Flutin Announces Investment and Creative Collaboration with Indian Pop Star Sukhbir Singh

Indian pop icon and seasoned music professional Sukhbir Singh is partnering with international music app Flutin as an investor. He is also using the platform to support his latest artistic initiatives, employing the app’s powerful promotion and distribution.

“We are thrilled that Sukhbir has agreed to collaborate with us, both on the business and creative sides,” explains Flutin founder and CEO Vishu Gupta. “He sees how Flutin is bringing innovation to the music industry in India and around the globe, and how we’re bridging the gap for artists, especially those in the emerging category. Our commitment to these artists and their needs was a large part of what interested Sukhbir in our company.”

Singh has a storied career in music and film, thanks to music that embraces Punjabi bhangra and global pop sensibilities. He heard about Flutin and its independent ethos, and was intrigued.

“I’m partnering with Flutin as an investor and mentor,” Singh notes, “and I rarely find platforms that connect music to listeners in such an engaging way. Flutin has some unique features for listeners; for example, it allows listeners to dedicate songs to other users. It provides a platform to budding artists who need the help and support. I know; I used to be one myself.”

Flutin draws on user behavior to predict what new music might work in listeners’ playlists, based in part on their location and the behavior of those nearby. Thus, fans who love similar music, or people engaging in a similar activity in a similar location, are encouraged to check out new tracks and find their next favorite song.

“We’ve been able to get traction for little-known artists in the US and for independent musicians in India, and we’re excited to see where our work with Sukhbir’s new tracks will take us,” says Gupta. “Sukhbir’s faith in us validates our approach, we feel, and we can’t wait to turn this into a truly beneficial partnership for all, fans included.”

About Flutin

Flutin is a music discovery platform focused towards independent artists. Using AI, Flutin tracks music listening behaviour of the users and recommends the most relevant tracks from emerging and independent artists, thus helping them discover new music and providing better and relevant exposure to the artists. Flutin has over 9 million downloads, over 300K DAUs and streaming 3 million songs daily. Raised US $340K investment from GHV Accelerator and some HNI Angels. The company aims to be the Facebook for Music in the near future as a unique product, solutions and support.

MIDEM TALENT EXPORTER

THE ULTIMATE MUSIC ACCELERATOR
FOR ARTISTS’ INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION

Paris, January 9 2020 – Midem, the home of the global music community, today announces the launch of the Midem Talent Explorer, the evolution of the reputed Artist Accelerator programme, into the ultimate career incubator for the global expansion of artists.

After five years of meaningful encounters, talent discoveries, and genuine success stories, the Midem Artist Accelerator is evolving into the Midem Talent Exporter. Looking to embrace its role as connector, Midem is reorienting its guidance from a mentorship programme to a business approach. The Midem Talent Exporter will spotlight 22 international emerging talents, selected through a free and open-to-all call for entries.

This live matchmaking format will shine a light on the most promising export-ready talent and connect them with today’s most influential, international talent buyers, including agents, promoters, festivals, media, PR, curators, music editors and A&Rs. They will also gain access to 10 music supervisors with the specific objective of building concrete business partnerships. 

In the words of Midem Director, Alexandre Deniot, “The initiative is a chance for artists to boost their careers internationally and for professionals seeking new talents to discover the best selection from all around the world! This is a real door-opener for up-and-coming artists, offering unique opportunities for showcasing their talent and connecting with valuable music professionals in the unique environment of the Midem Beach.”

The Midem Talent Exporter Programme

The initiative is a chance for artists to boost their careers internationally via the following opportunities:

1. Meeting with Talent Buyers and Music Supervisors From Around the World:

During a 20-minute speed-meeting, in the intimate setting of the Midem Beach Day Stage, making use of the state-of-the-art facilities to hand (PA/lighting/stage and crew) with a pitch and live demo showcase to global agents, promoters, festivals, curators, media, PR, music editors and A&Rs.

During the Global Sync & Brands Summit, artists will meet with leading music supervisors from film, TV, gaming, agencies and brands. Registration will be limited to one only for each artist’s label or publisher. This opportunity will be by invitation only and subject to availability (100 places).

2. Learning, Networking and Discovering Solutions for Artists:

By taking advantage of the tailor-made programme for artists at the Artist Hub, with professional training, knowledge-sharing, and discussions about the artist’s status and its inherent challenges. 

By socialising with peers against the backdrop of the stunning Midem Beach, the chill-out and creative space near the Palais des Festivals. 

By discovering the latest career-boosting artist services at the world’s first global platform: the Midem Artist & Label Services Forum.

