12/11/17: Report: Google plans YouTube-branded music service

Good morning. It’s Monday December 11, 2017 and this is your your first early morning Digital briefing.

TODAY’S CODEBREAKER

Multi-Touch: In computing, the phrase multi-touch refers to technology that enables a surface (such as a touchscreen or trackpad) to recognize more than one point of contact simultaneously. For instance, a smartphone that can detect two or more fingers at the same time would be said to have multi-touch functionality. One of the first widely-used consumer applications of multi-touch technology was first introduced by Apple’s iPhone; namely, a user’s ability to zoom in and out by “pinching” the screen.

JUST IN…

Google is upping its music game. According to Bloomberg, the company is gearing up to launch a music subscription service under the YouTube brand. The service will reportedly feature a combination of music videos and traditional music streaming. According to Bloomberg, Google employees have internally dubbed the service “Remix,” though there’s no telling whether that name will last. The service, which will compete with the likes of Apple Music and Spotify, is essentially the successor to Google Play Music. Back in February, the Google Play Music and YouTube Music teams were merged together. At the time, Google CEO Sundar Pichai explained to investors that the company wanted to combine its music offerings under a single roof. Google had hoped to launch the new offering by the end of 2017, but the company is reportedly still in licensing negotiations with two of the three major record labels.

APPS + PLATFORMS

Facebook has launched Sound Collection, a new editing tool that lets users insert songs, vocals, and instrumental tracks into Facebook and Instagram video clips. One big capability is lacking: While Facebook is providing a new library of sounds for the tool, users can’t edit in music from songs that aren’t in the library. Nonetheless, there’s always the potential that some will find a way to do so illegally.

In addition to the new Sound Collection tool, Facebook has introduced what it’s calling the 360 Community Page, an educational destination to aid in 360-degree video-making. The page will feature video tutorials focused on editing, spatial audio, and cameras. It’ll offer 360 Director, a new editing toolkit that will let creators add “guides” and “annotations” to their videos – i.e., elements that call attention to specific points of interest within a video. The 360 Community Page was launched in partnership with Blend Media, a network for 360-degree video and VR. In addition, Blend Media is taking part in Facebook’s new Camera Loaner Program: Users will be able to borrow cameras straight from Blend, for use on 360-degree video projects. Finally, Facebook will keep an updated list of 360-degree-video-related events available on the Community page, enabling users to engage in meet-ups and workshops around the world.

If a new job offering is any indication, Google wants to add multi-touch input features to the Google Home smart speaker. The posting – first discovered by Variety – calls for a new “Touch Sensor Hardware Engineer” for Google Home. The employee will work to “enable the best multi-touch user experience.” While the current Google Home offering enables basic touch input for play/pause commands and volume adjustments, it has no multi-touch features.

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AGENCIES

Sweety High, a digital media company geared toward teenage girls, has launched a new full-service creative agency. Called Extra Credit, the agency will work with brands to craft marketing strategies. It’ll also pair brands with known influencers in an effort to engage with Gen Z audiences. In addition, Extra Credit will operate its own content studio. The agency has already begun working with brands such as Nickelodeon, NBCUniversal, Disney, and Live Nation.

INFLUENCERS

Forbes released its rundown of the top-earning YouTube stars of 2017 – and while you won’t find a Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates on the list, some of these folks are doing quite nicely. Leading the pack is Dan Middleton, AKA DanTDM, a 26-year old gamer from England. Middleton reportedly pulled in $16.5 million over a period of 12 months. Others on the list included Evan “Vanoss” Fong, Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach, Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg; and Lilly “Superwoman” Singh. Forbes compiled the list by examining sources such as YouTube, Captiv8, and Social Blade. The publication also interviewed figures such as agents, managers, publicists, and even lawyers.

MUSIC STREAMING + PODCASTS

The Amazon Music Unlimited streaming service just arrived in 28 new countries. The service, which features over 40 million songs, first launched in the U.S. October of 2016. It had since become available in a number of other countries, including the U.K., Austria, Germany, and Japan. Among the 28 new additions are Poland, Sweden, Greece, Belgium, Panama, and the Netherlands. Amazon will also begin shipping its Echo smart speaker to those countries.

