Beatports new president Lloyd Starr, who was actually the companies first employee has released a warming statement and a call out to the community after being handed the reigns to guide the future success of the frontal dance and electronic music store.
Although nothing concrete came with it, Lloyd used some light humour to explain where he started out and what he plans for the ‘next 10’ years for Beatport as well as talks of ‘new people’ and ‘new partners’ – both exciting things to us!
The change up follows the companies purchase by global promoter SFX Entertainment almost two years ago as part of a billion dollar land grab and more recently a good-guy move in combating anyone attempting to cheat the charts.
Alright, alright, so what did we learn from it all?
1. New people, new partners, new features and services
Nice one, new people = new ideas and new partners = a better way to reach out and work as effectively with the community. What about features and services? Essential things for a company to move forward with the best intentions and innovations
2. A bit of history about Lloyd and the early beginnings of Beatport
The first ever Beatport office was small, small enough they had to shuffle chairs to move. That and the upload was a painful and slow process but hey, have to start somewhere right?
3. The pond is getting busier in the digital music retail space
Although having the advantage of ‘first to the market’ they now have to battle it out against competitive brands and with it a need to figure out what the community wants foremost to continue being the first-stop for buying digital beats.
4. It’s all about community
You’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it before. Beatport began as a community, is a community and will continue to be a community.
5. They want to hear from EVERYONE!
Run a label? DJ? Produce or just a dance music fan? Lloyd wants to hear your feedback with it all being heard and digested.
Full release below
These are exciting times here at Beatport. As we celebrate 10 years of serving the dance music community, we’re also busy preparing for the next 10 in new and innovative ways.
There’s a lot new here. We have new owners in SFX Entertainment. We have a lot of new people and new partners. And you’ll soon see some new features and services. In line with that theme, there’s also new leadership driving all this forward, starting with myself as the company’s new president.
Taking over the reins at Beatport has special meaning to me. I was the company’s first employee after the original founders. Hired as a senior flash developer, I actually coded the original Flash store (…sorry about that). In the beginning we worked together on one long desk in a space so small I needed Liz Miller (now at Big Beat) to move just so I could get out of my chair. Back then the only way to ingest new music into the store was to load all the new tracks into everyone’s personal computers and drive them over to the server farm and upload. I have fond memories of those days.
I always felt we were building something special, but I had no idea how far it would come. What’s most inspiring/gratifying to watch is the way the dance music community and the business that supports it have grown with Beatport over the years. We were inspired by the thousands of corner record stores across the globe that connected people to music, and wanted to incorporate that spirit into a digital infrastructure available anywhere. The result is more than a music store, but a unified global platform that provides artists and labels with a launching pad for breaking new music. It’s been amazing to play a role in that.
Yet along the way—through all the struggles, milestones, and changes—what remained constant throughout was our unwavering focus on serving DJs. And that will never change. The DJ is the lifeblood of the dance music community, the tastemaker, the influencer. Even as we add new features and services designed for fans, we will always do so with the benefit to DJs in mind. Connecting DJs with fans. Connecting fans to music.
Beatport grew out of the opportunity of being first to market. That’s no longer the case. We’re not the only game in town, not from the perspective of a digital download music store, not from the perspective of a destination for news and information, and not as a community hub.
What will keep Beatport relevant in the years to come will be our focus on the music. At Beatport, music is not a loss leader used to sell something else. We have a vested interest in driving investment into the community…to the creators, the performers, and distributors alike. It’s both a great opportunity and a massive responsibility.
We have no plans on resting on the strength of our name recognition to accomplish these goals. We’ll move forward with a spirit of openness and inclusiveness. I want to hear from the labels, the DJs, the producers, the fans, and more. The future of Beatport will be built by the community. Your input will be heard more than ever before as we define this future together.
I’m incredibly proud to be working with a strong team empowered to help drive this vision forward. This includes Executive Creative Director Clark Warner, who leads Beatport’s partnerships, festival integrations, and remains the voice of the brand; as well as VP of Music Services Terry Weerasinghe, who will oversee music merchandising and label/supplier relations. I couldn’t ask for a better pair to support our efforts.
Know that I’ll be keeping an ear to the ground and listening to all your feedback, whether it’s through our label management team, customer service department, or direct meetings with partners. The future of Beatport is your future as well, and together we’ll build that future.”
Comments