Independent music distributor UnitedMasters has just announced a new round of funding, financing round led by Apple with 50 million of dollars and where it is also found Alphabet and A16z. This platform was created so that artists maintain full ownership of their work and that it does not pass into the hands of record companies, as has always been the case.
In addition, it allows them expand your economic opportunities reaching millions of new potential fans. This platform offers musicians access to all the information related to the content they create, the ability to interact with their followers by creating new content, and a much more direct way of offering concert tickets, merchandising and other commercial endeavors.
Steve Toute, the CEO of UnitedMasters states that:
We want all artists to have the same opportunities. Currently, independent artists have less chance of success and we are trying to remove that stigma.
All artists need to have access to a CTO. Part of the value of what a manager is today for an artist has to translate into that role.
An example of the agreements UnitedMasters has reached to promote independent artists can be found in the different agreements reached in recent years with the NBA, ESPN, TikTok and Twitch among others.
These agreements have allowed artists access to agreements with large companies that, traditionally, they would have been negotiated by the record companies.
Following the announcement, Eddy Cue stated that:
Steve Stoute and UnitedMasters offer creators more opportunities to advance their careers and bring their music to the world. Contributions from independent artists play an important role in driving the continued growth and success of the music industry, and UnitedMasters, like Apple, is committed to empowering creators.
It is likely that the operation of this platform sounds like a lot to you. Apple Music Connect, Apple's attempted social network for artists that launched in 2015 and closed its doors 3 years later.
