Four major music labels have stepped up to the plate and announced that they’re supporting The Digital Innovation Contest, a comp that supports digital entrepreneurship in the UK, and kicks off a search for the music industry’s Holy Grail.
Leanne Sharman, VP of Commercial Development for Warner Music Europe, said: “Warner Music is committed to enabling digital partners which offer fans innovative, easy to use and exciting music experiences that properly compensate artists and content owners.”
What struck us about this quote was the following: “innovative, easy to use and exciting music experiences that properly compensate artists and content owners”, which is what the music industry has been scrabbling for since the advent of illegal downloading started impacting sales.
EMI Music, Sony Music, Universal Music and Warner Music will be helping to judge the entrants. From the entrants, 20 winners will be selected, and each will receive an equal share of the £200,000 prize money to start implementing consumer trials of their ideas on the IC Tomorrow digital test bed programme, which allows entrepreneurs and new tech to test hardware or software with consumers. The comp runs across ideas for music, TV, film, and publishing.
It’s great to see the music industry fostering grass roots innovation, but hopes for the services are small with such behemoths already well established. To our mind it’s either overly optimistic or naive, but perhaps we’re being sceptical.
If you reckon you’ve got the chops to compete though, and could turn save the music, then you’ve got until 11 March to apply.
What do you think? can anything topple existing music, film and TV services? Shout out in the comments!
