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A day out at the Music Week Tech Summit in October 2019 was a landmark moment for Breathe Music. Eighteen months ago, the start-up specialising in
music recognition technology comprised just CEO and founder Jeff Francis. Yet his vision for the company ensured it was among the lucky few selected for the event’s Start-up Initiative in association with MIDEM. “Attending the summit at The O2 was
really amazing,” recalls the data scientist and entrepreneur. “There were some really great talks and, of course, lots of networking. It was great to get some exposure at the event and in the press.” Francis credits the Tech Summit
rounds are planned this year for Breathe, which has bases in London and Cardiff. Data and royalties expert Becky Brook has joined as an adviser. Another breakthrough was securing a place on the
Waiting to exhale: (L-R) Breathe Music’s Jeff Francis and Natasha Gordon
NAME: BREATHE MUSIC TECH: MUSIC RECOGNITION
(which returns as a virtual event on March 31) for helping to build relationships, including with the Abbey Road Red incubation programme. Breathe Music went on to secure a £500,000 grant from the government’s Innovate UK body to help develop the technology. The Centre for Digital Music at Queen Mary, University Of London also came on board as a research partner. While Covid-19 interrupted their plans, business
ramped up in Q4 with new hires including head of business & talent Natasha Gordon. Two investment
“As it continues to grow, the digital music market is diversifying”
JEFF FRANCIS BREATHE MUSIC
Digital Catapult agency’s Machine Intelligence Garage programme, which provides support for two years. With estimates that user-generated content revenue will be worth $3.2 billion globally for rights-holders by 2022, Francis says the time is ripe for a start-up billed as “Shazam on steroids”. “As it continues to grow, the digital music market is diversifying,” he says. “As a result, an ever increasing portion of income will come from user-upload platforms, video-sharing apps, livestreams, podcasts and innovative services that we haven’t even thought of yet.”
It means that the industry has to really focus on fast and accurate royalty payment solutions. “It’s those challenges we are focused on, using the
latest AI innovations to create the next generation in audio recognition technology,” adds Francis. It could well be the start-up to breathe new life into the streaming economy...
THIS MONTH: STRAIGHT UP
Hosted by: Eleanor Halls (The Telegraph) and Kathleen Johnston (GQ) Contact:
hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk
Straight Up shines a light on “the talent behind your favourite talent” in the music business – why was that such an appealing topic to you? Eleanor Halls: “Interviewing high-profile musicians, we realised that, more often than not, it’s the team behind the artist that has the most interesting stories. In an era where talent is rigorously media-trained, with a tendency to rehash the same cookie-cutter answers throughout a promo cycle, it’s from those working behind-the-scenes that you get the real juice and insight.”
To what extent is the podcast not just meant to entertain, but also educate? Kathleen Johnston: “For many music fans and aspiring creatives, the music industry is as opaque as it is alluring. We really wanted to demystify the business so as to make it that little bit more accessible – particularly for women, who are still frustratingly outnumbered in top roles. All our guests are full of inspirational advice. We loved Austin Daboh’s tip to ‘go left of centre’ to get your foot through the door, even if it might not seem immediately relevant to your end point, as well as songwriter Kamille’s approach
12 | Music Week
to not initially getting a seat at the table: make your own seat, and your own table.”
“We wanted
to demystify the business – particularly for women”
KATHLEEN JOHNSTON STRAIGHT UP
What have been some of the best anecdotes that have come up? EH: “Oscar-winning songwriter Jimmy Napes’ story on getting so high on Skrillex’s weed at the Grammys that Sam Smith had to escort him out of the ceremony and watch the show on TV from their hotel had us dying with laughter, while Ed Sheeran’s manager Stuart Camp revealing some of the ludicrous clauses Ed includes in their contract was almost too good to be true. BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend founder Jason Carter’s hair-raising anecdote about being alerted to a bomb threat beneath the main stage with Prince William in the crowd is also a stand-out.”
What role do you think podcasts have in modern music journalism? KJ: “Podcasts allow for the kind of luxurious, in-depth interviewing that magazines and
newspapers rarely have space for, and which isn’t shaded
Setting the record straight: Straight Up hosts Eleanor Halls and Kathleen Johnston
by the dogged pursuit of an angle or a newsline. They’re also an opportunity for us to platform voices that, while fascinating, wouldn’t be featured in mainstream digital media where traffic and targets are everything.”
Finally, who’s on your podcast guest bucket list? EH: “We’ve had a list of dream guests ever since we launched. At the very top are Emily Eavis, Simon Cowell, and 0207 Def Jam’s Alec and Alex Boateng. Hopefully, they’re reading this!”
musicweek.com
PHOTO: Phelan Murphy-Higgins
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