The Future Music Marketplace Part 1: Socialised Connections
Published 31 August 2023
In this two-part exploration of the future of music engagement, we outline new horizons for listening to, discovering and participating in music. In Part One, we dive into the innovations making music a more connected social experience, covering streaming platforms primed for soundtracking social media, DIY DJ apps for building virtual micro venues (including radio stations), and the platforms galvanising superfans.
Making Social Media-Meets-Music a More Tightly Enmeshed Experience
DIY Tools for Creating Online Micro Music Venues
Mobilising Superfans: Leaning Into Next-Level Engagement
Social media’s symbiotic relationship with music has created a desire for tools that blend discovery with more nuanced opportunities for commenting, sharing and content creation. Streaming services Spotify (Sweden) and SoundCloud (Germany) are responding with save-and-share scrollable feeds, while ByteDance’s (China) new app, TikTok Music, is making the journey from discovering music to creating content with it frictionless.
Social media’s symbiotic relationship with music has created a desire for tools that blend discovery with more nuanced opportunities for commenting, sharing and content creation. Streaming services Spotify (Sweden) and SoundCloud (Germany) are responding with save-and-share scrollable feeds, while ByteDance’s (China) new app, TikTok Music, is making the journey from discovering music to creating content with it frictionless.
Fans are seeking ways to curate shared music moments online – in spaces where they can listen to music with their peers but also bring their flair and tastes to the table. Turntable Live (US) offers metaverse-like music hangouts for brands and individuals, while Amazon’s Amp app turns music-sharing enthusiasts into radio DJs for friends and family.
New services and features are creating much-desired superfan pathways: catering for those who want to increase both their involvement in fan communities and their support for their favourite artists. SoundCloud and Spotify are introducing direct messaging between musicians and listeners, while American radio-esque platform Stationhead lets fans join stations that help promote artists via mass streaming sessions.
The Future Music Marketplace Part 1: Socialised Connections
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