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

How we created a music Web3 learning experience with and for our members — going from ideation to execution in just three months.

2021 has seen a flurry of new generative music NFT project launches, but they have yet to see the same consumer demand or financial upside as their immensely popular visual counterparts.

This breakdown is part of an ongoing, members-only interview series focused on artist and label DAOs, as part of Season 1.5 of our ongoing collaborative research on music and Web3.

Our new, collaborative editorial vertical about the future of work in the music business.

Introducing our new, collaborative editorial vertical about the future of work in the music business. On a biweekly basis, our research team highlights the most interesting jobs emerging in music — “interesting” defined as involving new technologies, skill sets, strategic priorities, and cross-industry synergies like in gaming, fitness, and podcasts — as a vector for charting potential futures for the music industry as a whole.

For many music companies, AI “ethics” may be more about strategy and image than about genuine ethical practice.

On September 13, 2023, Stability AI launched their text-to-audio generation tool Stable Audio, the latest addition to a rapidly accelerating wave of development around music AI this year.

There’s never been a more fruitful time to build in music AI.

In October 2023, Water & Music joined forces with music data consultancy Music Tomorrow to put on our inaugural Music Marketing Data Bootcamp, which gave students a comprehensive introduction to music data and the pivotal role it plays across the digital marketing lifecycle.

As a follow-up to our myriad studies of fan sentiment around music/Web3 projects in Season 1, we embarked on a survey analysis of how artists and music-industry professionals were feeling about Web3 across its numerous forms, including NFTs, DAOs and social tokens.

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?

A recap of how we designed the latest iteration of the W&M Academy, and the main themes that our speakers shared with our community.

In October 2023, Water & Music joined forces with music data consultancy Music Tomorrow to put on our inaugural Music Marketing Data Bootcamp, which gave students a comprehensive introduction to music data and the pivotal role it plays across the digital marketing lifecycle.

While many industry commentators continue to cite royalty payout rates as a primary concern with DSPs, few conversations address the issue of DSPs gating direct listener connections, leaving potentially massive monetization opportunities on the table for artists.

On September 13, 2023, Stability AI launched their text-to-audio generation tool Stable Audio, the latest addition to a rapidly accelerating wave of development around music AI this year.

Understand how music-industry stakeholders are currently leveraging and thinking about creative AI, including cross-industry patterns in AI-related needs and sentiments.

The HitPiece debacle crystallizes several key issues that crop up time and time again within the music NFT ecosystem.

The HitPiece debacle crystallizes several key issues that crop up time and time again within the music NFT ecosystem.

Understanding the opportunity in “emerging markets” is not just about completing marketing checkboxes on consumption numbers, dollars, or shiny features. It’s about appreciating the unique cultural, social, and economic nuances that shape local tastes, consumption patterns, and creative innovations over time.

A comprehensive introduction to music streaming platforms, their underlying payment models, and their consequences for artists’ career and release strategies.

Is there a chance to creatively and ethically leverage the power of this technology to further our work? Here’s a framework to make it happen.

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.

10 new AI models for music and audio generation have been unveiled in the last month alone. Some of these are home-grown models from anonymous contributors; others are part of master’s theses; still others have come from AI research groups at big-tech juggernauts like Google and ByteDance.

Our new, collaborative editorial vertical about the future of work in the music business.

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

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

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

It took nearly one whole year for the independent music community to see some initial fruits from Epic Games’ acquisition of Bandcamp.

Several tools exist today that allow artists and brands alike to generate high-quality, convincing AI voices with just minutes of training data.

10 new AI models for music and audio generation have been unveiled in the last month alone. Some of these are home-grown models from anonymous contributors; others are part of master’s theses; still others have come from AI research groups at big-tech juggernauts like Google and ByteDance.

Our dedicated editorial vertical covering the future of work in the music business.

Our new, collaborative editorial vertical about the future of work in the music business.

Our new, collaborative editorial vertical about the future of work in the music business.

Next-gen ventures such as the metaverse, interactive livestreaming, and chat apps want to re-center the music industry around fans — a move that could make artists and businesses more financially self-sufficient.

