Company
Winamp
Winamp, as described on the show by Thierry Ascarez.
Episodes (1)
Thierry Ascarez, Chief Business Officer at Winamp, explains why streaming rarely pays independent artists and how Winamp for Creators fills the gap.
Questions these episodes answer
Why doesn't music streaming pay most independent artists a living income?
Ascarez says streaming works well for promotion and distribution but only about 0.5 percent of artists, meaning the biggest acts, actually make a living from it. That gap is why Winamp built a separate platform to help independent artists collect revenue beyond streaming.
What services does Winamp for Creators offer independent artists?
Winamp for Creators works like an ERP for music professionals, aggregating distribution, royalty and publishing collection, YouTube Content ID revenue, music licensing through Jamendo, fan shops and collectibles, plus a website builder and advertising tools, all built from scratch over about three and a half years.
What is the history of Winamp's parent company?
Ascarez joined the radio startup Radionomy in 2010, which acquired Shoutcast and Winamp from AOL in 2013 and later TargetSpot. The group sold to Vivendi in 2017, was bought back in 2019, sold Radionomy and TargetSpot in 2022 to focus on Winamp, and became Winamp Group, publicly traded on Euronext Paris.
Why did Utopia Music's acquisition strategy fail, in Ascarez's view?
Ascarez says Utopia Music bought seven to fifteen companies at once with people who lacked music and technology experience, expecting the combination alone to create one strong company. He believes that lack of vision and industry knowledge caused the failure, and prefers building core services with selective acquisitions instead.
Does Ascarez think music tech is a good space for young people to build a career in?
Ascarez admits he would not recommend his own son go into the music technology space because it is difficult and not the industry investors chase for returns. He still believes someone has to build in it, and that Winamp can become a European leader within three to five years.