Cherie Hu’s Post

Water & Music's State of Data in the Music Industry Survey has just hit 300 responses! 🎉 Thanks so much to everyone who has completed the survey, expressed your support, and shared the project with colleagues. The significant response indicates a clear demand for guidance and clarity on issues such as music data literacy/education, tool functionality, access/ingestion challenges, and more. We're excited to contribute meaningfully to the industry conversation once we share the full results. The survey will remain open for another 28 days (until June 14, 2024). Looking at the responses we have so far, we could use more input from the following groups to ensure as comprehensive of a representation of the music industry as possible: - Music distributors - Music publishers and PROs - Live events companies (venues, promoters, booking agencies) - Music streaming services and big-tech companies - Major labels If you know anyone in these groups who would be interested in taking this survey, please spread the word. The survey is 100% anonymous, and respondents receive a free PDF of Water & Music's 53-page Intro to Music Data series upon completion! #musicbiz #musictech #musicdata #musicindustry #musicbusiness #data #survey

I'm excited to announce Daily Music Data, a new pilot Instagram series from Water & Music! 🎉 This project addresses a recurring challenge I've noticed in the music industry: The lack of a single, accessible, and easily searchable repository of actionable data on the music business. Critical industry data remains fragmented across various sources, including trade publications, company reports, and independent research firms. The rapid evolution of the music industry, driven by technological change, makes it especially challenging to keep a centralized resource like this up-to-date and relevant. Daily Music Data aims to solve this problem by building a curated collection of data-driven insights that are essential for understanding the modern music business. At Water & Music, we analyze a vast amount of industry data for our research, and have developed a unique ability to identify the most impactful and interesting findings – those that drive business decisions and generate new knowledge, rather than contributing to the noise. Every weekday at ~9AM ET, we'll share a carefully vetted statistic on Daily Music Data, accompanied by our brief analysis of why it's important. We prioritize insights that are widely applicable across the industry, such as macro trends, precedent-setting deal terms, and data that clarifies noisy or misunderstood markets. We also provide a mix of evergreen and news-related data points, to balance short- and long-term industry timelines. If you're looking to stay ahead of the curve in music, data, and tech — with actionable, concise insights that you can digest in five minutes or less — this series is perfect for you. You can also consider Daily Music Data a free preview of our membership experience, which delves even deeper into the data behind music and tech, across company deals, startup investments, partnerships, and more. Give us a follow on Instagram at @dailymusicdata (direct link in the comments), and share your thoughts — or let us know if there's any juicy data you'd like us to feature! :) #musicbusiness #data #musicdata #musictech #musicindustry

Decided last-minute to head to Nashville next week for Music Biz! Water & Music has been seeing fantastic results with our new consulting services. We're focusing on a few key areas: - Executive briefings & workshops on music AI, guiding clients through building both market and technical literacy. - Startup pitch deck assessments, leveraging our deep understanding of music-tech entrepreneurship to give detailed, swift feedback on a startup's business models, market demand, and competitive landscape. We have availability for new projects this summer and fall. If you’re attending Music Biz and are interested in learning more, I’d love to connect! #musicbiz #musicbusiness #musictech

I'm thrilled to announce the launch of Water & Music's 2024 State of Data in the Music Industry Survey, in partnership with Music Tomorrow! Data is the heartbeat of the music industry — flowing through every aspect of the business, from creation to distribution and monetization. And yet, we lack a clear, unified understanding of how data truly impacts and transforms the nature of work in this field. Amidst hundreds of dashboards and spreadsheets, what data investments do music professionals think are actually worth it? What data do people in music need to do their job well, but still can't access? Which areas of music data have the greatest opportunity for improvement? Our comprehensive survey aims to capture a snapshot of how music industry professionals collect, manage, and leverage data across all verticals, job functions, and budgets. Whether you’re a full-stack data expert or feel overwhelmed by your Spotify dashboard — we want to hear from you! Our goal is to capture the full range of experiences with data in music, both positive and negative. Your responses will remain completely anonymous. You won't be required to disclose your employer at any point, and your answers will always remain private. If interested, you may provide your email address at the end of the survey for potential interview quotes in our final report, but this is entirely optional. As a token of appreciation for your time, upon completion you'll receive a free PDF of our 53-page Intro to Music Data series, which provides a comprehensive walkthrough of how music professionals use data to pitch artists, market new releases, scout talent, plan live events, and more. This report is a $300 value and is the core curriculum of our popular Music Marketing Data Bootcamp. Please spread the word to anyone in your network who's passionate about music, tech, and data — and let me know in the comments if you have any questions or feedback! #surveys #musicindustry #musicbiz #musictech #data #musicdata #datastrategy