Millions of musicians, fatigued by the algorithms of traditional social media, are turning to the community-first platform. But how does it work? And how do you get the most out of it?

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​.

Our latest community barometer survey identified several challenges currently affecting music-industry workers in a rapidly changing market, while providing context on whether workers feel equipped with the skills needed to enact change in their careers and in the wider music business. 

Now that we’re easing our way into 2022, we thought now would be a good time to check in on how we’re feeling about the future of the music industry. Has the hype and excitement around tech trends in 2021 burned off — or has it morphed into something solid and sustainable?

To platform more voices from the Water & Music community, we’ve decided to reignite our Community Member Q&A section. Biweekly, we’ll be running a Q&A with W&M members doing particularly innovative or interesting work with music and technology.

To platform more voices from the Water & Music community, we’ve decided to reignite our Community Member Q&A section. Biweekly, we’ll be running a Q&A with W&M members doing particularly innovative or interesting work with music and technology.

Addressing artists’ legal questions about creative AI and ownership, through the lens of AI tools’ terms of use.

En el año 2021, los titulares acerca de los NFTs de música se han centrado en los números de sus ventas astronómicas… y la pregunta sigue latente: ¿qué es lo que realmente se vende?

Music NFT headlines this year have focused on astronomical sales… but what is actually being sold?

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

Several tools exist today that allow artists and brands alike to generate high-quality, convincing AI voices with just minutes of training data.

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.

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 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.

Where the production and physical space limitations for this type of augmented reality inhibits scaling this type of experience to mass audiences, we can see the metaverse – with its many platforms and worlds, and with varying levels of interactivity – being a place where we see more of these estates extend their reach using new technologies.

Where the production and physical space limitations for this type of augmented reality inhibits scaling this type of experience to mass audiences, we can see the metaverse – with its many platforms and worlds, and with varying levels of interactivity – being a place where we see more of these estates extend their reach using new technologies.

How we created a music Web3 learning experience with and for our members — going from ideation to execution in just three months.

Artists and their teams are increasingly prioritizing access to specific data on listener consumption habits and demographics in their DSP strategies.

A comprehensive introduction to the state of music data and the pivotal role it plays in digital music marketing — from high-level strategy and benchmarking to discoverability, fan development, and more.

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

Entender el universo alrededor de los NFTs de música de Latinoamérica tiene múltiples implicaciones: no solo es comprender la actualidad de una tecnología que puede cambiar las maneras de consumo cultural a nivel global, es además la posibilidad de visibilizar en tiempo real cuales son los principales aprendizajes que dejan las experiencias ya realizadas en este paradigma y con esto una primer foto sobre la capacidad de adaptación de los proyectos de música con la utilización de las tecnologías actuales. 

Capturing the W&M community’s unique, early-adopter, critical pulse on the music/Web3 landscape, backed by ongoing reporting from our Web3 research team that you won’t find elsewhere.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are ushering in a whole new paradigm for music-making, where automated processes and tools are aiming to augment or even replace fundamental compositional and engineering skills.

Millions of musicians, fatigued by the algorithms of traditional social media, are turning to the community-first platform. But how does it work? And how do you get the most out of it?

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​.

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.

The FN Meka debacle has more resonance from a branding/ethics perspective, than it does as a purely technological case study.

The FN Meka debacle has more resonance from a branding/ethics perspective, than it does as a purely technological case study.

TuneCore has become one of the most vocal music-industry stakeholders when it comes to AI, taking a stance that is equal parts proactive and cautious.

A comprehensive, first-of-its-kind framework for understanding the music AI tooling landscape, including greater transparency into tech stacks, use cases, and business models for all stakeholders in the music AI value chain.

Capturing the W&M community’s unique, early-adopter, critical pulse on the music/Web3 landscape, backed by ongoing reporting from our Web3 research team that you won’t find elsewhere.

On September 13, 2023, Stability AI launched their text-to-audio generation tool Stable Audio, the latest addition to a rapidly accelerating wave of development around music AI this year.

Sony Computer Science Laboratories has been quietly experimenting with creative AI tools for over 35 years. Crucially, they are also one of the only music AI research groups that already has a direct collaborative relationship with a major label.

