings? Hearby Just Generated an App for That

Paul Resnikoff — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 05:00:26 +0000

How much bigger can the global live concert space grow? Boston-based Hearby is betting that AI-generated concert searches can crack the discovery riddle and boost attendance across the board. Here’s a look at the just-launched ‘Ask Hearby.’

Ready for a break from AI infringement problems, endless legal battles, and dystopian nightmares? While most of the music industry is focused on the very serious threats posed by AI, a number of companies are playing in less problematic sandboxes and making serious strides.

That includes Hearby, an AI-focused music. . .

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On Air Inks Licensing Deal With Mercury Studios for Concert Video Content — Here’s a Closer Look at the Platform

Paul Resnikoff — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 06:45:48 +0000

Content from the UMG-owned production studio is available to stream now.

With the emergence of concert streaming’s high-growth potential, on-stage performance streaming platform On Air is now offering new monetization opportunities for intellectual property owners and artists. The platform aims to elevate the fan experience by offering a true cinematic experience with content available in 4K UHD with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos technologies.

Since 2020, On Air has hosted a serious catalog of live concerts and performances from A-list artists and shows. That includes performances from. . .

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How to Train Your AI Chat Dragon: Hearby Uses Chat Technology to Help Fans Find Grassroots Music They’ll Love

Karen Elliott — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 01:05:21 +0000

ChatGPT is impressive out-of-the-box but challenging to apply to real-world problems. Area4 Labs and Hearby are building with AI technology to create a data-driven live event concierge.

The following comes from Hearby, a fast-emerging player in concert discovery and a DMN partner. Enjoy!

Full disclosure: "Train" when applied to Chat technology is the same “train” that we might apply to cats. That is, we ask them to. . .

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UNIFI Music Has Another Plan for AI — Artist Management

Paul Resnikoff — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 19:56:32 +0000

Finding and retaining effective management is a significant hurdle for many emerging artists. Now, UNIFI Music is building an AI-driven intelligent platform for that.

Superstar music careers frequently start on the fringes: in a poorly-lit rehearsal space, late night on a laptop and cracked DAW, or as part of a local scene that hasn’t yet crossed over.

If an artist or group is lucky, an ardent believer is pulling the strings to get gigs, upload tracks to DSPs, monitor royalties from different licenses and platforms, and settle disputes. . .

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SaaS Superfan Platform FanCircles Announces $2 Million Raise, Touts ‘Unique Model of One App Per Artist’

Dylan Smith — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 16:06:15 +0000

FanCircles, a self-described “pioneering SaaS superfan platform,” has announced a $2 million raise and set its sights on adding new features.

The UK-based superfan business just recently announced that multimillion-dollar round, the result of capital put up by “several angel investors.”

Established nearly a decade back by Affiliate Window founder and industry vet Kevin Brown, FanCircles enables artists to stream performances as well as studio releases, communicate with fans (including via push notifications), interact with UGC, offer early access tickets, and sell merch in-app, to name some features.

On the ticket and merch fronts. . .

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Is Warner Music Really Achieving ‘Strong Subscription Streaming Growth’? We Crunched the Numbers to Find Out

Paul Resnikoff — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 04:15:15 +0000

For Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, calendar Q2 2024 was a tale of two earnings reports — and streaming forecasts. While UMG acknowledged a subscription-growth slowdown, the Robert Kyncl-led WMG emphasized “strong” improvements. But are things as rosy as they seem for today’s third-largest major label?

DMN Pro crunched the numbers to answer that question, which is particularly pressing given the industry-wide implications of a growth slowdown at UMG.

I. Introduction: The Stark Contrast Between the Calendar Q2 Earnings Reports. . .

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The Music Industry Is Bursting With Litigation — Here Are 10 Particularly Game-Changing Lawsuits to Watch

Paul Resnikoff — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 04:00:45 +0000

From infringement complaints against generative AI developers to unpaid royalty actions targeting streaming platforms, the music industry certainly isn't lacking high-stakes litigation. Here are ten particularly important lawsuits with major implications to watch moving forward.

How many active lawsuits, conflicts, settlements, negotiations, and legal stare-downs are happening in the music industry — right now? At last count, Digital Music News is tracking more than 140 different filed lawsuits in the United States alone, all in various stages of litigation. And that doesn't include the drumbeat of cease-and-desists. . .

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HITKOR Is Reshaping Live Performances With a ‘Boutique, High-End, and Groundbreaking’ Broadcasting Model

Paul Resnikoff — Thu, 30 May 2024 02:59:03 +0000

HITKOR is all about the fan experience — with an important twist. The company delivers high-end live-streaming capabilities from a well-appointed studio to artists, labels, and a global customer base. At its core, the platform revolves around a professional sound stage and a range of recording services and monetization options, all of which are now available to the music industry. “This is for you to reach your fans in a meaningful manner and present yourself in a groundbreaking way," HITKOR says.

Russ Miller, CEO of HITKOR, clarifies that they. . .

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Music Industry Funding Approaches $1.3 Billion In 2024 — But That’s Still Way Behind Q1 2023 Levels

Paul Resnikoff — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 18:42:41 +0000

Nearly $1.3 billion has been plowed into music-focused companies so far this year, according to details tracked and compiled by DMN Pro's Music Industry Funding Tracker. But that's tame compared to explosive Q1 2023 totals.

Investors are still making heady bets on promising music startups, companies. . .

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Life After TikTok: What Does a Ban Mean for the Music Industry?

Paul Resnikoff — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 03:00:30 +0000

TikTok is facing its greatest regulatory threat to date in the U.S., where lawmakers are rallying behind forced-sale legislation. TikTok says this would effectively amount to a ban in the app’s biggest market, with ripple effects impacting dozens of industries. But what exactly would a ban look like for the music industry?

TikTok’s possible U.S. shutdown would bring music-specific consequences affecting licensing, supplemental artist income, promotion, discovery, fan interaction, and more. Though nothing to scoff at, the lost licensing revenue would pale in comparison to the absence. . .

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Video-Focused Licensing Startup WavMaker Officially Launches, Reveals $5 Million Seed Raise

Dylan Smith — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 03:00:12 +0000

WavMaker, a music licensing startup geared towards video creators, has officially launched and announced $5 million in seed funding.

Tennessee-based WavMaker reached out with word of its formal debut and multimillion-dollar backing today. Founded by former Soundstripe higher-up Matt Arcaini (who doubles as CEO), industry vet Mark Stuart (director of label services), and Wavy Records co-founder Caleb Grimm (director of marketing), WavMaker bills itself specifically as “a next-generation music licensing platform.”

On the capital front, Vicky Patel, co-founder of. . .

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Will.i.am Isn’t Embracing AI — He’s Bear-Hugging It With His Upcoming SiriusXM Radio Show

Paul Resnikoff — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 04:10:06 +0000

When it comes to AI, will.i.am is emerging as one of several high-profile artists embracing the technology. Now, the artist — in conjunction with his FYI app — is debuting a SiriusXM radio show featuring a seriously convincing AI co-host, qd.pi.

Digital Music News first tipped news of the upcoming SiriusXM channel, dubbed 'Will.i.am Presents the FYI Show,' last week. Now, it's showtime: according to details shared by the satellite. . .

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UMG Is Putting the Final Touches on ‘UMusicLift’—Is This a New Incubator for Music Startups?

Ashley King — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 23:01:12 +0000

Last year, Universal Music filed for a new trademark for a service called ‘UMusicLift.’ Now it appears they’re putting the finishing touches on launching a new music startup incubator. Here’s what we know.

