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Exclusive Q&A with Paul Sampson, CEO of Lickd
One quick thing that came to mind after conducting the interview was: this man knows the industry. So Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Paul Sampson, CEO of Lickd.
For starterrs, Lickd is a micro-licensing and music solutions company that caters to the creator economy. If that sounds obscure, jump straight to the interview, where Paul Simpson talks in simple terms about Lickd and the present and future of the online music industry.
Q. Let’s start with a brief personal profile. Tell us about your background and career?
A. I’ve been working in music licensing since 2005. I’ve worked specifically with stock music, commercial music, and more recently, exploring ways of strengthening the creator economy.
For around five years, straight out of university, I worked in television at a small production company, climbing through the ranks. Throughout this time, I encountered the difficulties of licensing music several times, and so began to take an interest in understanding the nuances and problems that needed solving.
I’d gotten to know several renowned music licensing companies, and in 2005, one of them, Extreme Music, offered me a job in New York and with that, I followed my passion and began my career jump into the music industry. Within about two and a half years in the role, they relocated me out to Los Angeles as the Head of US.
In 2010, a new role brought me back to Europe and I was a key figure in launching the European arm of another U.S. music licensing company. This time, it was not just stock music, but a focus on more commercial music, and unsigned independent acts.
After this, I knew it was time to start acting on the music opportunities that were becoming more prevalent with the boom of the creator economy, and so following that channel, Lickd was born in 2017.
Q. Now let’s move on to Lickd. What led you to found Lickd?
A. Two words led me to found Lickd: Creator Economy. As social media became more prevalent in everyday life in the late 2000’s, the opportunities for music and creators were plentiful and so Lickd was born. A few years later, as the effects on the media landscape following the pandemic have increased the creator economy twofold, we see even more opportunities to continue to seize the moment, and the market.
Lickd is the first music company to ever develop a major music solution for content creators of all kinds. We licence music from major labels and publishers, including current music that’s in the charts and make it available for licensing, legally. Our unique software protects our users on the platform that they place music on, for example, YouTube and Instagram. Platforms like YouTube have built in music recognition software that identifies popular music being used in content, and presumes that all music uses are some sort of infringement of copyright, therefore, persecuting the creator and attempting to police them out of earning revenue.
Lickd’s software is really the magic solution that the platform sits on top of to ensure that not only can creators licence the music but that they’re taken care of and we’re protecting their revenue all the way through to the end of the content journey.
Q. What is Lickd’s specialty?
A. What sets us apart is that we are unique in our offering. We’re working with 10,000+ labels and publishers that are linked to the Lickd platform, including Universal, Warner, Sony, BMG and Kobalt. To engage labels and publishers like that and to preclear their music for any content vertical is something that was once largely thought impossible, but Lickd has made it happen and is helping to secure new revenue streams for creators globally.
Q. Could you talk about your work with key gaming powerhouses?
A. Gaming is obviously an enormous industry, bigger than music and film combined. Any content vertical with that sort of reach has a huge platform, a huge audience to work with and promote music too.
In terms of how Lickd got together with Fortnite and Epic Games; essentially music became part of their engagement strategy, and they started paying more attention to it. Senior teams were asking key questions like: ‘how can we work with artists’ and ‘what sort of artist does our audience want to hear within a game’?
With this comes complexities around licensing and demographics. Gamers who are also content creators often live stream their content or create highlights videos for YouTube. At Lickd, we already know that in-video music on YouTube is an issue and so we collaborate with Fortnite to bridge that gap so that gamers can enjoy the wonderful events that are put on for them, while also being able to then promote and share that content in the ways that they normally would.
Whether this is for ancillary income or additional income on top of a salary, if content creation is a full-time job, Lickd protects creators on those platforms, to enable a more effective creation and lifecycle process for the content they’re publishing.
