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30600 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
Lots of ad tech emerged, complexity increased exponentially, and brands needed help with that, and the agencies provided that value.
“And I see a very close analogy [between that and] our business. Music is incredibly broadly distributed. Everybody on earth listens to music. We’re on every platform. And the complexity is high. And the more people can upload content, and the more people can be heard, the greater the noise, which means it’s harder to cut through the noise and sustain a career.”
But a label’s value is not just about building an artist’s career – it’s about sustaining it once that career is established as well, Kyncl explained.
“When they become established, it is also hard to remain at the top,” Kyncl said. “So their goals change. And again, we’re there to help with that.”
He added later that if you’re a music artist, “you need a team. |
30601 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
Lots of ad tech emerged, complexity increased exponentially, and brands needed help with that, and the agencies provided that value.
“And I see a very close analogy [between that and] our business. Music is incredibly broadly distributed. Everybody on earth listens to music. We’re on every platform. And the complexity is high. And the more people can upload content, and the more people can be heard, the greater the noise, which means it’s harder to cut through the noise and sustain a career.”
But a label’s value is not just about building an artist’s career – it’s about sustaining it once that career is established as well, Kyncl explained.
“When they become established, it is also hard to remain at the top,” Kyncl said. “So their goals change. And again, we’re there to help with that.”
He added later that if you’re a music artist, “you need a team. You need an army behind you…. |
30602 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
“And I see a very close analogy [between that and] our business. Music is incredibly broadly distributed. Everybody on earth listens to music. We’re on every platform. And the complexity is high. And the more people can upload content, and the more people can be heard, the greater the noise, which means it’s harder to cut through the noise and sustain a career.”
But a label’s value is not just about building an artist’s career – it’s about sustaining it once that career is established as well, Kyncl explained.
“When they become established, it is also hard to remain at the top,” Kyncl said. “So their goals change. And again, we’re there to help with that.”
He added later that if you’re a music artist, “you need a team. You need an army behind you…. if you want a sustainable career, with repeatability and success.”
Here are three other things we learned from Kyncl’s talk at the Code Conference…
Credit: Tatiana Shepeleva / Shutterstock 1) Music will feel the impact of AI before other industries do – ‘within the next year’
Kyncl predicted that the music business will be out ahead of other industries when it comes to exploiting the potential of AI, and it will also – out of necessity– be ahead on the issue of how to regulate and monetize the use of AI by non-rights-holders. |
30603 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
“When they become established, it is also hard to remain at the top,” Kyncl said. “So their goals change. And again, we’re there to help with that.”
He added later that if you’re a music artist, “you need a team. You need an army behind you…. if you want a sustainable career, with repeatability and success.”
Here are three other things we learned from Kyncl’s talk at the Code Conference…
Credit: Tatiana Shepeleva / Shutterstock 1) Music will feel the impact of AI before other industries do – ‘within the next year’
Kyncl predicted that the music business will be out ahead of other industries when it comes to exploiting the potential of AI, and it will also – out of necessity– be ahead on the issue of how to regulate and monetize the use of AI by non-rights-holders.
“Music – because it’s so broadly distributed and it’s so well aligned with the internet, because it’s short format, it lends itself to recommendations, it’s on all platforms – is generally first in most transformations and most innovations. |
30604 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
You need an army behind you…. if you want a sustainable career, with repeatability and success.”
Here are three other things we learned from Kyncl’s talk at the Code Conference…
Credit: Tatiana Shepeleva / Shutterstock 1) Music will feel the impact of AI before other industries do – ‘within the next year’
Kyncl predicted that the music business will be out ahead of other industries when it comes to exploiting the potential of AI, and it will also – out of necessity– be ahead on the issue of how to regulate and monetize the use of AI by non-rights-holders.
“Music – because it’s so broadly distributed and it’s so well aligned with the internet, because it’s short format, it lends itself to recommendations, it’s on all platforms – is generally first in most transformations and most innovations. So it digitizes first,” he said. |
30605 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
You need an army behind you…. if you want a sustainable career, with repeatability and success.”
Here are three other things we learned from Kyncl’s talk at the Code Conference…
Credit: Tatiana Shepeleva / Shutterstock 1) Music will feel the impact of AI before other industries do – ‘within the next year’
Kyncl predicted that the music business will be out ahead of other industries when it comes to exploiting the potential of AI, and it will also – out of necessity– be ahead on the issue of how to regulate and monetize the use of AI by non-rights-holders.
“Music – because it’s so broadly distributed and it’s so well aligned with the internet, because it’s short format, it lends itself to recommendations, it’s on all platforms – is generally first in most transformations and most innovations. So it digitizes first,” he said.
“Whatever happened to the music industry 20 years ago is starting to happen in the movies and TV shows now. |
30606 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
if you want a sustainable career, with repeatability and success.”
Here are three other things we learned from Kyncl’s talk at the Code Conference…
Credit: Tatiana Shepeleva / Shutterstock 1) Music will feel the impact of AI before other industries do – ‘within the next year’
Kyncl predicted that the music business will be out ahead of other industries when it comes to exploiting the potential of AI, and it will also – out of necessity– be ahead on the issue of how to regulate and monetize the use of AI by non-rights-holders.
“Music – because it’s so broadly distributed and it’s so well aligned with the internet, because it’s short format, it lends itself to recommendations, it’s on all platforms – is generally first in most transformations and most innovations. So it digitizes first,” he said.
“Whatever happened to the music industry 20 years ago is starting to happen in the movies and TV shows now. In the meantime, music emerged out of [digitization] better and stronger and more resilient. |
30607 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
“Music – because it’s so broadly distributed and it’s so well aligned with the internet, because it’s short format, it lends itself to recommendations, it’s on all platforms – is generally first in most transformations and most innovations. So it digitizes first,” he said.
“Whatever happened to the music industry 20 years ago is starting to happen in the movies and TV shows now. In the meantime, music emerged out of [digitization] better and stronger and more resilient. So, I would imagine the same will happen here, which is we’ll likely be first.”
Asked when that sea change will occur, Kyncl said: “I would say within the next year you will see lots of evolution around AI… What you will likely see is increasing quality at a very fast pace.”
Kyncl drew an analogy between the explosion of AI use among members of the public and the explosion of user-generated content (UGC) a decade or two ago. |
30608 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
“Music – because it’s so broadly distributed and it’s so well aligned with the internet, because it’s short format, it lends itself to recommendations, it’s on all platforms – is generally first in most transformations and most innovations. So it digitizes first,” he said.
“Whatever happened to the music industry 20 years ago is starting to happen in the movies and TV shows now. In the meantime, music emerged out of [digitization] better and stronger and more resilient. So, I would imagine the same will happen here, which is we’ll likely be first.”
Asked when that sea change will occur, Kyncl said: “I would say within the next year you will see lots of evolution around AI… What you will likely see is increasing quality at a very fast pace.”
Kyncl drew an analogy between the explosion of AI use among members of the public and the explosion of user-generated content (UGC) a decade or two ago. Just as user-generated content often infringed on copyright, so too does AI threaten the rights of artists and music rights holders. |
30609 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
So it digitizes first,” he said.
“Whatever happened to the music industry 20 years ago is starting to happen in the movies and TV shows now. In the meantime, music emerged out of [digitization] better and stronger and more resilient. So, I would imagine the same will happen here, which is we’ll likely be first.”
Asked when that sea change will occur, Kyncl said: “I would say within the next year you will see lots of evolution around AI… What you will likely see is increasing quality at a very fast pace.”
Kyncl drew an analogy between the explosion of AI use among members of the public and the explosion of user-generated content (UGC) a decade or two ago. Just as user-generated content often infringed on copyright, so too does AI threaten the rights of artists and music rights holders.
“I would say within the next year you will see lots of evolution around AI… What you will likely see is increasing quality at a very fast pace.” Robert Kyncl, Warner Music Group
In Kyncl’s view, the solutions put in place to address UGC form a “blueprint” than can be used to address AI-generated content on platforms as well. |
30610 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
So, I would imagine the same will happen here, which is we’ll likely be first.”
Asked when that sea change will occur, Kyncl said: “I would say within the next year you will see lots of evolution around AI… What you will likely see is increasing quality at a very fast pace.”
Kyncl drew an analogy between the explosion of AI use among members of the public and the explosion of user-generated content (UGC) a decade or two ago. Just as user-generated content often infringed on copyright, so too does AI threaten the rights of artists and music rights holders.
“I would say within the next year you will see lots of evolution around AI… What you will likely see is increasing quality at a very fast pace.” Robert Kyncl, Warner Music Group
In Kyncl’s view, the solutions put in place to address UGC form a “blueprint” than can be used to address AI-generated content on platforms as well.
“When YouTube was formed… people started to upload content, including copyrighted material, which, obviously, put YouTube into hot water with lots of different copyright holders. |
30611 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
Just as user-generated content often infringed on copyright, so too does AI threaten the rights of artists and music rights holders.
“I would say within the next year you will see lots of evolution around AI… What you will likely see is increasing quality at a very fast pace.” Robert Kyncl, Warner Music Group
In Kyncl’s view, the solutions put in place to address UGC form a “blueprint” than can be used to address AI-generated content on platforms as well.
“When YouTube was formed… people started to upload content, including copyrighted material, which, obviously, put YouTube into hot water with lots of different copyright holders. And I had the privilege of working through a lot of that and fix it up. |
30612 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
Just as user-generated content often infringed on copyright, so too does AI threaten the rights of artists and music rights holders.
“I would say within the next year you will see lots of evolution around AI… What you will likely see is increasing quality at a very fast pace.” Robert Kyncl, Warner Music Group
In Kyncl’s view, the solutions put in place to address UGC form a “blueprint” than can be used to address AI-generated content on platforms as well.
“When YouTube was formed… people started to upload content, including copyrighted material, which, obviously, put YouTube into hot water with lots of different copyright holders. And I had the privilege of working through a lot of that and fix it up.
“But we made we made a very important decision, which was to go above and beyond the law, and build a fingerprinting software that allowed us to track the copyright on our platform, and then have commercial relationship[s] with copyright holders to send them the money. |
30613 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
“I would say within the next year you will see lots of evolution around AI… What you will likely see is increasing quality at a very fast pace.” Robert Kyncl, Warner Music Group
In Kyncl’s view, the solutions put in place to address UGC form a “blueprint” than can be used to address AI-generated content on platforms as well.
“When YouTube was formed… people started to upload content, including copyrighted material, which, obviously, put YouTube into hot water with lots of different copyright holders. And I had the privilege of working through a lot of that and fix it up.