I'm looking for someone who has done the work of quantitatively modeling how the economics of record labels — and subsequently of the wider music industry — changes long-term with the move away from catalog ownership towards short-term licenses and services deals for new contracts. Does this work exist yet? #musicindustry #musicbiz #recordlabels #financialmodeling #artists

Nearly four years ago, in September 2020, I published the below article on Water & Music critiquing Hipgnosis Song Management's business model. A lot of things just didn't feel right to me about their core thesis. The majority of their acquisitions consisted of newer catalogs that had not yet matured enough to say their returns on investment were guaranteed. They had mixed messaging to investors about whether they wanted to (or even had the resources to) actively manage songs like a publisher, vs. just be a passive royalty fund. And they were only taking primarily fractional stakes in copyrights and outsourcing their admin responsibilities to third parties like Kobalt, significantly limiting the leverage that they claimed they had to advocate for songwriters on Capitol Hill. Lo and behold... just yesterday, Shot Tower Capital published a scathing independent report on Hipgnosis’ major missteps as a fund — including but not limited to overpaying for catalogs, overstating their ownership stakes in said catalogs in public documents, falling short of due diligence standards in dealmaking, and failing to provide the “song management” services that they promised would drive these catalogs’ value in the long term. It's quite unfortunate that one of the industry's most vocal advocates for the value of music is plummeting so hard in this way. #hipgnosis #musicbusiness #musictech #catalog #musiccatalog #musicbiz #musicrights #rights #analysis

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve witnessed or participated in a conference panel that sucked. Maybe you were an audience member who paid hundreds of dollars for a ticket, only to watch speakers say nothing of substance. Or you were the moderator, struggling to keep speakers focused while they shamelessly promoted their own agendas. Or you were a featured speaker who had to endure generic questions and an awkward atmosphere, wondering why you even bothered to join in the first place. I have personally found myself in all three roles multiple times. And yet, I’m here to tell you that panels don’t have to suck. They can even be fun! As the spring/summer conference season quickly approaches, I've written up a comprehensive guide below on how to organize and moderate panels with lasting impact, based on my experience speaking at 40+ conferences throughout my career (including organizing Water & Music's own Wavelengths Summit last year). While pulling off a successful panel is difficult work, there are several recurring patterns among bad panels that I think are preventable with the right mindset and preparation. I have two particular takes on this that might be unconventional: - Not every topic is a good fit for a panel in the first place. Panels are the public-speaking equivalents of tweets — leaving little room for nuance or depth, as a tradeoff for being accessible and concise. Event organizers can wield this limitation to their benefit by framing panels as macro overviews of trends and problem spaces, with clear messaging that the event is meant to be just the start of a longer-term conversation. But panels that try to brainstorm solutions or "solve" endemic industry problems are an immediate red flag to me. - For curating speakers, there is a *massive* opportunity to move beyond seniority alone as the primary filter for “expertise.” While senior execs can speak to high-level strategy, entry- and mid-level employees often have deeper insights into day-to-day execution. Similarly, while seasoned public speakers bring polish, first-time panelists can bring much-needed fresh stories and perspectives to the table. And lastly, I always say that by a pure numbers game, the collective wisdom and experience of everyone in the audience far exceeds that of the people onstage. Some of the most fun and enlightening panels I've been a part of wielded that collective wisdom in unexpected ways. Curious if my experience lines up with yours! Hope this guide is a small step towards making panels more fun and manageable for us all 😁 #musicindustry #panels #conference #musicbiz #publicspeaking #speaking #musictech #musicbusiness

