Jukebox.io

Bring your own beat

[jukeboxio]

How to Bring More Customers to Your Venue

Who couldn’t use a boost in their business? As someone who owns or manages a space for customers, you must always be cognizant of ways to attract more traffic to your venue. This requires customer engagement, which can be a hassle if you are strapped for time. Follow these tips to ensure your brand gets the exposure it needs in the most efficient manner…

1)   Deals and Specials for Patrons

Photo credit: Ged Carroll

The Jukebox.io app enables customers to play their favorite songs (with admin approval) in your venue. And every time their music is played, the app can automatically shoot them a message about deals and promotions from your brand. This is great for your business, as well as the customer, on so many levels!

 2)   Hosting Events in Your Venue

Photo credit: Alessandro Baffa

 Events held at your venue can be a big source of income. Imagine if you could streamline the entire music solution for your customers’ events, and how much that could help you manage them. Events can vary greatly in size—some are small, but others can get rather large (and even a little overwhelming). The Jukebox.io venue app allows you to manage playlists, block potentially inappropriate content, and fully automate music playback so you can focus on making your customer’s event a success!

  3)   Bringing in Special Guests

Photo credit: Lee Gwyn

If you’ve got the budget for it, consider hosting or promoting shows at your venue about once a month. Live musicians have an inherent motivation to draw crowds—and some often do it well. In fact, if you live near any major city, there are probably numerous bands nearby that can bring in dozens, if not hundreds, of new customers. And if you are rocking the Jukebox.io venue app throughout the rest of the month, live music will help promote your business as a space for music lovers!

4)   Incredible Staff/Good Service

Photo credit: Vratislav Darmek

Your employees need to focus on a number of different things—serving, billing, cleaning, preparing—often having to multitask in the process. Don’t make them multitask with your venue’s music. The Jukebox.io will automate the playlist that you (the venue admin) deem appropriate, business-conducive and mood-fitting—while your employees can focus on helping you run your business smoothly and efficiently.

  5)   Good Music = Jukebox.io

Photo credit: Phil Richards

 When business gets a little overwhelming, you need to be ready to simplify. The best multi-taskers are the ones who know what to prioritize, and when its time to put priorities in order. The Jukebox.io for business app will help you get ahead of that by automating your venue’s music playlist to fit the taste and mood that you and your customers collaboratively and conveniently set up.

 6)   Loyalty Programs

Photo credit: mike krzeszak

 Customers provide lifeblood for your business, and for that you repay them with the best quality you can offer. But what about those customers that go out of their way to support you and to be loyal to your business? It would be nice if you could give something back, wouldn’t it? With the significance of repeat customers to the bottom line, businesses are well advised to express gratitude toward loyal patrons. The Jukebox.io app gives customers plenty of incentive to return to your venue, and to enjoy the mood and atmosphere of your space.

7)   Charging Stations

Photo credit: Brave Heart

 Last, but not least—don’t forget about charging stations. Make no mistake; patrons will come back to your business if you have these facilities available, as there are none more useful yet somehow scarce in this day and age. New chargers and adaptors are being introduced daily, be sure to stay informed as to what’s available. And keep the beat alive with the Jukebox.io for business app!

[jukeboxio]

Set Your Venue’s Vibe

The quality of your product will determine the size and scope of your customer base. A key part of your service that may often get overlooked is the experience you create with your customers. This constitutes your venue’s overall aura—something your customers will bring with them when they leave your space. If you own or manage a restaurant, the vibe or ambience is crucial. Same with a bar, café, even a gym. In fact, most retail spaces with high commercial activity expend a lot of resources on the aesthetics of their business/customer environment.

Photo credit: Coup d'Oreille

The Jukebox.io Taste Profile feature allows the venue admin final control over the music. A part interactive and part automatic feature, the Taste Profile lets you (the admin) decide your venue’s vibe by genre, by mood, or by artist. Choose a great artist, and let the app develop a Taste Profile for your jukebox based on your selection.