3. Privileged Access to Special Programmes* (by invitation only):

The opportunity to be shortlisted as an artist eligible for specific creation and learning programmes open only to participants by selection or invitation, including:

• The Songwriting Camp, Dynaudio Recording Studios, and more.
• Exclusive workshops organised by leading music industry brands, such as Spotify.

Selection Criteria

The Midem Talent Exporter is open to artists/bands, managers, publishers, labels, agents and promoters from around the world who would like to submit an artist/band to benefit from the programme. The artist/band must meet the following criteria:

• Be an individual artist or a band
• Be 18 years old or over
• Be export-ready
• Demonstrate a creative personality and attitude
• Present original musical creation (audio and/or video). No sampling or unauthorised use of copyright-protected material will be accepted. The track(s) can be acoustic, electronic, instrumental or feature vocals. 
• Have a dedicated professional supporting team of at least one person (manager, label, agent, etc.)
• Be represented by a company (label, publisher, agent). The artist can represent themselves if they have legal status
• Have a minimum of five official live performances booked between 2019 and 2020
• Show media coverage and a solid presence on social media channels
• Present a career development strategy (including export) with concrete short and long-term objectives
• Be looking for potential partners, especially for export

The artist/band’s artistic merits and latest news will also be taken into consideration.

Tips for Artists - What are the Buyers Looking for in the Midem Talent Exporter? 

“Goosebumps. Singularity.” - Damien Chamard Boudet, VP Promoter, Live Nation (France)

“From a news perspective, we’re always looking for artists with a unique or compelling story to tell.” Mark Savage, Music reporter, BBC News (UK)

“Authenticity is extremely important, artists have to be genuine in their lyrics/sound...The good news is there is not one formula for all emerging artists, there are so many ways to catch our eye/ears...nothing beats seeing an artist perform live and blowing you away.” – Parul Chokshi, Senior Director of Talent, Vevo (USA)

“Boldness, imperfection, authenticity, which are, for me, 3 essential components for music to rise above the noise.” Rachel Cartier, Music Editor, Deezer (France)

“I'm in search of entertaining artists that make us think differently.” Severin Merad, Head of Music Programming EMEA, Napster

Key Midem Talent Exporter Dates

09 Jan 2020: Call for Entries Opens 
01 March 2020: Call for Entries Closes
Mid-March 2020: Initial Selection
Mid-April 2020: Second Selection Round

List of Talent Buyers Confirmed To Date

• Adam Lewis, Founder, Planetary Group (USA)
• Anika Mottershaw, A&R, Bella Union (UK)
• Cyril Bahsief, Founder & Promoter, Öctöpus (France)
• Christian Allex, Founder, Timon Samplar (France)
• Damien Chamard Boudet, VP Promoter, Live Nation (France)
• Etienne Ziller, Head of Booking, Asterios Spectacles (France)
• Joe Chialo, Senior Vice President A&R Universal Music Central Europe & Africa (Germany)
• Mark Savage, Music Journalist, BBC News (UK)
• Michael Frohoff, Co-Founder, Kruger Media (Germany) 
• Parul Chokshi, Senior Director of Talent, Vevo (USA)
• Patrik Larsson, Head of A&R, Playground Music Scandinavia (Sweden)
• Peer Steinwald, Senior A&R, Budde Music (Germany)
• Rachel Cartier, Music Editor, Deezer (France)
• Rob Hallett, Founder, Robomagic (UK)
• Severin Merad, Head of Music Programming Europe Middle East Africa, Napster (France)
• Virág Csiszár, Head of Booking, Sziget Cultural Management (Hungary)
• Willy Ehmann, Founder, Shaullauge (Germany)
• Wyclef Jean, Artist & Producer (USA)
   

Click Here To Apply for the Midem Talent Exporter

STATS PREDICT: TYLER CHILDERS TO WIN HIS FIRST GRAMMY

Although the 62nd Grammy nominees for Best Solo Country Performance include industry powerhouses such as Blake Shelton, Willie Nelson and Tanya Tucker, the 2019 data dive suggests Tyler Childers was the most impressive performer by far.

Here’s why stats favor Childers.

The data, provided by live music platform Viberate, paints a picture of each nominee’s yearly online performance in terms of popularity throughout major social media and streaming platforms (views, follows, plays, etc.). While all the nominees can boast a general growth in popularity, the stats suggest that Tyler Childers was the biggest growing performer of them all, and that “All Your’n” was the performance that cast the brightest online spotlight on its artist.

