Amazon Music

BC Sprint

Cisco Marcano - Santos (ST), Stephon Jacob (ST), Tre McMillan (CW), and Cara Wolder (AD)

Background

Challenge

Amazon Music is currently the third streaming platform behind Apple Music and Spotify. 

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Amazon Music wants to stand out by allowing artists and podcasters to give users "exclusive or original content". 

If we rebuilt Amazon Music to be "creators first", how might it look?

My Process

1. Interviews with local and up-and-coming artists.

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2. Interviews with Jacqueline Rogers, Product Manager on the Product Design team at Amazon Music, and Matt Blum, Client Service Director at Ticketmaster.

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3. Studied the ins and outs of Amazon Music's Platform and competitors.​

The 3 Findings

1. The streaming industry is failing artists. Estimate on artist's earnings is $0.003 - $0.005 cents per stream on Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music.

2. Artists are going to social media to build an audience.

3. Artists are creating their own NFTs to have ownership over their songs, receive the majority of the profits, and create super fans by providing exclusive utility to fans who purchase. 

Target 

Artists and Podcasters

Strategy 

To help artists realize when you partner with Amazon Music have control.

New Amazon Music Ecosystem

Idea

Introducing Amazon FanClub to Amazon Unlimited subscribers, a new feature that allows creators to be in control of the content they put out for their fans, and control over how they get paid and discovered.

Manifesto

App Innovations

You will see app innovations to the existing app.

1. On the far left is what users will see on an artist page if they are not Amazon Unlimited members. 

2. Once they click "Join FanClub" it will take them to a screen where you can upgrade to Amazon Unlimited.

3. The third screenshot is what a member will see on an artist page once they are an Amazon Unlimited member. They will have a member icon reflecting their status, FanClub access to artists' NFTs, exclusive merch, VIP event access, and artist playlists.

FanClub Member Page

NFTs

1. When you click into the NFT tab on an artist page you will be able to shop NFTs of your favorite artists. 

2. In this example you can purchase an NFT that gives you an exclusive ticket to Billy Eilish's couch concert series.

Exclusive Merch

1. Artists can sell merch through Amazon.com but we want artists to control the distribution directly on the Amazon music platform and collect majority of the profits.

2. Here is our example of Billie Eilish's exclusive merch drop. There are only 1,000 editions of her collab with graphic artist Jessica Walsh. 

Artist Playlists

1. If you are a part of Billie Eilish's FanClub you will get access to her own curated playlists. 

2. In this example you can listen to her playlist "Cruising w/ Finneas", songs that Billie and her brother love to listen to on the road when they're touring or driving.

VIP Events

1. Through FanClub members will get exclusive access to events and content created by her fans and community.

2. In this example you will get exclusive access to Billie Eilish's weekly tour vlog series.

TAG-STACKING

1. Through Tag-stacking, you can search for artists by genre, music type, and region. Amazon Music allows up-and-coming artists and local artists to be found more accessible. Instead of relying on an algorithm. 

2. In this example, if you click on Rock, Psychedelic, and Nashville, you will find artists you have never heard of. 

TOURING AND TICKETING

1. Through FanClub, Artists will now have a new way of being discovered. Members can search for artists' upcoming shows and purchase tickets exclusively through the app.  

Measurement of Success

SHORT TERM

• New Amazon Music Unlimited Members

• Upgrades from Free to Amazon Music Unlimited

• FanClub signups 

• Revenue through Ticket Sales and NFT fees

• Social media engagement 

• Number of Artists who are progressing through Tiers 1-4

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LONG TERM

• Moving to #1 Music Streaming Platform

• Amazon Music positioned as the go-to place for Artists​