Apple has announced that it is leading a $ 50 million investment round in UnitedMasters, a company that aims to help independent artists build careers in the music business. This includes retaining the rights to their actual recording masters, as well as the ability to easily sell tickets, merchandise, and similar endeavors.
Presumably, the “strategic partnership” will lead to further integrations with Apple Music, although UnitedMasters supports publishing on many platforms including Spotify, TikTok and others. What makes this deal unusual is that Apple typically acquires companies rather than just a startup investor.
UnitedMasters is led by CEO Steve Stoute, who founded the independent music platform in 2017 after a long career with industry labels Sony Music and Interscope.
In a press release, Apple SVP Eddy Cue said, “UnitedMasters, like Apple, are committed to empowering creators”:
We’ve built UnitedMasters as a Record Label in Your Pocket to remove the entry barriers for any freelance artist who wants to create and maintain full fairness in their work, connect directly with their fans, and make a lot more money than they do. the old model with new sources of income. like advertising.
Apple’s Eddy Cue said, “Steve Stoute and UnitedMasters are giving creators more opportunities to advance their careers and bring their music to the world.
The $ 50 million Series B investment round is being led by Apple along with other investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Alphabet.
UnitedMasters’ goals are very similar to the original ideas behind Apple Music Connect. Apple Music Connect was a semi-social network launched inside Apple Music as part of the 2015 launch, with the idea being that artists could connect directly with fans. However, Connect saw very little adoption from independent labels or artists, and Apple shut down the service only a few years later.
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