Inside Sleeve - let’s count numbers
This week has been a total vibe! I've had some epic coffee hangouts with a bunch of amazing people—artists and bands from every genre you can think of, plus a brand manager, an event coordinator, a lawyer, and an old music buddy from London. These chats gave us some killer insights to help shape Sleeve. Two big things stood out:
- Musicians need time to make music. They shouldn’t have to be full-time content creators and fan managers. Instead, they should be able to focus on making music and engaging with fans in fun and inspiring ways.
- Musicians need to earn a living and know it's possible.
Our calculator can help them see what’s achievable.
This week, these three examples really stood out to me. You can try the calculator out yourself.
Tuesday Trends - truly digital?
We are digital consumers. Almost everyone, from teens to retirees, is streaming music, as revealed by the latest study on online listening habits in the Nordics. Yet, 23% of listeners still discover new music on the radio! Among older Danes, that figure jumps to 49%. While I adore radio, it’s fascinating—and a bit perplexing—that no digital platform has fully overtaken it in music discovery.
For the under-17 crowd, one in four discover new tunes on TikTok. That percentage feels surprisingly low, given how much time they spend on the app. Word of mouth and radio continue to dominate the music discovery landscape.
When asked about their listening habits, half of the respondents mentioned, “I listen to playlists I’ve created myself” or “I listen to music tracks or albums I have found myself.” Only 7% trust their streaming service’s recommendations of new albums, EPs, and artists.
We’ve changed our listening habits, but this study makes it clear that technology has yet to provide a truly effective way to discover and deeply explore new music.
Random Reflections - support or exploitation?
I’ve got a story from when I was starting out on my journey as a musician. Picture this: it’s December, and a six-year-old with a violin is busking on the street of a small city. I was out there playing Christmas carols in the cold, and within an hour, I’d earned more money than I had ever dreamed of.
Feeling proud, I took my sister and mom out for hot chocolate, paying with my hard-earned cash. When the café owner saw the pile of money and heard how I’d earned it, he asked if I’d play inside his establishment. The catch was that he wanted to take half of my tips.
I looked him right in the eye and said, “No, thank you!”
Why am I sharing this? Because even at that young age, I knew the difference between support and exploitation. It's tough for musicians to make a living in the streaming era—many well-known artists don’t even consider streaming revenue a significant part of their income because it pays so little. That’s why we’re determined to revolutionize music discovery and monetization.
Stay tuned,
Anna