The first appearance of the ‘UMusicLift’ brand appeared in a USPTO filing marked December 9, 2023. That filing appeared to be a broad reaching trademark for the UMusicLift name, spanning music education and information about the music industry. In short, a generalized trademark application to cover all potential bases for the name.

Now the official ‘UMusicLift

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Web3 Superfan Monetization Startup TRAX Announces Nearly $3 Million ‘Decentralized Funding Round’

Dylan Smith — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 02:00:43 +0000

Web3 superfan platform TRAX has announced a nearly $3 million “decentralized funding round.”

UK-based TRAX, which bills itself specifically as “a content aggregator and social marketplace helping artists build a digital space for” diehard supporters, just recently unveiled the $2.9 million raise.

As described by the startup, the capital was secured via the Internet Computer blockchain. Now, the entity is set to function “as a decentralized autonomous organization” (DAO), with its various $TRAX governance-token holders “democratically” controlling operations.

“The funds raised will be held in TRAX DAO's treasury,” the company indicated, “allowing. . .

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AI Catalog Optimization Is Here — What Now?

Reprtoir — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 15:00:39 +0000

Digital Music News and longtime partner Reprtoir joined forces for a live-streamed panel to tackle some opportunities and challenges tied to AI catalog management.

On the occasion of Reprtoir and Cyanite teaming up to launch Audio AI — an auto-tagging and similarity research tool. . .

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‘K-Pop Powerhouse’ Titan Content Officially Launches, Aims To ‘Push the Industry Forward Through Savvy Web3 Disruption’

Dylan Smith — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 22:59:15 +0000

Titan Content, a self-described “multinational K-pop powerhouse” founded by former SM Entertainment CEO Nikki Semin Han, has officially launched with a goal of growing the genre’s reach on the global stage.

Los Angeles-headquartered Titan Content, which has a presence in Seoul as well, emailed Digital Music News today about its formal rollout. Billing itself as “the first U.S.-based music company totally committed to the thriving K-pop genre,” Titan says it intends to work towards “bridging the gap between East to West business and creative talent.”

Beyond developing artists in. . .

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Audoo Secures Expansion With Foundation Client APRA AMCOS in Australia and New Zealand

Paul Resnikoff — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 04:00:52 +0000

After partnering with Australasian music rights management organization APRA AMCOS last year, Music Recognition Technology (MRT) company Audoo has now announced an expanded rollout of its Audio Meters in the region. Audoo’s CEO reveals that the first tranche of installations in key Australian and New Zealand cities was a success — and ‘scaling is now the next step.’

DMN first reported on the initial phase of the partnership between APRA AMCOS and British MRT company . . .

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Too Lost Now Features Directly-Embedded beatBread Financing — With Fast-Tracked Funding to Users

Raha Muhammad — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 06:55:13 +0000

Music distributor Too Lost will now feature a direct integration of beatBread — a funding platform geared towards independent artists, labels, and distributors. The two companies originally paired up in 2021, working together to advance millions of dollars of growth capital.

Too Lost is a long-term partner of Digital Music News. We're excited to share this latest news from the company.

Building on the success of the two-year initiative, the integration. . .

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Splash Pro Gen-2 AI Lets You Craft Licensable Music and Vocals from a Text Prompt — Here’s How

Paul Resnikoff — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 03:51:34 +0000

Generative AI platform Splash just released its Gen-2 feature, allowing users to generate new music, lyrics, and vocals from a text prompt. Splash's models are exclusively trained on a self-owned music library of loops composed by the platform's music team — allowing Splash to offer broad and flexible commercial licenses to users.

Tarika Wickremeratne, General Manager at Splash, recently sat down with Digital Music News to explain how the generative AI platform transcends the standards set by other generative music companies that do not own their proprietary datasets. . .

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OmMuse Is Replacing ‘Noisy,’ Disparate Platforms With an All-Inclusive Hub Of Artist Tools

Paul Resnikoff — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 05:48:06 +0000

Most artists end up juggling various platforms and multiple ‘dashboards’ during the production, distribution, and promotion of their music. Now, OmMuse is working to consolidate everything an artist needs into a central repository — the OmMuse Hub.

For artists, the process of creating, delivering, and monetizing music is a complex chore involving seemingly-endless partners. Apart. . .

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European Royalty-Investment Platform ANote Music Announces €3.3 Million Funding Milestone, Institutional Investor Expansion

Dylan Smith — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 17:20:12 +0000

European royalty-investment platform ANote Music has announced that it’s raised €3.3 million, and execs are now looking to draw further support from institutional investors with an offering that works “in a similar way to Bowie Bonds.”

Luxembourg-headquartered ANote Music, which bills itself as “Europe’s leading marketplace for investing in music royalties,” emailed Digital Music News today about the funding milestone and the institutional-investor expansion.

On the former front, “additional funding” has enabled the five-year-old blockchain business (which officially launched its platform in late July of 2020) to crack. . .

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Is Your Band Big In Japan? Shifts In Public Performance Tracking Could Generate Some Major Surprises

Paul Resnikoff — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 18:14:23 +0000

Despite the widespread availability of detailed music consumption figures, royalties attributable to public usages have long been distributed based upon extrapolated data. And without precise play counts from the many bars, restaurants, stadiums, stores, and malls that operate around the globe, it’s difficult to tell what’s actually playing – a potentially glaring unknown when stream totals require only seconds to identify.

Perhaps international superstars like Celine Dion and Mariah Carey are in fact garnering the lion’s share of public plays today. Or, perhaps a slew of 90s grunge bands are being massively undercounted in. . .

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Swedish ‘Self-Serve’ Licensing Platform Freshsound Announces $2.2 Million Raise, Preps International Buildout

Dylan Smith — Thu, 11 May 2023 17:07:33 +0000

Less than one year after securing $1.33 million from investors, “self-serve music licensing platform” Freshsound has announced a €2 million ($2.18 million at the present exchange rate) raise and set its sights on spearheading a global expansion.

Word of this newest round from Stockholm-headquartered Freshsound, which says that it provides “professional storytellers with commercially released music” in exchange for “fully transparent” licensing fees, emerged in several Scandinavian tech publications today.

Contrasting competing platforms like Epidemic Sound (which is also based in . . .

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Duetti Closes $32 Million Round With Support from Roc Nation, Says It’s ‘Uniquely Positioned to Disrupt the Music Financing Market’

Dylan Smith — Wed, 03 May 2023 17:26:02 +0000

About four months after reportedly raising $7 million, indie-focused music acquisition company Duetti has formally announced a $32 million round that drew participation from Roc Nation.

New York City-based Duetti unveiled the multimillion-dollar raise – and detailed some of the deals that it’s wrapped thus far – this morning. Founded by former Tidal COO Lior Tibon and former Apple Music business-development exec Christopher Nolte, Duetti is said to have launched “in stealth” last summer.

Since then, the startup, which says that its “innovative model opens new investment opportunities for a previously untapped asset. . .

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Web3 Funding Is Cratering, Data Shows — Potentially Spelling Trouble for Numerous Music Startups

Dylan Smith — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 23:22:22 +0000

Following 2022’s "crypto winter" and the collapse of FTX, Web3 funding reportedly cratered by 82 percent year over year during the opening quarter of 2023, and the downturn could potentially be impacting all manner of music plays.

The diminishing financial support behind Web3 (defined in this instance as startups operating in crypto and/or blockchain) just recently came to light in an analysis from. . .

