Water & Music

🎯 Everyone's talking about superfans saving the music industry — but the reality is far more complicated. In our final webinar of 2024, we brought together three leading experts to break down what's actually working (and what isn't) in fan relationships and business models: - Monia Ali (Fandom Exile) on why fans' loyalty often lies with their idealized concept of an artist, not the artist themselves - Andy Blair (Reverb Data) on the uncomfortable truth about who really controls fan data (hint: it's probably not the artist) - Hanna Kahlert (MIDiA Research) on why launching new standalone fan platforms might be doing more harm than good These insights challenge many common assumptions about superfan monetization, and provide a critical roadmap for artists, managers, and founders building in this space. 🔒 Full recap available exclusively for Water & Music members: https://lnkd.in/exTTvD-m #musicindustry #musicbusiness #fanengagement #superfans #musictech #fandom #musicmarketing

The music industry's obsession with superfans has reached a fever pitch. While everyone rushes to build the next fan platform or monetization strategy, we're overdue for an honest conversation about what's actually working — and what isn't. In Water & Music's final webinar of 2024, we'll bring together three leading voices to challenge common assumptions about fandom, technology, and data ownership. Each speaker will deliver a lightning talk examining an uncomfortable truth about modern fandom, followed by guided discussion and audience Q&A. Our speakers will unpack: 💰 THE CELEBRITY SUPERFAN COMPLEX Monia Ali (Writer/Critic, Fandom Exile) will examine how the current model of emotional monetization — asking fans to pay more for deeper parasocial connections — is creating unsustainable dynamics for both artists and audiences. 🧑⚖️ THE REALITY OF DATA CONTROL Andy Blair (Founder, Reverb Data) will break down why no one truly "owns" fan data from a legal perspective, and how current incumbent industry approaches to data control are on a collision course with privacy regulations and growing artist leverage. 📲 THE PLATFORM PARADOX Hanna Kahlert (Analyst, MIDiA Research) will present an argument for why launching new fan platforms isn't the answer to critical fan engagement challenges, drawing from years of research on failed attempts and shifting artist and fan behaviors. This won't be just another webinar celebrating superfan success stories. We'll be creating space for the critical conversations the industry needs to have about sustainable artist-fan relationships, practical technology solutions, and ethical data practices. RSVP link in the comments, or via the graphic below. Paying W&M members get in free. We'd love to see you there! #musicindustry #musicbusiness #fans #fandom #superfans #musictech

🆔 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