Next Big Sound (a/o May 16th):
But wait: isn't Turntable.fm already over? That's a debate, though this isn't: Turntable had a lot more buzz, traffic, and interest last summer, and they also didn't have major label licensing overhead. Since that point, traffic to the site has plunged to a fraction of its peak, and right now, it's unclear if there's a rebound in sight.
No matter: at SXSW, Turntable.fm cofounders Billy Chasen and Seth Goldstein announced a successful licensing round involving all four majors: EMI, UMG, WMG, and Sony Music. That means their gray-area gamification approach has been validated (or at least paid for), and more license-dependent expansion ideas are now possible.
So hand it to the majors: they decided not to bury this, but in reality, they're probably charging handsomely for the privilege of a lawsuit-free existence. Which means Turntable.fm now enters its own, privately-licensed hell of bigger overhead and constant renewal pressure. The specifics of these deals are private, though Turntable.fm may have also been forced to give ownership shares to each and every licensed label (it's now a common negotiation demand).
Which is exactly the reason that VCs frequently run from these license-contingent models (Turntable scored $7.5 million in a round led by Union Square Ventures, and the company has been valued at roughly $37.5 million). At SXSW, Goldstein said he doesn't want to do traditional advertising, but he may be under considerable pressure to feed a radically-changed overhead. Which cramps his ability to spend on expansion, develop longer-term research ideas, and hire talented developers.
All of which means that rebounding with licensing might be harder than rebounding without licensing. It's a scenario we keep seeing, over and over again.
/paul, at SXSW.
Anthony Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Like most stuff these days, OVERHYPED...
How did some "experts" think the masses would bite?
I'm not hating, it's a cool idea and that's ABOUT it.
Me Thursday, March 15, 2012
Well, if it wasn't for Spotify, its buzz would have probably lasted much longer. Notice how the spike and huge dropoff coincides with Spotify's U.S. launch.
@GigConnection Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Dead long ago.
Tom Wednesday, March 14, 2012
It closed access from outside the US around the time it dropped. Now it looks fairly consistant. Dead already? That seems unfair.
@dubber Wednesday, March 14, 2012
The latest victim of the major labels' protection racket for music startups.
@mr_trick Wednesday, March 14, 2012
I'm with DMN on this one.
@kellyransford Wednesday, March 14, 2012
So Turntable.fm gets its label licenses but seriously, does anyone use?
@playlist_pro Wednesday, March 14, 2012
tt.fm suffers from having never done this before, and their unwillingness to listen to people that have. And bad public speakers. Enough hate tho, I like it some, and hope they can pull it together. I have discovered some good music there.
@poliholic Friday, March 16, 2012
Can't deny their claim, Turntable did have more buzz last year.
herbert Friday, March 16, 2012
shit is toast.. rooms that were overflowing months ago are barely at full capacity and each week it's slowing down more. tt.fm style group listening is a neat feature for someone like spotify to incorporate, but is not a true platform that will grow or build value without a major revamp. their UI is a huge turd, too
snoop dog Monday, March 19, 2012
soundrop app in spotify replaced the need
JBryanDill Thursday, March 22, 2012
I was using TT.fm when I first came out and the reason for the drop was because it was WorldWide when they launched but then, for some reason, changed to only US access.
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