Still, music creators won’t be able to do without brands. At least it will be much harder for them. Spotify recognizes this by launching Spotify AUX, which aims to help connect brands, the platform, and artists.
They already have their first client, Coca-Cola, which has recruited Peggy Gou, the Berlin-based producer-DJ-vocalist who struck gold last summer with her single “(It Goes Like) Nanana. as the first face of the Coke Studio campaign.
Jean-François Pathy will become Global Head for Spotify AUX.
AUX will aim to connect brands and artists. The company says it will help “emerging artists.” Admittedly, this is doubtful; aspiring artists would probably prefer to stay on the sidelines making money from streaming rather than trying to get in with a brand.
So, while Spotify AUX will probably be helpful to artists, especially mid-recognition artists, it won’t play a decisive role in Spotify’s crowded market of aspiring artists. The whole point is that around 100,000 new tracks are uploaded daily. A number that makes your chances of being listened to rather ghostly.
And that’s hardly helped by Spotify AUX, which is more likely to redistribute money to those that have already had some success than a potent tool to enable artists to “live off the art”.