TuneCore has become one of the most vocal music-industry stakeholders when it comes to AI, taking a stance that is equal parts proactive and cautious.

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.

It took nearly one whole year for the independent music community to see some initial fruits from Epic Games’ acquisition of Bandcamp.

Following the growing interest in music and gaming, we’re excited to announce a new format for The Score: A monthly newsletter distributed for free to all Water & Music newsletter subscribers. Each issue will round up and analyze the biggest music and gaming stories of the month, through Water & Music’s unique industry lens — forever curious about the latest tech innovations and eager to dive into the weeds, while also pulling out actionable insights grounded in music-industry needs and challenges.

For many music companies, AI “ethics” may be more about strategy and image than about genuine ethical practice.

Is there a chance to creatively and ethically leverage the power of this technology to further our work? Here’s a framework to make it happen.

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

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.

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.

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​.

There’s been a significant rise in music and gaming collaborations across mobile games, rhythm games, virtual world platforms, and more. But the barriers to entry remain high for most independent artists.

Riot Games, the studio behind League of Legends, has collaborated with Lil Nas X on the 2022 League of Legends World Championship (Worlds) Tournament anthem, “Star Walkin.’”

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.

A new series unpacking essential foundational concepts for navigating music and tech.

Continuing Water & Music’s exploration of the legal maze around music and Web3, this article takes a closer look at nascent smart-contract developments around collaborative splits for Web3-native music releases.

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.

It took nearly one whole year for the independent music community to see some initial fruits from Epic Games’ acquisition of Bandcamp.

Following the growing interest in music and gaming, we’re excited to announce a new format for The Score: A monthly newsletter distributed for free to all Water & Music newsletter subscribers. Each issue will round up and analyze the biggest music and gaming stories of the month, through Water & Music’s unique industry lens — forever curious about the latest tech innovations and eager to dive into the weeds, while also pulling out actionable insights grounded in music-industry needs and challenges.

We interviewed nearly 20 different artists and community leaders from underrepresented genres in Web3, to learn about the role of genre in shaping long-term branding strategies as well as artist sentiment around the technology.

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.

10 new AI models for music and audio generation have been unveiled in the last month alone. Some of these are home-grown models from anonymous contributors; others are part of master’s theses; still others have come from AI research groups at big-tech juggernauts like Google and ByteDance.

In October 2023, Water & Music joined forces with music data consultancy Music Tomorrow to put on our inaugural Music Marketing Data Bootcamp, which gave students a comprehensive introduction to music data and the pivotal role it plays across the digital marketing lifecycle.

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?

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

Sone is a music DAO spun off from the longstanding indie record label Topshelf Records. The ultimate vision for Sone is not necessarily to build a “Web3 label,” but rather to produce public goods for music.

This breakdown is part of an ongoing, members-only interview series focused on artist and label DAOs, as part of Season 1.5 of our ongoing collaborative research on music and Web3.

Several tools exist today that allow artists and brands alike to generate high-quality, convincing AI voices with just minutes of training data.

Addressing artists’ legal questions about creative AI and ownership, through the lens of AI tools’ terms of use.

Understanding the opportunity in “emerging markets” is not just about completing marketing checkboxes on consumption numbers, dollars, or shiny features. It’s about appreciating the unique cultural, social, and economic nuances that shape local tastes, consumption patterns, and creative innovations over time.

A first-of-its-kind snapshot into the distinct imprint of music NFTs in Latin America, outlining the ecosystem’s key region-specific characteristics and trends.

Entender el universo alrededor de los NFTs de música de Latinoamérica tiene múltiples implicaciones: no solo es comprender la actualidad de una tecnología que puede cambiar las maneras de consumo cultural a nivel global, es además la posibilidad de visibilizar en tiempo real cuales son los principales aprendizajes que dejan las experiencias ya realizadas en este paradigma y con esto una primer foto sobre la capacidad de adaptación de los proyectos de música con la utilización de las tecnologías actuales. 

