Discoverability is one of the greatest perks of being able to explore the world of music without the chains of having to use a streaming service only to listen to the bands and songs you love. Kurrent Music’s ability to search and find artists not just based on their popularity and genre but other aspects such as who is writing about them in social media, blogs and news and connecting data in many different creative ways is just really fascinating and has given me a perspective on music that I really didn’t have before.
The fact is today’s music industry is much about data, and I mean BIG DATA, as it is about music; perhaps even more so about data than it is about music.
To those of you in the music industry this statement may sound not only incorrect but even offensive. After all, you should be able to recognize good music just based on its artistic merits and the emotions it inspires in an audience, right? WRONG!
I am a software guy (a.k.a. geek, nerd, weirdo, freak) so I won’t bore you trying to explain what BIG DATA is and how it is revolutionizing the music industry but let me just say you are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. Whether you like or not, beneficial for music or not; the software industry has already unlocked the doors for data democratization, a process that will ultimately have a profound effect on who’s who in the music industry.
Taylor Swift’s problem, and the entire music industry’s problem for that matter, is to think software companies are taking away their much deserved royalties, when in fact it is these companies who are putting the brain power and their platforms to create an unprecedented mash of information about music that is making artists infinitely popular [and wealthy] by drawing crowds [and sponsors] to their music and ultimately their venues and merchandise.
Sure, music is a great asset to have when you are running a platform like Facebook, Google or Apple. To them music is just another commodity, another piece of data in their quest for world domination but consider the cost of customer acquisition and retention these platforms charge the average marketer to reach a combined audience of more than 4 billion people and you will realize it is Taylor Swift who is getting a real bargain here.
If you are (or if you are planning to be) in the music business, my only advice to you: adopt-a-nerd, and quickly! Understand this Data, get ahead of the curve, captivate new audiences and make a ton of money in the process.
... and if this is not what you were expecting, well take a listen to Big Data’s Dangerous feat. Joywave, awesome song!