As first reported by the Wall Street Journal, Spotify and China’s Tencent Music Entertainment have agreed to a mutually beneficial arrangement. Spotify will reportedly buy an equity stake in Tencent Music, while Tencent will return the favor by purchasing a stake in Spotify. The exact financial terms weren’t disclosed, but we can make some guesses: Last week, the Journal reported that such a deal was being negotiated. At the time, the companies were reportedly discussing trading stakes of as much as 10%. The new deal would give Spotify a valuation of more than $10 billion, according to the Journal. The company is expected to launch a public offering next year.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM THE LUSTGARTEN FOUNDATION

Join us for the 17^th Holiday Rock & Roll Bash

A benefit for The Lustgarten Foundation in support of pancreatic cancer research

Wednesday, December 13, 2017 | Location: TAO DOWNTOWN NYC

Presented by Madison Square Garden and AMC Networks

Thanks to private funding, 100% of every dollar donated goes directly to pancreatic cancer research.

Contact 914-579-1000 or [email protected] for sponsorships and tickets.

UPCOMING DIGITAL PROGRAMMING

… for the week of Monday, December 11, through Sunday, December 17

– People Now at People.com, Monday-Friday at 8:30 AM ET and 11:30 AM ET. Guests include actor Henry Winkler, TV personality Erika Girardi (Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), and actor Vincent Rodriguez (The CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend).

– Netflix: Judd Apatow: The Return, a new comedy special, debuts Tuesday, December 12

– Netflix: Christmas Inheritance, a new drama movie, debuts Friday, December 15

– Netflix: Season two of El Chapo debuts Friday, December 15

– Netflix: Japanese drama series Erased debuts Friday, December 15

– Amazon Video: Jean-Claude Van Johnson, a new comedy series, debuts Friday, December 15

– Netflix: Comedy series The Ranch returns Friday, December 15

– Netflix: Animated family series Trollhunters returns Friday, December 15

– Netflix: Reality competition series Ultimate Beastmaster premieres Friday, December 15

– Netflix: Drama miniseries Wormwood debuts Friday, December 15

TRIVIA

Our Last Trivia Question: Actress Eliza Coupe currently co-stars in which original streaming series? Answer: Hulu’s Future Man. Kudos to Andy Pittman-TAMU/TX, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/CA, David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/CA, and Andrew Bellamy-Producers Guild of America/NY

Follow-up: In Future Man, two seasoned warriors recruit protagonist Josh Futterman (Josh Hutcherson) to fight a futuristic enemy. The warriors only enlist his help once he defeats a seemingly unwinnable video game – which was actually a recruitment tool. That premise – as Futterman himself observes during Future Man’s premiere – is extremely similar to that of a 1984 movie. Which one?

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Visionaries, rebels, mentors, rising stars…

Take your place as one of the top women in digital media.

The Cynopsis Top Women in Digital Awards

Cynopsis is honoring the incredible accomplishments of women in every field, including excellence in digital content, marketing, advertising, social media and online content. Past honorees have been digital-savvy innovators from a range of companies ( view last year’s honorees ). The deadline is Jan. 9 and honorees will be celebrated at our annual awards breakfast on Mar. 14 in NYC.

NOMINATE TODAY

SHORT FORM SPOTLIGHT

Netflix released a new promo for One Day at a Time, announcing a January 26 premiere date for the show’s second season. The promo is pretty remarkable, flawlessly recreating the opening credits from the original One Day at a Time, which ran from 1975-1984. Check it out here.

David Teich
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JOB OF THE DAY

ANALYST PROGRAM RESEARCH
BRAVO
OXYGEN@NBCUniversal
NYC

Responsible for analyzing and reporting for the Program Research dept. Proven exp in analyzing & interpreting quantitative research with internal client business needs in mind. Proactive thinker w/great writing & comm skills pref’d.

