Fandom
What it really means to be “fan-first”
August 21 2023

Connecting artists and fans is one of the most critical functions of the music industry. It’s also facing an onslaught of new challenges, as technology expands fandom into a hyper-speed, 24/7 business.

Marketing
Music merchandise keeps artists afloat. But how does it work?
June 15 2023

As revenue streams for artists become more precarious over time, merchandise has stepped in as a dependable alternative. At their best, these items can be artistic statements in their own right.

Community
[LISTEN] Amber Atherton 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
Mapping the fan journey in music and Web3
March 29 2023

Analyzing the fan journey in music and Web3 from project discovery to post-mint community engagement, based on interviews with 22 music NFT collectors and subject-matter experts.

Starter Packs
Starter Pack: Music in virtual worlds
March 06 2023

Music’s potential in virtual worlds is much more than just a game.

Starter Packs
Starter Pack: Digital music marketing
February 20 2023

In today’s crowded landscape, the best moat you can invest in as an artist is a strong, memorable brand — which comes downstream of good marketing.

Starter Packs
Starter Pack: New music communities
February 06 2023

The concept of community has risen to a new level of prominence in the last few years as a critical source of social and commercial resilience in artists’ careers.

Fandom
Wavelengths 003: Crafting superfan experiences, from the physical to the digital
February 02 2023

As touring and streaming increasingly fail to present sustainable revenue streams to middle class artists, it’s never been more critical for artists to find their true fans — fans that will follow their artists throughout their careers, across projects and platforms.

Starter Packs
Starter Pack: Music/Web3 data
January 23 2023

Data literacy is table stakes for making smart decisions about how to grow music careers and brands, and Web3 shouldn’t be any different.

Community
Attack / Decay / Research / Release: Mapping community with FWB
December 08 2022

From August 12–14, 2022, Water & Music and Friends With Benefits (FWB) joined forces to explore the nature of IRL <> URL communities through a collaborative workshop at FWB Fest, where attendees came together to document how they would map the communities they are a part of.

Metaverse
Meeting in the musical metaverse: Expectations vs. reality
July 11 2022

Cutting through the hype to present tangible, focused opportunities for growth and improvement around one of the most in-demand and fundamental use cases for musical metaverse experiences today: Having fun with friends.

Metaverse
9 design principles for a musical metaverse
July 06 2022

A set of nine artist- and fan-centric design principles for building the next generation of musical metaverse experiences.