The Commercialisation of Interactive Music

In 2015, the AHRC funded a research project called Transforming Digital Music under its Digital Transformations call. This project developed a radical new music-release format - variPlay, which packaged an album as mobile iPhone application (an app) with real-time interactive playback capabilities. This innovative technology allows users to manipulate and interact with music in ways that had not previously been possible. In addition, the format packaged rich media such as lyrics, photographs, production credits and song/artist information.

The app offers a number of different modes of interactivity. For example, variPlay allows the listener to decide on and manipulate the genre of the song being played, in a smooth and creative manner. A song consisting of standard pop-rock instrumentation (drums, guitar, synth, strings and vocals) might be manipulated in real-time to instead play as electronic dubstep, a capella, folk-acoustic, or a blend of styles. Equally the listener can manipulate instruments, removing the vocals, isolating the drums, or creating their own preferred mix of the recording. In addition, variPlay can make its own intelligent decisions about how to vary playback, taking the listener on a unique journey through a given song on each play. The listener can experience the music based on their mood or preference, whilst also exploring a deeper creative vision of the artist than can be achieved with conventional playback platforms, which in turn brings a new and innovative commercial proposition.

The Follow-on-Funding project investigators are Prof. Justin Paterson of the University of West London, and Prof. Rob Toulson of the University of Westminster. Both are experienced researchers, music producers and software developers. They have now teamed up with major record label, Warner Music Group (WMG) to launch the app with three high-profile artists from its roster, and WMG will use its global leverage to promote the format. WMG plan to release a special edition variPlay app featuring the works of renowned classical composer Claude Debussy during the delivery of this project, with other high-profile artists from other genres to be confirmed in due course. This new project will therefore maximise the impact of the previous research and reach huge worldwide audiences, bringing them the ability to shape the sound of their favourite artists, whilst simultaneously offering the artists a new mode of deeper engagement with their fans.

The technology also provides the record company with data on how users are responding to, and using the variPlay format. If for instance the bulk of listeners appear to prefer acoustic versions of a given song, future artist development and marketing can react to this in a way never previously possible, thus unlocking career development opportunities for the artist and future monetisation.

The original research concluded with a pilot app-release by the artist Daisy and The Dark; the Red Planet EP. This follow-on project involves taking the technological 'shell' of that app and repopulating it with the music, images, and text of the new WMG artists. The three releases are targeted to different sections of the consumer demographic in order to explore which audiences best respond to such a format, and indeed the associated pricing. This approach will inform future releases.

In addition, the funding is supporting launch events that will draw in the media, and help to publicise the new releases in order to further increase public awareness, and hence impact. The project will culminate in the creation of a sustainable business model for variPlay, attracting further commercial funding and later forming a spin-out company to precipitate further releases. This project will therefore define a transformational digital business model that might reinvigorate the global music industry.

Download the pilot Red Planet EP app for iPhone and iPad here: http://bit.ly/RedPlanetApp

This project has been carefully designed to maximize impact in a number of strategic pathways. These are to: 1] demonstrate a new delivery format to the global music industry; 2] offer artists and associated stakeholders new modes of expression; 3] open new artist development opportunities to Warner Music Group (WMG); 4] enhance the reputation of the academic project partners; 5] bring a radical new form of 'creative' listening to the general public.

1] The global music industry is desperate to find a more profitable distribution model than the streaming services that currently dominate. So much popular music is now freely available that many sections of consumer society no longer consider paying for it. The variPlay platform offers a unique listening experience unattainable from streaming, radio or any other playback medium. As such, it offers the industry a chance to open a new mode of monetisation based upon a genuine USP. This will cascade back to artists and copyright holders, restoring a degree of their income that is for so many, decimated by the meagre margins offered by streaming platforms.
Whilst WMG are anxious to be early adopters of this initiative and will be the primary beneficiaries, the greater industry will eagerly watch, and when this project goes to its final phase of generating self-sustainability, others will also seek to exploit its commercial potential. The true creative potential of digital music playback technologies has yet to be discovered, offering profound and transformational industry impact.

2] Musicians, songwriters, music producers, mastering engineers and publishers will benefit directly and significantly. Musicians and songwriters will be empowered to realise their wider artistic aspirations by gaining more flexibility for their creative vision, thus engaging with their audience at a deeper level. In order to populate variPlay, music producers will be given the opportunity to implement multiple creative ideas, many of which they are currently forced to jettison in the name of studio editing. Mastering engineers will see new opportunities for preparing audio for interactive songs. Music publishers will benefit from increased revenue through extra sales induced by this technology.

3] variPlay reports listener behaviour back to the developers in far more detail than current streaming platforms. This data then allows labels, artists and their management to better understand how their fan base best enjoys listening to them, and will help to tailor future releases accordingly. It will also inform touring plans - guiding where, when and what to play, thus benefiting all attendant stakeholders.

4] The investigators, their universities, and the AHRC will benefit from this commercialisation, which will bring international recognition and reputation and qualify the research agendum. The investigators themselves will gain traction and see new career opportunities emerge.

5] Lastly, huge numbers of listeners will benefit from this project as WMG uses its global reach to disseminate the original work. variPlay will enrich and extend both the artistic and creative nature of music playback, and hence bring an improved user experience and enhanced listening pleasure. Music consumers generally experience static playback, whereby a track will proceed through its duration in exactly the same way - every time. DJ culture subverts this; the popularity of such a dynamic listening experience has long been evidenced, and remixing is now a long established meme. This project brings a similar excitement to the solo listener, allowing them to transform their listening experience with - for the first time - their favourite music in whatever genre, on demand and in real time, keeping tunes fresh and invigorated much as a live performance by a band might offer. It could be viewed as an enhanced 'quality of life' with respect to listeners' engagement with recorded music.

The potential is enormous.