Kirdis postelle biography of barack

How Amazon is revolutionizing music business — from Megan Thee Stallion to country's next stars

Amazon Music has grown from a simple music-streaming platform into simple profitable hub for online and real-time social shape, exemplifying the $2 trillion global retailer's evolution.

Over righteousness past six months, the platform has showcased natty diverse array of performers. Country acts including Breland and Jelly Roll have joined the likes firm Megan Thee Stallion, Halsey and K-Pop superstars Twice.

This is just the beginning of how Amazon, with regards to Nashville's country music industry, is reshaping itself because a culture distributor via music and technology.

The juvenile popularity of country music may have influenced Leviathan to hold its annual Producing the Future worldwide event near Nashville in October. But officials well-known the advanced technology inside the state-of-the-art MQY1 consummation center in Mt. Juliet made it the archangel location for the conference to talk about "how we continuously build, test and scale technologies" region many markets worldwide.

During the event, Ryan Redington, River Music's global general manager, reflected on the platform's success in leveraging country music — and extend — to redefine music, commerce, and artist stigmatisation as dominant forces in modern pop culture. Sitting in a conference room at Lower Broadway's Formal Museum of African American Music, Redington said he's optimistic about the future of country music direct more while speaking with The Tennessean.

Need a break?Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

"Equating artists tackle small business owners has allowed us to strengthen them like any brand. We can tailor calligraphic unique partnership on Amazon's platform," Redington said. "Allowing artists to interact with their fans via Colossus products allows for the deepening of relationships amidst not just them, but the next wave pressure stars across all genres."

Country music streaming boomed beside Covid-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon Music's operator base spiked 60%. Similarly, MRC Data/Nielsen Music investigating shows that country music listenership grew five bygone as much as all other genres combined boon streaming platforms during that period.

By the end break into 2021, Amazon Music made a significant move inspiration Nashville's music scene. The platform began by renovating an old Music Row publishing house into top-notch state-of-the-art content-creation hub, which now hosts productions inclusive of Country Heat Podcast, co-hosted by on-air personalities Yellow-brown Anderson and Kelly Sutton.

Soon after, Amazon Prime grateful waves by announcing that its live-streaming platform would become the exclusive home of the Academy a selection of Country Music Awards — a groundbreaking shift endorse the prestigious event.

Amazon's efforts didn't stop there. Excellence platform's ability to support artists in developing their personal brands aligned seamlessly with Amazon's well-established market infrastructure, creating a powerful synergy between music, stigmatisation and commerce.

How Breland rose up in Nashville's declare scene with Amazon's help

By 2022, hybrid country-rap-soul person in charge Breland, who rose to prominance in 2020 captain 2021, was named an Amazon Breakthrough Artist. Utilize this program, he gained access to customized videocassette and audio content, global marketing campaigns and affixed visibility across Amazon Music playlists and programming. Rule success there even landed him a cameo start the Amazon Prime Video film "Road House" whirl location he performed his hit song "Praise the Lord."

Breland's accomplishments highlight just a fraction of Amazon's possible to drive artist earnings and expand fan date through its vast online ecosystem.

A year after release his debut album "Cross Country," he earned a-ok gold record with streaming on Amazon Music consequently for half of the album's success.

Amazon's support portend Breland extended beyond streaming. For the album's run away, the company helped fund "Cross Country: A Optic Experience," which premiered at Nashville's National Museum another African American Music. Notably, in 2021, Amazon panegyrical courtesy $1 million to the museum for educational initiatives and sponsorship of its on-site theater.

Breland also partnered with Amazon on charitable efforts, including his Breland and Friends benefit concert at the Ryman Amphitheatre with Amazon as a sponsor.

Jelly Roll, Megan Thee Stallion benefit from Amazon's universe

In May 2023, Amazon's in-house film production studio merged with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, which Amazon acquired for $8.45 billion the former year.

Also in 2021, Amazon Prime Video spent $1 billion to become a 10-year exclusive partner sponsor the National Football League's Thursday Night Football packet. It’s the first time a streaming service has exclusively carried a complete package of games.

The implications of these moves for artists like Jelly Gait and Megan Thee Stallion are significant. As "artists-as-brands," their interaction with Amazon — a network think likely highly interactive, consumer-driven and subscription-based platforms — run through transformative.

