Mapping the new music business
In a rapidly changing landscape, knowledge is power.
Water & Music is a leading provider of tech research, consulting, and education for the music business. From exclusive databases and trend analysis to online courses and a highly engaged member community, we deliver high-value products and services that help our thousands of industry customers stay ahead of the curve, enhance their skills, and achieve their goals.
Our mission is to empower music professionals with the knowledge, insights, and connections they need — not only to navigate innovation, but also to become active participants in advancing the industry forward.
Starter Packs
Get up to speed with our foundational guides on music and tech, grounded in our research findings.
Want to build a music-tech startup? Read this first
- Please...PLEASE...talk to your actual customers
- Get real about your market size
- Don't bury the lede
- Build relationships as seriously as you build software
- Closing Note
Proactive innovation in the music business: A manifesto
- Reactive vs. proactive innovation: Understanding the difference
- The building blocks of proactive innovation
- Implementing proactive innovation: A practical approach
- In conclusion: The proactive innovation mindset
Emerging tech for independent artists
- Setting the stage
- Artist strategy checklist
- Web3
- Metaverse
- AI
Music streaming platform models
- Setting the stage
- How Artists are Paid from Streaming
- Factors Impacting Artists' Streaming Performance
- Key Takeaways or Artists
Music AI deepfakes
- Is this trend new?
- How are deepfake songs made?
- What are the legal issues with deepfake songs?
- Are audio "deepfakes" all bad?
Music and brand partnerships
- How can artists best prepare for brand partnerships?
- What industries are taking an interesting approach to music partnerships?
- What market trends are changing the economics of music brand partnerships?
Digital music curation
- What is curation, anyway?
- What makes music curation brands stand out?
- What market trends are changing music curation?
- Does genre matter in music curation?
- What does it mean to decentralize curation?
Music in virtual worlds
- How is music used in games and virtual worlds?
- Can I upload my own music to virtual worlds?
- What are the key visual branding opportunities for artists in virtual worlds?
Digital music marketing
- Why is music harder to market than other products?
- What role does data play in music marketing campaigns?
- How can you build a compelling fan journey around a music release?
New music communities
- What metaphors do people use to describe their favorite online communities?
- What tools should artists use to run their communities?
- What role does the “metaverse” play in modern community-building?
- Why are so many music communities going into Web3?
Music/Web3 data
- How much money have music NFTs made so far?
- What makes music/Web3 data infrastructure unique?
- What are good metrics for analyzing collector behavior?
- What makes music NFT metadata different from the traditional music industry?
New tech, old rights
- The complex music royalty value chain
- Music rights and generative AI
- Music rights and Web3
- Music rights in the metaverse
Data
Curated databases and analyses that connect the dots across pivotal industry trends, startups, and deals.
Music Ai Market Tracker
All the information you need to navigate the music AI market — from the top apps, models, and datasets for music creation and production, to updates on major industry news across partnerships, investments, litigation, and policy.
Music Industry Data Tools
The most in-depth list of data tools for the music business, vetted by surveys of real-world industry professionals. Includes first-party streaming and distributor analytics, third-party music market intelligence, email/SMS marketing, ad automation, social media listening, live event analytics, and more.
Music AI Ethics Tracker
Critical examination of music-industry ethics statements on AI — highlighting prevalent themes such as data transparency and artist consent, while also pointing out the lack of focus on issues like bias, safety, and environmental sustainability.
Music-Tech Ownership Ouroboros
Mapping the globalization and financialization of power in music and tech, with a focus on the rise in investments from media conglomerates, sovereign wealth funds, and private equity firms.
"For Artists" Streaming Product Matrix
A definitive ranking of which music streaming services best support artists in their marketing and career needs — based on cross-platform comparisons of nearly 90 product features in profile customization, fan marketing, and data analytics.
Daily Music Data (Member View)
A member-exclusive look at the curated collection of data resources behind our Instagram series Daily Music Data, keeping you up to speed on the key numbers driving the future of the music business.
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Member Connections
Member-exclusive discussions, showcases, and interviews with today's music-industry innovators.
Three music AI trends to watch in 2025: Recording & takeaways
Key takeaways from our webinar on music, data, and storytelling
Lessons from our inaugural Wavelengths Summit
TuneCore CEO Andreea Gleeson on music distribution in an AI-first world
Web3 and music rights: Our community weighs in
Michael Pelczynski (Forms + Shapes) on what we get wrong about streaming economics
Attack / Decay / Research / Release: Mapping community with FWB
Archive
Explore our full collection of articles and perspective on music-tech developments.
Want to build a music-tech startup? Read this first
Three music AI trends to watch in 2025: Recording & takeaways
Music Data Decoded: The live music data puzzle
Music Data Decoded: How fan-first marketing *actually* works
Music Data Decoded: Distribution & label services
Key takeaways from our webinar on music, data, and storytelling
The State of Data in the Music Industry 2024
Proactive innovation in the music business: A manifesto
How music AI content and copyright detection actually works
Music SVOD Partnerships Deals
MoreShop
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