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Mar 8 2023

🔵 Everyone: "we have a new TikTok-style feed for you!"

The latest news from the music and tech industries
Hi there -

Phrase of the day today is most definitely "TikTok-style feed", with not one but three different platforms all unveiling interface overhauls that contain those three words.

The most notable one, unsurprisingly, is Spotify. A new home page makeover was anticipated, with a TikTok-style feature within that. What has surprised, well me certainly, is that this TikTok-inspired feature IS the homepage, lock stock and barrel - a move I'd imagine will certainly prove divisive.

With SoundCloud also testing a similar feature, one might argue that what is really being tested here is that entire user interface logic, and I for one am fascinated to see how it pans out.

For discovery of new music, I think most would agree it is an improvement, given it throws you straight into the tracks, allowing an instant preview.

There are surely drawbacks, however.

In all cases, one might argue that the heavy focus on new music is perhaps a little overbearing for some. For me, the focus isn't really new music when using Spotify; finding the music I've already saved and playing that it is my #1 intent. In that, I suspect I won't be alone.

That opens up a conversation though as to how Spotify could potentially provide different home page experiences. Deep listeners could get a concise summary of playlists or albums to dive into. Podcast fans could have that front and centre. New music lovers might get the TikTok-style interface. You get the picture.

Another concern I have as a marketing man is the degree to which Spotify is creating Yet Another Asset To Manage - specifically, canvas videos. Generally these have been made for priority tracks, and in some cases entire albums, but I wouldn't describe them essential.

Now though, with video clearly becoming part of the eye candy to catch listeners with, one can see how more emphasis will be put on these assets, further adding to the ever-increasing list of required content to create.

At a time where artists complain of burnout, one cannot help but wonder if this would be a welcome development.

On the whole though, I think it will be interesting to see responses to this. It could be a huge success - or it could backfire spectacularly. That may be why SoundCloud is preferring to test this, where Spotify appears to be rolling this out as a done deal.

Have a great evening,

D.

🎶 written whilst taking in this formidable live set from Martin Stürtzer, in which he spins up an hour of wonderfully deep, dubby techno armed only with a couple of synths and a drum machine. Perfect work music - enjoy! 
Stories from the Music Industry:
Spotify
I had wondered if Spotify’s new feed would be its own sub-section of the app accessed through a ‘Discover’ button. But no, it is THE homepage, replacing that existing carousel-based user interface. It’s the first thing you see when you open Spotify, albeit still with prominent buttons to access the search and library features. The feed *doesn’t* consist of videos, but rather ‘cards’, one at a time, which include several interaction elements. For example, my feed included a ‘Popular new release’ card focused on the new album from Caroline Polachek, with its static artwork; clips of five tracks (moved through by tapping on the card); a play button to play it, and a plus button to add it to my library.

👆🏻Hot take: if this does prove to be the entire new home page for Spotify I'll be curious to see what the response is. It will have its fans - but perhaps an option to remove it too might be welcome? 
The company is testing a vertical feed discovery feature both on its iOS and Android apps with a select number of users. SoundCloud users included in this test will see a new “Discover” page — along with a “Following” page — under the Feed tab. Until now, the tab only showed new tracking from artists that you were following and reposts from friends. SoundCloud says the Discover page will show songs “based on your listening history and musical taste.” The app will also show a line explaining the reason why a particular song is showing up in your recommendations. These captions will look like “Because you follow A” or “Because you liked B.”

👆🏻Hot take: per the Spotify story above, this will be an interesting test to watch, as I suspect it might show more insight on the types of audience each platform has (i.e. casual versus 'lean in') 
He added: “For artists who spend months planning track releases, their plans to unveil new music and reach international audiences have been totally disrupted. This, coupled with a complete lack of warning, has left them without a voice.” Elsewhere in the op-ed, Collins argues that “we all know TikTok’s growth and appeal is predominantly down to the music available on the platform and that it would not be the global phenomenon it is today without music”.

👆🏻Hot take: given the Tories have not exactly shown much love for the arts in recent times, this op-ed from Collins is certainly surprising - but welcome all the same. 
The often overlooked 55-and-over age group has significant room to grow. Its monthly online listening rate stands at just 53%, up from 52% in 2022 and 46% in 2021. The age group is also slow to adopt podcasts. Just 21% of people 55 and over listened to podcasts in the last month. Worse yet, the 55-and-over crowd is losing enthusiasm: Its monthly podcast listening rate was 22% last year and 26% in 2021.

👆🏻Hot take: if Facebook has taught us anything, it's that eventually older generations catch up. I've no doubt the same is already happening here. 
Stories from the Broader World of Tech:
Proposed US bipartisan bill could lead to TikTok ban
“Today, the threat that everyone is talking about is TikTok, and how it could enable surveillance by the Chinese Communist Party, or facilitate the spread of malign influence campaigns in the U.S. Before TikTok, however, it was Huawei and ZTE, which threatened our nation’s telecommunications networks. And before that, it was Russia’s Kaspersky Lab, which threatened the security of government and corporate devices,” Senator Warner said in a statement.

👆🏻Hot take: this feels like a dangerous thread to tug at. Go too far, and the US runs a risk of marginalising itself in the tech space if other nations are not so keen to ban such apps. 
Reddit is working on a TikTok-esque feature and splitting text and video posts into separate feeds, the company announced today. Video content on Reddit will be pulled into the Watch feed view, while text content will appear in the Read feed.

👆🏻Hot take: part 3 of today's "X does a TikTok-style feed" stories. I feel like these will all prove interesting tests of that UI approach. Could it work on Reddit? It seems logical, TBH. 
Each collection can have up to 80 videos in it, and clips can be up to 20 minutes long — a length that feels closer to a YouTube vlog than a bite-size TikTok. Creators will be able to set their rates from $1 to $190, and fans can buy access using direct in-video links or from the creator’s profile page.

👆🏻Hot take: another sensible feature addition, though overshadowed by the US moves to ban the platform. 
Need something else to read? Here you go:
Here’s How De La Soul Cleared The Samples For Their Classic Catalog’s Streaming Debut
De La Soul faced a daunting task. Fortunately, the group had sample clearance expert Deborah Mannis-Gardner to help them out.

👆🏻Hot take: a great piece looking at how De La Soul finally got their samples cleared (well, mostly) for the recent album reissues. 
Despite soaring prices and interest rates, businesses and consumers have proved surprisingly resilient.

👆🏻Hot take: could the US yet slip into recession like the UK? Don't rule it out. 
People my age are described as baby boomers, but our experiences call for a different label altogether.

👆🏻Hot take: a great article looking at the teenage hedonism of the 70s, contrasting it with the current state of the same age groups in 2023. 
The latest from Motive Unknown:
Yves
The ever-intangible Yves Tumor reinvents themselves again in a psychedelic visual offering for the new single "Heaven Surrounds Us Like a Hood", taken from the upcoming album ‘Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume’.

We love working with Warp Records on such exciting projects! Be sure to check out the video - it's a gem. 
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