“But we made we made a very important decision, which was to go above and beyond the law, and build a fingerprinting software that allowed us to track the copyright on our platform, and then have commercial relationship[s] with copyright holders to send them the money. Out of that we built a multi-billion-dollar business, which now is a multi-billion-dollar business per year. |
30614 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
“When YouTube was formed… people started to upload content, including copyrighted material, which, obviously, put YouTube into hot water with lots of different copyright holders. And I had the privilege of working through a lot of that and fix it up.
“But we made we made a very important decision, which was to go above and beyond the law, and build a fingerprinting software that allowed us to track the copyright on our platform, and then have commercial relationship[s] with copyright holders to send them the money. Out of that we built a multi-billion-dollar business, which now is a multi-billion-dollar business per year. And it was an incredible new revenue stream for everyone. AI is that with new super tools.”
Kyncl was referring to YouTube’s Content ID system, which scours uploaded videos for copyrighted content (video and audio), then offers the copyright owner the option to monetize that video, or to request that it be taken down. |
30615 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
“When YouTube was formed… people started to upload content, including copyrighted material, which, obviously, put YouTube into hot water with lots of different copyright holders. And I had the privilege of working through a lot of that and fix it up.
“But we made we made a very important decision, which was to go above and beyond the law, and build a fingerprinting software that allowed us to track the copyright on our platform, and then have commercial relationship[s] with copyright holders to send them the money. Out of that we built a multi-billion-dollar business, which now is a multi-billion-dollar business per year. And it was an incredible new revenue stream for everyone. AI is that with new super tools.”
Kyncl was referring to YouTube’s Content ID system, which scours uploaded videos for copyrighted content (video and audio), then offers the copyright owner the option to monetize that video, or to request that it be taken down. The innovative system has essentially allowed YouTube users to upload content without paying much attention to copyright, while ensuring that copyright owners are paid. |
30616 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
And I had the privilege of working through a lot of that and fix it up.
“But we made we made a very important decision, which was to go above and beyond the law, and build a fingerprinting software that allowed us to track the copyright on our platform, and then have commercial relationship[s] with copyright holders to send them the money. Out of that we built a multi-billion-dollar business, which now is a multi-billion-dollar business per year. And it was an incredible new revenue stream for everyone. AI is that with new super tools.”
Kyncl was referring to YouTube’s Content ID system, which scours uploaded videos for copyrighted content (video and audio), then offers the copyright owner the option to monetize that video, or to request that it be taken down. The innovative system has essentially allowed YouTube users to upload content without paying much attention to copyright, while ensuring that copyright owners are paid.
When it comes to the proliferation of AI, “we need to approach it with the same thoughtfulness, and we have to make sure that artists have a choice,” Kyncl added. |
30617 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
Out of that we built a multi-billion-dollar business, which now is a multi-billion-dollar business per year. And it was an incredible new revenue stream for everyone. AI is that with new super tools.”
Kyncl was referring to YouTube’s Content ID system, which scours uploaded videos for copyrighted content (video and audio), then offers the copyright owner the option to monetize that video, or to request that it be taken down. The innovative system has essentially allowed YouTube users to upload content without paying much attention to copyright, while ensuring that copyright owners are paid.
When it comes to the proliferation of AI, “we need to approach it with the same thoughtfulness, and we have to make sure that artists have a choice,” Kyncl added.
And he made it clear that, in his view, simply rejecting AI and fighting against it is not an option. |
30618 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
Out of that we built a multi-billion-dollar business, which now is a multi-billion-dollar business per year. And it was an incredible new revenue stream for everyone. AI is that with new super tools.”
Kyncl was referring to YouTube’s Content ID system, which scours uploaded videos for copyrighted content (video and audio), then offers the copyright owner the option to monetize that video, or to request that it be taken down. The innovative system has essentially allowed YouTube users to upload content without paying much attention to copyright, while ensuring that copyright owners are paid.
When it comes to the proliferation of AI, “we need to approach it with the same thoughtfulness, and we have to make sure that artists have a choice,” Kyncl added.
And he made it clear that, in his view, simply rejecting AI and fighting against it is not an option.
“You have to embrace technology, because it’s not like you can put technology in a bottle. |
30619 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
Out of that we built a multi-billion-dollar business, which now is a multi-billion-dollar business per year. And it was an incredible new revenue stream for everyone. AI is that with new super tools.”
Kyncl was referring to YouTube’s Content ID system, which scours uploaded videos for copyrighted content (video and audio), then offers the copyright owner the option to monetize that video, or to request that it be taken down. The innovative system has essentially allowed YouTube users to upload content without paying much attention to copyright, while ensuring that copyright owners are paid.
When it comes to the proliferation of AI, “we need to approach it with the same thoughtfulness, and we have to make sure that artists have a choice,” Kyncl added.
And he made it clear that, in his view, simply rejecting AI and fighting against it is not an option.
“You have to embrace technology, because it’s not like you can put technology in a bottle. The genie is not going back.”
But he cautioned that the technology to develop a Content ID-style system for is “not yet developed, but… people are working on that.”
{Believe CEO Denis Ladegallerie might disagree. |
30620 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
The innovative system has essentially allowed YouTube users to upload content without paying much attention to copyright, while ensuring that copyright owners are paid.
When it comes to the proliferation of AI, “we need to approach it with the same thoughtfulness, and we have to make sure that artists have a choice,” Kyncl added.
And he made it clear that, in his view, simply rejecting AI and fighting against it is not an option.
“You have to embrace technology, because it’s not like you can put technology in a bottle. The genie is not going back.”
But he cautioned that the technology to develop a Content ID-style system for is “not yet developed, but… people are working on that.”
{Believe CEO Denis Ladegallerie might disagree. In comments earlier this year, Ladegallerie said that the tools to recognize and flag AI-generated content are just about ready to go, and he expects to see them implemented in the coming few quarters.) |
30621 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
The innovative system has essentially allowed YouTube users to upload content without paying much attention to copyright, while ensuring that copyright owners are paid.
When it comes to the proliferation of AI, “we need to approach it with the same thoughtfulness, and we have to make sure that artists have a choice,” Kyncl added.
And he made it clear that, in his view, simply rejecting AI and fighting against it is not an option.
“You have to embrace technology, because it’s not like you can put technology in a bottle. The genie is not going back.”
But he cautioned that the technology to develop a Content ID-style system for is “not yet developed, but… people are working on that.”
{Believe CEO Denis Ladegallerie might disagree. In comments earlier this year, Ladegallerie said that the tools to recognize and flag AI-generated content are just about ready to go, and he expects to see them implemented in the coming few quarters.)
2) The streaming audio business won’t experience the same problems currently hitting streaming video
The streaming video business is going through tough times. |
30622 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
When it comes to the proliferation of AI, “we need to approach it with the same thoughtfulness, and we have to make sure that artists have a choice,” Kyncl added.
And he made it clear that, in his view, simply rejecting AI and fighting against it is not an option.
“You have to embrace technology, because it’s not like you can put technology in a bottle. The genie is not going back.”
But he cautioned that the technology to develop a Content ID-style system for is “not yet developed, but… people are working on that.”
{Believe CEO Denis Ladegallerie might disagree. In comments earlier this year, Ladegallerie said that the tools to recognize and flag AI-generated content are just about ready to go, and he expects to see them implemented in the coming few quarters.)
2) The streaming audio business won’t experience the same problems currently hitting streaming video
The streaming video business is going through tough times.
Netflix experienced its first-ever decline in subscriptions last year (though it has since roared back to health); the subscriber count of Disney+ appears to be in freefall; and talk is growing about ongoing consolidation of the many streaming video services that have come online over the past several years. |
30623 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
“You have to embrace technology, because it’s not like you can put technology in a bottle. The genie is not going back.”
But he cautioned that the technology to develop a Content ID-style system for is “not yet developed, but… people are working on that.”
{Believe CEO Denis Ladegallerie might disagree. In comments earlier this year, Ladegallerie said that the tools to recognize and flag AI-generated content are just about ready to go, and he expects to see them implemented in the coming few quarters.)
2) The streaming audio business won’t experience the same problems currently hitting streaming video
The streaming video business is going through tough times.
Netflix experienced its first-ever decline in subscriptions last year (though it has since roared back to health); the subscriber count of Disney+ appears to be in freefall; and talk is growing about ongoing consolidation of the many streaming video services that have come online over the past several years.
Asked if the audio streaming business is likely to go through something similar, Kyncl’s answer was unequivocal. |
30624 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
The genie is not going back.”
But he cautioned that the technology to develop a Content ID-style system for is “not yet developed, but… people are working on that.”
{Believe CEO Denis Ladegallerie might disagree. In comments earlier this year, Ladegallerie said that the tools to recognize and flag AI-generated content are just about ready to go, and he expects to see them implemented in the coming few quarters.)
2) The streaming audio business won’t experience the same problems currently hitting streaming video
The streaming video business is going through tough times.
Netflix experienced its first-ever decline in subscriptions last year (though it has since roared back to health); the subscriber count of Disney+ appears to be in freefall; and talk is growing about ongoing consolidation of the many streaming video services that have come online over the past several years.
Asked if the audio streaming business is likely to go through something similar, Kyncl’s answer was unequivocal.
“No. |
30625 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
The genie is not going back.”
But he cautioned that the technology to develop a Content ID-style system for is “not yet developed, but… people are working on that.”
{Believe CEO Denis Ladegallerie might disagree. In comments earlier this year, Ladegallerie said that the tools to recognize and flag AI-generated content are just about ready to go, and he expects to see them implemented in the coming few quarters.)
2) The streaming audio business won’t experience the same problems currently hitting streaming video
The streaming video business is going through tough times.
Netflix experienced its first-ever decline in subscriptions last year (though it has since roared back to health); the subscriber count of Disney+ appears to be in freefall; and talk is growing about ongoing consolidation of the many streaming video services that have come online over the past several years.
Asked if the audio streaming business is likely to go through something similar, Kyncl’s answer was unequivocal.
“No. Music is much more resilient. |
30626 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
In comments earlier this year, Ladegallerie said that the tools to recognize and flag AI-generated content are just about ready to go, and he expects to see them implemented in the coming few quarters.)
2) The streaming audio business won’t experience the same problems currently hitting streaming video
The streaming video business is going through tough times.
Netflix experienced its first-ever decline in subscriptions last year (though it has since roared back to health); the subscriber count of Disney+ appears to be in freefall; and talk is growing about ongoing consolidation of the many streaming video services that have come online over the past several years.
Asked if the audio streaming business is likely to go through something similar, Kyncl’s answer was unequivocal.
