Music Business

My Top Tech Launches Of 2015 – Dmitri Vietze, Rock Paper Scissors

best 0f 2015Between now and the end of the year, we'll be asking music industry and music tech leaders to name their top 5 or so music tech launches of 2015.  Today tech and music publicist Dmitri Vietze of Rock Paper Scissors weighs in.

 
Dmitri Vietze, CEO of www.rockpaperscissors.biz, a PR firm that specializes in music tech PR identifies the top 5 music tech launches in his world in 2015 as:
 
image from www.hypebot.com1. Spotify's Discover Weekly. Finally, a user-specific algorithmic playlist updated weekly that music fans love. Everyone I've talked to who has used it, is pleasantly impressed and is finding new music. Maybe that's why they are surpassing Pandora in listeners. 
 
2. CD Baby's First Annual DIY Musician Conference. For the first time, there is finally a conference of significance (1000+ attendees) focussed entirely on the tactical needs of the purely independent musician. The diversity of roles, cultures, and genders of presenters, the practicality of the advice given, and the generous spirit of sharing are turning heads. 
 
3. Apple Music. Though Beats Radio and other bells and whistles are not enough to convert me from Spotify, the payouts that are getting released via Apple Music streaming are going to double the pie overnight. That's a top launch. Let's hope they can sustain it.  
 
4. Music Xray's A&R Artificial Intelligence. After years of tweaking variables of fan-sourced feedback and building a network of industry A&R pros, Music Xray quietly installed the missing piece of the A&R puzzle, using machine learning to predict which songs will meet the needs of label A&R execs and music supervisors. Once more of the industry tries it out, A&R and artist investment will never be the same. 
 
5. SESAC Acquisitions. Though it's technically not a launch, SESAC's acquisitions of Rumblefish and Harry Fox Agency is a turning point in rights payment, uniting the variety of rights types to better align with current uses of music. Other entities will follow suit, if permitted. The industry is catching up with the way fans consume music. 
 
(Disclaimer: rock paper scissors, inc. represents the PR interests of CD Baby, Rumblefish, and Music Xray. The company has no formal ties to Spotify or Apple.)

 

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