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Sheet Music Digitization Startup Enote Announces Nearly $11 Million Raise, Touts ‘Cutting Edge’ AI Technology

Dylan Smith — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 16:38:26 +0000

Amid classical’s much-publicized streaming expansion, digital sheet music startup Enote has announced the “first closing” of a nearly $11 million pre-Series A round.

Berlin-headquartered Enote, which arrived on the scene in 2018 and says that it boasts “an advanced AI system,” just recently unveiled the multimillion-dollar raise. Having launched an iOS app about 18 months back, the platform uses the mentioned AI technology to analyze “millions of static pages and critical findings to reconstruct a definitive digital version of each work,” according to higher-ups.

North of 70,000 musicians have. . .

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In the Wake of Taylor Swift’s ‘Ticketmaster Debacle,’ VBO Tickets Is Quietly Crafting a Queueing Solution

Paul Resnikoff — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 18:31:53 +0000

As the ruckus from Taylor Swift’s ‘Ticketmaster debacle’ simmers down, the ticketing space is quietly working on solutions. That includes VBO Tickets, which is road-testing a sophisticated queueing technology and finding early success.

Ticketmaster-bashing is now America's favorite pastime — especially if you're a Swiftie or a politician. . .

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Audoo Appoints Music Publishing Vet Nigel Elderton as Chairman

Ashley King — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 15:32:34 +0000

Audoo is a new music technology company that aims to revolutionize public performance royalties. Music publishing veteran Nigel Elderston has been appointed Chairman.

The following was created in collaboration with Audoo, a company DMN is proud to be partnered with.

Audoo now has a growing team of international music industry experts whose combined experience boasts 45 years in the music industry. This move helps form part of Audoo’s global business expansion, adding senior industry expertise in key territories to help the company implement its adoption and roll-out. . .

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AI-Powered Music-Promotion Startup Unhurd Closes Seven-Figure Seed Round, Adds Willard Ahdritz As Advisor

Dylan Smith — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 22:14:25 +0000

AI-powered music-marketing startup Unhurd (stylized as “un:hurd” as well as "unhurd") has officially announced a seven-figure seed round.

London-based Unhurd, which raised £250,000 two years back and launched its app last year, unveiled this latest round via a formal release today. Founded by former Universal Music artist-insight analyst Alex Brees, Unhurd says that it utilizes “proprietary technology and AI to turn music & social data into impactful promotional campaigns” for north of 25,000 acts from 129 nations.

Though the platform hasn’t publicly identified the precise sum associated. . .

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How Artists Are ‘Purchasing’ Record Deals — Before They Get Signed

Paul Resnikoff — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 18:52:09 +0000

HiLife Music Group's subsidiary label, A-Grade Music, is allowing artists to 'Purchase a Record Deal' — aiming to change how label deals are done. Artists can now get ahead of the curve by buying a deal that comes with every perk that a conventional record label would provide.

Despite the multitude of label models in the music industry, the landscape is still rife with talented musicians spending a lifetime looking for a deal they'll never procure.

Distribution-label hybrids. . .

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Side Door’s Touring Program Supports Artists Financially En Route To Festivals In 2023

Side Door — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 15:00:08 +0000

How artists and hosts can utilize Side Door's live music booking platform and more on their efforts to support underrepresented voices this festival season.

The following comes from Side Door, a company DMN is proud to be partnering with.

Touring has become a costly part of doing business as an artist today: inflation, skyrocketing travel, production costs, staff shortages, supply-chain issues, one positive COVID test away from derailing the whole thing, and a flooded market for venues — the ones that are still able to keep their doors. . .

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GigFinesse Scores $3.6MM Seed Funding Round — Bessemer Venture Partners, Cosmic Venture Partners on Board

Ashley King — Wed, 07 Dec 2022 14:05:46 +0000

GigFinesse secures $3.6 million in a seed funding round with Bessemer Venture Partners and Cosmic Venture Partners on board.

GigFinesse, a platform to connect live music venues with artists, announced a $3.6 million seed funding round from investors, including Bessemer Venture Partners and Cosmic Venture Partners. Additional backing came from Matthew Rutler, Executive Vice President at Masterclass, and many others.

GigFinesse works with entertainment venues in major metropolitan cities and musical artists to take the hassle out of booking. . .

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Collaborative Music Platform Drooble Is Shutting Down

Ashley King — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 21:00:01 +0000

Collaborative music platform Drooble is shutting down in December. The social media network was created by musicians for musicians to meet and collaborate together.

Drooble was founded in 2013, back when Facebook and Twitter were still experiencing explosive growth. Drooble never reached mainstream success, but it does have a userbase of around one million musicians from all over the world. CEO and Founder Melina Krumova announced the decision in an email to platform members.

"This is one of the. . .

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Country Radio Seminar Broadens Opening Day With Digital Music & Tech Summit — Here’s What to Expect

Ashley King — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 15:30:19 +0000

Anyone in the music business with a small stake in the country genre should check out Country Radio Seminar (CRS) this year. The 2023 CRS event is slated for March 13-15 at the Omni Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. The event has a 52-year legacy of bringing together all segments of the country music industry for education, entertainment, networking, and idea sharing.

The following article was created with Country Radio Seminar (CRS), a company DMN is proud to be partnering with.

Country Radio Seminar was originally created to. . .

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Artist-Advance Startup beatBread Announces ‘$100 Million Institutional Funding Agreement’ Following $34 Million Seed Round

Dylan Smith — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 00:57:15 +0000

About nine months after closing a $34 million seed round, artist-advance startup beatBread has officially inked “a $100 million institutional funding agreement.”

Two-year-old beatBread announced the $100 million tranche today, via a formal release that was emailed to DMN. Variant Investments, a Portland-headquartered alternative asset fund that says it explores “the remote, less crowded corners of the investment universe,” fronted the capital, according to the involved parties.

beatBread intends to use the “extended financial firepower” both to bankroll the. . .

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Music Networking Platform Vampr Scores Downtown Investment As Part of Broader Partnership Deal

Dylan Smith — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 18:05:17 +0000

Downtown Music has officially invested in six-year-old music networking platform Vampr as part of a broader partnership deal.

New York City-headquartered Downtown Music unveiled its investment in and agreement with Henderson-based Vampr this morning, via a formal release that was emailed to Digital Music News. On the former front, Downtown indicated that it had backed the “LinkedIn for creatives” specifically through a recent “Seed-3 funding drive.”

Though the companies haven’t publicly identified the precise size of Downtown’s contribution, they did state that the associated capital will be used to. . .

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YOOM Raises $15 Million — Finneas and Jimmy Iovine Among the Star-Studded Investors

Ashley King — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 21:45:48 +0000

YOOM raises $15 million in a star-studded round of investment from the likes of Finneas and Jimmy Iovine.

YOOM, founded in 2016 by Dr. Miky Tamir and Micha Birnboim and known initially as Tetavi, has raised $15 million from its star-studded investor list. Among the investors was Jimmy Iovine, co-founder of Interscope Records and Beats Electronics; Grammy Award-winning producer-singer-songwriter Finneas; CEO of The SpringHill Company, Maverick Carter; CEO of the Darkroom, Justin Lubliner; and Paul Wachter, founder and CEO of Main. . .

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The Music Acquisition Corp., Once a High-Flying SPAC, Is Getting Delisted by the New York Stock Exchange

Ashley King — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 21:10:35 +0000

The Music Acquisition Corp. (TMAC.U) is seeking shareholder approval to liquidate its trust early.