“No. Music is much more resilient. So first, I think what happened in the last 15 years is incredible. |
30627 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
In comments earlier this year, Ladegallerie said that the tools to recognize and flag AI-generated content are just about ready to go, and he expects to see them implemented in the coming few quarters.)
2) The streaming audio business won’t experience the same problems currently hitting streaming video
The streaming video business is going through tough times.
Netflix experienced its first-ever decline in subscriptions last year (though it has since roared back to health); the subscriber count of Disney+ appears to be in freefall; and talk is growing about ongoing consolidation of the many streaming video services that have come online over the past several years.
Asked if the audio streaming business is likely to go through something similar, Kyncl’s answer was unequivocal.
“No. Music is much more resilient. So first, I think what happened in the last 15 years is incredible. They had literally zero people in the subscription model and now we have 700 million people in the world in the premium experience… which is incredible. |
30628 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
2) The streaming audio business won’t experience the same problems currently hitting streaming video
The streaming video business is going through tough times.
Netflix experienced its first-ever decline in subscriptions last year (though it has since roared back to health); the subscriber count of Disney+ appears to be in freefall; and talk is growing about ongoing consolidation of the many streaming video services that have come online over the past several years.
Asked if the audio streaming business is likely to go through something similar, Kyncl’s answer was unequivocal.
“No. Music is much more resilient. So first, I think what happened in the last 15 years is incredible. They had literally zero people in the subscription model and now we have 700 million people in the world in the premium experience… which is incredible.
“And I think really credit goes to Daniel Ek for forging the path for everybody. |
30629 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
2) The streaming audio business won’t experience the same problems currently hitting streaming video
The streaming video business is going through tough times.
Netflix experienced its first-ever decline in subscriptions last year (though it has since roared back to health); the subscriber count of Disney+ appears to be in freefall; and talk is growing about ongoing consolidation of the many streaming video services that have come online over the past several years.
Asked if the audio streaming business is likely to go through something similar, Kyncl’s answer was unequivocal.
“No. Music is much more resilient. So first, I think what happened in the last 15 years is incredible. They had literally zero people in the subscription model and now we have 700 million people in the world in the premium experience… which is incredible.
“And I think really credit goes to Daniel Ek for forging the path for everybody. And then companies like Apple and YouTube and Amazon following and building up the [music] business. |
30630 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
2) The streaming audio business won’t experience the same problems currently hitting streaming video
The streaming video business is going through tough times.
Netflix experienced its first-ever decline in subscriptions last year (though it has since roared back to health); the subscriber count of Disney+ appears to be in freefall; and talk is growing about ongoing consolidation of the many streaming video services that have come online over the past several years.
Asked if the audio streaming business is likely to go through something similar, Kyncl’s answer was unequivocal.
“No. Music is much more resilient. So first, I think what happened in the last 15 years is incredible. They had literally zero people in the subscription model and now we have 700 million people in the world in the premium experience… which is incredible.
“And I think really credit goes to Daniel Ek for forging the path for everybody. And then companies like Apple and YouTube and Amazon following and building up the [music] business. It’s pretty incredible what has happened.”
“You have to embrace technology, because it’s not like you can put technology in a bottle. |
30631 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
Asked if the audio streaming business is likely to go through something similar, Kyncl’s answer was unequivocal.
“No. Music is much more resilient. So first, I think what happened in the last 15 years is incredible. They had literally zero people in the subscription model and now we have 700 million people in the world in the premium experience… which is incredible.
“And I think really credit goes to Daniel Ek for forging the path for everybody. And then companies like Apple and YouTube and Amazon following and building up the [music] business. It’s pretty incredible what has happened.”
“You have to embrace technology, because it’s not like you can put technology in a bottle. The genie is not going back.” Robert Kyncl, Warner Music Group
Kyncl added: “I think the opportunity ahead of us is twofold. |
30632 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
Asked if the audio streaming business is likely to go through something similar, Kyncl’s answer was unequivocal.
“No. Music is much more resilient. So first, I think what happened in the last 15 years is incredible. They had literally zero people in the subscription model and now we have 700 million people in the world in the premium experience… which is incredible.
“And I think really credit goes to Daniel Ek for forging the path for everybody. And then companies like Apple and YouTube and Amazon following and building up the [music] business. It’s pretty incredible what has happened.”
“You have to embrace technology, because it’s not like you can put technology in a bottle. The genie is not going back.” Robert Kyncl, Warner Music Group
Kyncl added: “I think the opportunity ahead of us is twofold. One, the continued growth in emerging markets, and also the GDPs of those countries will be rising at the same time. |
30633 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
“No. Music is much more resilient. So first, I think what happened in the last 15 years is incredible. They had literally zero people in the subscription model and now we have 700 million people in the world in the premium experience… which is incredible.
“And I think really credit goes to Daniel Ek for forging the path for everybody. And then companies like Apple and YouTube and Amazon following and building up the [music] business. It’s pretty incredible what has happened.”
“You have to embrace technology, because it’s not like you can put technology in a bottle. The genie is not going back.” Robert Kyncl, Warner Music Group
Kyncl added: “I think the opportunity ahead of us is twofold. One, the continued growth in emerging markets, and also the GDPs of those countries will be rising at the same time. So there’s lots of growth there. |
30634 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
“No. Music is much more resilient. So first, I think what happened in the last 15 years is incredible. They had literally zero people in the subscription model and now we have 700 million people in the world in the premium experience… which is incredible.
“And I think really credit goes to Daniel Ek for forging the path for everybody. And then companies like Apple and YouTube and Amazon following and building up the [music] business. It’s pretty incredible what has happened.”
“You have to embrace technology, because it’s not like you can put technology in a bottle. The genie is not going back.” Robert Kyncl, Warner Music Group
Kyncl added: “I think the opportunity ahead of us is twofold. One, the continued growth in emerging markets, and also the GDPs of those countries will be rising at the same time. So there’s lots of growth there. And then there is the price elasticity optimization in mature markets.”
That last point is a reference to the price hikes seen among all the major music streaming services over the past year or so, and the growing belief within the music industry that streaming price hikes will be sustained – as evidenced recently by Deezer’s second price hike in a year. |
30635 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
And then companies like Apple and YouTube and Amazon following and building up the [music] business. It’s pretty incredible what has happened.”
“You have to embrace technology, because it’s not like you can put technology in a bottle. The genie is not going back.” Robert Kyncl, Warner Music Group
Kyncl added: “I think the opportunity ahead of us is twofold. One, the continued growth in emerging markets, and also the GDPs of those countries will be rising at the same time. So there’s lots of growth there. And then there is the price elasticity optimization in mature markets.”
That last point is a reference to the price hikes seen among all the major music streaming services over the past year or so, and the growing belief within the music industry that streaming price hikes will be sustained – as evidenced recently by Deezer’s second price hike in a year.
Credit: QuiteSimplyStock/Shutterstock 3) The hot music rights acquisitions space is ‘likely slowing down a bit’
The second half of 2022 saw a notable slowdown in music rights acquisitions, a phenomenon that some blamed on higher interest rates and the reduced liquidity that came with them. |
30636 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
The genie is not going back.” Robert Kyncl, Warner Music Group
Kyncl added: “I think the opportunity ahead of us is twofold. One, the continued growth in emerging markets, and also the GDPs of those countries will be rising at the same time. So there’s lots of growth there. And then there is the price elasticity optimization in mature markets.”
That last point is a reference to the price hikes seen among all the major music streaming services over the past year or so, and the growing belief within the music industry that streaming price hikes will be sustained – as evidenced recently by Deezer’s second price hike in a year.
Credit: QuiteSimplyStock/Shutterstock 3) The hot music rights acquisitions space is ‘likely slowing down a bit’
The second half of 2022 saw a notable slowdown in music rights acquisitions, a phenomenon that some blamed on higher interest rates and the reduced liquidity that came with them.
Although there has been something of a rebound this year, in Kyncl’s view, there is still a slowdown in this space – though that might be good for Warner Music Group. |
30637 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
One, the continued growth in emerging markets, and also the GDPs of those countries will be rising at the same time. So there’s lots of growth there. And then there is the price elasticity optimization in mature markets.”
That last point is a reference to the price hikes seen among all the major music streaming services over the past year or so, and the growing belief within the music industry that streaming price hikes will be sustained – as evidenced recently by Deezer’s second price hike in a year.
Credit: QuiteSimplyStock/Shutterstock 3) The hot music rights acquisitions space is ‘likely slowing down a bit’
The second half of 2022 saw a notable slowdown in music rights acquisitions, a phenomenon that some blamed on higher interest rates and the reduced liquidity that came with them.
Although there has been something of a rebound this year, in Kyncl’s view, there is still a slowdown in this space – though that might be good for Warner Music Group.
“I think what happened was there was an opening where artists and songwriters were suddenly open to selling catalogs. |
30638 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
So there’s lots of growth there. And then there is the price elasticity optimization in mature markets.”
That last point is a reference to the price hikes seen among all the major music streaming services over the past year or so, and the growing belief within the music industry that streaming price hikes will be sustained – as evidenced recently by Deezer’s second price hike in a year.
Credit: QuiteSimplyStock/Shutterstock 3) The hot music rights acquisitions space is ‘likely slowing down a bit’
The second half of 2022 saw a notable slowdown in music rights acquisitions, a phenomenon that some blamed on higher interest rates and the reduced liquidity that came with them.
Although there has been something of a rebound this year, in Kyncl’s view, there is still a slowdown in this space – though that might be good for Warner Music Group.
“I think what happened was there was an opening where artists and songwriters were suddenly open to selling catalogs. which they were not open to before. |
30639 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
And then there is the price elasticity optimization in mature markets.”
That last point is a reference to the price hikes seen among all the major music streaming services over the past year or so, and the growing belief within the music industry that streaming price hikes will be sustained – as evidenced recently by Deezer’s second price hike in a year.
Credit: QuiteSimplyStock/Shutterstock 3) The hot music rights acquisitions space is ‘likely slowing down a bit’
The second half of 2022 saw a notable slowdown in music rights acquisitions, a phenomenon that some blamed on higher interest rates and the reduced liquidity that came with them.
Although there has been something of a rebound this year, in Kyncl’s view, there is still a slowdown in this space – though that might be good for Warner Music Group.
“I think what happened was there was an opening where artists and songwriters were suddenly open to selling catalogs. which they were not open to before. And they just created this incredible tidal wave. |
30640 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
Credit: QuiteSimplyStock/Shutterstock 3) The hot music rights acquisitions space is ‘likely slowing down a bit’
The second half of 2022 saw a notable slowdown in music rights acquisitions, a phenomenon that some blamed on higher interest rates and the reduced liquidity that came with them.
