Turntable Labs has launched a brand new social music platform that provides a digital area the place customers can share and uncover songs collectively in real-time.
Hangout launches with a catalog of over 100 million tracks, secured by partnerships with Sony Music Leisure, Common Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Merlin, which represents unbiased labels and different rightsholders worldwide.
The platform permits customers to create customized digital areas referred to as ‘Hangouts’ the place they’ll invite associates and take turns enjoying DJ. Turntable Labs says the idea attracts inspiration from conventional social music experiences like gathering round a jukebox or listening to albums with associates, however transforms these interactions right into a digital expertise accessible to customers worldwide.
Hangout’s options embody customizable avatars, digital dance flooring, and chat performance. The corporate says Hangout is poised to be “a refreshing social media various.”
“With our broad world partnerships throughout the music firms in place, Hangout begins its journey to redefine the intersection of music and social media,” stated Joseph Perla, Founder and CEO of Hangout.
“Our imaginative and prescient has at all times been to create a platform that celebrates the enjoyment of music but in addition helps help the music trade. At present marks a monumental step towards that objective.”
Perla’s social community ventures began in faculty in 2005 with Zandigo for faculty college students, and in 2007 with Labmeeting for scientists. He then based Turntable in 2011, introducing the idea of social music listening. Perla hung out at Fb (now Meta), the place he led product and engineering for Fb’s Information Feed on iOS.
Past Hangout, he co-founded Terminal.com, which secured over $4 million in funding and was acquired by Udacity in 2017. Perla additionally performed a task in Lyft‘s passenger and driver development throughout its main enlargement part.
In March 2023, Turntable secured over $7 million in a seed spherical. On the time, the corporate stated it deliberate to make use of the funds to energy a brand new social music platform that had been slated for a full public launch final 12 months. Turntable additionally disclosed on the time that it was working with music trade companions to be “absolutely authorized and licensed” for the upcoming launch.
Hangout’s launch has garnered help from main music trade gamers.
Mark Piibe, Govt Vice President, World Enterprise Growth & Digital Technique, Sony Music, stated: “We’re happy to help the continued development of alternatives for followers to expertise and take heed to Sony Music artists in shared social areas that pretty worth their work. We stay up for working with Hangout to allow its customers to construct communities round their favourite stars and uncover and curate music collectively.”
“With our broad world partnerships throughout the music firms in place, Hangout begins its journey to redefine the intersection of music and social media.”
Joseph Perla, Hangout
Kristen Bender, SVP, Digital Innovation Technique & Enterprise Growth at Common Music Group, added: “UMG has at all times strived to help the event of modern new licensing fashions that drive music consumption and enhance fan engagement, so we’re delighted to announce our strategic alliance with Hangout.
“Social listening continues to develop into a key element of the fan expertise, driving loyalty and dialog amongst engaged artist communities and Hangout will assist energy these fan experiences in a singular and compelling method.”
Rachel Scarpati, VP, Enterprise Technique & Enterprise Growth, WMG, stated the partnership “underscores WMG’s dedication to pioneering new avenues for music discovery, fostering group, and offering followers with dynamic methods to interact and share their love for music.”
In the meantime, Ryan McWhinnie, VP of Enterprise & Authorized Affairs at Merlin, famous the importance for unbiased artists, saying, “Group is on the heart of unbiased music.”
“This partnership with Hangout brings new alternatives for our world membership and their artists to attach with followers and broaden their communities. It represents our dedication to creating modern income streams and delivering unmatched alternatives for our membership,” he stated.
Customers can entry Hangout beginning Wednesday (November 13) by internet browsers or by downloading the app from iOS and Android app shops.
The launch comes 9 months after Hangout partnered with Beatdapp, a blockchain-based music streaming fraud detection firm, to fight streaming fraud. By means of the partnership, Hangout will use Beatdapp’s instruments and experience in blockchain expertise to detect and forestall fraudulent exercise on the platform.
Music Enterprise Worldwide
