Traditional music album makes comeback with smartphone app

This week the international music industry will brainstorm on how musicians can continue to make a living in the music business. This event will take place at a conference 'Music and Bits' on the 16th Amsterdam Dance Event, where also the latest trends and developments in the online world of music are discussed.

Keynote speaker and musician Scott Snibbe already announced he has the solution: the album as a smartphone application. Previously, he worked with singer Björk on her album, which was downloadable as an app. This app adds an interactive visualization in addition to only listening to music, and the user can even influence the music through a game element.

In order for artists to make a living, the ‘freemium model’ is used as business model. In principle, the app is available for free and one song is given for free.  Subsequent content and other songs can be purchased through the app. In this way the creator is compensated for his work and able to exploit his copyrights.

According to Snibbe, the emergence of music apps for mobile devices promises to reacquaint listeners with an immersive, intimate music experience that has been lost in the age of the digital download. Let’s hope the conference will be useful.

Reference: DeMorgen.be