Water & Music

🆔 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Distribution is no longer just about delivering music to platforms. Our latest research reveals how distributors are evolving: ➡️ Expanding into audience development ➡️ Providing sophisticated marketing automation ➡️ Focusing on superfan engagement The future of distribution is about data, not just delivery. Read our full analysis below 👇 #musicdistribution #musictech #musicindustry #musicbusiness #musicdata #datastrategy #artistdevelopment #artiststrategy

❗ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 What's the most popular tool for managing fan data in music? Surprisingly, it's not a music-specific platform. Our research found: 💡 82% of industry pros use generic tools like email & spreadsheets to manage fan data 💡 Only 26% use music-specific solutions 💡 Email remains the No. 1 method for fan data collection Why is it so hard to build a fan data management solution that can meet the speed of music culture? The answer is more complex than you might think 👇 #musictech #musicindustry #musicbusiness #musicdata #fanengagement #musicmarketing #datastrategy

🛡️ 𝗜𝗣 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝗴𝗲 The music industry is partnering with tech companies to build a multi-layered defense system for IP in the AI era: ✅ Training data certifications and audits (e.g. Fairly Trained, AI:OK, BMAT Music Innovators) ✅ Output attribution (e.g. ProRata.ai, Sureel AI, Musical AI, Human Native AI) ✅ Music and voice deepfake detection (e.g. Pex, Ircam amplify, MatchTune) ✅ User upload scanning (e.g. Audible Magic, which has partnered with the likes of Suno and Stability AI) ✅ Social platform watermarking (e.g. "Made with AI" labels on Meta, YouTube, and TikTok) Each approach, while being commercially adopted on a mass industry scale, has its own technical and political limitations. Get our comprehensive breakdown of this new landscape 👇 #musicindustry #musicbusiness #musictech #musicai #aistrategy #copyright #intellectualproperty

👥 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 The old playbook of chasing viral moments isn't enough anymore. Our latest research reveals how top artists are reimagining fan engagement: 📈 Moving fan data management away from major labels, to startups like Openstage 📈 Leveraging next-gen analytics tools like Levellr for more sustained fanbase and community growth 📈 Shifting strategically away from cultivating passive consumption, to leaning into more active participation from fans Even the major labels are now scrambling to build their own in-house superfan platforms and infrastructure to keep up with artist demand. Read our deep dive into how fan-first marketing actually works 👇 #musicbusiness #musictech #fanengagement #musicmarketing #datastrategy #musicindustry #musicdata #superfans

⚖️ 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 Who has leverage in an AI-first industry? In our latest webinar, we outlined how different stakeholders have conflicting interests when it comes to music AI: 🎯 Artists need strong brands and communities early on in their careers, and can benefit from maximizing their own reach and fan engagement. 🎯 Rights holders need to protect their market share and maximize catalog value. 🎯 Developers and founders need the most cost-effective ways to build products people actually want to use. For each of these participants, bending the market in their favor will directly contradict what other stakeholders want. Dive deeper into the emerging power dynamics behind music AI in our latest analysis 👇 #musictech #musicbusiness #musicai #musicindustry #aistrategy

After years of mapping the music AI landscape, Water & Music is hosting a one-of-a-kind event in NYC, bringing together the builders and operators who are actually moving the needle in this space. No hypotheticals — just real tools and real results that are reshaping how we create, market, and monetize music. 💡 We've assembled an exceptional lineup of speakers who are defining the future of the music and audio AI market: Rebecca Hu — Product Manager (Mobile), Suno Juliette Rolnick — Music Product, ElevenLabs Benji Rogers — Co-President, Sureel AI / Partner, Lark42 and our own Yung Spielburg — Head AI Analyst, Water & Music / Grammy-winning producer In this 2.5-hour session, you'll get: 💡 PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Lightning talks showcasing real AI tools being used TODAY across the music value chain 💡 CASE STUDIES: Concrete examples of how artists and teams are driving measurable results with AI 💡 DIRECT ACCESS: Quality time with speakers and fellow attendees who are actively shaping this space With only 40 spots available, we're keeping this intentionally intimate to enable the kind of detailed discussions and connections that actually move businesses forward. If you're a music industry professional looking to level up your AI capabilities, or a founder/investor focused on music innovation, this is the perfect event for you. 🎫 Tickets: $50 (W&M members get 50% off — check your inbox) 📍 Tribeca, NYC 🕐 Wednesday, November 20, 6:30-9:00 PM EST RSVP: https://lu.ma/music-ai-nyc Looking forward to diving deeper with those ready to drive meaningful, thoughtful progress in music AI! #musicindustry #musictech #musicbusiness #futureofmusic #musicai #nyc

🧐 𝗙𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 What makes someone a superfan? Our research shows it's not just about streaming numbers, or even just about how much money someone is spending. The reality is much more nuanced. As Fave Founder/CEO Jacquelle Amankonah Horton told us in a recent article, there are a wide variety of key metrics that matter: 📊 Frequency of engagement 📊 Intensity of actions 📊 Cross-platform behavior 📊 Purchase patterns 📊 Community influence Dive deeper into our full analysis on the future of fan data 👇 https://lnkd.in/eC4x7sPy #musicindustry #musictech #musicbusiness #fanengagement #fandata #superfans #musicdata #datastrategy

➡️ "𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲." Our latest webinar on music AI dove into the rise of synthetic data: Artificially generated information used to train AI models when real-world data is scarce or expensive. Due to a mix of rising licensing costs and a desire for more granular control and flexibility over the model training process, AI developers are increasingly exploring toward synthetic alternatives to acquiring data, in key areas like data labeling, stem mixing, and plugin generation. 💡 In this landscape, rights holders face a crucial question: What happens when AI companies no longer need their data? Dive into our full analysis on how synthetic data and other key AI trends are reshaping music's power dynamics 👇 #musictech #musicai #busicbusiness #musicindustry #aistrategy #datalicensing

➡️ 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 "Does anyone still develop artists these days?" It's a common critique of the modern music business. Our latest research reveals a critical force at the root of this shift: Services platforms working with artists are focusing not so much on artist development as on *audience* development: 🔍 Understanding fan behavior 🔍 Tracking and aggregating engagement across platforms 🔍 Building direct artist-fan connections 🔍 Converting casual listeners into superfans Get the full insights on the role of data in reshaping artist and audience development 👇 #musicbusiness #musicindustry #artistdevelopment #musictech #musicmarketing #datastrategy #musicdata

🚨 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘅 The music industry is drowning in data, yet starving for insights. Our 2024 State of Data in the Music Industry report surveyed 600 music professionals across 6 continents, and found a striking paradox: ✅ 59% of companies are increasing data budgets. ❓ Yet, 40% can't measure their data ROI. 🪚 Most teams still rely on manual spreadsheets and generic tools for managing crucial fan data, rather than relying on tools purpose-built for the music business. What's driving this disconnect between data abundance and actionable intelligence? Read the key findings from our comprehensive industry survey: https://lnkd.in/eRdEemBe #musicindustry #musictech #datastrategy #musicbusiness #musicdata