21 November 2016
Newsdesk
UK record labels’ association, the BPI, has launched the BPI Innovation Hub – a new forum that seeks to harness the potential of creativity and innovation by matching innovative tech companies with record labels that are looking to utilise new technology in their business.
The BPI will look to convene the Innovation Hub on a quarterly basis, inviting selected companies to meet with and present to each other with the aim of developing productive business partnerships that will generate long-term commercial opportunities.
Heading up the initiative for the BPI will be its first Innovation Hub Director, Vanessa Higgins, who runs her own record labels – Regent Street Records and Gold Bar Records – and already serves on the BPI’s Council as an independent label representative. Vanessa will be supported by BPI’s Director of Independent Member Services, Chris Tams, who will be responsible for its general operation.
Vanessa Higgins, BPI Innovation Hub Director, said: "The relationship between technology and record labels has always been important, and never more so than right now in today's rapidly changing landscape. With the help of leading minds in both fields, we are bringing together forward-thinking labels of all sizes with emerging technology companies, developing ideas across a plethora of areas.
“We want to shape the future of the music industry, not react to the rules thrust upon us. The BPI Innovation Hub is here to facilitate and foster these exciting potential partnerships."
The inaugural meeting of the BPI Innovation Hub took place at the end of last week, with 19 companies participating in total. Record labels and music service companies present included Absolute, Believe, BMG, Def Disco, Different, [PIAS], and Sony Music Entertainment UK, while tech companies on hand ranged from live-streaming platform Chew, and direct-to-fan marketing service Gig Rev, to 360 and VR company Mativision, and digital rights collection agency, Traccks. See full list further below.
Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive BPI & BRIT Awards, said: “The music business lives at the nexus of creativity, innovation and technology. Labels continually reinvent themselves to take advantage of new possibilities. So I’m delighted that Vanessa has taken on the key role of leading the BPI’s Innovation Hub. It is clear from the first Hub session that there are many exciting opportunities to collaborate with start-ups to create new experiences for fans and to find new, more efficient ways of doing business. The BPI is committed to helping member labels grow through innovation and collaboration.”
The technology companies who participated at the first Innovation Hub meeting were:
Beatroot – helps labels and publishers clean up their catalogue and add the metadata needed to prosper in the streaming world. http://beatroot.com/about/
Chew – livestreaming platform for DJs. https://chew.tv/
Disco – fast, lightweight music management service. http://disco.ac/
Doowapp – music messaging system. http://www.doowapp.me/
Duel – audience content platform. https://about.duel.me/
Exclusiph – online service for high quality and official music images. https://exclusiph.com/
Gig Rev – direct-to-fan marketing through artists digital fan clubs. http://www.gigrev.com/
Landmrk – places digital content in real time into physical locations anywhere in the world. http://www.landmrk.it/
Liveflo – live audio and video streaming platform (online platform, mobile applications and venue-anywhere). http://www.liveflo.com/
Mativision – enabling Live 360 and VR experiences. http://www.mativision.com/
SupaPass – gives any artist and label their own dedicated subscription streaming service. https://supapass.com/
Traccks – digital rights collections agency and the world’s first online software as a service tool for finding and managing copyrights on legal distribution sites and social networks. https://www.traccks.com/html/