Although there has been something of a rebound this year, in Kyncl’s view, there is still a slowdown in this space – though that might be good for Warner Music Group.
“I think what happened was there was an opening where artists and songwriters were suddenly open to selling catalogs. which they were not open to before. And they just created this incredible tidal wave. And these things happen in waves, ebb and flow.
“So I think it likely is slowing down a little bit, but that’s okay. Because it makes the multiples come down a little bit more.”
“I think what happened in the last 15 years is incredible. |
30641 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
Credit: QuiteSimplyStock/Shutterstock 3) The hot music rights acquisitions space is ‘likely slowing down a bit’
The second half of 2022 saw a notable slowdown in music rights acquisitions, a phenomenon that some blamed on higher interest rates and the reduced liquidity that came with them.
Although there has been something of a rebound this year, in Kyncl’s view, there is still a slowdown in this space – though that might be good for Warner Music Group.
“I think what happened was there was an opening where artists and songwriters were suddenly open to selling catalogs. which they were not open to before. And they just created this incredible tidal wave. And these things happen in waves, ebb and flow.
“So I think it likely is slowing down a little bit, but that’s okay. Because it makes the multiples come down a little bit more.”
“I think what happened in the last 15 years is incredible. They had literally zero people in the subscription model and now we have 700 million people in the world in the premium experience.” Robert Kyncl, Warner Music Group
In other words, Warner Music can go out and buy more if the multiples are low enough? |
30642 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
Although there has been something of a rebound this year, in Kyncl’s view, there is still a slowdown in this space – though that might be good for Warner Music Group.
“I think what happened was there was an opening where artists and songwriters were suddenly open to selling catalogs. which they were not open to before. And they just created this incredible tidal wave. And these things happen in waves, ebb and flow.
“So I think it likely is slowing down a little bit, but that’s okay. Because it makes the multiples come down a little bit more.”
“I think what happened in the last 15 years is incredible. They had literally zero people in the subscription model and now we have 700 million people in the world in the premium experience.” Robert Kyncl, Warner Music Group
In other words, Warner Music can go out and buy more if the multiples are low enough?
“Of course. |
30643 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
Although there has been something of a rebound this year, in Kyncl’s view, there is still a slowdown in this space – though that might be good for Warner Music Group.
“I think what happened was there was an opening where artists and songwriters were suddenly open to selling catalogs. which they were not open to before. And they just created this incredible tidal wave. And these things happen in waves, ebb and flow.
“So I think it likely is slowing down a little bit, but that’s okay. Because it makes the multiples come down a little bit more.”
“I think what happened in the last 15 years is incredible. They had literally zero people in the subscription model and now we have 700 million people in the world in the premium experience.” Robert Kyncl, Warner Music Group
In other words, Warner Music can go out and buy more if the multiples are low enough?
“Of course. We are in the business of buying catalogs, obviously. |
30644 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
“I think what happened was there was an opening where artists and songwriters were suddenly open to selling catalogs. which they were not open to before. And they just created this incredible tidal wave. And these things happen in waves, ebb and flow.
“So I think it likely is slowing down a little bit, but that’s okay. Because it makes the multiples come down a little bit more.”
“I think what happened in the last 15 years is incredible. They had literally zero people in the subscription model and now we have 700 million people in the world in the premium experience.” Robert Kyncl, Warner Music Group
In other words, Warner Music can go out and buy more if the multiples are low enough?
“Of course. We are in the business of buying catalogs, obviously. We have the publishing catalog of David Bowie, for instance, which we bought a few years ago. |
30645 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
“I think what happened was there was an opening where artists and songwriters were suddenly open to selling catalogs. which they were not open to before. And they just created this incredible tidal wave. And these things happen in waves, ebb and flow.
“So I think it likely is slowing down a little bit, but that’s okay. Because it makes the multiples come down a little bit more.”
“I think what happened in the last 15 years is incredible. They had literally zero people in the subscription model and now we have 700 million people in the world in the premium experience.” Robert Kyncl, Warner Music Group
In other words, Warner Music can go out and buy more if the multiples are low enough?
“Of course. We are in the business of buying catalogs, obviously. We have the publishing catalog of David Bowie, for instance, which we bought a few years ago. So yeah, we are in that business. |
30646 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
“I think what happened was there was an opening where artists and songwriters were suddenly open to selling catalogs. which they were not open to before. And they just created this incredible tidal wave. And these things happen in waves, ebb and flow.
“So I think it likely is slowing down a little bit, but that’s okay. Because it makes the multiples come down a little bit more.”
“I think what happened in the last 15 years is incredible. They had literally zero people in the subscription model and now we have 700 million people in the world in the premium experience.” Robert Kyncl, Warner Music Group
In other words, Warner Music can go out and buy more if the multiples are low enough?
“Of course. We are in the business of buying catalogs, obviously. We have the publishing catalog of David Bowie, for instance, which we bought a few years ago. So yeah, we are in that business.
“We are in the business of administering [rights], which means collecting revenue from thousands of platforms around the world; very complicated matters. |
30647 | Warner Music Group boss Robert Kyncl on AI, why labels still exist, and 2 other things we learned from his Q&A at the Code Conference
And they just created this incredible tidal wave. And these things happen in waves, ebb and flow.
“So I think it likely is slowing down a little bit, but that’s okay. Because it makes the multiples come down a little bit more.”
“I think what happened in the last 15 years is incredible. They had literally zero people in the subscription model and now we have 700 million people in the world in the premium experience.” Robert Kyncl, Warner Music Group
In other words, Warner Music can go out and buy more if the multiples are low enough?
“Of course. We are in the business of buying catalogs, obviously. We have the publishing catalog of David Bowie, for instance, which we bought a few years ago. So yeah, we are in that business.
“We are in the business of administering [rights], which means collecting revenue from thousands of platforms around the world; very complicated matters. But we’re also in the business of ownership.”Music Business Worldwide |
30648 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
African mobile video network StarNews Mobile has secured $3 million in pre-Series A funding. StarNews offers African content creators a platform for monetizing their work through a subscription model. Currently, the service is available in six African countries, including Cameroon (where it started), Nigeria, Ghana, Congo, Benin and Ivory Coast.
Founder and CEO Guy Kamgaing launched the startup in 2017. His inspiration for this venture draws from his extensive 10-year experience in content monetization, particularly within the VAS (Value-Added Services) business. During this period, he actively participated in text/SMS-based campaigns and monetization endeavors, which provided the foundation for StarNews.
The five-year-old mobile video network prioritizes offering monetization avenues for African content creators through distribution partnerships with major telecommunications operators like MTN and Orange. Content creators often face challenges in generating revenue due to limitations on existing streaming platforms. |
30649 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
African mobile video network StarNews Mobile has secured $3 million in pre-Series A funding. StarNews offers African content creators a platform for monetizing their work through a subscription model. Currently, the service is available in six African countries, including Cameroon (where it started), Nigeria, Ghana, Congo, Benin and Ivory Coast.
Founder and CEO Guy Kamgaing launched the startup in 2017. His inspiration for this venture draws from his extensive 10-year experience in content monetization, particularly within the VAS (Value-Added Services) business. During this period, he actively participated in text/SMS-based campaigns and monetization endeavors, which provided the foundation for StarNews.
The five-year-old mobile video network prioritizes offering monetization avenues for African content creators through distribution partnerships with major telecommunications operators like MTN and Orange. Content creators often face challenges in generating revenue due to limitations on existing streaming platforms. As a result, StarNews connects them to mobile users who often lack access to relevant content due to expensive mobile data plans and a shortage of services tailored to local markets. |
30650 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
Currently, the service is available in six African countries, including Cameroon (where it started), Nigeria, Ghana, Congo, Benin and Ivory Coast.
Founder and CEO Guy Kamgaing launched the startup in 2017. His inspiration for this venture draws from his extensive 10-year experience in content monetization, particularly within the VAS (Value-Added Services) business. During this period, he actively participated in text/SMS-based campaigns and monetization endeavors, which provided the foundation for StarNews.
The five-year-old mobile video network prioritizes offering monetization avenues for African content creators through distribution partnerships with major telecommunications operators like MTN and Orange. Content creators often face challenges in generating revenue due to limitations on existing streaming platforms. As a result, StarNews connects them to mobile users who often lack access to relevant content due to expensive mobile data plans and a shortage of services tailored to local markets. A win-win for both parties. |
30651 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
Currently, the service is available in six African countries, including Cameroon (where it started), Nigeria, Ghana, Congo, Benin and Ivory Coast.
Founder and CEO Guy Kamgaing launched the startup in 2017. His inspiration for this venture draws from his extensive 10-year experience in content monetization, particularly within the VAS (Value-Added Services) business. During this period, he actively participated in text/SMS-based campaigns and monetization endeavors, which provided the foundation for StarNews.
The five-year-old mobile video network prioritizes offering monetization avenues for African content creators through distribution partnerships with major telecommunications operators like MTN and Orange. Content creators often face challenges in generating revenue due to limitations on existing streaming platforms. As a result, StarNews connects them to mobile users who often lack access to relevant content due to expensive mobile data plans and a shortage of services tailored to local markets. A win-win for both parties.
“I realized that while I could monetize jokes and horoscopes via telcos for several years, no one was monetizing content on the traditional platforms, especially in Africa,” said the Los Angeles-based Cameroonian entrepreneur to TechCrunch. |
30652 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
His inspiration for this venture draws from his extensive 10-year experience in content monetization, particularly within the VAS (Value-Added Services) business. During this period, he actively participated in text/SMS-based campaigns and monetization endeavors, which provided the foundation for StarNews.
The five-year-old mobile video network prioritizes offering monetization avenues for African content creators through distribution partnerships with major telecommunications operators like MTN and Orange. Content creators often face challenges in generating revenue due to limitations on existing streaming platforms. As a result, StarNews connects them to mobile users who often lack access to relevant content due to expensive mobile data plans and a shortage of services tailored to local markets. A win-win for both parties.
“I realized that while I could monetize jokes and horoscopes via telcos for several years, no one was monetizing content on the traditional platforms, especially in Africa,” said the Los Angeles-based Cameroonian entrepreneur to TechCrunch. “There are thousands of creators online that don’t make money on YouTube or other platforms. |
30653 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
During this period, he actively participated in text/SMS-based campaigns and monetization endeavors, which provided the foundation for StarNews.
