Steve Aoki

Snoop Dogg teamed up with U.K. tech entrepreneur Sam Jones on Shiller, a live broadcast platform set to launch in April that will offer content creators a suite of tools to monetize their content, including the ability to token-gate their video and audio, share products from commerce sites and promote NFTs. According to a press release, the app “combines best of web3 technology with live, interactive video and audio streaming, to provide a one-stop-shop for creators, including NFT projects, artists, brands, and key opinion leaders, to monetize their following and connect with their audiences.”

B2B streaming technology company Tuned Global acquired Swedish music technology company Pacemaker, which holds several patents for its AI-driven DJ applications. “Thanks to Pacemaker, Tuned Global extends its B2B streaming technology dominance by now offering enhanced AI tools that will hook and excite users as part of our white-label music apps, as well as in a standalone product for companies who aren’t yet our customers,” said Tuned Global MD/founder Con Raso in a statement. Pacemaker’s AI DJ is capable of weaving together tracks and other audio, while a “match machine “can help curators instantly dig up great tracks in a massive catalog and keep the groove going for workouts, therapeutic sessions, or other playlist-driven moments,” according to a press release.

DJ/producer Steve Aoki launched Audio Media Grading in partnership with Collector Archive Services. The new company will provide grading, preservation and authentication services for grading vinyl records, cassettes, CDs and 8-track. 

Cutting Edge Media Music (CEMM), a division of Cutting Edge Group, formed a strategic venture with Village Roadshow Entertainment Group that will encompass all of Village Roadshow’s past and future music publishing assets, soundtrack album releases and music supervision services for film and TV. The venture will be overseen by Brian McNelis, who heads CEMM division Lakeshore Records, along with Lakeshore’s Eric Craig, who will provide music supervision and music department support across the Village Roadshow slate. Village Roadshow COO Louis Santor will take the lead in implementing all aspects of the deal. 

B2B distributor FUGA expanded its global user-generated content and rights management offering by completely integrating rights management company Adrev. Both are owned by Downtown Music. The integration formalizes months of collaboration between FUGA and Adrev, according to a press release, which states that with the integration, “both FUGA and Adrev clients will now be provided with an extended service aimed at amplifying and simplifying UGC and premium video content monetization into one, seamless environment.”

BMG partnered with Stockholm-based artist management company Scandinavian Talent Management (STM), which also specializes in music supervision, music publishing and live events. “We are delighted with BMG’s trust and are confident that we can create many synergies with their global resources and networks,” said STM founder/MD Henrik Johansson in a statement. STM clients include Swedish rock-pop singer-songwriter and BMG artist Kristofer Greczula; British guitarist, songwriter and producer Chad Neale; and Mando Diao bassist Carl-Johan “CeeJay” Fogelklou.

Chordal partnered with AI developer AudioShake to launch Auto-Instrumental, described as an “on-demand instrumental solution” for music supervisors that’s designed to streamline synch placement. “Auto-Instrumental reduces the time of obtaining an instrumental from days or weeks (if it even exists!) to a matter of seconds, making it immediately possible to trial music to picture,” said Chordal co-founder Grayson Sanders in a statement. 

Film and TV company Gunpowder & Sky signed a multi-year, multi-project development and production deal with Audible. Under the deal, Gunpowder & Sky will provide Audible with an exclusive first look at the studio’s slate of audio initiatives covering music, pop culture and more. In February, Audible released In the Cut with Ghetto Gastro, an eight-episode Audible Original podcast executive produced by Gunpowder & Sky. Two upcoming music-oriented podcasts from the companies — Lighters in the Sky and Shelved — “will reveal iconic, often undercover, music stories to the masses,” according to a press release. The first-look deal builds on an existing collaboration that has spawned multiple installments in Audible’s Words + Music franchise.