101 Distribution Launches Arena Mobile Music Streaming With 100% Ad Payout To Artists

101 Distribution recently announced the launch of 101 Arena, a music streaming mobile web app that is free to listeners and pays out 100 per cent of advertising revenue to artists. It's a smart addition to 101 Distribution's services to indie musicians and filmmakers that leverages concern over streaming service payouts to artists.

Whether or not it's a serious direct competitor to streaming companies like Spotify and RDIO, 101 Arena is part of a growing group of options for indie artists questioning such services and strenghthens 101 Distribution among companies developing all-in-one DIY distro services.

101 Distribution provides a wide range of music and music video distribution and marketing options. Innovations have included support for preparing and making your music available on the Rock Band videogame.

101 Distribution's approach is to charge a fee for services and then give 100% of sales to artists. Their new project, 101 Arena, takes a similar path in that artists receive 100% of ad revenue in addition to sales. 101 Arena is included in 101 Distribution's flate rate distro service.

101 Arena is accessed via a free HTML5 mobile web app and is currently beta testing for iPhones. It's free to listeners who can create playlists for music and movies from 101 Distribution's catalog or pay for downloads and on-demand video rentals.

Additional features include:

• Streaming Music Channels: Genres, DJ Sets, Live Performances
• Music Videos, Shorts, Artist Interviews, Feature Films & Film-on-Demand
• Recommendations Based on Playlist Choices

Though it makes sense to position 101 Arena as an alternative to major streaming services given the widespread concerns expressed by artists, when considered as an extension of 101 Distribution it strikes me as more of a competitor to music distro services focused on indies and DIY artists.

Given that an increasing number of digital music distro services are free or exceptionally inexpensive, 101 Arena adds to 101 Distribution's offerings that go above and beyond simple digital music distribution. But it also allows them to compete with emerging streaming and download subscription services such as Drip.fm and DISTRO.fm.

While indies and DIY artists may start off looking at free or low-cost services, the range of options is getting overwhelming and time-consuming to manage. That means that all-in-one shops like 101 Distribution that can keep up with new options, in this case streaming music as an element of distribution, have a competitive advantage among artists who need affordable services but recognize the time and effort savings of flat fee, all-in-one services.

Hypebot Features Writer Clyde Smith blogs about business at Flux Research: Business Changes and about dance at All World Dance: News. To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.