The five-year-old mobile video network prioritizes offering monetization avenues for African content creators through distribution partnerships with major telecommunications operators like MTN and Orange. Content creators often face challenges in generating revenue due to limitations on existing streaming platforms. As a result, StarNews connects them to mobile users who often lack access to relevant content due to expensive mobile data plans and a shortage of services tailored to local markets. A win-win for both parties.
“I realized that while I could monetize jokes and horoscopes via telcos for several years, no one was monetizing content on the traditional platforms, especially in Africa,” said the Los Angeles-based Cameroonian entrepreneur to TechCrunch. “There are thousands of creators online that don’t make money on YouTube or other platforms. So it was just putting two and two together, saying, ‘Well, this content is here that no one knows about and is very difficult to get the audience on YouTube and search, but I can help creators make money because I have a relationship with the telcos.’”
Mobile operators are pivotal in propelling content within Africa’s media industry, with unmatched distribution capabilities. |
30654 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
As a result, StarNews connects them to mobile users who often lack access to relevant content due to expensive mobile data plans and a shortage of services tailored to local markets. A win-win for both parties.
“I realized that while I could monetize jokes and horoscopes via telcos for several years, no one was monetizing content on the traditional platforms, especially in Africa,” said the Los Angeles-based Cameroonian entrepreneur to TechCrunch. “There are thousands of creators online that don’t make money on YouTube or other platforms. So it was just putting two and two together, saying, ‘Well, this content is here that no one knows about and is very difficult to get the audience on YouTube and search, but I can help creators make money because I have a relationship with the telcos.’”
Mobile operators are pivotal in propelling content within Africa’s media industry, with unmatched distribution capabilities. Collaborating closely with these operators is imperative for establishing a solid presence in the market. |
30655 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
A win-win for both parties.
“I realized that while I could monetize jokes and horoscopes via telcos for several years, no one was monetizing content on the traditional platforms, especially in Africa,” said the Los Angeles-based Cameroonian entrepreneur to TechCrunch. “There are thousands of creators online that don’t make money on YouTube or other platforms. So it was just putting two and two together, saying, ‘Well, this content is here that no one knows about and is very difficult to get the audience on YouTube and search, but I can help creators make money because I have a relationship with the telcos.’”
Mobile operators are pivotal in propelling content within Africa’s media industry, with unmatched distribution capabilities. Collaborating closely with these operators is imperative for establishing a solid presence in the market. Over the past few years, these operators have been instrumental in driving data usage across the continent, simultaneously upselling their customers with in-house content or partnering with entities like StarNews. |
30656 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
“I realized that while I could monetize jokes and horoscopes via telcos for several years, no one was monetizing content on the traditional platforms, especially in Africa,” said the Los Angeles-based Cameroonian entrepreneur to TechCrunch. “There are thousands of creators online that don’t make money on YouTube or other platforms. So it was just putting two and two together, saying, ‘Well, this content is here that no one knows about and is very difficult to get the audience on YouTube and search, but I can help creators make money because I have a relationship with the telcos.’”
Mobile operators are pivotal in propelling content within Africa’s media industry, with unmatched distribution capabilities. Collaborating closely with these operators is imperative for establishing a solid presence in the market. Over the past few years, these operators have been instrumental in driving data usage across the continent, simultaneously upselling their customers with in-house content or partnering with entities like StarNews. To draw a parallel, Kamgaing stated that you can think of Orange as the “Apple” of Africa’s telecommunications world and MTN as the “Google.”
Connecting mobile subscribers to local content creators
StarNews boasts an active subscriber base of over 4 million through its partnerships with MTN and Orange across six markets (it exited South Africa after a misalignment with MTN’s strategy for engaging content creators) and a community featuring more than 120 content creators. |
30657 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
Collaborating closely with these operators is imperative for establishing a solid presence in the market. Over the past few years, these operators have been instrumental in driving data usage across the continent, simultaneously upselling their customers with in-house content or partnering with entities like StarNews. To draw a parallel, Kamgaing stated that you can think of Orange as the “Apple” of Africa’s telecommunications world and MTN as the “Google.”
Connecting mobile subscribers to local content creators
StarNews boasts an active subscriber base of over 4 million through its partnerships with MTN and Orange across six markets (it exited South Africa after a misalignment with MTN’s strategy for engaging content creators) and a community featuring more than 120 content creators. This approach has enabled StarNews to organically expand its user base while securing nearly $8 million (including a $900,000 friends and family round, a $2 million seed investment and a $1.8 million extension) funding from an array of U.S., European and African VCs, including Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P), Snap via its Yellow Accelerator program, LoftyInc Capital, Graph Ventures and Expert Dojo. |
30658 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
To draw a parallel, Kamgaing stated that you can think of Orange as the “Apple” of Africa’s telecommunications world and MTN as the “Google.”
Connecting mobile subscribers to local content creators
StarNews boasts an active subscriber base of over 4 million through its partnerships with MTN and Orange across six markets (it exited South Africa after a misalignment with MTN’s strategy for engaging content creators) and a community featuring more than 120 content creators. This approach has enabled StarNews to organically expand its user base while securing nearly $8 million (including a $900,000 friends and family round, a $2 million seed investment and a $1.8 million extension) funding from an array of U.S., European and African VCs, including Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P), Snap via its Yellow Accelerator program, LoftyInc Capital, Graph Ventures and Expert Dojo.
The platform is structured around channels, with each creator having a dedicated channel. |
30659 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
This approach has enabled StarNews to organically expand its user base while securing nearly $8 million (including a $900,000 friends and family round, a $2 million seed investment and a $1.8 million extension) funding from an array of U.S., European and African VCs, including Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P), Snap via its Yellow Accelerator program, LoftyInc Capital, Graph Ventures and Expert Dojo.
The platform is structured around channels, with each creator having a dedicated channel. Kamgaing says the company works closely with creators by providing financial support and assisting in content production; additionally, it guides the creators in their digital journey, offering support in digital acquisition. As previously highlighted, a significant portion of the company’s user acquisition comes through telecom operators, as it’s a seamless process for, say, MTN to send messages encouraging its customers to sign up to Star News to watch social media personalities, including music artists, comedians and influencers. |
30660 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
The platform is structured around channels, with each creator having a dedicated channel. Kamgaing says the company works closely with creators by providing financial support and assisting in content production; additionally, it guides the creators in their digital journey, offering support in digital acquisition. As previously highlighted, a significant portion of the company’s user acquisition comes through telecom operators, as it’s a seamless process for, say, MTN to send messages encouraging its customers to sign up to Star News to watch social media personalities, including music artists, comedians and influencers. For users, the sign-up process is streamlined for convenience, followed by a straightforward payment mechanism, allowing them to pay using their airtime; this works across six different networks, each offering users various bundles, weekly subscriptions and daily plans.
In addition to content produced by creators, StarNews features deeply hyperlocal content, spanning topics such as motorbike taxis in Cameroon or food recipes in Ivory Coast. |
30661 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
The platform is structured around channels, with each creator having a dedicated channel. Kamgaing says the company works closely with creators by providing financial support and assisting in content production; additionally, it guides the creators in their digital journey, offering support in digital acquisition. As previously highlighted, a significant portion of the company’s user acquisition comes through telecom operators, as it’s a seamless process for, say, MTN to send messages encouraging its customers to sign up to Star News to watch social media personalities, including music artists, comedians and influencers. For users, the sign-up process is streamlined for convenience, followed by a straightforward payment mechanism, allowing them to pay using their airtime; this works across six different networks, each offering users various bundles, weekly subscriptions and daily plans.
In addition to content produced by creators, StarNews features deeply hyperlocal content, spanning topics such as motorbike taxis in Cameroon or food recipes in Ivory Coast. The platform also hosts genre-specific shows, including the footballing competition African Cup of Nations and a program modeled after a singing reality competition, The Voice. |
30662 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
As previously highlighted, a significant portion of the company’s user acquisition comes through telecom operators, as it’s a seamless process for, say, MTN to send messages encouraging its customers to sign up to Star News to watch social media personalities, including music artists, comedians and influencers. For users, the sign-up process is streamlined for convenience, followed by a straightforward payment mechanism, allowing them to pay using their airtime; this works across six different networks, each offering users various bundles, weekly subscriptions and daily plans.
In addition to content produced by creators, StarNews features deeply hyperlocal content, spanning topics such as motorbike taxis in Cameroon or food recipes in Ivory Coast. The platform also hosts genre-specific shows, including the footballing competition African Cup of Nations and a program modeled after a singing reality competition, The Voice. StarNews leverages its partnerships with telecom operators to raise awareness and significantly boost user activations for these shows. |
30663 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
As previously highlighted, a significant portion of the company’s user acquisition comes through telecom operators, as it’s a seamless process for, say, MTN to send messages encouraging its customers to sign up to Star News to watch social media personalities, including music artists, comedians and influencers. For users, the sign-up process is streamlined for convenience, followed by a straightforward payment mechanism, allowing them to pay using their airtime; this works across six different networks, each offering users various bundles, weekly subscriptions and daily plans.
In addition to content produced by creators, StarNews features deeply hyperlocal content, spanning topics such as motorbike taxis in Cameroon or food recipes in Ivory Coast. The platform also hosts genre-specific shows, including the footballing competition African Cup of Nations and a program modeled after a singing reality competition, The Voice. StarNews leverages its partnerships with telecom operators to raise awareness and significantly boost user activations for these shows. For instance, in the 2021 edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), the platform actively produced exclusive content straight from the event, resulting in the acquisition of 600,000 new users. |
30664 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
For users, the sign-up process is streamlined for convenience, followed by a straightforward payment mechanism, allowing them to pay using their airtime; this works across six different networks, each offering users various bundles, weekly subscriptions and daily plans.
In addition to content produced by creators, StarNews features deeply hyperlocal content, spanning topics such as motorbike taxis in Cameroon or food recipes in Ivory Coast. The platform also hosts genre-specific shows, including the footballing competition African Cup of Nations and a program modeled after a singing reality competition, The Voice. StarNews leverages its partnerships with telecom operators to raise awareness and significantly boost user activations for these shows. For instance, in the 2021 edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), the platform actively produced exclusive content straight from the event, resulting in the acquisition of 600,000 new users. Furthermore, the company sponsors concerts, and at one point, it attracted an impressive 500,000 subscribers by offering them the chance to attend a Fally Ipupa concert. |
30665 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
In addition to content produced by creators, StarNews features deeply hyperlocal content, spanning topics such as motorbike taxis in Cameroon or food recipes in Ivory Coast. The platform also hosts genre-specific shows, including the footballing competition African Cup of Nations and a program modeled after a singing reality competition, The Voice. StarNews leverages its partnerships with telecom operators to raise awareness and significantly boost user activations for these shows. For instance, in the 2021 edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), the platform actively produced exclusive content straight from the event, resulting in the acquisition of 600,000 new users. Furthermore, the company sponsors concerts, and at one point, it attracted an impressive 500,000 subscribers by offering them the chance to attend a Fally Ipupa concert.
