IC Newsletter #1
Welcome to the inaugural IC newsletter!
We’ll be using this space to keep you updated on what’s new with everybody’s favorite/bane of their existence - royalty accounting - and the software + service making it easier, Infinite Catalog (that’s us).
In this issue:
Product: the Bandcamp integration, mechanicals tool, performance improvements
Press: Music Ally, MusicTectonics, we’re blogging, tweeting, and guesting on podcasts
Stats: all the way up
New catalogs: welcome to the club
We’re kicking this one off with some news you can use...
Product Updates
First up, our new direct connection with Bandcamp! Set it up with a few clicks, and your bandcamp sales will automatically flow into your IC account on a regular basis! This integrations is the first of its kind, for us *and* for Bandcamp, who have never before connected directly to a royalty accounting platform in this way.
Secondly, mechanicals! We’ve built a tool that makes accounting mechanicals a breeze. Enable it for a release and/or individual tracks, and IC will automatically calculate standard rates (or you can create custom rates), count physical mechanicals on manufacture (or sale), and create contracts to manage both the income-side owed to writers and the expense-side that funds that income.
Lastly, performance improvements! An overhaul of how we calculate payee balances to accommodate large transaction volumes and improve load times by an order of magnitude. We wrote a nerdy technical explanation, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Lots more to come in the pipeline, please let us know if there’s something you’d like to see, any feedback is greatly appreciated!
In the Press!
We’ve gotten the attention of the great Music Ally, who added us to their Promising Music/Tech Startups of 2021 Report! It’s for subscribers only, so non-subscribers will have to trust us on this...
Sticking with the recognition theme, we were selected as a semi-finalist for the MusicTectonics “Swimming With Narwhals” music/tech startup competition!
On the homefront, we launched a blog! And we’ve been tweeting! Like it’s 2011!
Not the newest news, but worth calling out: Hunter did a podcast and walkthrough video with the great Scott from Other Record Labels. If you’re new to IC, the video is a great way to see what we do!
Stats We Want To Brag About
Everyone loves stats, so we ran a few numbers to see how things have been going in 2021 so far...
45 million new transactions including $20 million in income
3,639 new payees
9,286 new artists
72,369 new tracks
10,375 new releases
We didn’t benchmark all of these numbers this time last year, but the ones we did are way up! Like 500%! 🎉🥳🎊🍾
New catalogs in the mix!
Since September 1st... Topshelf Records, Chapter Music, Lucky Number Music Limited, Unrivaled Records, Innovative Leisure, Music Productions, Royal Mountain… welcome!
What We're Listening To
Ari: Captain Beefheart - Bluejeans and Moonbeams
Dev: Sugar Minott - She Stays on My Mind
Basic Replay's Wackies reissues are a gold mine, and Sugar Minott's "Wicked Ago Feel It" is a personal favorite.
Elene: Belle and Sebastian - Dress up in you
My beloved dog and best friend Bandit passed away suddenly at the end of September 2021 and I always listen to Belle & Sebastian when I'm sad. I have so much nostalgia connected to their music and I'm reminded of some of my favorite live music experiences, like comfort food for my ears.
Hunter: Labi Siffre - It Must Be Love
Found out that Labi Siffre lives around the corner from us in London, so been digging back into his catalog... he does such a great job of making could-be-cheesy lyrics into something joyful, this Top of the Pops-style video for Must Be Love being a perfect example.
We continue to be blown away by our catalogs’ hard work and dedication, and are deeply grateful that we can help you help more artists get paid.
— the team at Infinite Catalog