The SPAC doesn't have a completion deadline until February 5, 2023, but the board believes market conditions make it unlikely to secure a business combination before then. A 1% excise tax on domestic corporations repurchasing stock is the main reason for seeking early liquidation.

"While not free from doubt, absent any further guidance, there is significant risk that the Excise Tax will apply to any. . .

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Artist Investment Platform Exceed Announces $8 Million Seed Raise, Hires Anthony Martini As President

Dylan Smith — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 00:49:45 +0000

Exceed, a three-year-old fintech company that offers “fans a broad range of investment opportunities from musical artists” and others, has announced a newly completed seed raise as well as the appointment of Anthony Martini as president.

Exceed revealed the funding news and the executive hire today, via a formal release that was emailed to DMN. The platform affords investors benefits beyond “royalty-related income,” its website claims, including by allowing users to take stakes in “live performance, physical sales, merchandise, advertising & sponsorship, and a variety of other talent income sources."

Building upon the point, Exceed. . .

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BeatConnect Announces $2.2 Million Raise, Touts Role In Forthcoming ‘Musical Revolution Centered Around Collaboration’

Dylan Smith — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 18:45:59 +0000

Montreal-headquartered musician-collaboration platform BeatConnect has announced a roughly $2.2 million raise that drew support from Triptyq Capital.

Two-year-old BeatConnect just recently unveiled the multimillion-dollar round, which consists specifically of CA$3 million (currently $2.17 million). Montreal’s FICC led this latest investment in BeatConnect, which also counts as backers Anges Québec (self-described as “the largest group of angel investors in Canada”) and the aforesaid Triptyq Capital (which . . .

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HYBE Acquires AI ‘Singing Voice Synthesis’ Company Supertone in $32MM Deal

Ashley King — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 20:15:50 +0000

Hybe has acquired AI tech startup Supertone in a deal worth an estimated $32 million. Supertone synthesizes realistic voices that can sing.

According to Korean media, the deal follows a 4 billion won ($2.8M) investment to acquire an 18% stake in the startup last year. Now media reports say Hybe finalized a deal to buy out Supertone completely.

Supertone was founded in March 2020 and debuted in singing voice synthesis (SVS) tech soon after. The SVS tech allows the computer to sing a song by combining lyrics, melody, and beat information. It can also separate a singer. . .

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One Play at a Time, Audoo Is Making Accurate Performance Data Part of the Songwriter Pay Conversation

Paul Resnikoff — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 01:44:07 +0000

The debate over songwriter compensation is unlikely to end anytime soon — though fast-evolving technology will play a big role in the discussion moving forward. Case in point: Audoo is working to improve songwriter pay by optimizing performance data from public establishments. The resulting changes could be dramatic.

Songwriter compensation has become a particularly hot topic in 2022. In the wake of multibillion-dollar bets on song rights, the imbalance between publishing and recording payouts has assumed greater importance. And the late-August. . .

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Crowd Sourced Investors Lose $750,000 Collectively On Awesome Merchandise Bet As Firm Enters Bankruptcy

Ashley King — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 18:22:36 +0000

More than 1,000 investors are set to lose $750,000 collectively as Awesome Merchandise in the UK enters bankruptcy.

The Leeds-based merchandiser previously raised £654,000 from 1,064 investors via the crowdfunding platform, Crowdcube. Awesome Merchandise entered administration yesterday, the UK equivalent of bankruptcy. The business was immediately sold to a newly-established business called Print.Inc Group Ltd. The only director of this new company is Luke Hodson – who founded Awesome Merchandise in 2009.

All of Awesome Merchandise's business and assets have been sold to the new company. According to administrators, all 94. . .

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A Closer Look at Trolley — The Canadian Fintech Taking Aim at Royalty Payment Complexity

Paul Resnikoff — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 17:22:42 +0000

Between today’s many royalty streams and their distinct tax implications, music industry payments are more complex than ever. Now, with a new name and a multimillion-dollar Series A under its belt, customizable payout platform Trolley is looking to optimize the royalties space.

It’s been a breakneck year for Trolley – the fintech company formerly known as Payment Rails. Since late 2021, Trolley has doubled its workforce, changed its name, and secured a hefty Series A led by Pace Capital. In April, Trolley launched a feature called. . .

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Music-Powered ‘Web3 Lifestyle Platform’ MetaSing Announces $3 Million Raise, Outlines Expansion Into Crowd-Based Entertainment

Dylan Smith — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 20:36:40 +0000

MetaSing, which bills itself as “the first decentralized music platform to combine a gaming model with web3 music streaming,” has announced the completion of a $3 million seed round.

MetaSing, a self-described “unicorn startup,” just recently detailed the multimillion-dollar raise via a formal release. The “team” section of the entity’s website shows that former employees of Meta (blockchain developer), Spotify (software engineer), Twitch (fullstack engineer), and Amazon Music are part of MetaSing.

And according to a. . .

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Staying Nimble As A Music Tech Startup in 2022 — Vampr’s Perspective

Ashley King — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 10:36:54 +0000

There’s no ‘perfect’ time to be a music tech startup, but recent events have presented more challenges than ever. Supply chain constraints, contracting economies, shrinking profits, and layoffs are hitting the tech sector hard. Businesses are being advised to hoard cash and adjust to a climate where raising money isn’t as easy as it was in the past.

The following was created in collaboration with Vampr, a company DMN is proud to be partnering with.

Part of staying nimble as a music tech startup in 2022 means. . .

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Audoo Inks Song Detection Deal With APRA AMCOS In Australia & New Zealand

Ashley King — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 02:23:33 +0000

British startup Audoo inks song detection deal with APRA AMCOS in Australia and New Zealand.

Award-winning public performance royalty technology start-up Audoo has partnered with the leading Australasian performing rights organization, APRA AMCOS. The partnership helps ensure fairer and more accurate royalty payments from public performances in . . .

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APM Music Licenses Entire Catalog to XdMind for AI-Driven Adaptation In Games, Short-Form Video, and the Metaverse

Paul Resnikoff — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 16:08:27 +0000

The world of music licensing is about to change dramatically, thanks to some groundbreaking developments in the AI space. Now, APM Music — owned by Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group — has inked a major licensing partnership with AI-focused music upstart XdMind.

Production music heavyweight APM Music — owned by Sony Music Publishing and Universal. . .

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Fanimal Announces $4 Million Raise, Outlines Plans ‘To Make Ticket Buying a More Social and Risk-Averse Experience’

Dylan Smith — Mon, 30 May 2022 18:43:26 +0000

Fanimal, which bills itself as a “live events platform and zero-fee ticket marketplace,” has announced a $4 million funding round amid the ongoing return of crowd-based entertainment.

Venice, California-headquartered Fanimal, which formed in 2019 and aims “to make ticket buying a more social and risk-averse experience,” just recently unveiled this latest multimillion-dollar raise. One Bullpen Capital led the round, which also drew support from Sensor Tower stakeholder Pear VC and Burst Capital. (Fanimal “was built out of the Pear VC accelerator program.”)

Fanimal has now raised a total of $6 million. . .

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Session Wants to Solve the Music Metadata Mess — And Unleash Billions In Missing Royalties

Paul Resnikoff — Tue, 10 May 2022 00:54:21 +0000

Are you leaving money on the table as an artist, producer, songwriter, label, or publisher? Mismanaged metadata is one of the biggest problems plaguing indie artists and the broader music industry today — but it doesn't have to be. Now, solutions like Session are finally tackling the metadata headache and dislodging billions in missing royalties.