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

A first-of-its-kind snapshot into the distinct imprint of music NFTs in Latin America, outlining the ecosystem’s key region-specific characteristics and trends.

Addressing artists’ legal questions about creative AI and ownership, through the lens of AI tools’ terms of use.

This project began as an effort to create a “simple” music NFT contract template, as a follow-up to our high-level research from Season 1 on issues facing the music/Web3 ecosystem. Our modular template guides the user through different paths based on their answers, and outputs a custom PDF file that they can then attach on- or off-chain to their NFT releases.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

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

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

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

Following the growing interest in music and gaming, we’re excited to announce a new format for The Score: A monthly newsletter distributed for free to all Water & Music newsletter subscribers. Each issue will round up and analyze the biggest music and gaming stories of the month, through Water & Music’s unique industry lens — forever curious about the latest tech innovations and eager to dive into the weeds, while also pulling out actionable insights grounded in music-industry needs and challenges.

Our dedicated editorial vertical covering the future of work in the music business.

Only 5% of the U.S. general population has attended a virtual concert or livestreamed performance in the past year, and only 5% of the U.S. general population plans to attend a virtual concert or livestreamed performance in the upcoming year.

Our dedicated editorial vertical covering the future of work in the music business.

Following the growing interest in music and gaming, we’re excited to announce a new format for The Score: A monthly newsletter distributed for free to all Water & Music newsletter subscribers. Each issue will round up and analyze the biggest music and gaming stories of the month, through Water & Music’s unique industry lens — forever curious about the latest tech innovations and eager to dive into the weeds, while also pulling out actionable insights grounded in music-industry needs and challenges.

Introducing our new, collaborative editorial vertical dedicated to tracking the music/Web3 landscape.

Introducing our new, collaborative editorial vertical dedicated to tracking the music/Web3 landscape.

In October 2023, Water & Music joined forces with music data consultancy Music Tomorrow to put on our inaugural Music Marketing Data Bootcamp, which gave students a comprehensive introduction to music data and the pivotal role it plays across the digital marketing lifecycle.

While many industry commentators continue to cite royalty payout rates as a primary concern with DSPs, few conversations address the issue of DSPs gating direct listener connections, leaving potentially massive monetization opportunities on the table for artists.

Artists and their teams are increasingly prioritizing access to specific data on listener consumption habits and demographics in their DSP strategies.

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.

In response to growing demand and market activity, we’ve updated our music NFT contract builder to include off-chain, IRL benefits around merchandise and access, which comprise some of the fastest-growing forms of utility around music NFTs.

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

A proposal for a more minimalist, needs-driven approach to ironing out a music NFT metadata schema, grounded in emerging contextual use cases around the artist/fan journey in Web3.

It took nearly one whole year for the independent music community to see some initial fruits from Epic Games’ acquisition of Bandcamp.

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

Following the growing interest in music and gaming, we’re excited to announce a new format for The Score: A monthly newsletter distributed for free to all Water & Music newsletter subscribers. Each issue will round up and analyze the biggest music and gaming stories of the month, through Water & Music’s unique industry lens — forever curious about the latest tech innovations and eager to dive into the weeds, while also pulling out actionable insights grounded in music-industry needs and challenges.

It took nearly one whole year for the independent music community to see some initial fruits from Epic Games’ acquisition of Bandcamp.

Following the growing interest in music and gaming, we’re excited to announce a new format for The Score: A monthly newsletter distributed for free to all Water & Music newsletter subscribers. Each issue will round up and analyze the biggest music and gaming stories of the month, through Water & Music’s unique industry lens — forever curious about the latest tech innovations and eager to dive into the weeds, while also pulling out actionable insights grounded in music-industry needs and challenges.

Highlighting the most impressive music and gaming collaborations you might have missed in 2022 — including the key features that made these collaborations so remarkable, how they were activated and monetized, and what you can learn from them.

If the music industry is an orchestra, curation is like its conductor — arranging and guiding otherwise disparate artists, scenes, and styles into a dynamic, narrative whole that is much greater than the sum of its parts.

In late September, we hosted our first Wavelengths in Brooklyn, where industry leaders discussed Music Curation & Discovery in Web3.

