During Live #155 in August, we sent out a call to artists in relation to a project we announced, codenamed Project Knightune.
To rehash what we’ve already posted and talked about in other channels, we’ve had over 14 years to watch how music distribution has transformed, how different distribution organizations have adapted, and how independent artists have fit into all of it. With Gensokyo Radio, we’re in an interesting space where most artists primarily distribute physical CDs with digital distribution as a secondary option.
Digital distribution itself has transformed from digital song and album downloads to a subscription-based streaming model, but there are several things about the current model that most major streaming platforms use which we feel could be changed in order to better benefit those who deserve the most credit: the artists.
Needless to say, we’ve had our own thoughts and ideas about what a better music streaming platform might be like, and after a few key realizations (in the form of shower thoughts), a new concept began to take shape, and Project Knightune was born.
This project (which does have an official, unannounced name) is still partially under wraps, but here’s what we’re sharing so far:
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Lossless & Adaptive Streaming: CDs were lossless when people listened to them, and streaming shouldn’t sacrifice quality.
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Music Made by Humans: Hard work in garages, DAWs, studios, and basements should be rewarded, not prompt writing.
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Independent Artists Welcome: Self-publish your own work, no publishers needed.
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No Black Box or AI Algorithms: We’re writing our recommendation systems by hand so we know how they work.
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Higher Earning Potential: Listener activity has a more direct impact on artists while maintaining the modern convenience of streaming.
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Simplify Payouts for Groups: Manage payout splits and easily include guests.
We’re currently looking for founding artists to be the first to join, give feedback, and help us refine the platform once we meet certain milestones in the project’s development. If you are an artist or part of a group of people that make music, we currently have a form which can help fast-track your artist account once the project begins opening up to the public. Submitting a form doesn’t automatically sign you up for anything, it’s just to give us a better idea of who’s interested and to help kickstart things once we’re at the next stage.
Artist Form: https://forms.gle/YE6SbBLowEHpsd3YA
That’s all for this week, feel free to ask questions via the Discord thread (for creators), and thanks for listening!
[Knowledge #208]