INFLUENCING EMERGING MUSIC TECH CULTURE
February 17th, 2015
Thoughts from the CEO: New York was on fire this weekend with an All-Star Weekend and NYFW crossover for the first time ever. Kanye and Adidas were smart enough to take full advantage of it by launching #YeezyBoost.
2014 FlashFWD nominee, DONDA was responsible for everything from the store design to the launch of the Adidas app. The app was a truly innovative way to connect with fans, get the shoes into the hands of people who will really wear it, and most ambitiously, end line ups. They continued their winning streak by nailing a star-studded fashion show experience that was streamed in 50 movie theaters. Besides embracing technology and launching an app, they dominated social media and created the most exciting release between an artist and lifestyle brand in 2015. It'll be interesting to see if their metrics of success are met, how many shoes will end up on eBay and how this affects future releases.
PS. Hey Chicago, if you're reading this - it's NOT too late. You still have time to snag tickets to Green Label Live's collaborative series with Mountain Dew and Hypebeast. Rae Sremmurd is headlining and we have Kanye's designer, Virgil Abloh spinning two sets! - Jesse K (@JesseKay)
#Apps #Streaming #BandsAndBrands
The Yeezy Boost
When Kanye signed with Adidas in 2013, the company and the musician wanted to do things differently. They agreed that whatever shoes and clothes were released as part of the agreement should be easily available to people who will wear them, rather than ending up in the hands of people who are just going to flip them on eBay. Were they successful?
#Spotify
Drake Sets Records
"If You're Reading This It's Too Late" album debuted Friday and has been streamed over 17M times in three days.
#Streaming
Rhapsody Re-Enters
With 2.5M subscribers, how did Rhapsody and its Napster brand get back on the road to becoming a real competitor in streaming?
#VentureCapital
Andreessen's Plan
Unicorns would be good for VC's but how about society as a whole, not to mention the global and US economies?
#StreamingRevenue
Push for Fair Share
Dear Spotify, please allocate a fair % of revenue to the people who actually write the songs! Signed, Songwriters
#RecordLabels
Snapchat x Apple
Are Apple and Snapchat joining forces to acquire Big Machine, Taylor Swift's record label? Well, it'll cost them $350M!
#Spotify
Zero Understanding
"We have created a fantastic service and people just complain," says Spotify founder, Martin Lorentzon.