Ampled is a digital cooperative building a paid membership platform that is 100% owned by its artists, workers and community. Founded in 2019 by a group of designers, software engineers and musicians, Ampled helps artists gain sustainable and predictable income in today’s streaming economy. The cooperative is currently incorporated as an LLC, and is evaluating a DAO structure as a means to give the organization more long-term financial sustainability.

If the music industry is an orchestra, curation is like its conductor — arranging and guiding otherwise disparate artists, scenes, and styles into a dynamic, narrative whole that is much greater than the sum of its parts.

In late September, we hosted our first Wavelengths in Brooklyn, where industry leaders discussed Music Curation & Discovery in Web3.

A proposal for a more minimalist, needs-driven approach to ironing out a music NFT metadata schema, grounded in emerging contextual use cases around the artist/fan journey in Web3.

It took nearly one whole year for the independent music community to see some initial fruits from Epic Games’ acquisition of Bandcamp.

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

Addressing artists’ legal questions about creative AI and ownership, through the lens of AI tools’ terms of use.

A new series unpacking essential foundational concepts for navigating music and tech.

Continuing Water & Music’s exploration of the legal maze around music and Web3, this article takes a closer look at nascent smart-contract developments around collaborative splits for Web3-native music releases.

A comprehensive introduction to music streaming platforms, their underlying payment models, and their consequences for artists’ career and release strategies.

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.

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

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.

A new series unpacking essential foundational concepts for navigating music and tech.

Continuing Water & Music’s exploration of the legal maze around music and Web3, this article takes a closer look at nascent smart-contract developments around collaborative splits for Web3-native music releases.

The HitPiece debacle crystallizes several key issues that crop up time and time again within the music NFT ecosystem.

A comprehensive introduction to music streaming platforms, their underlying payment models, and their consequences for artists’ career and release strategies.

Now that we’re easing our way into 2022, we thought now would be a good time to check in on how we’re feeling about the future of the music industry. Has the hype and excitement around tech trends in 2021 burned off — or has it morphed into something solid and sustainable?

Compared to tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney, music-making AI is behind the curve. But what’s coming next? And how can these tools help producers?

Understand how music-industry stakeholders are currently leveraging and thinking about creative AI, including cross-industry patterns in AI-related needs and sentiments.

Any artist at any career stage can start thinking early on about how to increase the longevity of the art they create and distribute online.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

In October 2023, Water & Music joined forces with music data consultancy Music Tomorrow to put on our inaugural Music Marketing Data Bootcamp, which gave students a comprehensive introduction to music data and the pivotal role it plays across the digital marketing lifecycle.

On September 13, 2023, Stability AI launched their text-to-audio generation tool Stable Audio, the latest addition to a rapidly accelerating wave of development around music AI this year.

Even as music streaming has gotten bigger and more scrutinized, there’s still widespread confusion and misunderstanding around the basics of how streaming economics really works.

Sony Computer Science Laboratories has been quietly experimenting with creative AI tools for over 35 years. Crucially, they are also one of the only music AI research groups that already has a direct collaborative relationship with a major label.

Following the growing interest in music and gaming, we’re excited to announce a new format for The Score: A monthly newsletter distributed for free to all Water & Music newsletter subscribers. Each issue will round up and analyze the biggest music and gaming stories of the month, through Water & Music’s unique industry lens — forever curious about the latest tech innovations and eager to dive into the weeds, while also pulling out actionable insights grounded in music-industry needs and challenges.

Introducing our new, collaborative editorial vertical dedicated to tracking the music/Web3 landscape.

Sony Computer Science Laboratories has been quietly experimenting with creative AI tools for over 35 years. Crucially, they are also one of the only music AI research groups that already has a direct collaborative relationship with a major label.

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

Following the growing interest in music and gaming, we’re excited to announce a new format for The Score: A monthly newsletter distributed for free to all Water & Music newsletter subscribers. Each issue will round up and analyze the biggest music and gaming stories of the month, through Water & Music’s unique industry lens — forever curious about the latest tech innovations and eager to dive into the weeds, while also pulling out actionable insights grounded in music-industry needs and challenges.

