Former Apple Music Global Creative Director, Larry Jackson has launched a new direct-to-consumer artist platform that has the industry standing in line to partner up. gamma (spelled with a lowercase ‘g’) is a direct-to-consumer platform built to give artists control over how they recoup value from the content they create. gamma is a modern media and music company created to change the way artists create, distribute, and monetize their content and brands.
gamma stands out in five main business sectors; Recorded Music, Visual Content, Media, Creative Agency, and Direct-To-Consumer Products – all of these areas are linked yet operate independently. The core of gamma is structured on these three distinct pillars: the production of content, its distribution, and the development of an artist-driven business model.
“The power of intellectual property and creative expression cannot be contained to any one format. The artists shaping today’s culture not only create music, but also video, film, podcasts, fashion, and more. They shouldn’t have to jump through multiple hoops to express themselves.”– Larry Jackson founder of gamma
Who’s involved
gamma has assembled a powerful team of executives and business partners from the music industry.
- Ike Youssef (Co-Founder and President) former CFO Yeezy;
- Ben Cook (President of UK and Europe) former president of Atlantic Records, UK;
- Scott Seviour (Chief Marketing Officer) former Artist Relations and Partnerships Apple;
- Nathalie Besharat (EVP of Content Operations) former Artist Relations & Partnerships Apple;
- Breyon Prescott (EVP of Content and Music) President of A/R Urban at Epic Records;
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In addition, gamma has assembled a strong board consisting of:
- Tony Minella Co-Founder and President at Eldridge
- Daniel Katz Co-Founder and Partner at A24 movie studio
and Advisors:
- Bill McDermott CEO, Service Now
- Joseph Calabrese Former Global Chair/Entertainment, Sports, and Media Practice at Latham & Watkins
- Fred Davis Partner – Raine Group
gamma Makes a Key Acquisition
gamma’s first major move has been the acquisition of the all-in-one digital distribution and management platform Vydia. gamma acquired Vydia Inc. in December 2022 to provide content creators with the ability to publish and distribute audio-visual content on a global basis. With the help of Vydia, music creators can leverage cutting-edge technology and infrastructure to access services such as rights management, secure payments, detailed royalty accounting metrics, and daily performance analytics – all helping them build their reach.
Key features
- Audio and video – package and deliver audio and video content from one centralized platform from any web or mobile device.
- Global distribution – Users can grow their audience globally from one convenient location. , Vydia delivers content to over 200 audio and video destinations from around the world. Allowing ownership by specific territories to monetize your music videos, sound recordings, and compositions for every asset you upload.
- Rights management – Vydia’s platform Maximizes earnings efficiently allowing users to control how audio and video content is handled across the web. Users can manage complex ownership splits by territory for every asset type and set protection policies.
- Royalties – Vydia’s Royalty Center offers creators a streamlined and reliable way for users to pay out stakeholders. Manage complicated payments for audio and video content, eliminate the need for external resources, and consolidate accounting.
- Analytics – the Vydia platform easily tracks audio, video, and user-generated content (UGC) analytics to gain insight into what content generates the most money.
- Publishing – Collect performance, mechanical, sync, print and other publishing income directly through the Vydia platform.
“The power of intellectual property and creative expression cannot be contained to any one format. The artists shaping today’s culture not only create music, but also video, film, podcasts, fashion, and more. They shouldn’t have to jump through multiple hoops to express themselves.
gamma is built with the flexibility and aptitude that creators need to connect with fans on all formats and across all channels – with transparency and no restriction. We are a progressive media company powered by the best-in-class content distribution and analytics software by way of our Vydia acquisition. And central to its core, gamma is an ideas company.” – Larry Jackson
Todd Boehly, Chairman and CEO of Eldridge, said: “Larry and Ike’s idea for gamma centers on service to the artist. We are excited to partner with them, Apple, and A24 to build a platform that helps artists deliver exceptional content with fans, and grow the enterprise value of their brands.”
Oliver Schusser, Apple’s Vice President of Apple Music: “We’re excited to see Larry’s vision come to life with gamma. We’re always looking for new ways to support creators, and we can’t wait to see what talent across music, video, podcasts, and more dream up.”