InDMusic
Company providing rights management and monetization software for online musical content.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| investor investor | €0.0 | round | |
N/A | Acquisition | ||
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
InDMusic was established in August 2011 by co-founders Brandon Martinez and Jon Baltz to address the challenge of monetization for independent musicians on YouTube. Martinez, who served as CEO, brought his experience from the Abrams Artists Agency, where he led the Digital Media Department and brokered deals with major digital platforms. Baltz, the VP, had a background in the music industry as a tour manager, promoter, and strategist, working to maximize the potential of independent artists.
The company operated as a multi-channel network (MCN) on YouTube, focusing on providing monetization services, online marketing, and consulting for independent music content creators. It aimed to solve the complex issues of music rights and revenue generation on the platform, which often resulted in lost income for artists. InDMusic's business model involved monetizing video content, both official and third-party user-generated content that incorporated their clients' music, through YouTube's advertising revenue system. One of their most notable achievements was helping the label Mad Decent and artist Baauer monetize the viral "Harlem Shake" meme.
The service provided artists and labels with a digital strategy to optimize their YouTube presence. This included managing master and publishing rights to capture revenue from unlicensed uses of their music. The company formed key partnerships, such as one with TuneCore, a digital music distributor, to expand its reach and streamline the process of claiming royalties for artists. By 2013, the network had grown to include over 200 partners and had generated billions of views. However, this partnership also led to controversy when automated copyright claims were issued on a large scale, affecting video game composers and other creators, which CEO Brandon Martinez addressed by explaining it was part of their duty to their clients.
Keywords: music monetization, YouTube network, independent artists, music rights management, digital music distribution, content monetization, online marketing for musicians, multi-channel network, MCN, Brandon Martinez, Jon Baltz, TuneCore partnership, Harlem Shake monetization, video monetization, digital rights, music royalties, content ID, independent music labels, artist services, music marketing