About the Book

Are streaming music services, such as Pandora and Spotify, making a good enough effort to help artists find fans? What are the challenges faced by today’s independent musician? Does the digital album have a future?

Divergent Streams is a collection of essays written by influential executives, startup founders, and thinkers in the music industry. It explores the revenue streams of the musicians who bring music into our world and how technology changed the way in which we discover their songs. It explores the failures of social music and what the ultimate listening experience might be. It explores the live music sector and what opportunities lie ahead.

The 'new music business' has diverged from the old into uncharted territory. Use this collection as your guide to navigating this new digital world and understanding the disruptive forces shaping the modern music industry.

About the Content

Read Brenna Ehrlich (O Music Awards) on the new artist initiatives at subscription services • Matt Urmy (Artist Growth) on creating an empowered future for musicians • Jason Herskowitz (Tomahawk) on how to fix music sharing and save the online music market • Benji Rogers (PledgeMusic) on why artists must rethink the album release • Jay Frank (DigSin) on the three most profitable DIY revenue streams • Alicia Yaffe (Spellbound Group) on how to make freemium pay • Marc Ruxin (TastemakerX) on the game of music discovery • Aaron Tap (Matt Nathanson) on the future of the album • Emily White (WVAU) on the potential of lyrics. . . and many others.

About the Editor

Kyle Bylin

Kyle Bylin is the founder and editor of sidewinder.fm, a music and technology think tank. He is spearheading the development of the Ultimate Chart and related product strategy at Live Nation Labs, a division of the company that develops websites and mobile apps.

Alongside e-commerce expert Jason Spitz, he also co-hosts The Upward Spiral, a bi-weekly music industry podcast.

Prior to Live Nation Labs, he was the Editor of Hypebot.com, a leading trade publication, as well as Social/Streaming Chart Manager and Contributing Editor at Billboard Magazine.

Twitter: @sidewinderfm Email: kyle.bylin at gmail.com

Preface
Chapter 1: Online Music
Advertising Indie: Earbits Helps Bands Find Fans
The Opportunity of Streaming Services for Artists
Streaming Music Services Seek to Empower Artists
Daisy Chain: Dying Music Industry Sprouts New Hope
An Empowered Future for Musicians
Chapter 2: Live Events
Music Festivals Are Ripe for Hacking
Live Music Streaming’s Long Tail
The New Live Music Experience: Tech, Bands, and Fans
We’re All In This Together: How Technology Should Shape the Future of Live Music
What Do Artists Owe Their Fans?
Chapter 3: Social Music
Social Music: What Went Wrong and What Can Still Go Right
Why Apple Is Building a Social Music Network
The Holy Grail of Music Listening: Social, Discovery, and Recommendations
Facebook Music: A Big Vision, Mostly Unrealized
The Success of the Online Music Market Will Be Won or Lost in Translation
Chapter 4: Music Listeners
The User Is the Story
Are Music Fanatics a Dying Breed?
The Fan Haystack: New Technologies Sift For Needles
Music Fans in the Internet Age: Same Behaviors, Ampliﬁed
Beyond the Music: How Artists Create Communities
Chapter 5: Indie Artists
Rise Above: The Challenges of Today’s Independent Musician
Music Scenes: The Benefit of Focusing at the Local Level
Why Artists Should Sell to Fans and Let Labels Sell to Consumers
The 3 Most Profitable DIY Revenue Streams, And Why Many Artists Succeed at Only One of Them
How to Make the Freemium World Pay
Chapter 6: The Future
The Game of Music Discovery
Does the Digital Album Have a Future?
The Potential of Annotated Song Lyrics
The Future of Music Charts
Context Culture: The Next Music Revolution