Latest news with #independentartists
Geek Wire
28-05-2025
- Business
- Geek Wire
Seattle musician launches startup to help indie artists with licensing and creators with content
GeekWire's startup coverage documents the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial scene. Sign up for our weekly startup newsletter , and check out the GeekWire funding tracker and venture capital directory . Danny Newcomb, founder of Incantio. (Nikki Barron Photo) Danny Newcomb isn't really interested in using AI to make music. But the longtime Seattle musician is interested in the power of the technology to help independent musicians succeed in certain aspects of the business. Newcomb is the founder of Incantio, a startup launching this week as a two-sided marketplace, where artists can self license, set pricing and manage the rights to music that can be used in ads, television and film. The platform also allows creators to more easily search for and discover music for projects they are working on. 'Half of the global music market is now independent,' Newcomb said. 'And those artists don't have access to self-license into a catalog where they can price and manage their own rights.' Newcomb said the space is traditionally dominated by large companies that buy music outright, depriving artists of performance royalties. In contrast, Incantio allows musicians to retain their rights and earn backend royalties, while offering content creators an easy way to license music at various price tiers. Newcomb, who has played in Seattle bands including Shadow, Goodness, The Rockfords and Sugarmakers, started working on Incantio two years ago. The five-person company raised a pre-seed round of $350,000, led by Northwest Angel, and expects to generate revenue this month. A seed round is planned to follow. He called Seattle a music town, but said it's not a 'music publishing town,' and generating funding interest for a venture like his takes a bit longer. Newcomb also said he came up through a music system that doesn't really exist anymore for independent artists. The industry is increasingly dominated by streaming giants. Physical product is no longer a viable way for labels to generate income, but there's no money in streaming for artists. 'So part of this, for me, is a way of creating an open platform where artists can set the value of their digital rights for licensing and gain some of that value back,' he said. Newcomb calls AI an 'efficiency tool' to help creators search a very large catalog quickly. Picture a filmmaker working with a Rolling Stones song as a placeholder. Their budget may not allow for such music licensing, but they can search Incantio for recommendations related to similar mood, tempo, vocals, and more. 'You can go into our catalog, find an artist, know what their pricing is right away, be able to get a clean license that's already pre-approved and license it immediately,' he said. Incantio is in beta now, but has early partnerships with key players, including on the supply side with CD Baby, a digital distributor used by over 3 million musicians, and on the demand side with Disco, an Australian company used by 90% of global music supervisors. Chris Ballew, onetime lead singer of the Presidents of the United States of America, is signed on, as are Carrie Akre (Hammerbox and Goodness), Steve Fisk (Pigeonhed), Mike McCready (Rockfords), Kevin Murphy (Small Paul & Moondoggies) and 200 others. Being a founder doesn't replace playing music for Newcomb, who calls the latter 'like going to church.' But he does love being an entrepreneur, building a community where independent musicians can be heard — and paid. He recalled a meeting with Ted Cohen, an advisor to Incantio who worked in A&R for such bands as the Sex Pistols and the Pretenders. Cohen told Newcomb, 'Every band is just a startup. Every startup is just a band.' 'I started every band I've ever been in,' Newcomb laughed. 'So, yeah, this does feel like that.'
CBC
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Toronto art fair celebrates Mother's Day this year
Social Sharing For anyone in Toronto still looking for Mother's Day plans, there's an annual Toronto art fair curated for the holiday. The Artist Project, an annual fair for more than 250 independent artists, has made the exhibition for its 18th year all about motherhood. It features interactive works, live painting and a variety of mediums. Sarah Yellin, the Artist Project's sponsor and partnerships lead, says this is the first time the fair has fallen on Mother's Day, so the organizers thought it was a great opportunity to mark the occasion. "Kids get in for free, so you can bring your mom, [there are] gifts at all price points and [it's] just a fun way to celebrate the weekend," she said. Many of the artists participating in the fair are mothers themselves. Artist Jocelyn Teng, who is expecting her second child in August, says being a mother has inspired her work. "I feel like being a mother really made me more confident [about] what I wanted to create. Maybe because there's less time," she said. "I think I also have a stronger sense of play." Teng says she paints landscapes from her childhood growing up in Taipei, and she sees her work in part helps connect her to her children with her own history. "The jungle, the mountain, it was my playground," she said. "I hope through the paintings and the energy that they can feel what it was like for me growing up in a completely different environment." Then there are artists celebrating their own mothers this weekend, like Omar Chris Canales-Cisneros. One of his colourful textile piece shows his grandmother braiding his mother's hair, and his mother braiding his, as he sits with a look of comfort on his face. "It's a piece about lineage, matriarchal lineage. But also, about care," he said. "It means a lot to me to have it here with me today, especially on Mother's Day weekend." Aside from the artwork, there will be a variety of gifts on sale, including balloons and bouquets. The exhibit runs until 6 p.m. Sunday.
