Adaptr Shakes Up Music Licensing with New Platform for Developer
It’s been an exciting start to 2021 for Feed Media Group.
It’s been an exciting start to 2021 for Feed Media Group.
The San Francisco-based technology firm raised the curtain on the new year by partnering with Warner Music Group to launch Adaptr, a platform that fosters the growth of innovative new apps by allowing developers to easily and legally integrate music into their experiences on an interactive basis.
Unlike previous “sandboxes” built to help developers use music to create prototypes, Adaptr provides full licensing for on-demand music, allowing businesses to skip direct licensing negotiations and go straight to market with music from popular artists and songwriters, including many from major record labels.
A month later the company inked a deal to bring tracks from artists and labels distributed by leading independent entertainment company Entertainment One (eOne) to Adaptr. Adaptr’s library of fully licensed songs accelerates the time to market for startups, helping them launch and develop traction without the need for lengthy direct licensing negotiations.
Tracks from eOne artists and labels are now available in Adaptr’s growing catalog, which also includes tracks from Warner Music Group, BMG Records, Equal Vision Records, Vio Mobile, and A-Train Distribution.
Launched in 2015, Feed Media Group is a technology company dedicated to making it easy for businesses of all kinds to use music to create more engaging experiences for their customers.
Led by a management team featuring veterans from the technology, music licensing and distribution, finance, and marketing sectors — including co-founders Jeff Yasuda (CEO), Lauren Pufpaf (COO), and Eric Lambrecht (CTO) — FMG creates innovative solutions that help all businesses easily access and integrate music into their experiences, while also ensuring rightsholders are paid for their work.
FMG’s platform also includes Feed.fm, which was launched in 2015 to power non-interactive radio for apps and digital technologies in the fitness, retail, healthcare, gaming, connected fitness, and AI sectors.
Needless to say there is a lot shakin’ over at the Feed Media offices. We recently caught up with Bryn Boughton, Head of Platform and Licensing for Feed Media Group, to get an update on the latest news and future endeavors.
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P&S: 2021 is already off to a fast start for Adaptr. The launch with WMG followed by the deal with eOne. How is the rest of the year shaping up?
Bryn Boughton: Absolutely. We knew that offering a whole new model for this type of licensing was going to require buy-in from rightsholders. Soft launching to the music industry has allowed us to show them the platform in action and we’ve been able to demonstrate how it will provide real value to rightsholders across the ecosystem. We’ve been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and you’ll be seeing our partner list grow exponentially over the next few months.
P&S: What was the initial push for Feed Media Group to develop Adaptr? Was it simply a matter of pinpointing an area of the ever-changing music industry puzzle (music licensing) that needed new and inventive pieces to work with?
Boughton: We’ve been powering music solutions for years through our digital fitness service, Feed.fm and increasingly, businesses of all kinds and sizes have been clamoring for greater access to music. We knew the time had come to bridge the gap between rightsholders and the next generation of innovators needing music.
P&S: Music Licensing and distribution seems to be evolving at a rapid rate these days. What parts of the business offer the biggest challenges right now? Obviously Adaptr has been set up to provide developers a robust platform to innovate and navigate some of bumpy roads of music licensing/distribution.
Boughton: It’s a lot of heavy lifting for sure. Licensing gets a lot of attention for being time consuming and expensive but the truth is that the bulk of the work happens after you have rights to the music. Something that’s often minimized is the complexity around music integration, tracking and reporting. While the licensing is a real value, it’s the all-in-one solution that enables start-ups instant time to market and a way to realize their vision.
P&S: What are your thoughts on the overall business of music streaming — and specifically how that plays into the current state of music licensing and distribution.
Boughton: Music streaming is now maturing as a format and there’s a lot of talk around ways to make it more financially viable for rightsholders. We feel that it’s important to look outside of the traditional DSPs and embrace new and innovative ways to incorporate music into every digital experience.
P&S: Is global expansion for Adaptr on the horizon?
Boughton: For sure. The rights in every region are different so it does take time to secure all the needed licenses in the right way. You’ll see new territories open up soon.
P&S: What’s the latest over at Feed.fm? Anything new and exciting to report?
Boughton: We continue to see massive growth in the at-home fitness space, with music streams up an average of 1100% across all fitness customers.
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