In a nutshell, metadata is all the underlying information tied to any released song or album. That includes everything from song titles, songwriter cuts, producer names, publishers, the record label, and more. Think of it as all the info printed on the CD. . .

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AI-Powered Music Adaptation Is Coming to Gaming Soundtracks — XdMind Is One Startup Pushing the Possibilities

Paul Resnikoff — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 18:00:57 +0000

The machines are getting smarter — which means the music industry is taking AI and the metaverse more seriously. According to the duo behind XDMind, gaming is a perfect place to unleash AI-powered adaptive music technology.

A game without music is like a car without a stereo system. No fun. But what about all the gamers that mute their games while listening to their own Spotify playlists? Despite the presence of brilliant soundtracks and fantastic musical integrations in games like Grand Theft Auto, there seems to be plenty of. . .

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Sonos Acquires Mayht, Who Showcased New Audio Transducer Tech at CES 2022

Ashley King — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 18:03:46 +0000

Sonos has announced it is acquiring Mayht, a Netherlands-based company that showed off new audio transducer tech at CES this year.

Mayht's Heartmotion technology replaces conventional drivers to create speakers that are 10 times more compact than current speakers. During its CES demo, Mayht said the reduction in size for the audio drivers doesn't compromise sound quality, range, or output.

"While consumer electronics have grown more powerful and compact in recent years, the core speaker technology within has hardly evolved over the past 100 years," says Mayht Chief Executive Mattias Scheek. "I truly believe our. . .

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Custom Song Platform Songfinch Closes $5 Million Seed Round With Support From Doja Cat, The Weeknd, and Others

Dylan Smith — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 20:56:14 +0000

Songfinch, a platform that enables fans to order personalized songs, raised over $2 million from investors including The Weeknd last summer. Now, the custom-music startup has officially closed its $5 million seed round.

Chicago-based Songfinch announced the multimillion-dollar raise’s wrap today, and Pinterest backer Corazon Capital (which is also headquartered in The Windy City) led the round. Besides The Weeknd’s aforementioned interest in Songfinch, the company has drawn financial support from . . .

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How Upstart Streaming Music App Plern Took on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music In Thailand

Paul Resnikoff — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 19:00:39 +0000

Never heard of Plern? Here's how an upstart Thai streaming music platform quickly topped 1 million app downloads despite heavy competition from Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. The Tuned Global-powered platform launched just a few months ago.

If you're not living in Thailand, you’ve likely never heard the name 'Plern'. Inside the country, however, Plern is a fast-rising streaming music platform that is quickly gaining notoriety. The platform reached 1 million app downloads across both iOS and Android. . .

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PROs Are Quietly Reinventing Themselves — By Potentially Counting Every Single Song Played

Paul Resnikoff — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 02:12:51 +0000

What if performance rights organizations (PROs) counted nearly every song played – in every bar, cafe, restaurant, shopping mall, and public place? That’s a future being etched by Audoo, a company with the unusual mission of revolutionizing public performance royalties.

Those chasing the sexier part of the music industry rarely end up at PROs. But there are — quite literally – billions of dollars in public performance royalties paid out annually, and plenty of juicy paychecks from songs that are simply played in the background. Now, while nosebleed catalog acquisitions, billion-dollar IPOs. . .

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LimeWire Is Back — This Time as an NFT Marketplace

Ashley King — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 21:53:50 +0000

The old piracy platform LimeWire is back — this time as a digital collectibles marketplace.

The platform says it is re-launching as a "mainstream-ready" digital collectibles marketplace, initially focusing on music. Its new backers believe it will be a great place for artists and fans to create and sell digital trinkets without the "technical hurdles of the current NFT landscape."

LimeWire backers say they're hoping to partner with several high-profile musicians to spread the word.

LimeWire says it. . .

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Turntable (tt.live) — aka ‘The New Turntable’ — Expands With Artist-Powered Playlists & Curator Sessions

Paul Resnikoff — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 00:00:45 +0000

Last year, we profiled the emerging Turntable (tt.live), the modern-day reincarnation of the once high-flying DJ platform.

Now, the beta–stage app – founded by 2011 Turntable co-founder Joseph Perla – is hosting shows with artists and playlist curators to reach the music industry.

As the virtual music space explodes, tt.live is aiming to construct the ultimate virtual hangout for artists and music fans. Dubbed 'Turntable Presents,' the curated shows are quickly amassing artists and followers.

Leading the charge are prominent playlist curators such as The Luna Collective. . .

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Digital Hearing-Test Company Mimi Hearing Technologies Announces $25 Million Series B

Dylan Smith — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 16:35:48 +0000

Digital hearing-test company Mimi Hearing Technologies has announced the completion of a $25 million Series B funding round.

Berlin-headquartered Mimi Hearing Technologies, which says that it “aims to give users the best possible listening experience by tailoring audio signals across any electronic audio devices” based upon “individual hearing ability,” publicly detailed the $25 million raise in a formal release today.

German VC MIG Capital led the round “in a consortium with a larger Munich-based family office and Salvia, the. . .

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Audoo Raises Over $9.5 Million In ‘Pre-Series B Funding’ From Paul McCartney’s MPL Ventures, Edinv, and More

Dylan Smith — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 21:33:45 +0000

About 13 months after wrapping a roughly $6.87 million (£5.2 million) Series A, London-based music-tech startup Audoo has secured another $9.51 million (£7.2 million) via “a pre-series B funding round.”

Audoo announced this latest multimillion-dollar raise – as well as plans for “a significant Series B” – today, via a formal release that was emailed to DMN. Existing investor Edinv (a “single family office investing globally across all asset classes and industry sectors,” according to. . .

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AI-Powered Music-Separation Startup Audioshake Completes $2 Million Funding Round

Dylan Smith — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 17:58:04 +0000

Artificial intelligence music-separation platform Audioshake has officially raised $2 million in a seed funding round led by Precursor Ventures.

San Francisco-headquartered Audioshake just recently detailed its multimillion-dollar raise via a formal release that was emailed to Digital Music News. Co-founded last year by former Google VP of communications and CISAC team member Jessica Powell (who also serves as CEO), Audioshake drew additional support from . . .

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Troy Carter, Scooter Braun, Jared Leto, Sequoia Drop $1.5 Million on Latest Livestreaming Startup

Dylan Smith — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 23:02:26 +0000

High-profile investors including Troy Carter, Scooter Braun, Jared Leto, Forerunner Ventures, and Sequoia Capital have dropped $1.5 million on Moment House, a Los Angeles-based ticketed-livestreaming platform.

Moment House shared details of its seed-funding round earlier today in an email to Digital Music News. In addition to scoring investments from Atom Factory founder Troy Carter, longtime Justin Bieber manager Scooter Braun, and 30 Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto, the year-old livestreaming startup has secured capital from . . .

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Scooter Braun, Alex Rodriguez Drop $30MM on Virtual Concert Startup Wave

Dylan Smith — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 15:03:37 +0000

Virtual concert platform Wave has garnered $30 million in funding from an investment group that includes longtime Justin Bieber manager Scooter Braun and MLB great Alex Rodriguez.

Bonnaroo co-producer Superfly, Twitch co-founder and former COO Alex Lin, and California venture capital firm Griffin Gaming Partners joined Scooter Braun and A-Rod in backing Wave, which had previously secured $10 million in investor funds.

Now, with somewhere in the ballpark of $40 million to cover development and expansion costs, Wave will look to bolster its innovative offerings and increase its prominence in the digital sphere. The brand. . .