These initiatives highlight the power of strong partnerships, where telcos take the lead, followed by content creators or show organizers, Kamgaing, an ex-PwC consultant, remarked. |
30666 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
The platform also hosts genre-specific shows, including the footballing competition African Cup of Nations and a program modeled after a singing reality competition, The Voice. StarNews leverages its partnerships with telecom operators to raise awareness and significantly boost user activations for these shows. For instance, in the 2021 edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), the platform actively produced exclusive content straight from the event, resulting in the acquisition of 600,000 new users. Furthermore, the company sponsors concerts, and at one point, it attracted an impressive 500,000 subscribers by offering them the chance to attend a Fally Ipupa concert.
These initiatives highlight the power of strong partnerships, where telcos take the lead, followed by content creators or show organizers, Kamgaing, an ex-PwC consultant, remarked. According to him, this dynamic results in an influx of eager users to access the content or engage with the telco’s activities while positioning StarNews remarkably well to oversee content distribution, monetization, and creation effectively. |
30667 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
StarNews leverages its partnerships with telecom operators to raise awareness and significantly boost user activations for these shows. For instance, in the 2021 edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), the platform actively produced exclusive content straight from the event, resulting in the acquisition of 600,000 new users. Furthermore, the company sponsors concerts, and at one point, it attracted an impressive 500,000 subscribers by offering them the chance to attend a Fally Ipupa concert.
These initiatives highlight the power of strong partnerships, where telcos take the lead, followed by content creators or show organizers, Kamgaing, an ex-PwC consultant, remarked. According to him, this dynamic results in an influx of eager users to access the content or engage with the telco’s activities while positioning StarNews remarkably well to oversee content distribution, monetization, and creation effectively.
“Production without distribution is tough and tougher without monetization. |
30668 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
StarNews leverages its partnerships with telecom operators to raise awareness and significantly boost user activations for these shows. For instance, in the 2021 edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), the platform actively produced exclusive content straight from the event, resulting in the acquisition of 600,000 new users. Furthermore, the company sponsors concerts, and at one point, it attracted an impressive 500,000 subscribers by offering them the chance to attend a Fally Ipupa concert.
These initiatives highlight the power of strong partnerships, where telcos take the lead, followed by content creators or show organizers, Kamgaing, an ex-PwC consultant, remarked. According to him, this dynamic results in an influx of eager users to access the content or engage with the telco’s activities while positioning StarNews remarkably well to oversee content distribution, monetization, and creation effectively.
“Production without distribution is tough and tougher without monetization. There are a lot of people creating content, but they’ll put it on YouTube and Instagram, platforms that control the distribution. |
30669 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
For instance, in the 2021 edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), the platform actively produced exclusive content straight from the event, resulting in the acquisition of 600,000 new users. Furthermore, the company sponsors concerts, and at one point, it attracted an impressive 500,000 subscribers by offering them the chance to attend a Fally Ipupa concert.
These initiatives highlight the power of strong partnerships, where telcos take the lead, followed by content creators or show organizers, Kamgaing, an ex-PwC consultant, remarked. According to him, this dynamic results in an influx of eager users to access the content or engage with the telco’s activities while positioning StarNews remarkably well to oversee content distribution, monetization, and creation effectively.
“Production without distribution is tough and tougher without monetization. There are a lot of people creating content, but they’ll put it on YouTube and Instagram, platforms that control the distribution. There’s no real monetization. |
30670 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
Furthermore, the company sponsors concerts, and at one point, it attracted an impressive 500,000 subscribers by offering them the chance to attend a Fally Ipupa concert.
These initiatives highlight the power of strong partnerships, where telcos take the lead, followed by content creators or show organizers, Kamgaing, an ex-PwC consultant, remarked. According to him, this dynamic results in an influx of eager users to access the content or engage with the telco’s activities while positioning StarNews remarkably well to oversee content distribution, monetization, and creation effectively.
“Production without distribution is tough and tougher without monetization. There are a lot of people creating content, but they’ll put it on YouTube and Instagram, platforms that control the distribution. There’s no real monetization. We’re able to have all three layers at the local level. |
30671 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
Furthermore, the company sponsors concerts, and at one point, it attracted an impressive 500,000 subscribers by offering them the chance to attend a Fally Ipupa concert.
These initiatives highlight the power of strong partnerships, where telcos take the lead, followed by content creators or show organizers, Kamgaing, an ex-PwC consultant, remarked. According to him, this dynamic results in an influx of eager users to access the content or engage with the telco’s activities while positioning StarNews remarkably well to oversee content distribution, monetization, and creation effectively.
“Production without distribution is tough and tougher without monetization. There are a lot of people creating content, but they’ll put it on YouTube and Instagram, platforms that control the distribution. There’s no real monetization. We’re able to have all three layers at the local level. We have offices in all the markets and the teams there are specifically working with creators on content production, which is unique,” said the chief executive, while adding that the platform’s content spectrum has expanded to establish significant partnerships with the likes of Sony and Universal in the region. |
30672 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
These initiatives highlight the power of strong partnerships, where telcos take the lead, followed by content creators or show organizers, Kamgaing, an ex-PwC consultant, remarked. According to him, this dynamic results in an influx of eager users to access the content or engage with the telco’s activities while positioning StarNews remarkably well to oversee content distribution, monetization, and creation effectively.
“Production without distribution is tough and tougher without monetization. There are a lot of people creating content, but they’ll put it on YouTube and Instagram, platforms that control the distribution. There’s no real monetization. We’re able to have all three layers at the local level. We have offices in all the markets and the teams there are specifically working with creators on content production, which is unique,” said the chief executive, while adding that the platform’s content spectrum has expanded to establish significant partnerships with the likes of Sony and Universal in the region.
Opportunity in Africa’s creator economy sector
Among its markets, StarNews has observed the most impressive retention rate in Nigeria, a market that exhibits all the right metrics for exponential growth, according to Kamgaing. |
30673 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
“Production without distribution is tough and tougher without monetization. There are a lot of people creating content, but they’ll put it on YouTube and Instagram, platforms that control the distribution. There’s no real monetization. We’re able to have all three layers at the local level. We have offices in all the markets and the teams there are specifically working with creators on content production, which is unique,” said the chief executive, while adding that the platform’s content spectrum has expanded to establish significant partnerships with the likes of Sony and Universal in the region.
Opportunity in Africa’s creator economy sector
Among its markets, StarNews has observed the most impressive retention rate in Nigeria, a market that exhibits all the right metrics for exponential growth, according to Kamgaing. Acquiring users is relatively straightforward, and the platform enjoys strong user engagement and stickiness; moreover, monetization is thriving, he said. StarNews employs an internal metric to gauge monetization, known as the billing rate. |
30674 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
There are a lot of people creating content, but they’ll put it on YouTube and Instagram, platforms that control the distribution. There’s no real monetization. We’re able to have all three layers at the local level. We have offices in all the markets and the teams there are specifically working with creators on content production, which is unique,” said the chief executive, while adding that the platform’s content spectrum has expanded to establish significant partnerships with the likes of Sony and Universal in the region.
Opportunity in Africa’s creator economy sector
Among its markets, StarNews has observed the most impressive retention rate in Nigeria, a market that exhibits all the right metrics for exponential growth, according to Kamgaing. Acquiring users is relatively straightforward, and the platform enjoys strong user engagement and stickiness; moreover, monetization is thriving, he said. StarNews employs an internal metric to gauge monetization, known as the billing rate. This metric represents the number of individuals who have sufficient available airtime to pay for digital services; notably, the billing rate is three times higher in Nigeria compared to the Francophone markets. |
30675 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
We’re able to have all three layers at the local level. We have offices in all the markets and the teams there are specifically working with creators on content production, which is unique,” said the chief executive, while adding that the platform’s content spectrum has expanded to establish significant partnerships with the likes of Sony and Universal in the region.
Opportunity in Africa’s creator economy sector
Among its markets, StarNews has observed the most impressive retention rate in Nigeria, a market that exhibits all the right metrics for exponential growth, according to Kamgaing. Acquiring users is relatively straightforward, and the platform enjoys strong user engagement and stickiness; moreover, monetization is thriving, he said. StarNews employs an internal metric to gauge monetization, known as the billing rate. This metric represents the number of individuals who have sufficient available airtime to pay for digital services; notably, the billing rate is three times higher in Nigeria compared to the Francophone markets.
Kamgaing revealed that the platform distributed $1 million to content creators last year while maintaining an average monthly payout of around $70,000 to these creators. |
30676 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
Opportunity in Africa’s creator economy sector
Among its markets, StarNews has observed the most impressive retention rate in Nigeria, a market that exhibits all the right metrics for exponential growth, according to Kamgaing. Acquiring users is relatively straightforward, and the platform enjoys strong user engagement and stickiness; moreover, monetization is thriving, he said. StarNews employs an internal metric to gauge monetization, known as the billing rate. This metric represents the number of individuals who have sufficient available airtime to pay for digital services; notably, the billing rate is three times higher in Nigeria compared to the Francophone markets.
Kamgaing revealed that the platform distributed $1 million to content creators last year while maintaining an average monthly payout of around $70,000 to these creators. The fresh injection of capital serves as a significant uplift for Africa’s creator economy, an underserved sector in African tech (despite that startups like e-commerce-focused Selar are holding their own). |
30677 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
Acquiring users is relatively straightforward, and the platform enjoys strong user engagement and stickiness; moreover, monetization is thriving, he said. StarNews employs an internal metric to gauge monetization, known as the billing rate. This metric represents the number of individuals who have sufficient available airtime to pay for digital services; notably, the billing rate is three times higher in Nigeria compared to the Francophone markets.
Kamgaing revealed that the platform distributed $1 million to content creators last year while maintaining an average monthly payout of around $70,000 to these creators. The fresh injection of capital serves as a significant uplift for Africa’s creator economy, an underserved sector in African tech (despite that startups like e-commerce-focused Selar are holding their own). This funding will equip the Los Angeles-based company, currently with 40 employees, to better support its creators and gradually enhance payouts in the coming years, a crucial step in bolstering the region’s creative industry. |
30678 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
Acquiring users is relatively straightforward, and the platform enjoys strong user engagement and stickiness; moreover, monetization is thriving, he said. StarNews employs an internal metric to gauge monetization, known as the billing rate. This metric represents the number of individuals who have sufficient available airtime to pay for digital services; notably, the billing rate is three times higher in Nigeria compared to the Francophone markets.
