Rounding up recent tech news that impacts livelihoods in the creative community …
Spotify for Artists promises closer connection to fan bases
On April 18 Spotify announced the launch of its Fan Insights upgrade called Spotify for Artists. The Fan Insights dashboard launched in 2015, signed up more than 10,000 artists and produced copious feedback now integrated into Spotify's new platform. Monitoring fan engagement has allowed artists to expand tours and better target promotions. Improvements to Spotify for Artists should help close the loop connecting artists and management teams with their emerging fan bases. Up-and-comers will no longer need 250 followers to apply for verified status, and all Fan Insights users will be converted to Spotify for Artists. Separately, on April 20 Spotify and indie record label group Merlin announced a multiyear licensing deal, including terms for windowing, restricting album availability to paid users for the first two weeks from release similar to Spotify's recent deal with UMG.
Facebook conference boosts sensory enhancement and in-camera AI
Facebook's F8 2017 conference was held April 18–19 and announced research breakthroughs and upcoming features under development, including augmented/virtual reality, artificial intelligence and even the ability to hear through skin stimulation. F8 promotes the concept that internet-based communication can unfold a more data-rich experience of the world or allow us to detach from our surroundings. For example, Facebook Spaces would offer an immersive VR hangout for friends. Pieces of this picture are still missing, such as eyeglasses able to display overlay imagery, but Facebook, Instagram and Messenger cameras will soon benefit from onboard artificial intelligence, allowing enhancement, recognition and annotation while on the go.
T-Mobile, Dish are biggest buyers in FCC spectrum auction
On April 13 the Federal Communications Commission announced the conclusion of the auctions phase of its broadcast spectrum repack that began five years ago. The auctions that were held began with a so-called "reverse auction," letting sellers set the prices at which they would be willing to sell, followed by a second auction with competitive bidding between buyers. Out of $19.8 billion and 70 MHz of auctioned spectrum, T-Mobile purchased approximately 31 MHz for $8 billion, 45 percent of the auction's inventory. Its acquisitions in the low-band range are expected to improve national coverage. Dish spent $6.2 billion and the next highest was Comcast with $1.7 billion. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said, "Now, we begin the post-auction transition period. ... There is still much work ahead of us."
More advocacy at The Academy: Go inside the 2017 GRAMMYs on the Hill Awards
