NYU

1. Music Brand Partnership
Company
Kristin Grant
Angela Jo
Interviewed: 12 (4 Brands, 6 Artists, 2 Managers)
Total: 48
Connecting emerging artists and brands
using Data Validation with analytical
expertise!

2. Here’s What We Thought Day 1
BRANDS ARTISTS
- Brands want to partner with
artists
- Fit matters
- Brands want data validation –
Data can change the way
partnerships are done!
- Timely process (~2 to 5 months)
and multiple layers of
approval/people required. Desire
to save time
- Artists want to partner with
brands
- Fit matters
- Brand managers are hard to
reach
- Artists want data validation
- Timely process and multiple
layers of approval/people
involved. Desire to save time

3. Monday Canvas

4. The Best Idea Ever!
BRANDS ARTISTS
Our Company

5. Here’s What We Learned
Day 1 Interviews
“Data is good”
Artists would like data on
brands to determine fit
“I’m Interested”
Artists want to partner with brands
Artists
“It is hard for me to
get in touch with
brands”
Emerging artists have a harder
time finding direct contacts to
brands than the more
established artists
“Fit Matters”
Partnering with brands are great, but
more than it is about dollars, FIT
matters. How will the brand image
affect my own? Will it be beneficial?
womp womp…
?
Brands

6. Key partnerships
-Music Analytics
Company (ie: Next Big
Sound, Nielsen
Soundscan)
-Access to Artist
Dashboard and
Database
-Acquisition of Brand
Partnerships
-Reduction of risk and
uncertainty through
data validation
Key activities
-Solidifying deals and
contracts between
brands and artists
-Creating sustainable
relationships with
brands
-Building a network of
artists
Value propositions
-Forming Brand
Partnerships between
the artist and the brand
directly
-Reducing time
required to sign
contract
-Providing a revenue
stream for artists
without having to sign
a record label contract
-Presenting analytical
reports that show
correlation between
Brands, consumers,
and artists’ fans
-Enhance brand
image by partnering
with artist
Customer
relationships
- High level of customer
service and hands on
involvement
- Contract based
relationships with artists
- Fixed Term
relationships with brands
-Word of mouth
-Mailing list outreach
-Professional/Personal
network
-Proven track record of
excellence
Customer segments
Artists & Managers
-Independent, Indie,
Major
-Emerging Artists (Not
charted on BB 100,
Under 50 Facebook
Fans & Twitter
followers)
-Non-emerging Artists
Brands
-Sponsorships &
Events Department
Music Analytics
-Next Big Sound
Key resources
-Office
-Revenue Stream
-Human Capital
-Patent
-Data Analytics
Expertise
Channels
- Industry connections
and personal
relationships
- Mailing List Outreach
-Word of mouth
-Website
-Direct Sales
(contracts, fixed term
engagement with
artists)
Cost structure
-Fixed Costs (Office)
-Advertising & Marketing
-Human Resources
Revenue streams
-% of signed brand artist contracts
-Fixed payments for additional artist reports
Tuesday Canvas

7. Here’s What We Learned
“Equity also
matters”
Emerging artists want to partner
with brands not just for dollars
but for equity
Artists
“I don’t have
connections”
Emerging artists need direct
connection to brands
“As a Gen-X brand,
we are looking for
emerging artists”
Emerging brands look for
emerging artists
Day 2 & 3 Interviews
“Why partner with
emerging artists?”
Larger brands tend to gravitate
“Data Matters”
Both large and smaller brands use data
to make informed decisions about
partnerships
Brands
towards more established
artists
“We work with
agencies”
Brands reach out to ad agencies or
partnership agencies to reach
artists and make deals
“We already get data”
Brands get data from various sources
already (E-scores, NPD)

8. NPD Data Report Example

9. VALUE PROPOSITION
Emerging
Artist/Managers
-Connecting with Brands
through data validation
(reports)
- Good “FIT”***
- Save Time
- Emerging Brands
Brands
-Connecting with
emerging artists through
data validation (reports)
- Good “FIT”***
- Save Time
KEY PARTNERSHIPS
-Music Analytics
Company (NBS)
-Acquisition of Brand
Partnerships
-Reduction of risk and
uncertainty through data
validation
KEY ACTIVITIES
-Creating Reports in
order to close Brand
Partnership Deals
CUSTOMER
RELATIONSHIPS
Emerging
Artist/Managers
-Analytics Expertise
-Connection to Brands
Brands
-Analytics Expertise
-Knowledge of Emerging
Artists
CUSTOMER
SEGMENTS
Emerging
Artist/Managers
CHANNELS
-Website
-Direct Sales
-Connections
COST STRUCTURE
-Fixed Costs (Office)
-Advertising & Marketing
-Human Resources
REVENUE STREAMS
-Fixed payments for Music Analytics reports
-% of signed brand artist contracts
KEY RESOURCES
-Data Analytics Expertise
-Office
-Revenue Stream
Brands
-Sponsorships & Events
Department
Emerging Brands***
Music Analytics
Company
-Next Big Sound
Wednesday Canvas

