Investments in superfan platforms are on the rise as firms more and more acknowledge the potential of tapping into devoted fan bases. With the music business shifting in the direction of direct-to-fan engagement, platforms that promote deeper connections between artists and their most loyal followers are attracting important investor curiosity.
Certainly one of them is music neighborhood platform Mellomanic, beforehand often known as We Are Big. After raising $8 million from Sterling Companions final 12 months to energy the launch of its platform, the corporate now says it has raised one other $6 million to gas its enlargement.
The most recent spherical, supported by new and current traders together with Sterling Companions and a variety of household places of work and particular person music business veterans, introduced the startup’s complete capital raised to $13.8 million.
Mellomanic says it has grown quickly since January of this 12 months, with over 400,000 month-to-month lively customers—a rise of 13,000%. The startup says the surge in customers displays the rising demand for areas the place superfans can join with artists and one another by immersive experiences. Main report labels like Atlantic Information, Def Jam, Huge Loud, Elektra, Sony Music Nashville, and Virgin Music Group have all partnered with the platform.
“We’ve discovered a lot about music communities and fan behaviors this previous 12 months, and needed our identify to mirror that.”
Andy Apple, Mellomanic
The platform is constructed round its Collectives, or genre-specific communities that assist enhance artist discoverability. Every Collective hosts curated listening events, stay streams, and digital festivals, providing artists alternatives to maximise moments equivalent to album releases and pre-release sharing. Present Collectives embody We Are Alt, We Are Pop, We Are Hip Hop, and the lately launched We Are Nation. Artists like Kameron Marlowe, Huge Sean, Luh Tyler, JXDN, and Erin Kinsey have already featured in listening events throughout these Collectives.
Along with fan engagement, Mellomanic supplies artists with new methods to monetize their work and take management of their fan relationships. By sharing distinctive fan knowledge, artists could make extra knowledgeable profession selections, the startup mentioned.
The platform additionally acquires music licenses straight, permitting artists to live-stream performances with out restrictions. Streams on Mellomanic are counted and reported to SoundExchange and performing rights organizations (PROs), identical to conventional streaming platforms, with every person counted as a stream.
“We’ve discovered a lot about music communities and fan behaviors this previous 12 months, and needed our identify to mirror that. ‘Mellomanic’ pays homage to the melomaniacs, all kinds of superfans, embodying the spectrum of feelings that exist inside totally different genres of music and their listeners,” Mellomanic CEO Andy Apple mentioned.
“It’s been thrilling to look at artists and labels leverage our immersive listening events to launch music in thrilling, progressive methods, and it’s been particular to see superfan communities have interaction in these stay digital experiences that really vary from mellow to manic. In the end our objective is to proceed offering impactful areas for followers and artists to come back collectively and have a good time particular moments, empowering them to forge enduring relationships whereas constructing sustainable communities.”
Mellomanic’s give attention to superfans comes because the music business sharpens its give attention to fan engagement to drive album gross sales and live performance attendance, amongst others. To faucet into this useful resource, music firms are embracing new methods to nurture superfan communities.
On Tuesday (September 17), Common Music Group laid out its technique to higher monetize superfans.
“Superfans, probably the most avid 20% to 30% of all music listeners, as soon as drove greater than 70% of recorded music spending,” UMG’s Government Vice President, Chief Monetary Officer and President of Operations, Boyd Muir, mentioned at UMG’s Capital Markets Day.
Music Enterprise Worldwide