Since “All Your’n” video was released, Childers’ average monthly YouTube engagement doubled (scoring more than 1M engagements). His social media and streaming channels showed immense growth this year, and jumps in popularity are consistent with the song’s release. Moreover, Childers is the only one in the group who managed to consistently pump up his numbers by at least + 50%, rivalled only by Ashley McBryde as a close second (she is also the second youngest contender in this category) and two veteran instances: Tanya Tucker’s impressive 127% rise in Instagram fan growth this year, and Willie Nelson doubling his monthly YouTube engagements compared to 2018. 

Rumors also speak in Childers’ favor.

Granted, “All Your’n” is considered an unusual entry. It’s also competing with Blake Shelton’s mammoth hit “God’s Country”, and Tanya Tucker, who triumphantly returns to the Grammy stage with the 14th nomination of her impressive career. Still - Tucker is rumored to finally snatch her first Grammy, and since she is nominated in 4 categories, there’s a very good chance she will win the prestigious “Country Album of the Year” instead. 

Combining that with the fact that Grammy juries tend to intentionally overlook massive radio hits in favor of more “exciting” work, and that Country music scene has been vocally championing women and younger (non-Nashville) talent in recent years, it is very possible that Childers will take his first Grammy this January – and the stats shown in this infographic prove he’d deserve it.

BMG signs deal with sampling service Tracklib

International music company BMG has signed a deal with Tracklib, the Stockholm-based sampling service that has revolutionized sample clearance. BMG will provide a selection of quality music from its massive catalog to be featured on Tracklib, where producers can sample the music and get straightforward clearance in a few clicks, something that historically could take months.  

It’s the latest step in Tracklib’s continuing mission to make music sampling and clearance easy, legal, and affordable. “It’s great to work with BMG, one of the most pro-active music companies in the world, to bring their amazing music to producers everywhere,” says Tracklib co-founder and CEO Pär Almqvist.

BMG VP Global Licensing Pete Gardiner said, “Actively licensing our recorded repertoire is a key service BMG offers. Tracklib offers a new outlet which promises to benefit everyone involved in sampling.”

Tracklib allows users to find, sample, and license recordings using a simple system with fixed prices and instant licenses. Producers and artists know before buying a track how much a sample license will cost. In this era of continuous, spontaneous releases and non-traditional distribution, the platform’s ease and clarity present a unique solution to one of the music industry’s thorniest ongoing issues.

Major artists like J.Cole, Mary J. Blige, and BROCKHAMPTON have used Tracklib-licensed samples in their hits, and icons like Isaac Hayes have released previously unheard material from the vaults via the platform. Tracklib has also strived to open the world of sampling to new artists and producers, by making the sample clearance process much more efficient.

“Tracklib is here to serve both big-name producers who are used to clearing samples, and understand how much Tracklib simplifies the process, as well as aspiring producers who never had the possibility to clear samples before,” says Pär. “We have strong support from the artist community. Our partnership with BMG demonstrates how established labels and publishers are getting behind our new approach to music licensing. We’re very excited about the creative possibilities this deal creates.”

About Tracklib:
Tracklib is the world’s first and only music service that offers legal and affordable samples at scale. Music producers can easily browse more than 100,000 tracks and purchase downloads for sampling, then instantly get a license with an easy-to-use category and and sample length calculation. Tracklib samples have been in hits by J. Cole, DJ Khaled,  and many others.
www.tracklib.com

MIDEMLAB MUSIC STARTUP COMPETITION LAUNCHES NEW LIVE MUSIC CATEGORY & REVEALS 2020 JURY

Paris, January 16 2020 – Midem, the home of the global music community, today unveils the jury for Midemlab 2020, the leading music startup competition, that will now include a Live Music category. 

 

Fresh for this year’s Midemlab is the brand new “Live Music Experiences” category. An addition introduced to reflect today’s music market and to spotlight the most innovative solutions for bands, fans, venues, producers and promoters. Midem Director, Alexandre Deniot, explains, “Live Music is a major part of the global music industry. Each year, nearly 50 artists perform live at Midem and, since 2018, we’ve run an annual Live Summit to better highlight this area of our market. We’re very excited to include a Live Music category in Midemlab to support and reward the most innovative startups in this sphere.” 
 

The Live Music sector has been constantly growing throughout the past decade and is expected to be worth $31bn worldwide by 2022, according to PwC. In the streaming age, live is one of the most innovative areas of the industry, thanks to startups offering new solutions for ticket sales, brand sponsorships and merchandising, bringing the global live experience to a higher level. Eyal Malinger, Investment Director, Beringea and Midemlab jury member, says: “75% of millennials would prefer to spend their money on an experience or event rather than an item... As investors, we look for companies capitalising on this rise of the Experience Economy, and have recently backed Festicket, Europe’s leading festival experience platform.” 
 

