un:hurd, the UK-born marketing platform used by over 70,000 musicians worldwide, has announced it raised additional funding allocated towards a suite of tools that would allow artists and labels to fast-track their fan base growth.
Among the investors, this strategic funding round features Kobalt Music Founder and Chairman Willard Ahdritz (through his investment advisory firm Ahdritz & Co), co-founder of Musiio, Hazel Savage; Nigerian superstar and Chief Investment Officer at Zagadat Capital Mr Eazi; and Dutch DJ and record producer Sam Feldt.
The company is to roll out a "suite of data and AI-led features" to help artists and labels build and monetise audiences more efficiently. The features include a fan club that allows artists to design and share websites to collect owned data about their fans. Besides, artists will also be able to use the AI marketing assistant that will suggest content ideas, complete marketing plans, write press releases, Spotify pitches to playlist curators, and assist with release schedules, which can then be leveraged in marketing campaigns.
Another novelty is a benchmarking tool that allows artists to "compare themselves to their peers" before trying to outcompete them. The fourth feature is a web platform that complements the existing iOS app. This platform will allow musicians to expand their presence in new regions while appealing to managers and record labels.
"Combined, the suite of tools offers artists the capabilities of a marketing team, automating the full range of services from data-led insights to ad booking and promotion tools and artist to fan interactions in a single platform," the press release says.
Since its inception in 2021, un:hurd has helped 70,000 artists generate 81 million Spotify streams in 2023 alone.
As per the un:hurd’s founder, Alex Brees, the company's evolution "comes as a response to the changing needs of artists as he has observed them in the past year."
"We've spent a lot of time speaking to our 70,000 strong community of artists from 129 countries, and this suite of new features has been created to provide even more power to artists," says un:hurd founder Alex Brees. "From using AI to create a marketing strategy or content ideas, to running automated ads on TikTok or collecting fan data via your fan hub, we can now be your virtual marketing team, facilitating and enhancing the most important marketing activities for artists."
Willard Ahdritz, Founder & Chairman, Kobalt Music, added: "I've very much enjoyed the last 12 months working alongside Alex and the team at un:hurd. I wanted to step up on my commitment to un:hurd to support the new developments that have the potential to change the game for independent artists in the marketplace."
Most of these tools are now available but some will be launching in the coming weeks.
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