Tuning the Music Ecosystem’s Transition

music x tech: embarking on a new adventure

At the very start of any project, you have to get to know the people in your team. What is their character? Who fits which role? Most of all, what is their perspective on whatever you will be working on?

music x tech is about collaboration.

Team building is about getting different people to work on one project. Nobody is the same — and that is perfect. Because every member of the team can contribute new and fascinating facets regarding your project. You might never have thought about the challenge your fellow members do. It is like opening a door you just discovered.

A team works best if, right from the beginning, they explore their project’s scope together.

the gap

Unfortunately though, between the worlds of music and technology, there is a massive lack of collaboration.

Musicians and composers tend to have a clear picture of technology when it comes to instruments and music production. But they might miss out on the opportunities technology holds for them.

Then there are coders and entrepreneurs, thinking of music in terms of distribution and data. They apply existing technology to music, and they go beyond. Nevertheless, they sometimes fail because they can’t relate to the specific demands of those behind the music.

But the work of both is creative. There even are a few artists who are living it, e.g. Imogen Heap, Byrke Lou, Moritz Simon Geist, and technological masterminds such as Kelly Snook or Sam Aaron. For none of them, there is a separation between music and technology.

the need

Music licensing is about getting the whole picture. You need a group of musicians, coders, marketing experts, designers — you get it. It’s a team.

Licensing their music is the only way for artists to get paid to make a living: for recorded music, live music, streaming and sync. However, it does not work without (meta)data, or without technologies that implement the workflows and transactional flows.

So, if you want to get paid and you are not just making music for fun, licensing is what you have to face. Even if you are in it for fun, or if you are “just” a music lover or listener… you are part of the team.

the core of it all

Currently, the crucial issue is the lack of communication that leads to misunderstandings; it results in opacity. Opacity leads to uncertainty and fear. Hence, the loss of trust between music and tech is massive.

Have a look at the debate in EU copyright. It is toxic, and there is more conflict growing already. Anybody noticed the musicians’ reactions to AI start-ups that alter existing music? What about compositions generated by AI?

If we don’t get together at an elementary level and develop awareness and tolerance for the others’ perspectives, the situation will get worse.

other approaches to music and technology

There are more initiatives and projects following similar paths with related goals but from varying perspectives and with different political agendas: Music Tech Fest, WeAreMusicTech, Music Tech Association Germany. Nevertheless, there is one goal we all share. It is about supporting (musical and technical) creativity; it is about fostering the ground from which everyone in the creative ecosystem draws.

The essential part though is to build the ground. First and foremost, it is about establishing awareness, communication and a common vocabulary. It is the top goal for music x tech.

nothing you can do about it?

If you are in doubt about any possible improvements, look at the results from “Le Blockathon de la Musique”. Six mixed teams, every single one as diverse as it can be. The main feedback for being “forced” to work with each other for two days has been “the input from the members’ different background was extremely helpful” and “I would like to do that again”. At least three out of six teams will apply for funding, and a fourth one might keep up the work.

music x tech: the agenda

After documenting the Blockathon in an accessible way to enable sustainability regarding the results, we will be working on more events. Our goal is to keep on focusing on the crossroads of music and technology.

• We want to establish communication and awareness: at schools, universities and conferences.
• We want to give the creative community of both worlds the opportunity and the space to develop concepts and ideas, and to meet people who they can team up with.
• We want partners to join us to provide us with input for new events, which enables them to identify new employees and collaborators.
• We want to work with partners on exclusive events; some open, some closed.
• We want to provide partners with room for experimenting, for investigating new technologies.
• We want to advise community members as well as partners on how to achieve goals and how to implement them technology-wise — and with whom.
• We want to elaborate on specific topics and tasks with you.
• We want you to evolve from a newbie to a mentor and to a partner later on.

It sure is a vast scope, and it is an ambitious challenge. But we are in it together. We will make it.

You may ask why I’m that sure about it. For months I talked to about forty potential partners. I chatted with our participants at the Blockathon. Of course, improvements of the event will be necessary. However, what is way more in demand is the continuation of what started out in Cologne.