Kobalt's newly-appointed chief technology officer Rian Liebenberg has lifted the lid on a music industry revolution ahead of his keynote at this month's Music Week Tech Summit.
The summit takes place at The O2 on Wednesday, September 26. Click here for the full preview. For registration, head to musicweektechsummit.com.
Asked which area of the business will be revolutionised next, Liebenberg, who is interviewed in the current issue of Music Week, said: “We are still at the early stages of understanding how technology can be leveraged to simplify distribution at global scale. There are still under-served regions where new or existing fans can be reached more easily, and likewise for new artists to be discovered. There are some great innovations on the horizon that will increase access, usage and drive volume. VR and voice are two great examples.
Founded by Willard Ahdritz in 2000, Kobalt launched a crusade to serve artists and songwriters in the fairest ways possible.
As the industry continues its resurgence through streaming, Kobalt is ideally positioned to drive transparency and insights to artists and songwriters
Rian Liebenberg, Kobalt
"What attracted me to Kobalt was that they had tackled and disrupted a hugely complex industry and gained respect and credibility in the industry," Liebenberg told Music Week. "One only has to look at the most impressive list of artists and songwriters on the roster today to realise that this is for real.”
The firm's ever-expanding roster ranges from Zayn to You Me At Six, Dua Lipa, The Kooks, Miles Davis and beyond across records, publishing and neighbouring rights.
“Kobalt is unique," said Liebenberg. "It’s the only company that’s built the technology infrastructure to track the billions of microtransactions and fix all the royalty payment inefficiencies in the music industry. Our approach has empowered creators, and we’ll continue to invest in technology and products to help artists and songwriters thrive in the digital age.
“Willard and I talk about how this is phase two for us. The infrastructure and platform are there and it’s a tremendous benefit for our clients. Now we’re onto building more sophisticated products. As the industry continues its resurgence through streaming, Kobalt is ideally positioned to drive transparency and insights to artists and songwriters.”
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