Kamgaing revealed that the platform distributed $1 million to content creators last year while maintaining an average monthly payout of around $70,000 to these creators. The fresh injection of capital serves as a significant uplift for Africa’s creator economy, an underserved sector in African tech (despite that startups like e-commerce-focused Selar are holding their own). This funding will equip the Los Angeles-based company, currently with 40 employees, to better support its creators and gradually enhance payouts in the coming years, a crucial step in bolstering the region’s creative industry.
Additionally, in a press statement, Kamgaing outlined the startup’s expansion plans, noting its intent to strengthen its dominant presence in Francophone Africa while quickly expanding across strategic markets like Nigeria and Ghana. |
30679 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
This metric represents the number of individuals who have sufficient available airtime to pay for digital services; notably, the billing rate is three times higher in Nigeria compared to the Francophone markets.
Kamgaing revealed that the platform distributed $1 million to content creators last year while maintaining an average monthly payout of around $70,000 to these creators. The fresh injection of capital serves as a significant uplift for Africa’s creator economy, an underserved sector in African tech (despite that startups like e-commerce-focused Selar are holding their own). This funding will equip the Los Angeles-based company, currently with 40 employees, to better support its creators and gradually enhance payouts in the coming years, a crucial step in bolstering the region’s creative industry.
Additionally, in a press statement, Kamgaing outlined the startup’s expansion plans, noting its intent to strengthen its dominant presence in Francophone Africa while quickly expanding across strategic markets like Nigeria and Ghana. StarNews is looking to be in 11 markets by next year, the chief executive remarked on the call. |
30680 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
Kamgaing revealed that the platform distributed $1 million to content creators last year while maintaining an average monthly payout of around $70,000 to these creators. The fresh injection of capital serves as a significant uplift for Africa’s creator economy, an underserved sector in African tech (despite that startups like e-commerce-focused Selar are holding their own). This funding will equip the Los Angeles-based company, currently with 40 employees, to better support its creators and gradually enhance payouts in the coming years, a crucial step in bolstering the region’s creative industry.
Additionally, in a press statement, Kamgaing outlined the startup’s expansion plans, noting its intent to strengthen its dominant presence in Francophone Africa while quickly expanding across strategic markets like Nigeria and Ghana. StarNews is looking to be in 11 markets by next year, the chief executive remarked on the call.
Janngo Capital, an Africa-focused venture capital firm, led the pre-Series A funding round. |
30681 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
Kamgaing revealed that the platform distributed $1 million to content creators last year while maintaining an average monthly payout of around $70,000 to these creators. The fresh injection of capital serves as a significant uplift for Africa’s creator economy, an underserved sector in African tech (despite that startups like e-commerce-focused Selar are holding their own). This funding will equip the Los Angeles-based company, currently with 40 employees, to better support its creators and gradually enhance payouts in the coming years, a crucial step in bolstering the region’s creative industry.
Additionally, in a press statement, Kamgaing outlined the startup’s expansion plans, noting its intent to strengthen its dominant presence in Francophone Africa while quickly expanding across strategic markets like Nigeria and Ghana. StarNews is looking to be in 11 markets by next year, the chief executive remarked on the call.
Janngo Capital, an Africa-focused venture capital firm, led the pre-Series A funding round. Other notable investors, such as soccer players Aurélien Tchouaméni of Real Madrid, Jules Koundé of Barcelona and Mike Maignan from AC Milan, all affiliated with athlete representation agency Excellence Sport Nation, participated in the round. |
30682 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
This funding will equip the Los Angeles-based company, currently with 40 employees, to better support its creators and gradually enhance payouts in the coming years, a crucial step in bolstering the region’s creative industry.
Additionally, in a press statement, Kamgaing outlined the startup’s expansion plans, noting its intent to strengthen its dominant presence in Francophone Africa while quickly expanding across strategic markets like Nigeria and Ghana. StarNews is looking to be in 11 markets by next year, the chief executive remarked on the call.
Janngo Capital, an Africa-focused venture capital firm, led the pre-Series A funding round. Other notable investors, such as soccer players Aurélien Tchouaméni of Real Madrid, Jules Koundé of Barcelona and Mike Maignan from AC Milan, all affiliated with athlete representation agency Excellence Sport Nation, participated in the round. Kamgaing, in the interview, highlighted the shared African heritage of these players, underscoring their connection to StarNews’ mission and their genuine interest in engaging with the African audience and investing in startups across the continent. |
30683 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
Additionally, in a press statement, Kamgaing outlined the startup’s expansion plans, noting its intent to strengthen its dominant presence in Francophone Africa while quickly expanding across strategic markets like Nigeria and Ghana. StarNews is looking to be in 11 markets by next year, the chief executive remarked on the call.
Janngo Capital, an Africa-focused venture capital firm, led the pre-Series A funding round. Other notable investors, such as soccer players Aurélien Tchouaméni of Real Madrid, Jules Koundé of Barcelona and Mike Maignan from AC Milan, all affiliated with athlete representation agency Excellence Sport Nation, participated in the round. Kamgaing, in the interview, highlighted the shared African heritage of these players, underscoring their connection to StarNews’ mission and their genuine interest in engaging with the African audience and investing in startups across the continent. These French soccer players now join the ranks of investors like Blaise Matuidi, a former French international who has previously invested in Sudanese fintech company Bloom and currently heads Origins, a VC firm in collaboration with other soccer players who serve as limited partners. |
30684 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
StarNews is looking to be in 11 markets by next year, the chief executive remarked on the call.
Janngo Capital, an Africa-focused venture capital firm, led the pre-Series A funding round. Other notable investors, such as soccer players Aurélien Tchouaméni of Real Madrid, Jules Koundé of Barcelona and Mike Maignan from AC Milan, all affiliated with athlete representation agency Excellence Sport Nation, participated in the round. Kamgaing, in the interview, highlighted the shared African heritage of these players, underscoring their connection to StarNews’ mission and their genuine interest in engaging with the African audience and investing in startups across the continent. These French soccer players now join the ranks of investors like Blaise Matuidi, a former French international who has previously invested in Sudanese fintech company Bloom and currently heads Origins, a VC firm in collaboration with other soccer players who serve as limited partners.
Fatoumata Bâ, founder and executive chair of Janngo Capital, affirmed the firm’s support for StarNews, accentuating the platform’s unique positioning, strategic partnerships, technology and content. |
30685 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
Other notable investors, such as soccer players Aurélien Tchouaméni of Real Madrid, Jules Koundé of Barcelona and Mike Maignan from AC Milan, all affiliated with athlete representation agency Excellence Sport Nation, participated in the round. Kamgaing, in the interview, highlighted the shared African heritage of these players, underscoring their connection to StarNews’ mission and their genuine interest in engaging with the African audience and investing in startups across the continent. These French soccer players now join the ranks of investors like Blaise Matuidi, a former French international who has previously invested in Sudanese fintech company Bloom and currently heads Origins, a VC firm in collaboration with other soccer players who serve as limited partners.
Fatoumata Bâ, founder and executive chair of Janngo Capital, affirmed the firm’s support for StarNews, accentuating the platform’s unique positioning, strategic partnerships, technology and content. This support is rooted in the belief that StarNews is well-positioned to capitalize on the immense growth potential of Africa’s creative industry, which is poised for a fourfold expansion by 2050 and the possibility to generate up to $20 billion in GDP, she said. |
30686 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
Kamgaing, in the interview, highlighted the shared African heritage of these players, underscoring their connection to StarNews’ mission and their genuine interest in engaging with the African audience and investing in startups across the continent. These French soccer players now join the ranks of investors like Blaise Matuidi, a former French international who has previously invested in Sudanese fintech company Bloom and currently heads Origins, a VC firm in collaboration with other soccer players who serve as limited partners.
Fatoumata Bâ, founder and executive chair of Janngo Capital, affirmed the firm’s support for StarNews, accentuating the platform’s unique positioning, strategic partnerships, technology and content. This support is rooted in the belief that StarNews is well-positioned to capitalize on the immense growth potential of Africa’s creative industry, which is poised for a fourfold expansion by 2050 and the possibility to generate up to $20 billion in GDP, she said.
“I am very excited and proud to back StarNews, the first media platform that supports African creators and tells the world the real African story,” added Fernand Tchouameni, spokesperson and investment advisor for Aurelien Tchouameni. |
30687 | French soccer players back African mobile video network StarNews Mobile in $3M round
These French soccer players now join the ranks of investors like Blaise Matuidi, a former French international who has previously invested in Sudanese fintech company Bloom and currently heads Origins, a VC firm in collaboration with other soccer players who serve as limited partners.
Fatoumata Bâ, founder and executive chair of Janngo Capital, affirmed the firm’s support for StarNews, accentuating the platform’s unique positioning, strategic partnerships, technology and content. This support is rooted in the belief that StarNews is well-positioned to capitalize on the immense growth potential of Africa’s creative industry, which is poised for a fourfold expansion by 2050 and the possibility to generate up to $20 billion in GDP, she said.
“I am very excited and proud to back StarNews, the first media platform that supports African creators and tells the world the real African story,” added Fernand Tchouameni, spokesperson and investment advisor for Aurelien Tchouameni. “Being of Cameroonian descent, I can also see StarNews becoming a bridge to connect with the African diaspora, and I personally look forward to being on it.” |
30688 | EU commissioner sidesteps MEPs’ questions about CSAM microtargeting
The European Union’s home affairs commissioner, Ylva Johansson, has confirmed the Commission is investigating whether or not it broke recently updated digital governance rules when her department ran a microtargeted political ad campaign aiming to drive support for a controversial child sexual abuse material (CSAM)-scanning proposal she’s spearheading.
But at a committee hearing in the European Parliament today she deflected MEPs’ enquiries for her to give more details about the ad campaign.
The governance regulation concerned is the Digital Services Act (DSA), which includes provisions relating to online advertising — including a prohibition on the use of sensitive personal data, such as political opinions, for targeting ads. While the ads in question ran on X (formerly Twitter) — which is already expected to be compliant with the DSA, having been designated by the Commission as a so-called Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) back in April.
The Commission itself, meanwhile, not only proposed this pan-EU law but is responsible for oversight of VLOPs’ DSA compliance. |
30689 | EU commissioner sidesteps MEPs’ questions about CSAM microtargeting
But at a committee hearing in the European Parliament today she deflected MEPs’ enquiries for her to give more details about the ad campaign.
