World’s Most Innovative Music Companies
FastCompany has listed the “World’s Most Innovative Companies“, not surprisingly Apple appears at the top, followed by Twitter and Facebook. Listed as well is Top Ten by Industry, including the following: Advertising, Biotech, Design, Fashion, Mobile, and, last but not least, Music.
FastCompany’s editorial team have evaluated thousands of global businesses to create the complete ‘World’s Most Innovative Companies’ list, with a goal to highlight companies that “dare to be different, emphasizing not just revenue growth and profit margins but also progressive business models and an ethos of creativity.” The music category is broadly defined to include major brands who use music creatively, alongside artists and traditional music companies. No record labels made it to the chart, but the inclusion of Hello Music and Songbird in Top Ten Music is an affirmation of their contribution to the latest iteration of the evolving music industry. The winner of the whole category is Pandora, for “bringing its custom-curated music mix to a new venue: cars”. Two brands that stand out are the first runner-up, Coca-Cola, and Converse, who made it to seventh place. Converse for “building a recording studio that’s also a goodwill-generating machine” (Rubber Tracks in Brooklyn), and Coke for its “daring marketing model that redefines the relationship among consumer brands, record companies, and artists”. Neither of these brands are considered as traditional parts of the music industry. Below is the Top Ten in Music list.
01 Pandora
For bringing its custom-curated music mix to a new venue: cars
02 Coca-Cola
For a daring marketing model that redefines the relationship among consumer brands, record companies, and artists
03 Big Champagne
For developing a more modern business measurement that factors in social media
04 Arcade Fire
For turning the music video into an individualised user experience
05 Terra.com
For a multipronged, and profitable, music-focused content model
06 Hello Music
For helping aspiring artists concentrate on their art without losing out on the business side
07 Converse
For building a recording studio that’s also a goodwill-generating machine
08 Sonos
For making one of the easiest-to-use, best-sounding, affordable wireless audio systems
09 Songbird
For creating an open-source music-management platform that’s way more personal than iTunes
10 Weezer
For customising its own business through unusual record and marketing deals
