Beats Music announced its acquisition of Topspin today, a marketing firm that helps artists promote and sell their music, merchandise and concert tickets on the Web and through streaming services such as Spotify.
Customizable stores and marketing widgets created with Topspin are managed through the Topspin Platform, although it’s also branched out into targeted advertizing with an exclusive network called ArtistLink. Most recently, this has enabled artists to sell merchandise directly through their artist page on Spotify and promote their work through MTV and Beats Music.
Topspin said it will continue to operate both ArtistLink and its Topspin Platform for the time being. Beats Music will further integrate ArtistLink with its own music streaming service and then look for a “strategic partner” to manage the various email and commerce elements of the Topspin Platform.
The acquisition could be seen as a move to help Beats Music differentiate from its competitors such as Rdio, Spotify and Deezer. Topspin said that its ArtistLink services for both Spotify and MTV will carry on as normal after the acquisition, although there was no guarantee for further down the road. “There will also be no changes to ArtistLink’s Promo Exchange or advertising service,” it said.
➤ Beats Music / Topspin
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