This week I was flown out to London to address Spotify CEO Daniel Ek and 100 of Spotify’s chief strategists to speak about my thoughts on the future of music as well as to perform music from my latest record.
Here are my notes from the talk:
Spotify Lightening Talk – London 4/20
I. Intro: my story
– Hipster, hustler, hacker: music minds in the industry today
II. Masc/ feminization of the industry
– Info asymmetry
– Oppressed has the potential to become the oppressor
– Spotify has shown me that many fan tribes can coexist, enabling many artists careers to thrive simultaneously because each can find their audience
III. Frictionless industry:
i. Sample clearing: spotify internship, stem, conundrum as an artist
ii. Payments: info asymmetry, stem, collab, see above on masc/femme, oppresed/oppressor; fewer middle people since the numbers are smaller; artists need to apply creative thought to their business – subsidize their art in relevant ways
iii. product/ market fit in terms of the artist being able to find their tribe online (spotify artist insights, playlisting- artist shd do the work of identifying themselves so the industry can help, Viral charts, exclusivity is asinine – but I only direct people to spotify bc that’s where I get data and money…, wetransfer, Grammy)
– constantly analyzing these trends and patterns in the industry bc staying woke inspires me and prevents me from ever feeling exploited as an artist and as a female – but my job now is to make the best and most honest art I can make and let the world decide what to do with it
– and if I am making art that resonates and pushes culture, the industry will bend around it to make it work
– so thank you for all you do, for rebuilding a once seemingly broken industry, and I can’t wait to keep working together esp as the new record comes out
Madame Gandhi | BLOG 