Q. Could you briefly narrate the content deals you have with music companies and bands?
A. Over the past five years we’ve built a platform that is made up of popular music from 10,000 labels and publishers, including Universal, Warner, Sony BMG and Kobalt. We also work with lots of independent distributors. There’s around 1.4 million songs on Lickd, and another 6 million delivered and waiting to go live. The vast majority of them would be emerging acts and we certainly do our best to help and encourage discovery on the platform.
Q. In what ways does Lickd help creators to monetise their content?
A. I think it’s important to outline that wherever there is opportunity for the music industry online, it will require some sort of micro licensing commercial model, and some sort of proprietary tech, either to enable the licensing or to protect the end user.
That’s where Lickd is perfectly positioned. Our mission is to democratise music for the world’s creators. Our first product looked at creators as video content creators, but as the world changes and the digital landscape evolves, creators will also include builders in the metaverse and big brands on social platforms.
Q. How do you see the possibility of an AI text-to-background-music generator?
A. There’s various ways that AI will impact music. It’s something we’re following closely and it would be foolish for anyone to suggest that any part of the music industry isn’t already seeing some element of business being affected directly by AI. So far we’ve seen AI generated songs, well known songs of one artist being sung in the AI voice of another, and the fact that chords and melodies can be created by simply inputting into an AI, and we’re always expecting more.
The uptake of AI in music creation won’t be instant, but at some point, creators will become of faith with smart tools that allow them to generate music through these new means for use in videos. Although, once created, that music will still need to be licensed, and there will be commercial models that give users access to the tools and/or licensing opportunities for the music created by said tool.
In the metaverse, there will be music collaboration spaces and music production event areas or venues. Generative AI is useful for creating ‘music stems’, and building a sort of catalogue of music elements that can then be used by people collaboratively to start making an entire song – something that was not happening in the past.
An AI can continuously keep churning out new beats and new melodies and new riffs and new instrumental sounds, and people will get together to create music on the fly, and that will require AI generative tools at some scale. I think you’ll see things like musical skins, where Avatars might want their own soundtrack or music identifier. How do I know someone entered the room? Well, I just heard their music handle to signify they’re here. Like boxers have ring walks, there’ll be a version of that somewhere in the metaverse.
We know that there are music metaverses and venues, and metaverse platforms based around music creation already, and there are others on the way. A good example of this is Pixelynx, Deadmau5’s music based metaverse platform. He founded the platform, one that was completely based around the music, but then was acquired by Animoca Brands, a brand with a broad portfolio of web3, blockchain and traditional games, which is a huge web3 holding company, so from launch to exit, Deadmau5 did very well out of the partnership.
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LOTTOMATICA GROUP S.P.A. CONTINUED STRONG PERFORMANCE IN Q3 2024, WITH ADJ. EBITDA UP +30% VS 2023. ONLINE MARKET SHARE AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH. TARGET SYNERGIES FOR SKS365 INCREASED. GUIDANCE1 FOR 2024 CONFIRMED.
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Read the full Lottomatica press release below.
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The post LOTTOMATICA GROUP S.P.A. CONTINUED STRONG PERFORMANCE IN Q3 2024, WITH ADJ. EBITDA UP +30% VS 2023. ONLINE MARKET SHARE AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH. TARGET SYNERGIES FOR SKS365 INCREASED. GUIDANCE1 FOR 2024 CONFIRMED. appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Datawrkz, a Nazara subsidiary, acquires majority stake in UK growth marketing agency, Space & Time
Transaction set to fast-track Datawrkz’s ambitious growth plans
Datawrkz, a subsidiary of Nazara Technologies Limited (BSE: 543280) (NSE: NAZARA) has acquired a 100% stake in Space & Time, an independent growth marketing agency with offices across the UK for approximately GBP 4.8 million (~INR 52.3 crores) in cash and stock.
This acquisition is a key move in advancing Datawrkz’s growth ambitions across Europe and North America, positioning it as a scaled player in the global digital advertising market.
