Jukely Unlimited

The article that I chose to write about comes from Billboard. Jukely Unlimited is a new concert subscription service that recently opened to the public. It is an app that users download, and then “for $25 a month, members have access to select venues and shows as predetermined by the Jukely team, …for $45 a month, members get the same deal but with a plus one” (Brown).
The team partners with music venues within a city to make the shows available to subscribers. Over 90% of users use the app for concert suggestions. They link their account with Facebook and based on their music likes on Facebook, will pair them with shows of similar artists or music who are playing at partnered venues that they think the user will like. The app is innovative and has now launched in over ten cities including New York City, Los Angeles and Nashville. Once they finish funding, they have plans to spread to over 400 cities all over the world.
Technology has a huge influence on the music industry, especially when it comes to how the public is consuming music. Physical sales are down, but Spotify just recently hit 15 million paying subscribers each month, with 60 million users altogether. Most would say that it’s much easier to listen to music on the go. It’s easier for people to discover new music as well. They can stream playlists, look at similar artists, and even connect with their friends. We live in a world of people wanting instant gratification and I believe that apps like Spotify and Jukely are delivering that. It’s allowing the public more convenience and is less expensive, but is bad news for the music industry from a financial perspective.
Streaming is allowing musicians to be heard that might not have a chance at mainstream radio or touring the world. People will tell people about artists that they hear on Sirius XM, Pandora and Spotify. Spotify also allows people to see what’s being playing – which songs are people are responding to. In previous internships, I have compared numbers, utilizing Spotify play counts, Nielson SoundScan and sales counts. I’ve also seen artists plan a setlist around how many plays each song is getting, which is beneficial to the artist.
Spotify has definitely affected music from a business standpoint. Taylor Swift recently removed all her music from Spotify in hopes of an increase in physical sales for her album 1989. It worked for her, but it doesn’t work for all artists. A main concern that I have with Jukely is the same thing happening to artists with live shows. People are only paying $25 - $45 a month for unlimited shows. While it might help to get people in the door and discovering new music, is it hurting more than it’s helping? What are the chances that a person will walk in and buy the album on the way out? Will they be more willing to buy the album because they are saving money on concert tickets by subscribing to Jukely? These are all questions that I have and will continue to research upon as Jukely progresses as a business.
I do believe that Jukely could be something great, but will want to keep an eye on it to see how artists and fans are responding to it. I’m sure ticket sales will be affected, but to what extent? Or will it have a positive effect on the artist, by drawing more people to their show. I applaud the creators of Jukely for their creativity and adaption to the age of the Internet and iPhones. While still very new, I believe that Jukely has promise.