The music industry is dying, or it has been for years, according to experts. One thing is certain, the music industry is following the same path as our society: the “middle-class artists” are disappearing.

A couple of decades ago, it was possible for mid-level bands to make a living by merely releasing a record and going on a tour. However now, this formula only stands for a superstar who can afford the associated marketing costs.

The problem the music industry is facing is wider than her: essentially all content distribution (cinema, news, TV shows…) industries are facing similar issues, including:

Concentration of the production and distribution power in the hands of mass media production conglomerates . (Music: Universal, Sony Music, EMI, Warner Music // Movies: Walt Disney, Warner Bros, Fox… // News: Comcast, Fox, Viacom, CBS…)

. (Music: Universal, Sony Music, EMI, Warner Music // Movies: Walt Disney, Warner Bros, Fox… // News: Comcast, Fox, Viacom, CBS…) Advertising related issues : too many ads, too intrusive, ad fraud, ad tracking

: too many ads, too intrusive, ad fraud, ad tracking Copyrights related issues : unpaid royalties, complex litigation processes

: unpaid royalties, complex litigation processes Discovery: it’s tough for small actors to emerge and get discovered, even if the quality of their work is exceptional.

After covering how blockchain technologies will help solve the main issues for online video streaming with INJII, and social networking with Howdoo, the music production and distribution industry was a logical next step.

Let’s get a better understanding of the problem before analyzing the solution Tune offers.

THE PROBLEM

Music royalties are current incredibly complex. The Tune’s whitepaper gives an estimate total of $2.5B of uncollected music royalties, for two main reasons:

The music industry lacks transparency, and the concentration over the past 30 years didn’t help. There is currently no international database for songwriter rights, which makes it hard to find the beneficiaries.

Behind this figure is two distinct realities for artists: New artists don’t have the time, network or legal knowledge to enter into contractual agreements with other actors of the industry. On the other hand, artist who signed a deal with a major label are mainly to the mercy of their label: they decide of the amount and the timing of their pay and sometimes restrict the artist’s creativity.

The very existence of this reality dampens the creativity of the industry. There might be thousands of aspiring artists that get discouraged to start their career when they learn about the current conditions of music production and distribution. Even those who are willing to fight Goliath still need capital to afford the equipment and technologies required to produce a record.

INTRODUCING TUNE+RECORDGRAM ECOSYSTEM