While some DubMC readers may have met Emmanuel Zunz at WOMEX or APAP conferences when he was promoting his record label Verge Records, we sat down with him for an update on his latest creation: ONErpm, a digital store for music and film from the edge of the planet. We've tested out the interface and are impressed. Here's the full scoop...
1. In a nut shell, what is ONErpm?
ONErpm is a digital store for musicians and filmmakers that also offers digital distribution services to other retailers like iTunes and eMusic.
2. How does ONErpm differ from other MP3 sites?
First, we're a niche site focused on international content which enables us to target a certain customer while providing more focused attention and services to the artists on the site. Second, we strive to offer artists more flexibility and options than anywhere else. Content owners determine the value/price of their content. They can sell it or give it away, and they can adjust the price any time. In addition, we offer digital distribution per album, meaning if you already have an album on iTunes you can just sell it on our site, but if you also have a new release we can distribute that for you as well. The difference between us and other DIY distribution platforms is that we only make money when you make money, so we have an incentive to promote your music to other retailers. Other platforms charge artists upfront for the distribution service, in exchange for artists keeping 100% of royalties, but the reality is that over 70% of music online does not sell at all, so most artists end up losing money. Finally, we offer a bunch of cool features on the site for listeners, such as free unlimited streaming, a virtual media library where they can store their favorite tracks and backup all their purchases, multiple key word (tag) search so you can actually find cool music, an interactive media player that allows you to create and save playlists, check out recommendations, rate and share content, and buy!
3. What led you to start this website?
I created this site in response to the growing demand for international music and film here in the US and elsewhere. Movies like Slum Dog Millionaire, City of God (Brazil), or Tsotsi (South Africa) and artists like MIA, Seu Jorge, or Mister Catra, are perfect examples of the kind of content we're interested in. At the same time there are literally hundreds of thousands of artists in Brazil, India, South Africa, and other countries that have no viable sales channels for their music. Today's music market is getting more cluttered, making it even more difficult to rise above the noise despite all of these D-I-Y platforms. Sure anyone can create an account on MySpace or other similar services but how much are artists really getting out of that anymore? And for listeners, there is just so much stuff out there its hard to make sense of all of it. My hope is to create a niche environment that is known for quality rather than quantity, and that represents all this incredible music and film being produced around the globe, but which currently doesn't really have a home that it can call its own. On our site, fans of global music and film will find it easier to get what they want, and artists will benefit from the added visibility, services we offer, and hopefully sales we generate as a result.
4. Talk to us about what types of music fans that are being drawn to the site?
Anyone who is interested in global music, film, and culture are finding the site interesting and fun. We're also seeing traffic from different countries like Brazil, Colombia, the Caribbean, and Africa where many of our artists are from.
5. What are some of the technical/design difference with your service for the fan?
We have a very interactive media player. It plays both video and audio, providing a more integrated experience. I have never liked how audio and video are always kept separate. You can reorder tracks in the Player without interrupting what you are listening to or viewing while creating your playlist. You can also queue content to the player without interrupting the content you are enjoying.
We do search differently than anyone else. You can search by multiple tags or key words. Tags are created by the system but also by artists and listeners, so what you have in the end is a taxonomy that is both system and user-generated. This taxonomy allows for a very dynamic search generating very specific results. For example, I can search using the following tags: 'Hip Hop', 'Brazil', and 'driving', and the system will generate results with all of the tags, followed by results with one or more of the tags. You can further filter your results by album, track, video, playlists, video, and artists.
We offer listeners a virtual media library, or an in the clouds library of their favorite tracks and videos on the site, their playlists, as well as a backup of all their purchases. Its kinda like iTunes but its browser based, and you can click and drag to reorder songs or create new playlists....
6. And what about the content providers? What types have joined up so far and what types do you expect in the near future?
We're fortunate to already have some great cutting-edge artists and labels on the site. Some of the recent labels to have come on board are Six Degrees, ST2 Records out of Brazil, Bee Records in France, Verge, Kallpa (Colombia), Nomadic Wax, and many others are in the works. We have a strong contingent of Hip Hop artists from the US and elsewhere, and we're growing our Latin Alternative base, and getting more dub and reggae artists as well. I expect we'll get more of the same types of globally minded content owners, and more indie film. We also have some great Hip Hop documentaries from Senegal and Colombia, and a skateboarding film from Rio de Janeiro.
7. So how do artists, labels, and other content providers sign up to sell their music on ONErpm?
All they have to do is go to the site, sign up, create a profile, and upload an album or video. It takes about an hour total. Labels should email us at labels@onerpm.com to get started.