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VC Fund DBTH Capital Just Raised $38.4 Million to Invest in Music Rights Tech, AI + Blockchain

Marsha Silva — Thu, 05 Sep 2019 18:46:42 +0000

The world of venture capital is constantly evolving, and now there's even more capital available for blockchain, AI, and music rights tech startups and initiatives. One such beneficiary is DBTH Capital, a venture capital firm founded by longtime French music executive Virginie Berger.

In a recent LinkedIn post, Berger announced that DBTH Capital had raised an impressive 35 million euros, which translates to a little more than $38.6 million, from nine different investors. She also indicated that the company plans on raising. . .

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Sony/ATV Inks a Global Deal With Troy Carter’s Freshly-Hatched Q&A

Ashley King — Wed, 08 May 2019 04:49:02 +0000

Sony/ATV has reached a deal with Q&A to administer the music/tech company's publishing catalog.

The Q&A deal comes just a month after Troy Carter and J. Erving announced Q&A. The music tech company is based in Los Angeles and offers distribution, management, data analytics. . .

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Dubsmash Is Back, and Focused Entirely on Dance Challenges

Ashley King — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 23:20:09 +0000

Dubsmash is back, but not in the way you expected.

A few days ago, The Register reported hackers had breached several services, obtaining 617 million online accounts from several sites. Dubsmash was included among the likes of MyFitnessPal, 500px, CoffeeMeetsBagel, and Artsy.

The information was posted on. . .

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Why Blockchain Isn’t Even Close to Fixing Musicians’ Problems

Daniel Sanchez — Thu, 17 May 2018 04:02:03 +0000

According to a new study published by Choon, a blockchain-based streaming platform, 52% of people said they would use an alternative streaming music service if it rewarded artists more fairly.

76% said they’d love to see. . .

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After Squandering $180 Million, Guvera CEO Plans To Launch New Music Business

Daniel Sanchez — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 03:27:41 +0000

Former Guvera CEO Darren Herft fooled investors once. Will he do so again?

Two years ago, Australian-based streaming music startup Guvera managed to raise . . .

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Forget SoundCloud, Musical.ly & YouTube: Spotlite Is the Next Talent Incubator

Paul Resnikoff — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 20:43:55 +0000

In some senses, future superstars don’t have to be ‘found’ anymore.

SoundCloud propelled Post Malone and Kygo; Musical.ly gave us Baby Ariel and Anna Zak. Of course, it’s difficult for one platform to single-handedly deliver a brand-new artist. But the role of platforms like SoundCloud, Musical.ly, YouTube and even Shazam in super-charging careers is undeniable.

The only problem with this? Once a platform starts delivering talent. . .

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Songkick’s Former Publicist Now Works for Harvey Weinstein

Daniel Sanchez — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 18:24:34 +0000

Sallie Hofmeister once provided PR work for Songkick. Now, she’s crisis managing for Harvey Weinstein.

Yesterday, in a letter sent to clients, once-promising ticketing startup Songkick finally confirmed that it would close its doors.

The startup specialized in selling tickets directly to fans through fan. . .

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Kobalt Beefs Its War Chest by Another $14 Million

Daniel Sanchez — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 18:48:29 +0000

$500 million in annual revenue. Nearly 500 employees and growing. Can anything stop Kobalt Music?

Kobalt Music has one thing in mind: reinventing the music industry so that it works better for creators. It also has the money to do so.

In 2014, the company first raised

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Two Fabulous Music Tech Companies. Both Dead on the Same Day.

Daniel Sanchez — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 18:38:51 +0000

Ricall and Blin.gy have gone the way of the dodo.

UK-based platform Ricall offered music pre-licensed for use in advertising, film, and TV.

Blin.gy brought special effects that magically inserted users into their favorite viral and music videos.

What. . .

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16 Reasons Why Music Startups Fail

Paul Resnikoff — Thu, 10 Aug 2017 20:12:22 +0000

1. Licensing.

If you want major artists from major labels, be prepared to pay multi-millions of dollars for it. And it may take years to finalize those deals (just ask Spotify).

If they don't make you give away a percentage of your company, I'd like to meet your attorney.

I just got off the phone with a young, talented, and very smart entrepreneur who has a great idea that really. . .

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9 Essential Music Tech Events at SXSW 2017

Daniel Sanchez — Fri, 10 Mar 2017 19:31:27 +0000

While there are usually many events at SXSW, which are the must-attend for up-and-coming musicians?

After a long flight, you’ve finally settled down at your hotel. Then, you arrive at SXSW. Suddenly, you find yourself overwhelmed by the number of events catered to musicians. So, which events are an absolute must? Digital Music News has compiled a list of 9 events you must attend at this year’s SXSW. Let’s take a look.

Music Tech Meet Up

Mar 14, 2017 | 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. . .

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Vadio Calls It Quits After Burning Through $11.8 Million In 4 Years

Paul Resnikoff — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 23:50:30 +0000

4 years. $11.8 million in funding. 1 dead company: Vadio.

Vadio was a promising start-up focusing on streaming music video monetization. So WTF happened?

Early this morning, the death knell rang loudly as Vadio officially ran out. . .

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Grandpa, What’s a ‘Radio Station’?

Paul Resnikoff — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 23:19:45 +0000

When will traditional radio stop ignoring the internet? And, everyone under the age of 25?

It's a question whose answer is obvious. Why are people tuning out of 'traditional' broadcast radio? Usually the answer involves one or more of the following:
(a) long commercials
(b) lots of repeated songs
(c) long deejay breaks
(d) Spotify
(e) podcasts
(f) mobile phones in general
(g. . .

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Shazam’s Slain Competitor Raises a Juicy $75 Million

Paul Resnikoff — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 01:32:55 +0000

Soundhound lost the war against Shazam. Now, it's raising $75 million for a post-music pivot.

Is there life after the brutalities of the music industry? The answer is yes — if you've got the right pivot.

Enter Soundhound, an app we thought was roadkill after getting crushed by Shazam. But it turns out that audio recognition has a lot of. . .

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Sprint Makes a Play at TIDAL, Purchases 33% Stake

Daniel Sanchez — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 18:25:27 +0000

Is Sprint making a possible long-term play at TIDAL?

TIDAL hasn’t faced a good couple of years. As competitors keep gaining paid subscription numbers, the music streaming giant owned by Jay Z has floundered.

The company currently faces a multimillion dollar lawsuit brought by the late estate of Prince. In addition, the company currently new allegations of fake paid subscription accounts.

In much-needed good news for the company, Sprint will now purchase a 33% stake in TIDAL.

. . .

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Jay Z’s Tidal Is Fraudulently Inflating Subscriber Numbers, Report Says (Updated)

Paul Resnikoff — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 17:17:54 +0000

How many subscribers does TIDAL really have? A new study is now accusing the Jay Z-owned service of completely fabricating their numbers. And not by a little bit.

Tidal claims to have more than 3 million paying subscribers. More than half of those are high-paying, $20-a-month audiophiles, according to the company. Separate reports have claimed up to 6 million subscribers.

Sounds great, but is it true?

Now, a new. . .

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Will 2017 See The End of Sonos?

Daniel Sanchez — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 20:15:20 +0000

The company lays off an 'unspecified' number of employees. Then, they make deals with their rivals. Now, the CEO steps down. Will 2017 be the end of Sonos?