Online music communities have comprised a core research focus for us at Water & Music over the last several years. So, naturally, I have a LOT of thoughts on James Blake's new direct artist subscription with Vault. My perspective on this issue is personal: I’m a longtime fan of James Blake, and have seen him perform live more than any other artist in my life so far (six times and counting, from House of Blues Boston in 2013 to FWB Fest in 2022). He is a musician's musician, full stop — with an uncanny ability to balance boundary-pushing sound design, lyricism, and live performance into a creative universe that still feels introspective, vulnerable, and inviting. His superfans are the kinds of music nerds who will stay up all night poring over his setlists and liner notes, trying to dissect his production techniques and the symbolism behind his work. So, it makes perfect sense that Blake feels underserved by the mainstream DSPs, and would become a top advocate for direct artist support. However, if history is any teacher, the notion that a direct artist subscription model is a template for the future of music is flawed. In fact, very few takes I've seen online about this launch have considered how *hundreds* of artists and developers — even, yes, Taylor Swift — have tried to make superfan communities work over the last few decades, but only a small percentage of them have succeeded. In the spirit of nuance, I decided to give this news the classic Water & Music treatment — putting together an evergreen framework for what makes direct artist subscriptions and paid fan communities thrive; why James Blake's unique career and brand make him the ideal advocate for this model; and why this model is inappropriate for the vast majority of other artists. My full analysis below is a paid member exclusive, as it builds off of several in-depth case studies from the Water & Music archives. If you're not a member yet and are interested in unlocking the full article, comment below or DM me for a LinkedIn-exclusive discount :) Would love to hear your thoughts! #musictech #musicindustry #musicstreaming #musicbiz #tech #research #artists #musicstartups #startups #musicbusiness

I've conducted interviews with hundreds of artists, entrepreneurs, and leaders throughout my career in music-tech research and education, and have had the opportunity to mentor several of my peers in the craft. What I've found is that the best interviews aren't just a series of questions and answers; they create a dynamic space for dialogue, debate, and discovery. They can spark new ideas, inspire new actions, and even change the way people think. After nearly a decade in the field, I've decided to do a public breakdown of my own four-part framework for conducting great interviews. The piece below — approx. 2,500 words! — covers everything from doing background research and preparing the right questions, to steering the conversational flow and following up. I pour my heart and soul into preparing for every interview. In line with my systems-thinking approach, around 50% of the work takes place before the interview even happens — i.e. deep background research on my subject, my target audience, and the wider landscape in which my subject is operating. It's more academic, and certainly more time-intensive, but has always served me well. The remaining 50% of the work is mastered only with time and experience: Framing the most salient questions as directly as possible, while leaving ample room for serendipitous insights and ideas to emerge in the moment. This is part of a series I'll be publishing on my website that gives a window into my process as a researcher and educator, in the hopes of paying it forward to peers, professional acquaintances, and present/future students (!). Especially in today's increasingly polarized and divided world, I feel that the deep, empathetic listening associated with great interviews is more important than ever. It can help us build bridges across differences, expand our own understanding of the world, and, ultimately, tell stories that matter. I'm curious if these tips line up with your own experiences as interviewers, and/or if there is any other advice I might be missing! #interviews #musictech #musicbiz #musicindustry #conversation #journalism #reporting

Hi everyone! Hoping the LinkedIn hivemind can help me out... With some last-minute scheduling changes, I'm looking to fill some guest speaker gaps in a class I'm teaching at Syracuse University's Bandier Program this semester on social media & data for the music business. Specifically, I'm looking for guests who have designed or executed on social media & content strategy for: - Live music events and tours (can be IRL and/or livestreamed) - Music integrations with social or charitable causes (e.g. an artist systematically raising awareness of a given social/environmental issue in their marketing, or content strategy for a wider charitable org like MusiCares) — and who would be willing to share case studies and honest challenges they faced around their experiences over Zoom, with a group of super talented and sharp music business students. Please reach out or let me know in the comments if you might be interested in joining us! Thanks so much :) #socialmedia #music #musicindustry #musicmarketing #marketing