Archive
Artificial intelligence
The time-to-banger tradeoff
June 08 2023

The more we delve into music AI software beyond the major DAWs, the more we feel the silent hand of the “time-to-fun” metric at work.

Community
Amber Atherton (investor, author) on building virtual communities: Start small and niche
May 31 2023

Amber is an investor and founder (her community software startup Zyper was ​acquired​ by Discord) and author of the book ​The Rise of Virtual Communities​.

Web3
[LISTEN] Balancing niche and mainstream on the road to Web3 adoption

For many observers, it can feel like Web3 is in the grips of an identity crisis.

Artificial intelligence
Google, MusicLM, and music AI’s UX problem
May 30 2023

We’ve been pondering when music will get its “Midjourney moment” — namely, when high-quality song creation will become as easy for the everyday user as clicking a button.

The Score
What Fortnite Creative Mode’s payout model means for music
May 29 2023

The way the gaming industry is approaching creator payments could be a critical reference as rights holders continue to push for reform in streaming payout models at large.

Wavelengths
Lessons from our inaugural Wavelengths Summit
May 24 2023

On May 6, 2023, Water & Music had the distinct pleasure of hosting our inaugural Wavelengths Summit, fulfilling a dream of bringing our passionate, unique URL community into IRL space.

Streaming
New series: How artist-friendly are music streaming platforms?
May 23 2023

Today’s music streaming platforms are increasingly trying to position their offerings as “artist-friendly.” But what does that phrase actually mean — and who’s doing it right?

Copyright
Music copyright fundamentals (with Dani Balcells and Chris Cooke)
April 26 2023
Artificial intelligence
Starter Pack: Music AI deepfakes
April 18 2023

How deepfake songs actually work, how we got here, and what kinds of battles to expect moving forward.

Web3
Web3 music strategy in a bear market: Tips from our community
April 17 2023

For many artists and their teams, it feels like the Web3 playbook — which had barely been written in the first place — has once again been ripped up.

Artists
Starter Pack: Music and brand partnerships
April 03 2023

Securing an endorsement deal is no longer a matter of “selling out”; for many artists, it’s a matter of survival.

Artificial intelligence
The music AI attribution problem

Generative music AI models may be upending attribution as we know it in the music business.