Max Conley and Vivian Ma, both DMSB'17, created software that allows up-and-coming musicians to connect with their followers, serving as a fan relationship manager. The prototype works to aggregate data that links artist's social media, concert data and sales data for merchandise and music.
The software, created in partnership with Green Line Records, Northeastern's student-run record label, creates a sales pipeline for artists, giving them a sneak peek into their fan's life cycles. The so-called Fan Relationship Manager provides insights like whether or not a fan is a casual or regular listener. It also allows artists to gain more transparency into fan acquisition and retention, two aspects that are vital for long careers.
Ma hopes the software will give musicians, who she compares to small businesses, a fighting chance to grow like big corporations do. The prototype was created, “so that careers in music can thrive and be financially sustainable in a highly monopolized industry and so that smaller artists can revitalize the industry from the bottom up,” she said.