Several platforms for cooperation have emerged in the music industry as a result of artificial intelligence, all of which seek to reinvent the creative process.
Among these newcomers to the market is Baton, which bills itself as a forum for music cooperation for unreleased original work. The firm, which was established in New York City in 2021, wants to create a “next-generation ecosystem for unreleased material.”
Its platform would facilitate creator collaboration through the use of AI and decentralized payment infrastructure.
On Tuesday, November 14, the firm declared that it had successfully concluded a US $4.2 million funding round, spearheaded by BITKRAFT Ventures, a global platform for early- and mid-stage investments with a focus on gaming, esports, and interactive media. With more than $540 million in assets under management, BITKRAFT also invests in music for Australian game company Splash, which powers Roblox, and in game startup Five Vectors.
Techstars, the Dorm Room Fund, NYU’s Innovation Venture Fund, the Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship, Dark Arts, Franklin Templeton, Harmonic Future, and business angels also contributed to Baton’s financing efforts.
According to Baton, a lot of unfinished or unreleased work with potential is being relied upon.
Every day, 100,000 songs are released to streaming services; nevertheless, the majority of the content remains unreleased. We think there is a great deal of untapped potential here. BATON GABE WARSHAW
Every day, 100,000 songs are made available on streaming sites; nevertheless, the majority of the music remains unreleased. Gabe Warshaw, the founder and CEO of Baton, stated, “We think there’s a ton of unrealized potential here.”
The platform also aims to solve the difficulties that musicians face in getting the recognition they deserve, as very few of them are able to make a living just from their music.
As a musician for a lifetime, Warshaw said, “I’ve seen how difficult it can be for even the most talented creatives to support themselves from their work.”
“Baton was established to give these creatively stimulating ideas a home and to streamline business operations so that artists could concentrate on what really matters: the art.”
According to Baton, it’s an ecosystem created to match unpublished content with the appropriate audience as well as a platform for collaboration. In addition, the platform is developing a decentralized infrastructure to safeguard intellectual property (IP) and guarantee equitable recompense, independent of the manner or location in which content is utilized.
“CREATING IS MADE EASIER BY BATON.” In the realm of music and technology, this is one of the rare occasions where both the vision and execution hit it right on the head. A&R SICKAMORE
The organization claims to be bridging the gap between up-and-coming musicians and titans of the industry. Since the beginning of its private beta in 2022, Baton has made it easier for managers, A&Rs, and Grammy winners to collaborate.
Sickamore, an A&R representative who has worked with several celebrities including Nicki Minaj, Travis Scott, YG, Don Toliver, and others, claimed that Baton “makes creating easier.”
It’s one of the rare cases in music and technology where both the idea and the execution really hit the mark, according to Sickamore. Aspiring producers, seasoned musicians, and everyone in between have finally found the answer they have been searching for.
“I’m always looking for inspiration,” said Grammy-winning producer DJ Dahi, who has collaborated with Drake, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, and other artists. It may originate from anyplace. It’s amazing how I can discover new talent in Baton that I never would have met otherwise.
Malte Barth, BITKRAFT Ventures’ founding general partner, stated: “Some of the most exciting growth we’ve seen in recent memory is occurring in the music industry.” Nevertheless, despite the industry’s projected growth to a $73.39 billion market by 2026, the infrastructure for collaboration that helps creators is outdated and provides nothing to enable them to share in the wealth they generate for society.
Although the music industry is expected to reach a market size of $73.39 billion by 2026, the infrastructure for collaboration that supports artists is anticipated to be inadequate. BitKraftt Ventures and Malte Berthold
“The Baton team has a special opportunity to bring a lovely vision for a more creative world to life. Their experiences working at the top of the music industry and their backgrounds as creative technologists from NYU ITP, a prestigious master’s program within [the] Tisch School of the Arts, give them a unique combination of technical skills and real-world understanding to affect significant change in a field that sorely needs it.
Baton graduated from Techstars Music, a startup accelerator. Additionally, it has already won both the Tandon Future Labs InnoVention Competition and the NYU Entrepreneurs Challenge.
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