When we first started writing about YouTube multi-channel networks (MCNs) nearly two years ago, they had a specific meaning: companies that signed up (usually) fresh-faced YouTubers and ran their channels as a combination of managers and marketers. Now, though, there’s an alternative sense of MCNs as just another arrow in the quiver of digital music distributors, as they help their label and artist customers make money from YouTube in the same way they do iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and other audio services. The Orchard is the latest to talk publicly about its MCN aspects, with a 1,000-channel network under its wings, and a technology called BACON. Bacon? Bulk Automated Claiming for the Orchard Network: “a proprietary tool that finds content on behalf of our client and quickly enables payment” according to CEO Brad Navin. The idea being to save manual labour, but also to start making money from songs as soon as they’re on YouTube. “Plus, it’s tasty and good for you…”
Tools: platforms to help you reach new audiences
Tools: Kaiber
In the year or so since its launch, AI startup Kaiber has been making waves,…