Weekly updates of key events in music, entertainment and technology compiled by Laura Montarroso, CORD Spain and edited by Anthony Vanger, MD CORD EMEA.
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MUSIC + MOBILE TECH + LIVE
Putting our fingers on our smartphones is an obsession. A recent study claimed that we touch our phones 2,617 a day. Over 70% of the digital and social media connectivity is through mobile.
But how does this relate to music? Smartphones have created new distribution channels and changed the way we consume music. It has helped artists to reach wider audiences and shored up lost income from physical sales.
Despite the increased revenue from streaming, concerts have become the most important revenue generator for artists – and a lot of controversy now surrounds the use of phones at shows. There are very few who won’t admit that they have filmed an entire set, texted or took selfie shots with their cellphone whilst seeing their idols on stage. This has not sat well with a few artists and for some of them, it is becoming a norm to ban phones at their shows. This is what might happen if you are caught on your phone during a show…one recent example, at the SlipKnot show :
Not to mention that these are the fans that are paying to see the show, and this is the experience they want.
So what is the solution? If artist aren’t comfortable with people being constantly on their phones and fans are not comfortable without their phones?
There are rumours that Apple is apparently working on a technology that can disable certain recording functions within a specific radius. That would theoretically solve the problem with iPhone users.
L.M – What are your thoughts?
MUSIC + BRANDS
Barcardi Names Swizz Beatz ‘Chief Creative for Culture’
Bacardi Limited has named Swizz Beatz as its “global chief creative for culture.” But the celebrity music producer won’t be appearing in ads for the liquor marketer anytime soon. The multi-year agreement covers Bacardi’s entire brand portfolio, which includes its namesake rum, along with Grey Goose, Martini, Bombay Sapphire and Dewars. “The goal is to develop partnerships, activations and ideas that further incorporate the Bacardi brands into the worlds of music, art and film”.
Vegas is hoping DJ Khaled proves to be the key to winning over millennials.
For a day and a half, the King of Snapchat committed the cardinal sin of Sin City: He made sure his 6 million digital followers knew what happened in Vegas. The hip-hop star—who was in town for a music residency—was commissioned by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to post and boast on Snapchat about the city’s highlights.
http://goo.gl/y7G8WL
How Brands Like Budweiser Are Reaching Country Music’s Increasingly Diverse Fan Base
The country music fan base is growing. The annual CMA (Country Music Association) Music Festival in Nashville in June set attendance records, with an average daily attendance of 88,500 fans and Facebook Live broadcasts with artists at the festival generated more than 1.3 million views. Since 2010, there has been a 25 percent increase in Hispanic listeners of country music, and attendees came from all 50 states and 25 countries. More than 50 brands sponsored the festival, including Chevrolet, HGTV and Anheuser-Busch.
DIGITAL
On-Demand Audio Streaming Outweighs Video Streaming
In the first six months of 2016, Americans played more than 114 billion audio streams on streaming platforms like, Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal. That same group played 95 billion video streams on music video platforms like YouTube. What this information suggests is that people are starting to focus more on listening to music rather than just watching music videos.
http://goo.gl/lzZjfy
Apple Music Loses 3 Times More Subscribers a Month Than Spotify
Last week, The Cowen Group ( a research company that concentrates on the most dynamic industries and provides in-depth analysis of the sectors within each) shared some information on the rate at which Spotify and Apple Music lose subscribers on a monthly basis. According to Cowen, Apple Music have a subscriber churn rate of 6.4%, which is nearly three times higher than Spotify, whose churn rate is 2.2%. Does this mean that Apple’s streaming service faces a tough road to outpace Spotify?
Facebook Japan launches social sharing of streamed music
Facebook Japan has launched a music streaming function, Music Stories, on the Japanese version of its social networking platform. Yokoyama, Facebook Japan spokesman, said the company is in talks with other services and that Apple Music is likely to participate in the future. The function allows Facebook users to post and share music distributed by music streaming services on their Facebook timeline, where it can then be shared, commented on and other users can listen to 30-second samples.
Snapchat Creates ‘Memories’ Tab For Saving Snaps To Watch or Re-Share Later
Snapchat, known for its ephemeral messaging features, unveiled the new section called “Memories” on Wednesday, which acts like an in-app camera roll. The “Memories” tab features an image search tool in which users can type keywords like “cat” or “Paris” to quickly retrieve snaps or stories, strings of photos and videos that can normally be viewed for 24 hours. Users will be able to use their saved snaps to create new stories with edited captions or new graphics.
http://goo.gl/kuH3qm
CHECK OUT THE WAY GHOSTBUSTERS WAS PROMOTED IN MADRID!
L.M – Thoughts? Send me comments!
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For more information please contact:
Anthony Vanger | Anthony@cordww.com
Laura Montarroso | laura.montarroso@cordww.com