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.

2022 closed with a dynamic debate in the #web3 channel of the Water & Music Discord server about the role of aggregation and traditional IP law in the music NFT landscape.

Capturing the W&M community’s unique, early-adopter, critical pulse on the music/Web3 landscape, backed by ongoing reporting from our Web3 research team that you won’t find elsewhere.

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.

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.

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.

Understand how music-industry stakeholders are currently leveraging and thinking about creative AI, including cross-industry patterns in AI-related needs and sentiments.

Capturing the W&M community’s unique, early-adopter, critical pulse on the music/Web3 landscape, backed by ongoing reporting from our Web3 research team that you won’t find elsewhere.

A comprehensive introduction to music streaming platforms, their underlying payment models, and their consequences for artists’ career and release strategies.

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

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

On September 13, 2023, Stability AI launched their text-to-audio generation tool Stable Audio, the latest addition to a rapidly accelerating wave of development around music AI this year.

Last week, we were joined for a Water Cooler interview with Alex Brees, CEO of un:hurd — a platform which allows independent artists to create and automate targeted marketing campaigns.

It’s as much about distribution as it is about creation.

A comprehensive introduction to music streaming platforms, their underlying payment models, and their consequences for artists’ career and release strategies.

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

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.

While many industry commentators continue to cite royalty payout rates as a primary concern with DSPs, few conversations address the issue of DSPs gating direct listener connections, leaving potentially massive monetization opportunities on the table for artists.

Artists and their teams are increasingly prioritizing access to specific data on listener consumption habits and demographics in their DSP strategies.

By and large, artists are still limited in terms of what they can present to new listeners or fans on DSPs beyond just their music.

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

We are thrilled to introduce our inaugural Wavelengths Summit — our flagship conference on what’s next in music and tech, which will take place on May 6, 2023 in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

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.

It took nearly one whole year for the independent music community to see some initial fruits from Epic Games’ acquisition of Bandcamp.

Following the growing interest in music and gaming, we’re excited to announce a new format for The Score: A monthly newsletter distributed for free to all Water & Music newsletter subscribers. Each issue will round up and analyze the biggest music and gaming stories of the month, through Water & Music’s unique industry lens — forever curious about the latest tech innovations and eager to dive into the weeds, while also pulling out actionable insights grounded in music-industry needs and challenges.

Our new, collaborative editorial vertical about the future of work in the music business.

Introducing our new, collaborative editorial vertical about the future of work in the music business. On a biweekly basis, our research team highlights the most interesting jobs emerging in music — “interesting” defined as involving new technologies, skill sets, strategic priorities, and cross-industry synergies like in gaming, fitness, and podcasts — as a vector for charting potential futures for the music industry as a whole.

Introducing our new, collaborative editorial vertical about the future of work in the music business. On a biweekly basis, our research team highlights the most interesting jobs emerging in music — “interesting” defined as involving new technologies, skill sets, strategic priorities, and cross-industry synergies like in gaming, fitness, and podcasts — as a vector for charting potential futures for the music industry as a whole.

The HitPiece debacle crystallizes several key issues that crop up time and time again within the music NFT ecosystem.

A diverse set of ideas to monetize music IP and engage meaningfully with fans in the metaverse, across three main categories: Creating visually immersive content, licensing music IP directly to platforms’ content libraries, and making artist IP available for user identity and expression.

On September 13, 2023, Stability AI launched their text-to-audio generation tool Stable Audio, the latest addition to a rapidly accelerating wave of development around music AI this year.

Even as music streaming has gotten bigger and more scrutinized, there’s still widespread confusion and misunderstanding around the basics of how streaming economics really works.

Understanding the opportunity in “emerging markets” is not just about completing marketing checkboxes on consumption numbers, dollars, or shiny features. It’s about appreciating the unique cultural, social, and economic nuances that shape local tastes, consumption patterns, and creative innovations over time.

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

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.

We are thrilled to introduce our inaugural Wavelengths Summit — our flagship conference on what’s next in music and tech, which will take place on May 6, 2023 in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

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

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.

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.