The governance regulation concerned is the Digital Services Act (DSA), which includes provisions relating to online advertising — including a prohibition on the use of sensitive personal data, such as political opinions, for targeting ads. While the ads in question ran on X (formerly Twitter) — which is already expected to be compliant with the DSA, having been designated by the Commission as a so-called Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) back in April.
The Commission itself, meanwhile, not only proposed this pan-EU law but is responsible for oversight of VLOPs’ DSA compliance. So — tl;dr — if EU officials have used X’s ad-targeting tools to break the bloc’s own digital rulebook it’s the very definition of an awkward situation. |
30690 | EU commissioner sidesteps MEPs’ questions about CSAM microtargeting
But at a committee hearing in the European Parliament today she deflected MEPs’ enquiries for her to give more details about the ad campaign.
The governance regulation concerned is the Digital Services Act (DSA), which includes provisions relating to online advertising — including a prohibition on the use of sensitive personal data, such as political opinions, for targeting ads. While the ads in question ran on X (formerly Twitter) — which is already expected to be compliant with the DSA, having been designated by the Commission as a so-called Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) back in April.
The Commission itself, meanwhile, not only proposed this pan-EU law but is responsible for oversight of VLOPs’ DSA compliance. So — tl;dr — if EU officials have used X’s ad-targeting tools to break the bloc’s own digital rulebook it’s the very definition of an awkward situation.
The existence of the Commission’s microtargeted ad campaign seeking to drum up support for its proposed CSAM-scanning law was spotted last month by technologist, Danny Mekić. |
30691 | EU commissioner sidesteps MEPs’ questions about CSAM microtargeting
The governance regulation concerned is the Digital Services Act (DSA), which includes provisions relating to online advertising — including a prohibition on the use of sensitive personal data, such as political opinions, for targeting ads. While the ads in question ran on X (formerly Twitter) — which is already expected to be compliant with the DSA, having been designated by the Commission as a so-called Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) back in April.
The Commission itself, meanwhile, not only proposed this pan-EU law but is responsible for oversight of VLOPs’ DSA compliance. So — tl;dr — if EU officials have used X’s ad-targeting tools to break the bloc’s own digital rulebook it’s the very definition of an awkward situation.
The existence of the Commission’s microtargeted ad campaign seeking to drum up support for its proposed CSAM-scanning law was spotted last month by technologist, Danny Mekić. An article with his findings ran in Dutch newspaper, De Volkskrant, earlier this month. |
30692 | EU commissioner sidesteps MEPs’ questions about CSAM microtargeting
While the ads in question ran on X (formerly Twitter) — which is already expected to be compliant with the DSA, having been designated by the Commission as a so-called Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) back in April.
The Commission itself, meanwhile, not only proposed this pan-EU law but is responsible for oversight of VLOPs’ DSA compliance. So — tl;dr — if EU officials have used X’s ad-targeting tools to break the bloc’s own digital rulebook it’s the very definition of an awkward situation.
The existence of the Commission’s microtargeted ad campaign seeking to drum up support for its proposed CSAM-scanning law was spotted last month by technologist, Danny Mekić. An article with his findings ran in Dutch newspaper, De Volkskrant, earlier this month.
Using public ad transparency tools the DSA requires VLOPs to provide, Mekić found the Commission had run a paid advertising campaign on X, targeting users in the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Finland, Slovenia, Portugal and the Czech Republic — countries that were not supportive of Johansson’s CSAM-scanning proposal according to leaked minutes from a September 14 meeting of the European Council, a co-legislative body that’s involved (along with MEPs) in determining the final shape of the CSAM law. |
30693 | EU commissioner sidesteps MEPs’ questions about CSAM microtargeting
So — tl;dr — if EU officials have used X’s ad-targeting tools to break the bloc’s own digital rulebook it’s the very definition of an awkward situation.
The existence of the Commission’s microtargeted ad campaign seeking to drum up support for its proposed CSAM-scanning law was spotted last month by technologist, Danny Mekić. An article with his findings ran in Dutch newspaper, De Volkskrant, earlier this month.
Using public ad transparency tools the DSA requires VLOPs to provide, Mekić found the Commission had run a paid advertising campaign on X, targeting users in the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Finland, Slovenia, Portugal and the Czech Republic — countries that were not supportive of Johansson’s CSAM-scanning proposal according to leaked minutes from a September 14 meeting of the European Council, a co-legislative body that’s involved (along with MEPs) in determining the final shape of the CSAM law.
Per Mekić, the Commission’s ad campaign, which apparently racked up millions of views on X, insinuated that opponents of the proposed legislation did not want to protect children — messaging he dubbed “a form of emotional blackmail”. |
30694 | EU commissioner sidesteps MEPs’ questions about CSAM microtargeting
An article with his findings ran in Dutch newspaper, De Volkskrant, earlier this month.
Using public ad transparency tools the DSA requires VLOPs to provide, Mekić found the Commission had run a paid advertising campaign on X, targeting users in the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Finland, Slovenia, Portugal and the Czech Republic — countries that were not supportive of Johansson’s CSAM-scanning proposal according to leaked minutes from a September 14 meeting of the European Council, a co-legislative body that’s involved (along with MEPs) in determining the final shape of the CSAM law.
Per Mekić, the Commission’s ad campaign, which apparently racked up millions of views on X, insinuated that opponents of the proposed legislation did not want to protect children — messaging he dubbed “a form of emotional blackmail”.
The ads included what he suggested is a misleading claim that the majority of Europeans support the proposal — but which is based on a survey that highlighted “only the benefits but not the drawbacks of the proposed legislation”. |
30695 | EU commissioner sidesteps MEPs’ questions about CSAM microtargeting
Using public ad transparency tools the DSA requires VLOPs to provide, Mekić found the Commission had run a paid advertising campaign on X, targeting users in the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Finland, Slovenia, Portugal and the Czech Republic — countries that were not supportive of Johansson’s CSAM-scanning proposal according to leaked minutes from a September 14 meeting of the European Council, a co-legislative body that’s involved (along with MEPs) in determining the final shape of the CSAM law.
Per Mekić, the Commission’s ad campaign, which apparently racked up millions of views on X, insinuated that opponents of the proposed legislation did not want to protect children — messaging he dubbed “a form of emotional blackmail”.
The ads included what he suggested is a misleading claim that the majority of Europeans support the proposal — but which is based on a survey that highlighted “only the benefits but not the drawbacks of the proposed legislation”. Other surveys, by research firms YouGov and Novus, that highlighted the drawbacks showed “virtually no support” for the plan among the European population, his post also pointed out. |
30696 | EU commissioner sidesteps MEPs’ questions about CSAM microtargeting
Per Mekić, the Commission’s ad campaign, which apparently racked up millions of views on X, insinuated that opponents of the proposed legislation did not want to protect children — messaging he dubbed “a form of emotional blackmail”.
The ads included what he suggested is a misleading claim that the majority of Europeans support the proposal — but which is based on a survey that highlighted “only the benefits but not the drawbacks of the proposed legislation”. Other surveys, by research firms YouGov and Novus, that highlighted the drawbacks showed “virtually no support” for the plan among the European population, his post also pointed out.
Going into more detail of the microtargeting used by the Commission, Mekić wrote: “X’s Transparency Report shows that the European Commission also used ‘microtargeting’ to ensure that the ads did not appear to people who care about privacy (people interested in Julian Assange) and eurosceptics (people interested in ‘nexit’, ‘brexit’ and ‘spanexit’ or in Victor Orbán, Nigel Farage, or the German political party AfD). |
30697 | EU commissioner sidesteps MEPs’ questions about CSAM microtargeting
The ads included what he suggested is a misleading claim that the majority of Europeans support the proposal — but which is based on a survey that highlighted “only the benefits but not the drawbacks of the proposed legislation”. Other surveys, by research firms YouGov and Novus, that highlighted the drawbacks showed “virtually no support” for the plan among the European population, his post also pointed out.
Going into more detail of the microtargeting used by the Commission, Mekić wrote: “X’s Transparency Report shows that the European Commission also used ‘microtargeting’ to ensure that the ads did not appear to people who care about privacy (people interested in Julian Assange) and eurosceptics (people interested in ‘nexit’, ‘brexit’ and ‘spanexit’ or in Victor Orbán, Nigel Farage, or the German political party AfD). For unclear reasons, people interested in Christianity were also excluded. |
30698 | EU commissioner sidesteps MEPs’ questions about CSAM microtargeting
The ads included what he suggested is a misleading claim that the majority of Europeans support the proposal — but which is based on a survey that highlighted “only the benefits but not the drawbacks of the proposed legislation”. Other surveys, by research firms YouGov and Novus, that highlighted the drawbacks showed “virtually no support” for the plan among the European population, his post also pointed out.
Going into more detail of the microtargeting used by the Commission, Mekić wrote: “X’s Transparency Report shows that the European Commission also used ‘microtargeting’ to ensure that the ads did not appear to people who care about privacy (people interested in Julian Assange) and eurosceptics (people interested in ‘nexit’, ‘brexit’ and ‘spanexit’ or in Victor Orbán, Nigel Farage, or the German political party AfD). For unclear reasons, people interested in Christianity were also excluded.
“After excluding critical political and religious groups, X’s algorithm was set to find people in the remaining population who were indeed interested in the ad message, resulting in an uncritical echo chamber. |
30699 | EU commissioner sidesteps MEPs’ questions about CSAM microtargeting
Other surveys, by research firms YouGov and Novus, that highlighted the drawbacks showed “virtually no support” for the plan among the European population, his post also pointed out.
Going into more detail of the microtargeting used by the Commission, Mekić wrote: “X’s Transparency Report shows that the European Commission also used ‘microtargeting’ to ensure that the ads did not appear to people who care about privacy (people interested in Julian Assange) and eurosceptics (people interested in ‘nexit’, ‘brexit’ and ‘spanexit’ or in Victor Orbán, Nigel Farage, or the German political party AfD). For unclear reasons, people interested in Christianity were also excluded.
“After excluding critical political and religious groups, X’s algorithm was set to find people in the remaining population who were indeed interested in the ad message, resulting in an uncritical echo chamber. This microtargeting on political and religious beliefs violates X’s advertising policy, the Digital Services Act – which the Commission itself has to oversee — and the General Data Protection Regulation [GDPR].”
During an exchange of views with the European Parliament’s civil rights, justice and home affairs (LIBE) committee this afternoon, Johansson admitted the EU’s executive is investigating the matter. |
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