YouTube tests TikTok-style segmented 15-second videos feature
YouTube is testing a new feature for people to upload videos that are 15 seconds in length. We can’t think where it got that idea from…
Okay, this isn’t a pure TikTok clone: there are some interesting aspects to it. “We’re testing out a new way for creators to easily record multiple clips directly in the YouTube mobile app and upload as one video,” explained YouTube on its online support page.
“If you’re in this experiment, you’ll see an option to ‘create a video’ in the mobile upload flow. Tap or hold the record button to record your first clip, then tap again or release the button to stop recording that clip. Repeat these steps until you’re done capturing footage up to a maximum length of 15 seconds.”
It’s being tested in YouTube’s Android and iOS apps “with a small group of people” for now. It’s the latest TikTok-influenced new feature from a bigger company: Instagram’s ‘Reels’ feature being another.
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Source: Music ally
Finnish artist Artem launches an ‘8D’ music video
Imagine if 2D was four times better, or if 3D was, ahem, 2.67 times better. That’ll be 8D! And it’s 8D that Finnish artist Artem, who’s signed to Warner Music, is exploring with his new music video.
We should stress, 8D isn’t about extra dimensions, but rather about a recently-developed way of recording and editing audio: this is a good explanation of what and how. 8D has been popular on YouTube, with a number of existing tracks having been reworked in 8D from the likes of Alan Walker, Imagine Dragons, Ariana Grande and Lauv.
Anyway, Artem has made a video for his new single ‘Värit’ that uses 8D sound – one of the first examples of the artist actually being involved in the process.
“8D-mixing creates an effect where the music sounds like it’s surrounding the listener’s head at different distances, immersing them in the experience. It is created through a program where one can manipulate the certain stereo-parts by moving them in a virtual 360 -degree space. This programming tricks the brain into thinking there’s much more mobility in the sound than there actually is,” explains WMG’s press release.
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Source: Music ally
Spotify releases Marquee stats including 20% conversion rate
‘Marquee’ is Spotify’s tool that pops up in its mobile app suggesting that people listen to a new release by an artist that they like. In the US and Canada, it’s currently being beta-tested as a paid advertising slot.
Now Spotify has launched a new web page promoting the feature itself, including some stats on those initial tests. The company is claiming a 20% conversion rate, for example: 20% of Spotify users who see a marquee go on to stream the release it’s promoting within two weeks.
It also cites a study of 30 campaigns to show an “average lift in saved and playlisted tracks” of 2.2x for listeners who saw a marquee. And those saves and playlists pay off, says Spotify: “Our research shows that saves and playlists adds correlate with a 250% increase in streaming of that artist six months later.”
There’s also a case study of how Chicago duo Drama used the marquee feature: 25% of listeners who saw their ad saved or playlisted at least one track from the album, streaming an average of 17 tracks by the group – “much more than the entire album”.
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Source: Music ally
Deezer gets promotional push on Huawei’s AppGallery
Chinese technology firm Huawei is a controversial company in the west, but it is still hugely successful globally, having shipped 240m smartphones in 2019 alone.
A trade ban with the US has meant the company can’t preload Google’s Android apps on those handsets however, so Huawei has developed its own ‘AppGallery’ app store as an alternative to the Google Play store.
Now streaming service Deezer is getting a promotional push on AppGallery by being designated a ‘Hero Status’ app. Deezer is also offering Huawei’s customers a three-month free trial of its premium tier in Europe, Russia and Turkey.
Note: Huawei also has its own streaming music service, Huawei Music, and in April claimed that it had more than 160 million monthly active users, as it launched in 16 new countries in Europe.
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Source: Music ally
UMG signs former Rocket Girls 101 star Sunnee to global deal
Earlier this week we reported on UMG’s latest success story in China: strong figures for the new album by artist Linong Chen. Now it’s talking about a new signing in the country: Sunnee (杨芸晴) from girl group Rocket Girls 101 (火箭少女101) who split up earlier this week.
UMG is releasing Sunnee’s new single ‘By Your Side’ today, with her debut album to follow later in the year. The announcement of the Thai singer’s signing has plenty of stats: she has more than 18 million followers on Chinese social network Weibo; her 2019 EP ‘Qing Ge’ was streamed more than 5m times on the QQ Music service; and her single ‘Wang Ji Yong Bao’ earlier that year was streamed more than 1m times on NetEase Cloud Music.
The key here is that UMG hopes to make Sunnee a star well beyond China. “We are looking forward to working with our UMG partner labels around the world to introduce her music and talent on a global level,” said UMG Greater China boss Sunny Chang.
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Source: Music ally