With Matthew Adell stepping down as CEO, Beatport marked the end of an era that has seen some prolific changes in the Music Industry – some spearheaded by the Music portal itself. And with the appointment of new President, Lloyd Starr, Beatport promises a new era of Innovation and Technological prowess in the years to come. Starr was one of the first employees at the company, when he was hired as a senior flash developer. Working alongside Liz Miller, who’s now working with Big Beat, Starr developed the code for the original Flash store for Beatport. With the promise of new partners, new features & services, he hopes that his leadership will inspire a forward thinking approach for the company, as he wrote a message on the company’s website where he spoke about Dance Music, its influences and the DJs – who have generated the most impact on its widespread appreciation.
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.
One of the points, the new President stressed upon was the careful attention he’s paid to DJs and how their impact on the Dance Music scene has been irrevocable. Hailing the DJs as the music tastemakers for the audiences, he insisted on their importance and how they are an inseparable cog of the Dance music machine. He further expanded on his beliefs over Beatport and the way forward for the company.
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.
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.
Leave a Reply