 Photo credit: [carlo cravero]

 This venue-based app’s interactive functionality is highly intuitive, with an attractive, minimal interface that covers all the basics. And navigating deep inside the menus is also a very simple task, although the sub-menus offer plenty of options in terms of settings, operability, and customer support.

Photo credit: Roberto Taddeo

In order to distinguish your brand from the rest, you need a distinctive Taste Profile. In order to build that, first download the Jukebox.io app, then let the music take care of the rest!

[jukeboxio]

Improve Customer Loyalty

Customer satisfaction is crucial to the success of your business, so you need to be mindful of your customers and their needs in order to stay ahead. This is a vital marketing strategy, because return business plays a significant role in your bottom line. So you want to be sure to endear your venue and your brand to your customers, as well as to potential customers. And a positive customer experience will pay off for your business exponentially through positive reviews and word of mouth.

Photo credit: Didriks

Customer loyalty is built when a business offers something that the customer can get nowhere else. Building your brand around the customers’ needs solidifies your bond with them. The Jukebox.io app helps establish this relationship by allowing customers to select music to play at your venue (with admin approval) and to dedicate songs to friends over social media (which also promotes your brand). Additionally, bonds are formed with the customers when you set your venue’s taste profile, and it matches the musical tastes and preferences of patrons, who in turn come back to enjoy the vibe of your business.

Photo Gallery Israeli Ministry of Tourism

Improving customer loyalty pays off by cultivating repeat business, and by spreading the good word about your venue and the service it provides. The Jukebox.io app gives businesses and customers the chance to bond with one another, and strengthens that relationship through the power of music. Download the business side app today to set up a jukebox in your venue at no cost, putting it on the map for music lovers and future repeat customers.

[jukeboxio]

Why Venues Are Using Jukebox.io

Venues around the world are using the new Jukebox.io app as their go-to, turnkey music solution. The need for this type of service grows with the expanding presence of digital technology. As our networked devices open up our world to communication, connection, and access to products and services both tangible and intangible—these devices become ubiquitous, and thus become a stage for business to customer interaction. For this reason, it is important for you and your venue to stay ahead of the game with business and entertainment technology.

 Israel_photo_gallery

 Venues on the East Coast US are enjoying the Jukebox.io venue app immensely, as well as many other regions around the country. James from Bronx Brewery says that “customers are more engaged” with the Jukebox.io app, which reflects the growing need for interactivity in the business/customer space. Udi from Trump Soho calls the Jukebox.io app a “service that understands music and needs of venues.” This sums up quite nicely the convenience that this amazing new innovation provides. The app combines entertainment, customer involvement, and streamlined mobility for an all-in-one music solution for your business.

 The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

 There are many amazing features that are endearing Jukebox.io to businesses and customers around the world. First and foremost, the app gives customers a sense of agency—a sense of being involved with the music and the environment. And the dedication feature (wherein customers can dedicate songs in your venue to other individuals, while sending out notifications over social media) adds to that customer involvement, while simultaneously serving your brand by advertising it along with every social media blast. And finally, the Jukebox.io music library is filled with unlimited, fully licensed music from just about any artist or genre you or your customers can think of!

[jukeboxio]

It’s Never Too Late to Make Your Venue Great

How do you feel your venue is doing? Are you attracting the right customers? Are you marketing your business effectively? Are you getting returns on resources in which you’ve invested? These are important issues to address, as they make all the difference in the world to your venue’s success as a business in the long term. Keep your business running at optimum efficiency by staying on top of your venue’s entertainment and customer experience options.

There are plenty of things you can do to stay on top of your venue’s customer experience. Make sure your customers are well served, and well connected. Charging stations are actually a great way to attract business to your venue—because these days, even as the need for charging stations increases; there can never seem to be enough of them around. Also, consider offering customer loyalty programs—like deals and/or sales for repeat customers. And maybe, a couple times a month or so, host fun events or bring in guest entertainers.

But the most important quality of your venue’s entertainment and customer experience has to be the music. Giving your patrons a say in your venue’s music playlist is a great way to attract new business, form bonds with current customers, and maintain a positive vibe in your business space. The Jukebox.io app puts your venue on the map—showing music lovers where the beat is, and directing them to your business. Make your venue great by downloading the Jukebox.io app now, and get a free 30-day trial to test it out!

