Can´t stop the music (1)

El blog de MIDEM sigue dándole de comer a mis reflexiones sobre la industria de la música. Comparto entonces algunos artículos y elucubraciones para provocar el debate (¡y seguir viviendo de otros!).

Everybody loves Mark

El CD murió hace rato y todos mencionan a las redes sociales como la gran esperanza blanca. Esta entrevista a Albin Serviant es interesante para analizar el cruce entre música y Facebook a partir de los videojuegos y otras aplicaciones con potencial de viralización:

In order to get users interested in music apps for Facebook, we have to create music apps that go far beyond just offering a passive listening experience. Instead, we have to offer the element of interaction and challenge that games offer. Moreover, we’ve already seen that people are inclined to “like” music pages because they feel it gives them a certain connection with the artist as well as with other fans, so we should be developing music apps that offer an even deeper connection.

And then there’s the issue of monetisation. Game apps on Facebook have proven so successful at driving micropayments that brick-and-mortar retailers are starting to sell – for real money – gift cards for purchases of virtual goods on the site. If music can adapt and give consumers the social, interactive, fun experience they’re looking for, it too can benefit from this new and growing economy.

El encuentro entre música y videojuegos tuvo un tratamiento detallado en otro panel de MIDEM. Nightclub City es la nueva estrella en el firmamento:

Nightclub City, a Facebook game where players run their own virtual clubs and hire friends as DJs, is hugely successful. “We’ve had 20 million users play our product, and at its peak we had 1.2 million daily users,” said Lee. “We were able to draw in more than two million Likes for a lot of the artists that came into the game.”

Nightclub City players can choose music to play in their club, from Lady Gaga and Daft Punk down to independent artists. As the songs play, players can mark the song as Liked – which in turn signs them up to the fan page of that particular artist. “What really excites us is working with a lot of independent artists, and we’ve been able to really garner a lot for them.”

La música es el contenido ideal para explotar las redes sociales. Es sexy y a todos nos gusta compartirla. El modelo de negocios cambia radicalmente en Internet ya que hay que apuntar a viralizar a velocidad supersónica y desde ese lugar sentarse a conversar. De todos modos, el tema del copyright puede ser un escollo insalvable:

Why haven’t the biggest publishers in social gaming – like Zynga – done much with music? Hudson said that most big social games companies have been hesitant to involve third parties of any kind – brands and music included – because it slows down the process of making constant changes to the game: something that’s key for social game development.

Despertar a las masas

Jay Frank aporta un dato más que interesante para los fanáticos y agoreros de Internet: La mayoría de los usuarios todavía no consume música online (en forma "legal" o "ilegal"):

If 5% of internet users download legally and 9% of internet users download illegally:

Over 85% of US internet users do not download music legally or otherwise.

Y luego da una serie de recomendaciones para activar a esa multitud silenciosa y potencialmente muy lucrativa:

Encourage more retail outlets – iTunes may own the market, but the way to grow the market is just like it used to be: foster independent retail. The success of niche sites like Beatport shows that these sites can be profitable. But as long as label groups demand onerous terms of startups, these indie outlets will never see the light of day. Ask for reasonable terms and watch sales increase with volume.

Durante años trajiné las disquerías independientes de Buenos Aires en busca de esmeraldas perdidas. ¿Cómo podrían recrearse las tiendas indies en Internet? ¿Cómo recuperar esa magia? Creo que hay una oportunidad interesante para el que lo logre.