In a blog post on Sonos’ website, Sonos CEO and co-founder John MacFarlane stepped down. Titled, 'The Next Generation of Sonos Leadership,' MacFarlane explained,
“As the founder and CEO of Sonos, I am always trying to find leaders who are capable of taking Sonos to the next level. Part of that means assessing my own role. With Sonos now poised for a new phase of growth, I am. . .

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6 Reasons Why I’m In Love With the AirTurn Bluetooth Pedal

Marlon Longid — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 04:36:35 +0000

Here's what happened when a self-described 'one-man musical army' put the AirTurn Duo bluetooth pedal through the paces.

The following product deep-dive comes from a company we're really proud to be partnering with . AirTurn making gigging a thousand times easier and more enjoyable, not to mention more lucrative. If you're a gigging musician, this might just. . .

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Will Using Kodi For Illegal Streaming Get You Arrested? Probably Not

Daniel Sanchez — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 20:04:47 +0000

A Kodi download and Kodi TV box probably won’t get you in trouble, according to a leading expert.

Lately, the UK has ramped up its efforts to catch online pirates. The Kodi box and a Kodi download fall into a legal gray area. The open source media player is perfectly legal. With third-party tweeks, Kodi gives users access to pirated content. Streaming illegal music and video content is illegal both in the US and in Europe. However, a trader in Teesside found out the hard way that selling the devices . . .

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Will SoundCloud Go Bankrupt This Year?

Daniel Sanchez — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 16:49:17 +0000

Amidst Google buyout rumors, co-founder admits that SoundCloud may go bankrupt this year.

More bad news for the company. After Spotify walked away from advanced plans to acquire the company, SoundCloud posted yet another difficult financial quarter. This leaves the streaming company in a bad state.

MBW reports that SoundCloud’s revenues grew 21.6% to $22 million in 2015. However, net losses continue growing at an accelerated rate to $52 million. The company posted their 2015. . .

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Anti-File Locker Adult Site Turns Into Illegal TV File Locker Site

Daniel Sanchez — Wed, 28 Dec 2016 21:42:33 +0000

Does anti-file locker campaigner Robert King actually know his Node XXX website turned into an illegal TV file locker site?

Several years ago, adult industry worker Robert King launched a noble crusade. Dubbed StopFileLockers, he wanted to shut down cyber lockers used to share files illegally, including top music albums. . . .

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Pornhub Just Released a Song About Snapchat (Here Comes the Lawsuit)

Paul Resnikoff — Wed, 28 Dec 2016 04:42:32 +0000

Pornhub is now becoming a serious player in the music industry. Just this morning, Pornhub Records released 'Snap That,' the first song ever written about Snapchat. It's another Digital Music News exclusive!

What happens when an adult site becomes richer than God? If you told us one year ago that Pornhub would be in the record business, we'd laugh. Now, Pornhub Records is a fast-rising force, with. . .

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Bye-Bye, Vine App. Say Hello To Vine Camera

Daniel Sanchez — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 18:35:17 +0000

Twitter: "We can rebuild Vine. We have the technology."

Back in October, Twitter announced that they were going to shutter the Vine app. The social media company explained the process currently underway in a blog post.

“In October we let you know that we’re shutting down Vine. Since then, we’ve been working closely with creators to find out what’s important to you, to answer your questions, and to make sure we do this the right way.”

However, Twitter is not killing off. . .

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Tidal Just Handed Out 1 Million Free Subscriptions in Poland…

Daniel Sanchez — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 20:14:11 +0000

Tidal subscription numbers still pale in comparison to Apple Music and Spotify. But all of that changes in Poland (sort of)...

Jay Z's Tidal just added 1 million new subscribers. And they're all coming from Poland. That’s according to Polish site Telix.

The article says reads that total Tidal subscription numbers came after the company launched a major campaign. And that included tons of freebies. So now, roughly 0.025% of the country now has a paid Tidal subscription.

Well, only a few seem to be. . .

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What Song Is This? Snapchat Has the Answer

Paul Resnikoff — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 19:41:19 +0000

What song is this? Now, Snapchat can now identify any song playing in your surrounding. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do it.

Identifying songs playing at clubs, bars, or parties used to be a pain. Now, it's becoming almost impossible NOT to answer the question, 'what song is this?' Unless you're listening to a song on a. . .

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Neil Young Refuses to Accept Utter Defeat on Pono

Daniel Sanchez — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 18:32:01 +0000

Neil Young gives more questions than answers about the Pono Player.

Neil Young likes to think big. How big? Try launching a high-end music player with a corresponding digital store. Also try supporting it once again. In a podcast interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Neil Young shared his plans about Pono.
“We're pushing towards getting a presence in phones. He's working with a Singaporean company on a method to "maintain our quality level when we go to streaming.”
However, as Rolling Stone notes, iPhone internal chips are not currently compatible with higher-than. . .

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Music Startups Archives - Digital Music News

Music Industry Litigation Tracker

Can the Music Industry Monetize AI – And Like It? A Conversation With OpenPlay Cofounder Edward Ginis

Who Gets to Control the Music Superfan? A Look at the Looming Fragmentation of ‘Superfan 2.0’

Digital Music News Is Beefing Up Its Chart Intelligence With Chartmetric — Here’s a Look at What’s Coming

Digital Music News is now expanding its longtime partnership with Chartmetric, the industry’s most respected music intelligence and data platform.

As PRO Inquiries Continue In Washington, Audoo Shares Some Shocking Song-Tracking Data from Denver

Theoretically, performing rights organizations (PROs) track and tally every song played in public and streaming platforms – then dole out the royalties accordingly. Now, London-based Audoo has hard evidence showing that billions of song plays can be counted with near-100% accuracy.

2025 Core Music Industry Funding Crosses the $500 Million Mark — But Remains Sharply Down from 2024 Levels

The Music Payments Playbook: A Nifty Little Guide for Anyone Overseeing Complex Royalty Payments to Artists, Songwriters, and Music IP Owners

AI Concert Analytics Startup Breakevent Scores Over $900,000 Raise, Targets Continued Expansion Initiatives in Spain

Breakevent, a startup developing AI-powered concert analytics software, has scored an over $908,000 (€876,000) funding round.

Spotify Individual Premium Subscribers Continue to Flatline In the US — As the Broader US-Based Streaming Music Subscription Picture Remains Soft

Universal Music Group Bosses Finally Push Back on Spotify’s Bundling Shenanigans — Now There’s a Direct Deal with UMPG Dealing With the Royalty Loophole

These Shuttered Music Industry Startups Raised Over $320 Million Between 2020 and 2023 — A Look at the Latest Music Startup Crashes, Pivots, and Acquisitions

Splashy funding announcements are extremely common in the music industry. But what happens to startups after they exit the media spotlight? It's not always pretty.

Core Music Industry Funding Actually Rose in 2024 Thanks to a Few Massive Raises — Is a Wider Resurgence In the Cards for 2025?

Music industry funding ticked upward in 2024, but year-over-year levels would have plunged if not for a few huge raises. Amid rumblings of a significant rebound, what does 2025 have in store?

AI-Powered Concert Listings? Hearby Just Generated an App for That

How much bigger can the global live concert space grow? Boston-based Hearby is betting that AI-generated concert searches can crack the discovery riddle and boost attendance across the board. Here’s a look at the just-launched ‘Ask Hearby.’

On Air Inks Licensing Deal With Mercury Studios for Concert Video Content — Here’s a Closer Look at the Platform

Content from the UMG-owned production studio is available to stream now.