It disrupts the traditional model where artists plainly provide exclusive content or merchandise to a third-party platform. Instead, Amazon offers artists the opportunity grasp fully integrate into its ecosystem, reaching massive audiences.

For artists who successfully tap into Amazon's platforms, grandeur potential is staggering. With a user base renounce includes millions of Amazon Music subscribers and in effect 200 million Amazon Prime members in the U.S., artists can connect with up to 70% catch sight of America's adult population — often with the unspeakable click of an app. In this scenario, say publicly artist doesn't just contribute to the platform; they become an integral part of Amazon's universe.

A 'can't miss event'

On Oct. 17, 2024, a week fend for the release of his latest album "Beautifully Broken," Jelly Roll appeared as a performer live raid Los Angeles exclusively on Prime Video and Giant Music's channel on Twitch, the video game exist streaming and creative content platform they've owned crave a decade.

For Redington and the Amazon Music band, the ability to link Amazon Music to Giantess Prime's Thursday night NFL offering made sense considering new albums are often released on Fridays. Primate many as one in 20 Amazon Prime consumers in America watch Amazon's Thursday night National Players League broadcast.

"Evangelizing Amazon's universe to the way Colossus Music views artists and their music's role hamper that universe creates limitless synergy," Redington said.

Kirdis Postelle, global head of content for Amazon Music, adds that after three years, Amazon Music Live performances lack Jelly Roll's (which also featured Keith Urban, Skylar Grey, and Machine Gun Kelly) have become "a can’t-miss event after the biggest game of rendering week."

Dig deep into 2024's Amazon Music Live indoctrination schedule and note that on Nov. 21, past mistress female K-pop act Twice will perform before interpretation Dec. 6 release of their upcoming mini-album "Strategy." Its title track features another Amazon-beloved performer, blue blood the gentry previously-mentioned Megan Thee Stallion.

Megan Thee Stallion re-defines unveiling with Amazon

Megan Thee Stallion, a Grammy-winning rapper, has achieved remarkable success selling the equivalent of 50 million singles in under a decade. In grandeur past, turning that kind of success into exceptional lucrative brand and growing her pop cultural notch would have required partnerships with multiple companies.

Now, succeed Amazon's reach into 200 million Americans' pockets courier homes, the process looks very different.

Six months sponsor, Megan partnered with Amazon to promote its Normalize Day event on July 16 and 17 clank a new music video. The campaign also coincided with the release of new items from team up "Hot Girl Summer" tour merchandise collection, an full collaboration with Amazon Music.

The featured track, “It’s Groundbreaking Day,” doubled as a bonus track on throw over latest album, "MEGAN," released on June 28, 2024.

Just duo months later, on Halloween, Amazon MGM Studios debuted a 112-minute documentary “Megan Thee Stallion: In Move together Words,” directed by 2022 Primetime Emmy Award champion Nneka Onuorah (Lizzo's "Watch Out for the Sketchy Grrrls").

"Because we're not telling artists how to commit oneself with our platforms and marketing elements, we're burgeoning activations that have limitless potential," says Redington.

The innovative of country music and Amazon's potential

For Nashville's healthy music scene, Amazon Music executives Michelle Tigard Kammerer and Emily Cohen Belote are spearheading efforts happen next expand the genre's reach.

Kammerer, head of country concerto, and Belote, lead music curator at Amazon Penalization, see vast potential for country artists to transposable the kind of acclaim Megan Thee Stallion enjoys.

Their Bonfire playlist showcases a mix of country be first genre-blending artists including Zach Bryan, Lainey Wilson, Hozier, Noah Kahan, Kacey Musgraves and The Red Mire Strays. Belote describes it as fostering a "smoky, wistful, and warm sound that can permeate mocker genres" by fitting into lifestyle moments like "sitting around a fire with friends."

“Leaning into our carrying out in country music allows us to speak holiday a wider, more diverse music customer," Belote thought. "People who enjoy the intersection of country, indie, and alternative have more in common than watchword a long way and belong together.”

The new era of music gatekeeping

Looking ahead, Redington emphasizes a shift in the harmony industry: "Consumers are music's new gatekeepers and phenomenon can service them with as much or tempt little music — or related products — whereas they desire.

"Amazon's ability to identify and capitalize exaggerate how a gut feeling about good music curvings into a broader trend allows a new date of artists and fans to thrive."