A “modern radio station on steroids” that services young music fans’ ever-evolving needs – and more
LOS ANGELES (August 2, 2021) – Following a successful 2020 test launch of its full-service music website, Music Daily, American Weekend Entertainment (AWE) is proud to announce the official debut of the site. Aimed at Gen Z and Millennial music fans, Music Daily is a groundbreaking, fully immersive fan-to-fan experience that offers visitors everything they need about the artists they love – and those they’re about to discover – at one exciting, multimedia functional destination.
“We like to think of Music Daily as a modern radio station on steroids,” says Mel Adler, general manager of Music Daily and president of AWE. “Everything we do is built around a sense of discovery, the way radio stations used to be when DJs were the first to embrace an artist, or how MTV was in the beginning. You would tune in to find something new because you knew that you were being tuned on to an artist by real fans. In fact, the first criteria for working with us is having a passion for music; that’s one of our driving principles. The content on Music Daily is curated by young fans, and they’re passionate about covering and breaking artists they love. People who visit our site feel like they’re getting information from a friend.”
With its fan-driven philosophy and approach, Music Daily takes users “from the studio to the stage,” offering exclusive videos and interviews with artists as they’re creating music, along with breaking news about a song or a video as it’s released. Users can read reviews written by its young team of reporters (ages ranging from 22 to 34), and they can purchase music and concert tickets right on the spot. “For the first time, fans can discover new music – hear it, watch it, read about it, track on the streaming charts and playlists, follow artists’ tours and buy tickets – all in one place,” says Adler.
“We break through a lot of the clutter you find on other music sites,” says Jennifer Phelps, Music Daily’s vice president of content. “You don’t need to visit one site for new music, one for streaming charts, one for concert listing – whatever you’re looking for, it’s on our site. It’s easy to use, and it’s fun. That’s one of the biggest takeaways we got last year from our test launch – people kept coming to us and saying what a great time they had on the site. It just didn’t feel like the same old thing. Music Daily felt new.”
In addition to written reviews, Music Daily also features incisive video editorial segments. Both Adler and Phelps point to the video component as one of the site’s most engaging assets. “We’re like the Chedder of the music landscape,” says Phelps. “A lot of people like to read reviews, but there’s something very personable and intimate about seeing somebody talk about music, so that’s right here.” Adds Adler, “We’re a multimedia buffet. Our video reports give you great insight from a real fan perspective, and if you then want to learn more about an artist or a record, you can read an article.”
The manner in which music is curated on Music Daily is another innovation. While programming is based in part on trends from Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok, Music Daily’s team of writers – and even its interns – then dive in to create specialized playlists. “This is where it gets really cool,” says Adler. “We take the fire hose of information from search engines, social media, labels and publicists, and distill it in our own unique way. Our team listens to the music, discuss what’s good and what’s not, and creates a daily soundscape to answer the question: ‘Why do you find this music exciting?’ This is what tastemakers used to be, and we’re breaking them back.”
Adler stresses that this approach helps expose new artists that might not always be at the top of streaming or social media trends. “In a lot of our research, there are emerging artists that aren’t yet getting airplay or a lot of attention,” he says. “We produce segments on these artists and tell you why they’re happening and why you should check them out. It’s just like when you had a rogue disc jockey who got a test pressing of a record. There was a moment of discovery you could all share.” He laughs. “We’re very comfortable being thought of as rogue DJs.”
By offering its interns a voice in the content that’s on Music Daily, the website is steeped in a purity that is unrivaled. “Our interns aren’t jaded critics,” says Phelps. “They’re the eyes and ears of what’s really happening featured. We’ve got people all over the country working for us, and even some in other parts of the world. It’s remarkable to see them get involved. They want to share music they’re passionate about, and we’re happy to give them a voice.”
Music Daily is also developing a subscription mobile app. While the main site is a vast, all-genre inclusive destination, Music Daily Mobile will offer a custom discovery feature that allows fans to search for whatever kind of music they’re interested in.” says Adler. “And we get can get very specific: If you’re a fan of Billie Eilish, for example, she’s pop, but she could also be considered emo pop or indie pop. So you could select ‘emo pop’ and get 20 or so artists in that genre that we write about.”
Adler and Phelps both point to the feedback they received on the 2020 test launch of Music Daily as strong indicators for the official debut of the website. “Everybody who used the site before was very enthusiastic,” says Phelps. “It was like they were being turned loose in a record store, but they had somebody guiding them to what was really good. I don’t think they get that anywhere else.”
Says Adler, “Fans want to be talked to by other fans. That’s our mission, and it’s what we found people really like about Music Daily. They discovered a site that was thrilling and easy to navigate, but it spoke to them on their level. They felt like they had a trusted friend to guide them to the music they love. It’s going to be a lot of fun as we move forward.”