[jukeboxio]

6 Must-Have Technologies for the Modern Business

The digital age is officially here, and if your business is not well connected, then it’s time to get plugged in. Every customer has a smartphone, digital media is ubiquitous, and soon everyday household objects will be imbued with the Internet of Things. Gone are the days of coupon cutting, mail advertisements, and bulky and cumbersome entertainment devices like jukeboxes and stereo systems. In this day and age, all businesses really need to stay connected with their customers are smart devices and an active online presence—but keeping up with the times may not be as simple as that sounds. The streamlining of business through digital technology only makes competition that much more fierce. That’s why you need to make sure you are a head above the rest when it comes to customer service technology.

The following is an itemized checklist of things that successful businesses should have in order to offer customers a truly great experience. Follow this guide, and you are sure to attract loyal patrons that will help your business thrive.

Reservations

Waiting for a table can be a major drag, and poor table and seating management can cost you valuable business—converting what could be loyal customers into patrons for your competition. Software applications have existed for years to assist businesses with this, but now (with the rise of smartphone technology) the technology has become essential. Solutions such as Tableist, OpenTable and NoWait connect businesses with customers to make sure that wait times are minimized, and business is run smoothly and efficiently.

Payment

Have you ever been out drinking or dining with a group and been faced with the dilemma of splitting the bill? Or have you ever had to wait excessively long for the check to arrive? These are things that make or break a customer experience. As trivial as they may seem, these details can easily be deciding factors in your customers’ overall assessment of your business. Now, apps like Dash, TabbedOut and Cover make it easy for customers to split bills, pay tabs, and most importantly, to locate the businesses that offer these services on their smartphone.

 Online Ordering

With a smartphone at the disposal of every customer or potential customer, online ordering is a no-brainer. If your business is not yet enabled with this feature, it’s about time that you signed up, because this is essential to a truly convenient customer experience. Online ordering helps your customers seek you out, and manages their interaction with you in the most efficient way possible. Seamless, Grubhub and SnapFinger are terrific solutions for this.

Digital Signage

The days of bulky, wasteful and outdated signing are quickly coming to an end. In this new, paperless age, digital signage is the way to go in getting the public’s attention. Excellent presentation converts passers by into customers, and informs your existing patrons of your services, latest promotions and offers. The Jukebox.io app (a new digital jukebox solution that connects customers with businesses through music) has digital signage features that are sure to make a lasting impression on your customers, as well as keep them grooving to the beat of your establishment.

Charging Stations

These days, everybody is on the go, and keeping your smartphone or smart device charged is essential—so much so that whether or not your business features charging stations for customers is often a deciding factor in whether or not they will choose your establishment over another. Many bars, cafes and restaurants now have these, and if yours does not, you could be losing customers to nearby businesses that do.

Music

Last, but definitely not least, you need a music solution that caters to your customers’ tastes. You may already have a Pandora or Spotify playlist plugged into your loudspeakers, but did you know that playing licensed content (which includes virtually all mainstream and indie music that your customers listen to) requires attaining performance rights first? Otherwise, you can be penalized and stuck with some hefty fees in turn. And as people and media become increasingly interconnected, DRM (Digital Rights Management) efforts are enabling the performance rights organizations that own these music rights to enforce them in an unprecedented fashion.

That’s why you need Jukebox.io—a completely mobile music solution that lets your customers choose, dedicate and enjoy music at your establishment with minimal equipment or work on your behalf. The Jukebox.io app allows you to easily manage and curate the playlists (making sure that there is no offensive or inappropriate content) while affording your patrons the luxury of customizing the soundtrack to their customer experience!

[jukeboxio]

What Music Service is Right for You?

Music is essential to creating a welcoming and enjoyable customer experience within your business space. But with so many options available in this digital age, how can you decide which music solution fits your establishment the best? Before you can answer that question, you must identify some key elements—including your budget, your customer demographic, and your specific objectives in establishing your venue’s sonic ambience.

