Tech News -- Week 26 2021

Digital fan engagement company Mandolin has raised $12 million through a Series A funding round, co-led by 645 Ventures and Foundry Group. Other investors included High Alpha and Marc Benioff’s TIME Ventures. As part of the funding, Nnamdi Okike, Managing Partner and Co-founder at 645 Ventures, will be joining Mandolin’s board. "Mandolin provides the best technology platform to enable livestreaming for artists, venues and fans, and they’re building a business to serve the needs of this fast-growing category," said Okike. Mary Kay Huse, CEO of Mandolin, added: “I’m thrilled to have Nnamdi join the Mandolin board. His extensive experience in helping early stage SaaS and consumer tech companies reach the next level will be invaluable as we look to supercharge our growth and make Mandolin Live+ a household name.”  

Short-form video app TikTok plans to let users create longer videos of up to three minutes on the platform, rather than the current 60 second limit. "Over the coming weeks, we'll be rolling out the option to create longer videos to everyone on TikTok, giving our global community the flexibility to film, upload and edit videos up to three minutes in length directly within TikTok," said TikTok's Product Manager Drew Kirchhoff in a blogpost. "With all the ways our community has redefined expression in under 60 seconds, we’re excited to see how people continue to entertain and inspire with a few more seconds – and a world of creative possibilities." Kirchhoff said that with longer videos, creators will have "the canvas to create new or expanded types of content on TikTok, with the flexibility of a bit more space."

Google's TV streaming service ​package ​YouTube TV​ has launched a new tier, named 4K Plus, ​to provide TV programming in 4K resolution and HDR​. Programme available in 4k include the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the MLB All-Star Game. ​To get the 4K Plus add-on, users in the USA will have to pay $20 in addition to the basic YouTube TV ​available at $65 per month​. YouTube ​will also roll out 5.1-Dolby Audio ​channels. 

Canada's music broadcaster Much Music, owned by Bell Media, will relaunch July 7 as a "content-driven digital first network" on short video app TikTok. "With hosts and creators that speak directly to Gen Z and younger Millennials, the all-new multi-platform MuchMusic stays true to its spirit as a seminal brand with an authentic voice," said Stewart Johnston, Bell Media's senior vice-president of sales and sports. MuchMusic was founded in 1984 and became Canada's leading music video channel. It was acquired by Bell Media in 2006 and progressively switched from a music content channel to a comedy and reality TV channel. 

Single Music has unveiled its Fan Insights Data Dashboard, which will allow its artist and label clients to access data about fan interaction when they use Shopify. Data available on the Fan Insights feature includes revenue and location data for specific top fans, a world sales heat map, top cities and regions for store and fan data, purchase activity trends, sales-by-type breakdowns, and top merchandise items. Single Music is a centralised interface for direct-to-consumer digital music sales, monetised video content, and chart reporting service. Single Music CEO Tommy Stalknecht said artists "at any level can make smarter marketing decision" with a smart use of data. He elaborated: “Artists should treat e-commerce as seriously as department stores do. For example, Target isn’t selling tank tops in September like they do earlier in the year, so maybe artists shouldn’t either. Data that updates in real time gives artists the power to make those decisions.”

Online marketplace for beatmakers Airbit has collected and distributed more than $2.5 million in YouTube-generated revenue to producers for the first half of 2021, when, in comparison, it collected $1.8m for the whole of 2020. According to the company, this year's distribution will likely post a 230% growth rate over the previous year. “YouTube is a beatssearch engine, and producers need to make sure their work is monetized there, where billions of views are happening,” said Judah Wiedre, COO of Airbit. “Without this, they are leaving significant money on the table.”