Midem and the Midemlab jury welcome and encourage entries from the most vibrant and creative music startups, especially those within the new Live Music category, to take advantage of the full program of opportunities on offer to participants. In the words of Guillaume de la Serre, Chief Product Officer & GM Europe, Bandsintown and Midemlab jury member, “I am...convinced this new award will foster digital innovation in the live music industry, the number one source of revenues for most artists... I can't wait to see the new generation of startups that emerge to capture this massive opportunity in the decade to come."
 

About Midemlab

Who Can Apply for Midemlab?

Entries for the 13th edition of the Midemlab competition are now open. Every startup offering an innovative solution for the music/entertainment industry can apply for free in one of the 4 categories until 18 February 2020: 
 

● Music Creation & Education 

● Music Distribution & Discovery 

● Music Marketing & Data/Analytics 

● Live Music Experiences (NEW)

 

The Midemlab Experience

The competition provides finalists with valuable exposure to industry decision-makers and potential investors. Previous participants have raised millions of dollars in funding and many are now well-established in the music ecosystem. 
 

All finalists receive personalised coaching from Abbey Road Red to prepare for their pitches. Winners of each category receive free PR advice from PR firm Rock Paper Scissors, free digital content strategy advice from Kuack Media and free legal advice from Jeff Liebenson of Liebenson Law. Winners will also receive a free mentoring session from innovation specialist, Yvan Boudillet, of The Lynk, a private meeting with investment firm Plus 8 Equity, a one year subscription to Music Ally’s professional music bulletin, international media coverage, one free Midem 2020 registration, and more.
 

Previous Midemlab Success Stories include: 

Soundcloud, The Echo Nest (acquired by Spotify), Next Big Sound (acquired by Pandora), BandPage (acquired by YouTube) and Asaii (acquired by Apple). 2019 winner Endlesss closed a major funding round from high-profile execs immediately after attending Midem. The German-based startup Jambl also raised crucial funds a few months after winning Midemlab last June.
 

The Midemlab 2020 Selection Partners are:

Music Ally: the leading digital strategy and music industry intelligence company

Plus 8 Equity: a music tech venture firm

The Lynk: an agency connecting creative industries & startups
 

The Midemlab Pitching Process

The selection partners will choose the 20 most promising international music-related startups, whose ground-breaking solutions offer fresh opportunities to the music sector.
 

Pitches and judging will take place during Midem 2020 in Cannes, 02-05 June.
 

Midemlab 2020 Jury

The 2020 Jury brings together international influencers and decision makers from the most pioneering and prestigious entertainment, tech and investment companies, as follows:

 

• Vanessa Bakewell, Client Partner Film & Music, Facebook/Instagram (UK)
• Yvan Boudillet, Founder & President, The Lynk (France)
• Nicolas Brien, CEO, France Digitale (France)
• Paul Brindley, CEO, Music Ally (UK)
• Tiago Correia, Global Digital Business Development Senior Manager, Innovation, Warner Music International (UK)
• Victoria Cruz, Manager, Global Business Development and Digital Strategy, Sony Music Entertainment (UK)
• James Dick, Senior Vice President Marketing Partnerships Asia and CEO, Live Nation Connects (Hong Kong)
• Olivia Hervy, Manager WeWork Labs Paris, WeWork (France)
• Jay Katsuyama, Vice President, Technology, Universal Music Group (USA)
• Jenny Lindblad, Business Coach & Startup Mentor, Eliza Communication (Sweden)
• Jean-Philippe Louis, Journalist, Les Echos (France)
• Eyal Malinger, Investment Director, Beringea (UK) 
• Rishi Patel, Managing Partner, Plus Eight Equity (USA)
• Vanja Primorac, Music Innovation, United talent Agency (USA)
• Arabian Prince, Founding Member, NWA, Founder & CEO, iNov8 Next Open Labs (USA)
• Juan Francisco Saavedra Plata, Co-Founder & CEO, Kuack Media Group (Colombia)
• Claudia Schwarz, Co-Founder & VP, MusicTech Germany, Co-Founder WickedWork (Germany)
• Marisol Segal, Head of Digital Partnerships, AEG Presents (USA)
• Guillaume de la Serre, Chief Product Officer & GM Europe, Bandsintown (France)
• Pariwat Wongsamran, Director of Startup Thailand, NIA (Thailand)

 

Apply for MIDEMLAB HERE