The collaboration brings together Space & Time’s expertise in growth marketing, media, and technology with Datawrkz’s strengths in programmatic advertising technology and optimization. This partnership will enable both companies to deliver more impactful digital advertising solutions and drive further expansion, especially in the European and UK markets. Additionally, Space & Time will gain access to Datawrkz’s cutting-edge technology and products, enhancing their ability to deliver effective campaigns and capitalize on growth opportunities in Europe and North America.
Datawrkz was founded in 2013 on the premise that digital advertising can be done better in every way.
Senthil Govindan, CEO and founder of Datawrkz, will join the Space & Time board. He noted, “We are embarking on an inorganic strategy to complement our strong independent growth, and Space & Time is an ideal partner. The cultural alignment and shared focus on delivering value for clients make this acquisition a perfect fit. We anticipate this collaboration will significantly boost growth for both companies, with Space & Time driving our expansion in Europe.”
Launched in 2000, Space & Time has achieved strong revenue growth over the last three years and is one of a select few Google Premier Partners in the UK. Earlier this year, Space & Time chief executive officer, Chris Jones, was named in the ‘CEO and Leaders’ category of the BIMA 100, a listing of the top 100 movers and shakers in the UK’s digital and technology industry.
Chris Jones adds: “The company was founded with very clear principles focussed around client success. I’m incredibly proud to say these are more intrinsic and fundamental to our values than ever. The challenge was to find an investor that shares this passion for client-centricity and that’s exactly what we’ve found in Datawrkz. As two fast-growing and specialist businesses, the potential between us made this the perfect match and the investment in key areas such as data and technology that this deal brings will help future-proof our clients’ business as we continue to grow.
The deal represents an exciting new chapter in the Space & Time story as we partner with Datawrkz to bring new opportunities to clients. We’re excited for all that lies ahead.”
The post Datawrkz, a Nazara subsidiary, acquires majority stake in UK growth marketing agency, Space & Time appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Affiliates react to Autumn budget announcement
Richard Moffat, CEO, OLBG “We were initially worried about the rise in remote gaming duty rumours, as operators would likely have swallowed these costs by rolling out worse products, worse pricing and fewer offers for gambling consumers. When this happens, punters consider switching to the black market, where friction is lower because player protection is non-existent and taxes are not always being paid.
“The new Labour government has avoided this scenario by keeping tax rates consistent, which will come as a relief to many businesses in the sector that were preparing for the worst, and is ultimately great news for the consumer. The British horse racing industry will also breathe a sigh of relief as any increase in taxes may well have hit their income at a time when many stakeholders are in need of revenue growth.
“Trust in the former Conservative government was damaged by the election betting scandal, and Labour still have their work cut out, according to our latest survey with YouGov.
“Respondents didn’t differentiate vastly between the parties, with more than one-quarter (27%) suggesting that Labour will do no better at regulating gambling than the Conservatives. Only time will tell, but the budget has shown that gambling is some way down Labour’s new list of priorities.”
Jamie Walters, CEO and co-founder, QiH Group “The speculation proved to be just that, as an anticipated rise in remote gaming duty never materialised. While the industry clearly avoided a worst-case scenario, that does not necessarily mean this was a good budget for business.
“The rise in employer National Insurance contributions will be difficult for many small to medium-size businesses, but is at least in keeping with Labour’s pledge to protect the general working public from tax hikes.”
Neil Roarty, head analyst, ClickOut Media “Two weeks ago, when speculative proposals on taxation of the industry were announced, they had a huge deleterious impact on the market, with a total of £3.5bn in stock value lost by the industry’s biggest giants.
“These proposals never arrived, and may not even have been considered by Labour, which has pushed a gaming duty review back to next year. Gambling stocks have already bounced back as something of a correction, with Entain up 8% for example.
“This will come as a welcome surprise for the industry, and also for consumers, who would have been forced to shoulder the cost on behalf of bookmakers. The tobacco and vaping industry was in the ‘vice’ sector crosshairs instead on this occasion.”
The post Affiliates react to Autumn budget announcement appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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