Top iPad Music Apps (a/o May 23rd):
(Paid):
1. GarageBand
2. Animoog
3. TuneIn Radio Pro
4. "Free Music Download Pro" - Downloader & Player
5. djay
(Free):
1. iheartradio for iPad
2. Pandora Radio
3. Magic Piano
4. Spotify
5. VEVO HD
The live blog from Digital Music Forum in New York
continues...
Topic: Games & Music
Ryan
Barkan, Sr. Dir., Advertising & Video Games, Primary Wave Music
Publishing
Seth Freed, Director of Non-Traditional Sales
& Partnerships, Nettwerk Music Group
David Seklir,
VP of Music, MTV Games
Sibley Verbeck, Founder & CEO,
The Electric Sheep Company
Categories of
games
Major console, mobile, social-based (and virtual)
games are leading segments for music.
The console
games, is this segment sinking?
Seklir, Discusses
open platform that allows artists to take their songs and make then Rock
Band playable. Beta going 'extremely well,' 'tremendously excited
about releasing it.'
But the category is down. Seklir starts
corporate-speak, 'totally committed to the space,' Beatles game was
great, etc.
But where does this sector go? Verbeck, 'I don't
think it's crashing,' but 'it was the biggest thing for a while,' 'there
is a franchise that can keep going'. Some innovations? Verbeck
suggest a version with actual instruments, but variations are definitely
ahead.
What happened to DJ Hero?
Barkan,
'It could become more of a success on a niche level,' not as
much for the casual gamer. Ramp-up time is an issue, 'took 20 minutes
to get familiar,' though 'they took a lot of care to make the right
collaborations and get the right artists.'
Licensing
for games?
Barkan, Primary acquired the Hall & Oates
catalog and is 'hitting video games hard,' including 'Crime Pays' in
Grand Theft Auto IV. It was one fee, that was that.
Barkan
also noted that other opportunities are difficult because of higher
royalty structures (or other requirements) imposed by major publishers
through legacy deals. 'I just hope we don't miss the boat on songs
that could be revived.'
Economics of
console-based games are heavy
Freed, 'Games are
getting more expensive to make,' though overhead for mobile app,
or social games is much less.
Verbeck, Social gaming,
'billion-dollar industry in the US,' many more billions in Asia,
globally. 'Very few examples' of bands that have created games that
have popped.
Social gaming, Facebook platforms
Facebook
game, 'Hit or Not,' David Hazan (TheBizmo) discusses. Official
release next week, iPhone apps and other platforms will follow. Virtual
cash accumulated for ranking songs, subsequent acquisition of songs,
and the value of those songs in the portfolio increases (and deliver
more virtual cash). 'Speaks to the phenomenon of a billion dollars in
virtual goods," Hazan says.
Verbeck, pointed to huge success of
FarmVille.
Freed, Hit or Not represents a serious missed
opportunity for labels. 'If you still need an interaction with the
audience, then that is the wave of the future.'
Hazan continues,
more songs are being sold on the game than through other more
conventional outlets.
And mobile apps?
Barkan,
app games could become a more standard marketing requirement for
artists. Primary will start being more aggressive with creating games
for roster artists. 'It's one more tool for connecting with fans in a
more direct way."
The promotional power?
Sometimes
overstated. Freed, pointed to relatives that play an Interpol track
over and over again, but never seek out the band outside of that game.
Calls for some level of ownership over that relationship. Suggests a
YouTube contest to reward the biggest gamers around an artist tracks,
'there are a lot of missed opportunities'.
Seklir, 'we recognize
it has to be a full circle of promotion and engagement,' plans to
address that with more connections to other platforms (MySpace,
Facebook, etc.)
Demographics
Verbeck,
demographics are going far beyond teenage guys. There is a much
broader group, music industry can segment out the audience. Urges a
more game-focused approach, 'How do you get users, fans, purchasers
feeling like they're winning more and becoming a superfan?'
Top iPad Music Apps (a/o May 23rd):
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