Audiomack: An alternative streaming platform tailored to discovery and independent artist
In the year 2020, physical album releases are nearly extinct and music streaming dominates the musical landscape. There are a multiple outlets for artists to release music on and the list is ever growing. The big-name streaming services like Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Music have a secure hold on the majority of music streaming subscribers. Consultancy firm Midia Research claims by the end of March there were 400 million music subscribers globally. Of those numbers, the big three streaming services combine for 64 percent of the subscribers. However, independent platforms are searching for their own niche path in the digital age. Welcome AudioMack, an independently run platform by co-founder and CEO David Macli. It’s a completely free streaming service that is tailored toward artist discovery and independent marketing.
AudioMack Origins
In the early days of streaming, independent platforms like ReverbNation, Bandcamp and Soundcloud all used a business model of the artist pays the website. This model makes the artist pay a certain price for more of their music to be placed on the streaming site. With the introduction of TuneCore, a platform that digitally distributes artists music for them, the ability for independent artist to get their music on Spotify and Apple Music became much easier. Quickly the need for pay to upload platforms died out.
In comes the emergence of a new streaming platform with a brand-new model. Audiomack was founded in 2012. Its origin was similar to the mixtape hosting websites DatPiff and LiveMixtapes. Artist could upload a mixtape for free. They received no revenue from the streams but instead used the platform as a means of marketing and promotion opportunities. Within the last seven years, AudioMack has grown extensively and emerged as a unique alternative to the likes of Spotify and Apple Music. Macli explains the sites creation in a recent article with Billboard.
“At the time, there were other services out there that charge artists for uploading music, or for advanced stats — ReverbNation, BandCamp, SoundCloud — and we saw that streaming was the future,” Macli says about the site’s founding. “The idea was simple: We didn’t feel like it was a good model to charge artists to upload music or to get stats. We felt like that model was shortsighted. We wanted to build a platform where any artist could come in, upload to the site without limits and then we’d make money off the audience via advertising or subscription.”
Exponential growth and DJBooth merger
This pivot in business practice has had a profound impact on the company’s exposure. Over the past year, Audiomack has seen its daily users increase from 400,000 to 1.5 million, according to stats provided by the company. They also report over 1 billion monthly plays.
A key factor to this growth lies in the companies merge with popular hip-hop blog DJBooth. The eager hip-hop fans that were drawn to the quality music journalism provided by DJBooth, can now access well researched features and interviews on the same platform they stream music from. It’s an ingenious marketing strategy that has created a rich community of artist and fans alike.
DjBooth’s 2020 article in which they announce the partnership reads, “As part of this newly minted collaboration, Audiomack World — the original content arm of the platform — is absorbing DJBooth’s editorial operations. Exclusive interviews, discovery content, and artist education articles will feature on the Audiomack World website with full-length syndication and social media amplification on DJBooth.”
Herein lies the biggest difference between AudioMack and the other major streaming services. They don’t offer a full catalog of every major music release with a distribution deal. Instead, Audiomack focuses on the discovery of new artists and places an emphasis on building an artist to fan connection.
“We’re not intent on becoming Spotify. We’re not trying to become Apple Music,” says Dave Ponte, Audiomack co-founder and CMO. “We’re carving out our own lane, and it’s a discovery streaming site. We’re focusing on new artists, emerging artists and a lot of older artists who are still making dope music who want to get new fans, too. I think we can become big, and a lot of our stakeholders believe that, but I don’t think it’s going to be replacing Spotify. It’s a different type of service.”
Record Label problems
The path for the streaming website has its own struggles and pitfalls. Major record labels are not a fan of these streaming websites like SoundCloud and Audiomack because of the lack in regulation. Unauthorized remixes and leaks are commonplace on these streaming websites and are nearly impossible to catch in every instance. A 2015 article in The Fader explains how Audiomack and SoundCloud deal with label interactions. “Historically, labels have been quick to invoke the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and go after repeat violators, but Audiomack is trying to find agreeable solutions,” says author Malcom Harris. “Responsiveness makes Audiomack a reliable partner for content owners, but it also earns them implicit permission to keep streaming unlicensed tracks that aren’t worrisome enough for the labels to mention.”
As the market for streaming continues to grow, Audiomack is also expanding its mission. They have released an innovative app for users to access the platform. Introduced the Audiomack Monetization Platform (AMP), which combines all revenues and distributes to artists by stream count. And they have created a new premium subscription tier, which costs $5 per month. The premium version removes ads for users, offers hi-fidelity streaming and quick-download buttons.
A new path
These are all changes that help promote Audiomack’s number one goal, growth. In a time where touring is unlikely, a strong connection with your fanbase is integral for independent artists livelihood. Getting music out to multiple outlets and reaching the fans on personal level is key to selling merch and other alternative sources of income. Audiomack may be a promising new path for artist to explore. There are no directions to success and platforms like Audiomack are exciting because they create new roads for young artist to follow.
