Business journal Fast Company has released its annual list of Most Innovative Companies, including ten focusing on music, and it contains a few surprises
While the list includes a few repeats from 2023 like UMG and TuneCore, there are also a couple of curiosities like Atlantic Records “for bringing the hit Barbie soundtrack to life” and CREEM “for bringing music journalism back to its heyday.”
Atlantic did a great job of taking full advantage of a mega-hot movie. And kudos to CREEM for coming back from the dead, but it’s way too early to reward them for a rebirth in music journalism that exists behind their paywall.
That aside, there are at least three that I’m keeping an eye on: Holoplot, CREATESAFE, and FEED.FM.
Fast Company’s 10 Most Innovative Music Companies 2024
- UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP
For rewriting how musicians are paid in the AI era - ATLANTIC RECORDS
For bringing the hit Barbie soundtrack to life - SOUNDCLOUD
For finding a whole new way to pay royalties to artists - HOLOPLOT
For personalizing the audio experience, even at a live event - DEEZER
For forging partnerships to get music to more people around the world globally - TUNECORE
For helping budding artists get their music to future fans - CREEM
For bringing music journalism back to its heyday - THE RECORDING ACADEMY
For expanding the definition of excellence in music - CREATESAFE
For building a framework for responsible AI music - FEED.FM
For generating a soundtrack for fitness platforms
Explore the full 2024 list of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies here.
Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a Berklee College Of Music professor.