10. VALUE PROPOSITION
Emerging
Artist/Managers
-Connecting with Brands
through data validation
(reports)
- Good “FIT”
- Save Time
- Emerging Brands
Brands
-Connecting with
emerging artists through
data validation (reports)
- Good “FIT”
- Save Time
KEY PARTNERSHIPS
-Music Analytics
Company (NBS)
-Acquisition of Brand
Partnerships
-Reduction of risk and
uncertainty through data
validation
-Agencies* ?
KEY ACTIVITIES
-Creating Reports in
order to close Brand
Partnership Deals
CUSTOMER
RELATIONSHIPS
Emerging
Artist/Managers
-Analytics Expertise
-Connection to Brands
Brands
-Analytics Expertise
-Knowledge of Emerging
Artists
CUSTOMER
SEGMENTS
Emerging
Artist/Managers
CHANNELS
-Web/E-Commerce
-Direct Sales
-Professional/Personal
Network
-Partnership (NBS)
COST STRUCTURE
-Fixed Costs (Office)
-Advertising & Marketing
-Human Resources
REVENUE STREAMS
-Fixed payments for Music Analytics reports (freemium)
-% of signed brand artist contracts (brokerage revenue model)
KEY RESOURCES
-Data Analytics Expertise
-Office
-Revenue Stream
Brands
-Sponsorships & Events
Department
Emerging Brands
Music Analytics
Company
-Next Big Sound
Thursday Canvas

11. Here’s What We Learned
Day 4 Interviews
“Our partnerships
are campaign-specific”
Brands partner with artists for
different campaigns
“Fan base needs to
match our
customer
segment”
Brands will choose to partner with
emerging brands depending on
FIT
Artists
“Meh. What Else?”
Brands
“The current system
works fine for us”
Person to person interaction and
finding artists through networks is not
a pain point for most brands
“I’m Down!”

12. VALUE PROPOSITION
Emerging
Artist/Managers
-Connecting with Brands
through data validation
(reports)
- Good “FIT”
- Save Time
- Emerging Brands
Brands
-Connecting with
emerging artists through
data validation (reports)
- Good “FIT”
- Save Time
KEY PARTNERSHIPS
-Music Analytics
Company (NBS)
-Acquisition of Brand
Partnerships
-Reduction of risk and
uncertainty through data
validation
-Agencies* ?
KEY ACTIVITIES
-Creating Reports in
order to close Brand
Partnership Deals
CUSTOMER
RELATIONSHIPS
Emerging
Artist/Managers
-Analytics Expertise
-Connection to Brands
Brands
-Analytics Expertise
-Knowledge of Emerging
Artists
CUSTOMER
SEGMENTS
Emerging
Artist/Managers
CHANNELS
-Web/E-Commerce
-Direct Sales
-Professional/Personal
Network
-Partnership (NBS)
COST STRUCTURE
-Fixed Costs (Office)
-Advertising & Marketing
-Human Resources
REVENUE STREAMS
-Fixed payments for Music Analytics reports (freemium)
-% of signed brand artist contracts (brokerage revenue model)
KEY RESOURCES
-Data Analytics Expertise
-Office
-Revenue Stream
Brands
-Sponsorships & Events
Department
Emerging Brands
Music Analytics
Company
-Next Big Sound
FINAL Canvas

13. No Go (…)
BUT!

14. Research Niche market: Are there cases where the
current system (person to person interaction) is
not working for brands? Determine if there is large
enough scale to pursue.
How can we add additional value to the current
system of data validation?
Can we redefine “connection”??
Consulting services on top of
reports?
New business + Consulting
1
What Now?
2
3
4

15. What We Learned
Solution-centric mindset 
Problem-centric during customer
discovery
Be careful of cognitive bias and
assumptions
Approach customer discovery to
disprove hypotheses
No such thing as a “simple idea”
All problems have interconnecting
pieces that need to be uncovered
early on