Ten Years of Platform & Stream

A decade of daily discovery at the intersection of music and technology

Ten years ago today — July 21, 2016 — I sent out the very first issue of Platform & Stream.

With email newsletters becoming more popular, it was the perfect opportunity for a new project: connect my passion for music and interest in emerging tech with the latest publishing tools for a daily news rundown.

Revue was the ideal platform at the start to curate and publish web links. Following its acquisition by Twitter/X, Revue was sadly no more.

I shifted to Substack. A bookmarklet tool to collect links would be nice, but so far the platform has been a good partner to deliver the newsletter.

I added Platform & Stream to my daily schedule of work and life, and off I went. I had no idea the project would become such a rewarding endeavour.

The original newsletter logo.

A decade and nearly 2,500 editions later, I’ve happilly followed a music industry reshaped and recharged by a new wave of tech platforms and innovators. It’s exciting to watch up close the evolution of how music is created, distributed, and experienced.

We’ve covered a lot of twists and turns along the way.

Here are a few stories that appeard in the debut issue on July 21, 2016:

• Microsoft Overhauls ‘Groove’ Music Streaming App for iOS

• Will a Spotify IPO Live Up to Its $8 Billion Valuation?

• Canadian Music Rights Company Acquires Royalty Collection Startup

• Apple: Music streaming should pay songwriters $910 every million plays

• Zach Rogue On Why The Streaming Music Ship Has Sailed

• Concert streaming is the future of live music

• Spotify Sees Huge Spike in Pokemon Music Streaming

• German Music Market Up In The First Half Of 2016 Thanks To Streaming

• BitTorrent Now’s music and video streaming app comes to iOS, Apple TV

Not a bad rundown for a 1st issue.

I’ve been fortunate to build relationships with so many nice and talented people along the way: readers, musicians, executives, writers, PR teams, advertisers, tech innovators, content creators, and friends who have supported the newsletter, offered thoughtful feedback, and helped me keep the project rolling along.

Then there’s the must-read publications who provide the daily content that deserves to be celebrated, and read widely. Without their online platforms, and the great writers and editors behind them, there would be far less to discover and curate each week.

Also a note of appreciation and thanks to the talented, independent creators who produce top-shelf news and commentary via email newsletters, websites, social media feeds, and podcasts.

It’s all links, in the end, but I take great pride in crafting each issue with the best stories from the world of music streaming.

The Spotify Newsletter has thousands more subscribers, and the AI Music Newsletter is growing at a quicker pace, but Patform & Stream is where it all started.

I can’t say for sure whether there will be a 20-year edition, but I can say this: I’m still as engaged and curious as I was that first week in summer of 2016.

To everyone who’s opened an issue, dropped a note to say hello, pitched a story, paid for a subscription, sponsored an issue, or simply enjoyed the product as a quick update on the business of music streaming —» thank you.

Your ongoing interest and support have made this milestone possible. I am deeply grateful.

Here’s to ten years of Platform & Stream!

Sincerely,

Jeff Hyatt

---