The Most Innovative Companies in Music

By: Lynne d JohnsonWed Feb 11, 2009 at 5:50 PM

Apple: The traditional labels -- and everyone else -- keep trying, but no one has dented iTunes' supremacy. In 2008, Apple surpassed Wal-Mart as the world's largest music retailer.
Warner Music Group: Digital sales were up 39%, thanks in part to a ramped-up MP3 effort in 2008. WMG also partnered with Nokia on an all-access music channel that lives on your phone.
Imeem: After buying up Anywhere.fm and Snocap, Imeem found itself one of the top social networks of 2008, according to Nielsen.
Pandora: The music-discovery machine of the 21st century has taken the serendipity out of finding new music that fits your tastes. Just one step ahead of competitor Last.fm.
Last.fm: Later to the party than Pandora, but a growing force that includes info on concerts and artists, plus video.
South by Southwest: The Austin-based music-and-media festival attracts more than 1,800 acts and 150,000 attendees. Despite a grassroots approach, a standout showing can make an artist.
MTV Music Group: A slew of new digital initiatives are one part of president Van Toffler's remaking. Another: the $175 million purchase of Rock Band game maker Harmonix.
Radiohead: The band that spawned direct-to-fans releases made two songs available for remix -- and let users vote for the winner on its site. Amateurs and professionals alike joined in.
Live Nation: The concert promoter continued to sign A-list artists to distribution deals and further increased its live-events footprint.
Pitchfork Media: The popular and wildly influential music blog recently added video and inked a deal with Fader Media for integrated advertising and sponsorship across all platforms.

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Recent Comments | 15 Total

March 8, 2009 at 8:32am by Ioannis Man

selling mp3s and streaming media is innovation in 2009?

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March 11, 2009 at 6:51pm by Nick Crocker

How was Topspin Media left off this list?

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July 2, 2009 at 1:56pm by Glenn Friesen

Selling mp3s isn't innovative. The way they're being sold is. The scale, the flow, the "pull" advertising. Brilliant stuff.
I'm frustrated that coverage is focused on behemoths. Most of these companies are innovative for their size, but really don't compare to the hungry upstarts that deliver better products but don't have the millions to market.

Missing: Songza.com, SadSteve.com, Saul Williams.

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