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UnitedMasters , a Black-owned music distribution platform for independent artists, secured a $50 million investment led by Apple, VentureBeat reports. Apple leading this investment in UnitedMasters is rare, and this deal begins a new strategic partnership between the pair. UnitedMasters was founded in 2017 by former Sony Music executive Steve Stoute. The company is on a mission to democratize the music industry by developing a platform that allows emerging artist to earn money and distribute their music to other notable platforms like Apple Music and Spotify. What’s unique about UnitedMasters is that artists get to retain full ownership over their work. “Were changing an industry and giving an opportunity to independent artists,” Stoute told VentureBeat. “I’m not thinking about the Taylor Swift that exists that we all know and love. I’m thinking about the next young girl who plays a guitar and could write a song that wants to be Taylor Swift.” Stoute said he plans to use the Series...
As TikTok receives bids from potential buyers like Microsoft and Oracle, it has announced its first music distribution deal with UnitedMasters. According to TechCrunch , the partnership will amplify TikTok’s ability to help music go viral. In addition, the deal will help indie artists distribute their music directly to music streaming services. “TikTok artists who are creating music in their bedrooms today will be featured in the Billboard charts tomorrow,” said Ole Obermann, global head of Music at TikTok. “Our mission is to help those artists achieve their creative potential and success. This partnership with UnitedMasters gives us a turn-key solution to help artists who are born on TikTok to reach their fans on every music service.” In the past year, already released tracks like Princess Nokia’s “I Like Him,” K Camp’s “Renegade,” and Rasheeda’s “Marry Me” have all exploded thanks to the app users’ funny remakes and dances. However, emerging artists like BMW Kenny (the voice...