RTG Ventures, www.rtgventures.com – the developers of a sophisticated monetization platform for owners of music video content which enables detailed definitions and tagging of content, enforcement of rights/distribution, reception of payment and real-time analytical tracking, announced the acquisition today of Audigist.com, a platform for digital distribution.
With a current host of over 300 artists (largely from UK/UK) ranging across the spectrum of musical styles, Audigist.com will play a key role for RTGV’s Media Systems division.
The acquisition is consistent with RTGV’s overall strategy to create a full spectrum pipeline for record labels and independent musicians which allows them to sell directly to consumers while monetizing and maintaining control of their content. Founded by Studio Nyne.com and Jersey Live in 2003, Audigist.com was designed to address critical gaps in the market not filled by entities like iTunes, Pandora, and Spotify.
President and CEO of RTGV, Dominic Hawes-Fairley, commented on the rapid uptake realized by Audigist.com, which is averaging some 10 new artists per week and the highly modular, widget based approach that allows for seamless embedding across major social network hubs like Facebook and MySpace in addition to the artists’ own websites.
Hawes-Fairley explained how the powerful site dovetails perfectly with the skills and assets already possessed by the Company in-house, projecting that under RTGV guidance the business will experience explosive growth, driving returns/profitability for both users and the Company’s shareholders alike.
The widget-based approach encapsulates all of the e-commerce capabilities of the Audigist user interface in a format that is extensible, this allows the widest possible distribution while preserving confidence that any transactions will be run through Audigist.
Leveraging the expertise of Digital Clarity (new user interface and marketing), BMC (branded merchandising via its own direct-to-consumer infrastructure) and iPayu (vouchering platform for artists to drive traffic to the site as well as providing an artist-specific download section) will be instrumental in realizing the full potential of the new acquisition.
Hawes-Fairley noted the three-division structure of RTGV and that while the Media Systems division was primarily focused on video, this platform will readily provide merchandise and audio track sales, constituting a turnkey sales and marketing solution for artists and labels.
Hawes-Fairley concluded by emphasizing the importance of content to the bottom line of such a business and outlined other top priorities like increasing membership and making the platform even more intuitive and feature rich.
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