With Google Play, the BBC’s Sound of 2017 and now Vevo having published their music tips for 2017, we’re already seeing some patterns in who’s being tipped. AJ Tracey, Nadia Rose, Raye, Jorja Smith and Will Joseph Cook all make it onto Vevo’s ‘Ones to Watch 2017’ list as they have on rivals. Creeper, The Big Moon, The Magic Gang, Tender, Skott, 070 Shake, Dagny, Maggie Rogers, K.I.D., Young M.A., Kiah Victoria, Russ, Big Jesus, Tkay Maidza and Stanaj also make Vevo’s tips list. Billboard has found an interesting angle on the announcement: the fact that Vevo is putting more emphasis on emerging artists. “We generally believe that, as a platform, we have to celebrate the new as well as superstars – we have to try and bridge that gap,” said SVP of content and programming Tom Connaughton. “Without investing in new music, there’s no future for all of us.” Vevo hasn’t ignored new music in the past, as its Lift and Dscvr initiatives show. If anything, the criticism of the company has been a perceived emphasis on emerging major-label acts over independent artists, so changing that perception will be an important task for Vevo in 2017 too. Also of interest: Vevo will be launching a print magazine to promote its ‘Ones to Watch’.
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Tools: Kaiber
In the year or so since its launch, AI startup Kaiber has been making waves,…