音樂產業成功的免費增值商業模式

Abstract

音樂產業從以往販售實體唱片的模式逐漸轉變成銷售數位型態和周邊商品，這改變使得整個生態系統也跟著不同。傳統音樂產業的平台著重在唱片公司。而唱片公司和藝人合作並替他們製作音樂，另一方面則向消費者推銷唱片形成一個雙邊市場。然而當科技進步，數位產品以及線上付費機制的完整催生了新的音樂生態。在新的音樂生態，涉及的腳色也和傳統生態不同，無論是唱片公司或線上音樂商店都亟需找到新策略來因應這個新生態。

Spotify就是一個在新音樂生態下成長的公司。而它在這個新生態的策略是盡可能地在一開始吸引使用者，最後把他們轉為付費會員，也就是使用所謂的免費增值商業模式。這種模式在雙邊市場非常普遍，可是Spotify卻有著不太一樣的模式使它能夠在特定時期快速的成長。即使大多數的公司都利用免費增值模式來營運，他們卻沒有達到創造價值的目標。而Spotify選了特定的策略成就了他們特有的模型，導致最後他們的利潤來源可以和其他人有明顯的不同。

Music industry has changed from providing physical goods to digital format and peripheral goods that forces the whole ecosystem to change as well. Traditional music industry was established on platforms that focus on record labels. Record labels work with artists and manufacture music for them, in the other side promote the music to customers thus build up a two-sided market. But as the technology improves, the digital format music can be transferred rapidly and people tend to shop online, a new ecosystem for music industry emerged. In this new ecosystem, players that involved in it were quite different and companies, no matter record labels or streaming music companies are eager to find new strategies for competition.

A new streaming music company, Spotify, had arisen in this field with a business model that differs from traditional record labels. The strategy they took in this new ecosystem is attracting as many people as they could in the beginning and then turns them into paid members, which is so-called freemium model. This model is very common when a company wants start a new business in two-sided market. But Spotify had a very different business model from other streaming music companies so it can grow fast at certain times. The reasons how it accomplishes this is determined by its strategies that are very different from other companies. We will see even most streaming music companies use freemium model to start their business, the problem is most companies are running a business with no value added; however, Spotify selected some strategies that enable to create value in their own business model, so eventually there would be a big difference in their revenue sources.