To make up for Apple copying streaming, Spotify copy Apple’s virtual media event!
Watch-back, and read along my timestamped comments, given that they banned them on YT! Would love to hear what you make of mine!
MUSIC 28:30 People are listening to people across borders more. Can I just question whether that’s a good thing? Social communities are already dislocated enough by Covid, what we could do with is more hyper-localisation pls. (This is speaking from experience of the terrible listener - conversion rate on the thousands of Japanese & Australian streams I had on the MC Beastly track “Let me go”)
33:00 “On Our Radar” Program
35:00 “Those artists are all gonna be Superstars 🇺🇸😎” - Joji already had that sort of bland fame and eschewed it for artistry pal
36:00 Enhanced Album
37:40 That’s brave mentioning Taylor Swift, as if she isn’t one of Spotify’s most reluctant artists!!
38:30 Spotify is getting a Stories style feature now: “Clips” 🙄
40:00 can someone explain how Nija is able to have a dope (non-legal) songwriter name?
41:00 Spotify gets a Tidal Master style hi-fi: “Hi-Fi” 🙄 Trust them to copy Apple & roll-out techy pop’s poster boy FINNEAS (btw did I mention I can write bedroom pop like him?)
43:40 SoundTrap Capture as Apple Music Memos (discontinued) replacement?
44:30 I might actually try use SoundBetter to seek producer
PODCASTS (skipped - I’ll simply mention I’m proud to have been one of the Spotify Beta podcasts using Anchor in 2018. I’m now focussing my talk on Clubhouse)
DISCOVERABILITY 67:20 acknowledges ML-alone just amplifies BS trends: announces new phrase: “algotorial”.
69:00 new algo playlist: “X Mix”.
MONETIZATION 83:00 Music industry gonna grow again through digital advertising
84:00 Streaming Ad Insertion (SAI) after buying Megaphone, rolled-out to Anchor
97:00 Smashing borders! Yay! Hmmm sync placement opportunity for “Come Home” Spotify? Instead of just giving me 10 streams?!
SHOW 97:40 “we’ve been in audio-only for a decade” - Daniel Ek trying to head-off Clubhouse
104:00 When Spotify gets to flex being the coolest tech company: roll-out Springsteen, Biebs.. & Barack?! Holla at Biebs going #AroundWorld80GreenScreens
CONCLUSION For Big Music: if Ben Evans is correct that consumer tech is now more about tapping pop culture trends than good tech, Spotify look set to be dynamic enough to hold off Big Tech’s (The 2 As) challenges on being tech gateway for BigMusic. For Small Indie: I wouldn’t put much faith in Spotify, as the reality is you’re at the mercies of their (not necessarily good) tech. Diversify as much as possible outside the platform (Bandcamp & beyond), and double-down on any virality you achieve on it.