At last week’s indies session at the UK’s parliamentary inquiry into music streaming, Aim boss Paul Pacifico suggested that major labels buying independent distributors wasn’t necessarily a concern as long as new independent firms sprung up to keep that sector thriving.
We’re not saying PlayTreks is the next Awal, but it’s one of the newest companies to emerge trying to do something new in distribution. Well, kinda new: its pitch to artists is that they’ll get free distribution to all major streaming services, with cross-channel analytics – the kind they might otherwise get from a third-party service like Soundcharts or Chartmetric – tightly integrated into PlayTreks’s offering. That’s where the business model comes in: distribution may be free, with artists keeping all the royalties, but the data dashboard costs €9.95 a month.
Also interesting: this dashboard app seemingly works for artists who use other distributors too (“even when your preferred music distributor is DistroKid, Ditto Music, TuneCore, RecordUnion, Amuse or any other platform”) so that’s seemingly the way the startup hopes to tempt artists away from those established rivals.
Music Ally’s next Learn Live webinar will help you understand what’s required for artists to thrive in new international markets!