How to Train Your AI Chat Dragon: Hearby Uses Chat Technology to Help Fans Find Grassroots Music They’ll Love

ChatGPT is impressive out-of-the-box but challenging to apply to real-world problems. Area4 Labs and Hearby are building with AI technology to create a data-driven live event concierge.

UNIFI Music Has Another Plan for AI — Artist Management

Finding and retaining effective management is a significant hurdle for many emerging artists. Now, UNIFI Music is building an AI-driven intelligent platform for that.

SaaS Superfan Platform FanCircles Announces $2 Million Raise, Touts ‘Unique Model of One App Per Artist’

FanCircles, a self-described “pioneering SaaS superfan platform,” has announced a $2 million raise and set its sights on adding new features.

Is Warner Music Really Achieving ‘Strong Subscription Streaming Growth’? We Crunched the Numbers to Find Out

Table of Contents

The Music Industry Is Bursting With Litigation — Here Are 10 Particularly Game-Changing Lawsuits to Watch

From infringement complaints against generative AI developers to unpaid royalty actions targeting streaming platforms, the music industry certainly isn't lacking high-stakes litigation. Here are ten particularly important lawsuits with major implications to watch moving forward.

HITKOR Is Reshaping Live Performances With a ‘Boutique, High-End, and Groundbreaking’ Broadcasting Model

Music Industry Funding Approaches $1.3 Billion In 2024 — But That’s Still Way Behind Q1 2023 Levels

Nearly $1.3 billion has been plowed into music-focused companies so far this year, according to details tracked and compiled by DMN Pro's Music Industry Funding Tracker. But that's tame compared to explosive Q1 2023 totals.

Life After TikTok: What Does a Ban Mean for the Music Industry?

Video-Focused Licensing Startup WavMaker Officially Launches, Reveals $5 Million Seed Raise

WavMaker, a music licensing startup geared towards video creators, has officially launched and announced $5 million in seed funding.

Will.i.am Isn’t Embracing AI — He’s Bear-Hugging It With His Upcoming SiriusXM Radio Show

When it comes to AI, will.i.am is emerging as one of several high-profile artists embracing the technology. Now, the artist — in conjunction with his FYI app — is debuting a SiriusXM radio show featuring a seriously convincing AI co-host, qd.pi.

UMG Is Putting the Final Touches on ‘UMusicLift’—Is This a New Incubator for Music Startups?

Last year, Universal Music filed for a new trademark for a service called ‘UMusicLift.’ Now it appears they’re putting the finishing touches on launching a new music startup incubator. Here’s what we know.

Web3 Superfan Monetization Startup TRAX Announces Nearly $3 Million ‘Decentralized Funding Round’

Web3 superfan platform TRAX has announced a nearly $3 million “decentralized funding round.”

AI Catalog Optimization Is Here — What Now?

Digital Music News and longtime partner Reprtoir joined forces for a live-streamed panel to tackle some opportunities and challenges tied to AI catalog management.

‘K-Pop Powerhouse’ Titan Content Officially Launches, Aims To ‘Push the Industry Forward Through Savvy Web3 Disruption’

Titan Content, a self-described “multinational K-pop powerhouse” founded by former SM Entertainment CEO Nikki Semin Han, has officially launched with a goal of growing the genre’s reach on the global stage.

Audoo Secures Expansion With Foundation Client APRA AMCOS in Australia and New Zealand

Too Lost Now Features Directly-Embedded beatBread Financing — With Fast-Tracked Funding to Users

Music distributor Too Lost will now feature a direct integration of beatBread — a funding platform geared towards independent artists, labels, and distributors. The two companies originally paired up in 2021, working together to advance millions of dollars of growth capital.

Splash Pro Gen-2 AI Lets You Craft Licensable Music and Vocals from a Text Prompt — Here’s How

OmMuse Is Replacing ‘Noisy,’ Disparate Platforms With an All-Inclusive Hub Of Artist Tools

Most artists end up juggling various platforms and multiple ‘dashboards’ during the production, distribution, and promotion of their music. Now, OmMuse is working to consolidate everything an artist needs into a central repository — the OmMuse Hub.

European Royalty-Investment Platform ANote Music Announces €3.3 Million Funding Milestone, Institutional Investor Expansion

European royalty-investment platform ANote Music has announced that it’s raised €3.3 million, and execs are now looking to draw further support from institutional investors with an offering that works “in a similar way to Bowie Bonds.”

Is Your Band Big In Japan? Shifts In Public Performance Tracking Could Generate Some Major Surprises

Swedish ‘Self-Serve’ Licensing Platform Freshsound Announces $2.2 Million Raise, Preps International Buildout

Less than one year after securing $1.33 million from investors, “self-serve music licensing platform” Freshsound has announced a €2 million ($2.18 million at the present exchange rate) raise and set its sights on spearheading a global expansion.

Duetti Closes $32 Million Round With Support from Roc Nation, Says It’s ‘Uniquely Positioned to Disrupt the Music Financing Market’

About four months after reportedly raising $7 million, indie-focused music acquisition company Duetti has formally announced a $32 million round that drew participation from Roc Nation.

Web3 Funding Is Cratering, Data Shows — Potentially Spelling Trouble for Numerous Music Startups

Following 2022’s "crypto winter" and the collapse of FTX, Web3 funding reportedly cratered by 82 percent year over year during the opening quarter of 2023, and the downturn could potentially be impacting all manner of music plays.

Sheet Music Digitization Startup Enote Announces Nearly $11 Million Raise, Touts ‘Cutting Edge’ AI Technology

Amid classical’s much-publicized streaming expansion, digital sheet music startup Enote has announced the “first closing” of a nearly $11 million pre-Series A round.

In the Wake of Taylor Swift’s ‘Ticketmaster Debacle,’ VBO Tickets Is Quietly Crafting a Queueing Solution

As the ruckus from Taylor Swift’s ‘Ticketmaster debacle’ simmers down, the ticketing space is quietly working on solutions. That includes VBO Tickets, which is road-testing a sophisticated queueing technology and finding early success.

Audoo Appoints Music Publishing Vet Nigel Elderton as Chairman

Audoo is a new music technology company that aims to revolutionize public performance royalties. Music publishing veteran Nigel Elderston has been appointed Chairman.

AI-Powered Music-Promotion Startup Unhurd Closes Seven-Figure Seed Round, Adds Willard Ahdritz As Advisor

AI-powered music-marketing startup Unhurd (stylized as “un:hurd” as well as "unhurd") has officially announced a seven-figure seed round.

How Artists Are ‘Purchasing’ Record Deals — Before They Get Signed

HiLife Music Group's subsidiary label, A-Grade Music, is allowing artists to 'Purchase a Record Deal' — aiming to change how label deals are done. Artists can now get ahead of the curve by buying a deal that comes with every perk that a conventional record label would provide.

Side Door’s Touring Program Supports Artists Financially En Route To Festivals In 2023

How artists and hosts can utilize Side Door's live music booking platform and more on their efforts to support underrepresented voices this festival season.

GigFinesse Scores $3.6MM Seed Funding Round — Bessemer Venture Partners, Cosmic Venture Partners on Board

GigFinesse secures $3.6 million in a seed funding round with Bessemer Venture Partners and Cosmic Venture Partners on board.

Collaborative Music Platform Drooble Is Shutting Down

Collaborative music platform Drooble is shutting down in December. The social media network was created by musicians for musicians to meet and collaborate together.

Country Radio Seminar Broadens Opening Day With Digital Music & Tech Summit — Here’s What to Expect