Sony Music has acquired two apps focused on fan engagement called Songwhip and Fansifter.
The apps were showcased at Sony Music’s Immersive Technology Days in London on Tuesday (October 22). The event focuses on Sony’s work in the immersive entertainment and gaming space through its Sony Immersive Music Studio (Sony IMS) division.
One segment of the event was dedicated to broader fan engagement approaches for SMEs, During this time, Sony Music Entertainment Chief Product Officer Jacob Fowler Confirmed that the company has acquired two apps: singing whip and fan sieve.
SME’s acquisition of the two apps comes amid growing music industry interest in artist-fan relationships and the monetization potential of the “superfan” category.
Sony Music Group has shown strength in acquisitions, with the value of mergers and acquisitions exceeding $6 billion over the past decade, MBW estimated in June.
But Sony is investing in more than just music-rights-focused companies.
in May, Rob StringerPresident Sony Music Groupgave a speech to Sony investors. In a slide dedicated to “creating fan connections across all revenue streams,” the company hinted at its focus on fan sieve as part of its fan engagement strategy.
Other non-music copyright companies invested by Sony Music In recent years, this has included live and experiential companies such as Spain’s Proactiv Entertainment, UK concert organizer Senbla and UK open-air cinema experience Luna Cinema (all via Sony Music Masterworks).
singing whip Described as a content marketing tool that helps Sony Music artists “quickly generate websites and a powerful bio linking solution that can focus online content marketing and invite fans to engage with their pages”.
Fowler said the app organizes internal and external marketing content, including tour dates, streaming links and music videos, as well as artist profiles, to create a customizable microsite “in seconds.”
“[Songwhip] It’s really a mini-website ‘Link in Bio’ solution for the music industry,” Fowler added during the tech event.
“We try to see it as…the easiest way for labels representing our artists to quickly build a mini-site that will pull [marketing] material to a place where fans can consume and engage with it, and then they can also link it directly to their profile on the platform where the fan is today.
another application, fan sievedescribed by SMEs as a “support solution [SME’s] Artists and their teams can easily use data and insights to understand and develop strategies to engage all audiences, from casual fans to super fans.
The tool uses a proprietary algorithm to map fans based on their engagement with artists and their content, from album pre-saves to newsletter sign-ups or virtual goods purchases.
“Since we purchased the platform, we have been building our own proprietary algorithm, calculating and retraining it twice a day to effectively illustrate what the different market segments are for this artist with a unique fan base. What,” Sony Muisic’s Fowler said Tuesday.
These different fan groups can then be leveraged to target each category of fans with customized content and campaigns.
Fowler explained: “Assuming the new signal is available on an exclusive translucent blue vinyl, we want to make sure our super fans and our biggest fans can get it first. Those fans told us they want to make sure we have SMS as soon as it becomes available. contact them, [so] We can continue to filter…to make sure we’re targeting those fans.
Commenting on the fan segmentation tool at the event, Sony Sound Managing Director Negla Abdela said: “It makes it easy for us to understand our audience, especially when we’re starting from scratch with a brand new artist, but then also looking at Seeing how those fans find the artist and then how they move through the funnel means we can be more strategic.
At Sony’s Immersive Technology Day on Tuesday, the company highlighted its ongoing work and upcoming projects in the world of immersive entertainment and gaming. Sony Immersive Music Studio (Sony IMS) Department.
The speakers for this event are from Dennis Cook (President, Worldwide Digital and U.S. Sales, Sony Music Entertainment), and Brad Spahr (Senior Vice President/General Manager, Sony Immersive Music Studios), and other senior Sony Music executives.
Sony revealed at the event that the British singer-songwriter Myles Smith will give an exclusive virtual performance on October 25 for Epic Games’ hit video game Fortress Heroes, which he developed in partnership with Sony Music and RCA UK.
The virtual event, produced by Sony’s Immersive Music Studio, will see Miles Smith’s avatar perform three in-game tracks, including hits stargazing, also Wait for you and his latest version whisper.
At Sony Music’s event on Tuesday, the company used RCA UK artist JADE as a case study, pointing to the growing opportunities for virtual goods for artists on gaming platforms, such as Roblox.
In support of her latest single, fantasy and angel in my dreamJADE recently launched four new free limited edition collectible UGC items on the platform through “AVNU: where music meets Roblox is described as a “music-centric destination” for small and medium-sized businesses created by Sony IMS, with its core being “centered around music-related gameplay, challenges, and collection of virtual goods.”
Commenting on opportunities in the virtual goods space, SME’s Dennis Kooker said: “[Sony] Currently I think this is mainly marketing [and] It’s obviously still our R&D…but obviously our vision is that over time this will become more commercial.
“Chance [is] Not only allowing artists to tell their marketing stories, but allowing artists to generate revenue and revenue from those experiences”.
Sony also highlighted the custom music-themed island it created in Fortnite called “Nitewave,” which was developed by Sony IMS and is said to be “the forefront of music-themed third-party islands built using Epic Games’ Unreal.” Example One” Editor of the Fortnite Creator Tools.
Sony Corporation of America unveils its Los Angeles-based Sony Immersive Music Studio The subsidiary was established in January 2021.
MBW broke the news in 2020 that Sony Music was forming a team “committed to reimagining music through immersive media” – using the Unreal Engine from Epic Games, the maker of “Fortress Heroes”.global music business