Full info/apply HERE

JOB OPENNG: TRAFFIC COORDINATOR/NECN/Newton MA: Implement, revise, and maintain traffic instruction for all national orders. At least 3-5 years of experience working in a broadcast television traffic department. Full info/apply HERE (12/16)

JOB OPENING: ACCOUNTING & TRAFFIC COORDINATOR/FOX/Chicago: Create/load daily logs thru placement of commercial spots, graphics, episode formats & ratings. BA deg; accounting, finance, or related bus. field or equiv work exp. Exc written/verbal comm skills a must. Wide orbit & oracle exp pref’d. Full info/apply HERE (12/15)

JOB OPENING: ANALYST PROGRAM RESEARCH/BRAVO/OXYGEN@NBCUniversal/NYC: Responsible for analyzing and reporting for the Program Research dept. Proven exp in analyzing & interpreting quantitative research with internal client business needs in mind. Proactive thinker w/great writing & comm skills pref’d. Full info/apply HERE (12/15)

JOB OPENING: MARKETING MANAGER/WVIT/Hartford CT: Development of sales marketing strategy and cutting edge multi-platform marketing solutions that drive advertising revenue for NBC Connecticut and NBC Owned Stations. Minimum 3 yrs marketing or agency exp as well as Min 1 yr sales exp. Full info/apply HERE (12/15)

JOB OPENING: SENIOR MARKETING DIRECTOR/National Geographic/DC: Lead marketing strategy for tentpole programming across all platforms. Drive tune-in & increased ratings for major marketing priorities. 10+ yrs of entertainment category exp. Excellent verbal and written communication skills Full info/apply HERE (12/15)

JOB OPENING: AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST/NYC: Dvlp/optimize mktg campaigns to grow audience/viewer engagmt; create message/assets to support efforts. 4+ yrs dig. mktg/publicity/aud engmt exp. Strong writing & verbal skills; knwlg of bid mgmt., keyword targeting & qual score optimization. Full info/apply HERE (12/14)

JOB OPENING: PRODUCTION ACCOUNTANT/Big Bad Boo/Vancouver or NYC: Deadline & detail oriented person w/great orgnztnl skills & knack w/numbers who doesn’t miss a detail. BA deg in Accounting/finance w/4+ yrs related accounting exp. Mac expert. Animation prod exp pref’d. Full info/apply HERE (12/14)

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JOB OPENING: COPY COORDINATOR/NBC/Newton Mass: Implement, revise, and maintain traffic instruction for all national orders. 3-5 years of exp working in a broadcast television traffic dept. Wide Orbit Traffic System knwlg a +. Effective organizational or office management skills. Full info/apply HERE (12/14)

JOB OPENING: DIRECT RESPONSE AD SALES ASSISTANT/Crown Media Family Networks/NY: Provide sales support to the Director, Direct Response and Direct Response Team. Process media buys/revisions, sending pre and post logs, and updating account info. BS req. Full info/apply HERE (12/14)

JOB OPENING: DIRECT RESPONSE SALES PLANNER/Crown Media Family Networks/NY: Provide sales and analytical support to the Direct Response Team. Monitor and manage inventory for Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and Hallmark Drama. Provide internal analysis on inventory and sell-out levels. BS req. Full info/apply HERE (12/13)

JOB OPENING: SR ART DIRECTOR/MELT/ATL: Hands-on, innovative team player, resp for presenting creative solutions that meet client objectives & strategies. Design for events, print, digital & retail. 8+yrs creative field exp. Understanding brand identity & how to create concepts that fit w/in it. Full info/apply HERE (12/13)

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JOB OPENING: SALES PLANNER/MUSIC CHOICE TV/NYC: Resp for development/fulfillment of integrated media plans & proposals across all Music Choice television platforms for advertising clients. 1-2 yrs media or sales plan’g/assistant at an agency or ntwrk. Solid understanding of media math. Full info HERE (12/13)

JOB OPENING: PROJECT MGR OFF-AIR DESIGN/Paramount Network/NYC: Work close w/ & support Sr Project Dir. Receive clients requests & work w/them to get full scope of work, specs & expected due dates. Must possess great comm. skills, ability to work high paced environment & be able to effectively multi task. Resumes HERE (12/13)

SITUATION WANTED: Unscripted Creative Exec adept at generating new ideas, producing tapes, writing, working with talent and delivering projects that sell. Available to elevate your development slate and bring your company’s ideas to the finish line. [email protected] (12/12)