MusicPlay Analytics

Jul 21, 2014

« Spotify Plans Global Expansion, Says Top Exec | Main | On The Music Industry Jobs Board: Paid Internship @ Babygrande Records, Cashmere & More » MusicPlay Analytics and LuckyPennie Join The Brandery Accelerator's New Class Cinncinnati's The Brandery is considered one of the top tech startup accelerators. They help startups in the early stages to further develop and seek funding. The Brandery just took in a new batch of startups including two in the music tech space. LuckyPennie combines music and event discovery with social elements in an interesting mix. MusicPlay Analytics wants to track music played in business so that licensing fees can be distributed to the actual musicians whose music is played. The Brandery was already considered a top accelerator when an academic study solidified that status in 2013 with wide coverage in the tech press. Their accelerator program runs for four months in which startup teams receive support in various forms including mentorship and $20k in seed funding. For a startup being in a top accelerator does not insure future funding but makes it much more likely by giving the startup an initial stamp of approval, raising their visibility and connecting them to a growing network of investors. The Brandery just inducted a new class of startups with two in the music space. LuckyPennie: Music, Shows, Friends LuckyPennie is an iOS app that has been described in various ways but I like this one : "LuckyPennie seeks to bridge the gap between...social networks and music sites and serve as a digital hub for the local music scene. " LuckyPennie's homepage says that they connect you with music, local shows and friends. They do this with such features as The Wall's activity feed and LP Radio's streaming music mixes. MusicPlay Analytics: Pay The Right Musicians MusicPlay Analytics is hoping to interest Performing Rights Organizations in paying the right people licensing fees for music played in bars and restaurants. Currently those payouts are based on local radio, as I understand it, which is one of the more bizarre examples of just how ridiculous the game can be. MusicPlay Analytics seeks to correct this situation by distributing: "monitoring devices to the establishments that are then plugged into an audio source. Audio passes through the device uninterrupted and song information is collected. This information is then transmitted wirelessly back to MusicPlay Analytics to allow for customized reporting and other various uses. " It makes a lot of sense except for one thing. MusicPlay Analytics is assuming that the various entities and organizations who handle money on behalf of musicians want transparency. History suggests that's not always the case but we may be finally reaching the point where things are changing. Best of luck to both startups as they enter a new phase of life. More: