5 Tech Startups Transforming the Classical Music Industry
This article introduces some of the startups using technology to streamline the classical music industry and expand its reach online. These sites aim to reduce the admin that comes with every creative project; enhance your efforts at building an online fanbase; ease the process of virtual rehearsals and concerts; and provide methods for increasing revenue.
This is a sponsored article on behalf of Feed.
Feed is a new digital marketing tool built to enable artists and their teams to discover new audiences, reach more of their existing audience and grow income from ticket and record sales. Its algorithm identifies and amplifies your best performing Facebook and Instagram posts via automated ads, outperforming people’s other ads by up to 10x in 87% of cases.
Feed runs in the background – so you can get on with everything else – and is designed for realistic music budgets. All you have to do is connect Feed to Facebook and Instagram, set a goal... and keep doing what you’re doing.
They’ve had success with classical artists and organisations: their customers include The King’s Singers, VOCES8, Signum Records, The Swingles, 21C and HarrisonParrott.
Tutti is Airbnb for the creative industries, matching artists looking to rehearse and record with venue space. Tutti cuts down on time spent searching for a space that fits your needs by offering it all in one place. Filter by location, budget, size, function, accessibility, instruments and acoustics, see which venues are available and book. There are over 900 spaces, including studios, churches, warehouses, pubs, homes and boats. It’s free to sign up and browse venues, and it’s free to list a space on the site. Tutti takes a commission from every booking.
OnJam is a platform for you and your ensemble to host online concerts and monetise them through tickets, tips and extras. It’s a virtual venue for fans and artists to come together, and for artists to earn meaningful revenues in the process. Go live, or share your recorded performances ‘as live’ in high definition. Creators hosting their events on OnJam keep their own audience data (where those people opt in), the rights to their content, and earn 85% of ticket revenues. OnJam is free to use.
nkoda is the world’s largest digital library of sheet music on subscription. It boasts over 100,000 titles from more than 50 leading publishers that you can view, annotate and share. Search content, browse curated playlists and discover new music using unique smart technology. nkoda can be accessed via an app, tablet or desktop. There’s a 7-day free trial and then £9.99 per month or £99.99 per year. Discounts are available for group bookings by schools, universities and ensembles.
Sublive is the world’s first video software designed for musicians to be able to play together remotely. It provides online live rooms with super-fast, high-quality sound. Whereas other video platforms process the audio, optimising for conversation – where half a second here or there doesn’t matter – Sublive has been built specifically for musicians, where every millisecond counts and audio quality is paramount. No special hardware is needed, just a desktop computer with an internet connection. Simply download it for free, create a room and invite your friends.
Hannah Fiddy is a creative entrepreneur, developing new audiences for classical music. She has created and promoted numerous concerts outside of traditional spaces, including warehouses, pubs, clubs, museums, hospitals, prisons and even in Primark. Hannah is also an interviewer, writer and guest lecturer, and runs the Avon Chamber Choir in Bristol. In a past life she founded London Flashmob, producing quirky events from wedding proposals to cultural pranks for up to 1,000 people.
Follow Hannah on Twitter @Hannah_Fiddy.