Today’s digital music ecosystem is made up of a diverse range of solutions that can be broken down into four categories: personal interactive, personal non-interactive, venue-based non-interactive, and venue-based interactive. Each of these subsets includes technology brands that cater to different user needs and preferences.

Personal interactive refers to applications that function well for personal use (such as a personal playlist to be played through ear-buds, or in private settings such as at home or in a car). These include Spotify, Apple Music, and Prime Music by Amazon—all of which may suffice for individual users’ private use, but stop short in fully utilizing modern technology to cultivate an inviting, customer-friendly space. As new media becomes increasingly interactive, businesses are best served by software applications that invite and involve customer input. Personal interactive puts the burden of music management entirely on the admin or venue.

Photo credit: Image Catalog

Personal non-interactive music solutions relieve the admin of the burden of constant input by automating the music selection based upon data submitted by the user. Applications like Pandora, iHeartRadio and Last.fm analyze user input (such as a song or artist) and build a playlist of similar content. Although this may be convenient for situations like gym workouts or casual office listening (since little involvement with the app is required) it is too unpredictable for a business space, not to mention that it also omits the customer involvement factor that many new music solutions for business are taking advantage of.

Venue-based non-interactive solutions like Custom Channels, Sirius XM and Audio Socket are ‘hands off’ enough in their functionality that they serve well venues that can often be busy and understaffed (like a bar during the weekend, or a very popular restaurant during rush times). The problem with them, however, is that, not only is the content being played not always fully licensed for use in a public space, they also (like personal non-interactive) fail to utilize modern digital technology’s interactive capabilities—thus missing out on the chance to involve the customer, and thereby form a lasting bond with patrons.

Venue-based interactive is the ideal solution for the modern business, as it uses modern technology’s full potential to connect business with customer. Since it is venue-based, it is—by design—software whose sole purpose is to serve your business. However, venue-based interactive solutions like Rockbot and TouchTunes stop short in their limited selection and user-unfriendly interfaces.

That’s why the only venue-based interactive music solution for your business is Jukebox.io. The software features intuitive interface design on the business and customer sides, as well as a vast library of fully licensed content from leading music brands and artists—such as Warner Brothers, Universal, and a growing list of both indie and major label rosters. It is also free to setup, and offers a free 30-day trial in order to give you the chance to make sure it is right for you—which we’re sure it will be!

So download the Jukebox.io for business app today, and join the growing community of music lovers and tech trendsetters!

[jukeboxio]

Visual Display

Photo credit: 55Laney69

 Music and audio are great, but we live in a multimedia age. The physical space of your business should be interesting and pleasant to the eye—something that cultivates a unique ambience and forms a bond between your brand and your customers. With the Jukebox.io app, you can have visuals sent over your establishment’s display devices so your customers can see song and artist information as the music plays.

This enhances the experience that your customers enjoy. When customers come to your business or venue, you want them to be engaged. Customers are constantly presented with opportunities to be entertained. You want to remind them why your establishment has the best entertainment options, and why it is worth coming back to.

Repeat customers are cornerstone to many brick and mortar establishments and venues. In order to endear your business to customers and keep them coming back, especially in this new media age, it is essential to show them how well connected you are with the latest digital trends.

In order to be a head above the competition, you need to know which new technology will engage customers the most. The Jukebox.io app is a new way to connect customers and businesses through music, and will soon shake up the way businesses engage their customers through multimedia. Be an early adopter and download the Jukebox.io business side app today!

[jukeboxio]

Brand Promotion

Photo credit: wix.com

Promoting your brand can be tough these days. Advertising is so ubiquitous that everything tends to wash together, and sticking out among the rest becomes challenging. Using the Jukebox.io app gives you an advantage against your competition, as we persistently promote our venues on major social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Every time somebody plays a song using our app at your venue, it will be listed on their Facebook and Twitter feeds as the location where it was played. This is like an automatic plug or advertisement for your business over social media--think of how many times per day, and to how many people, your brand will get out there!

We understand that the daily grind of running your own business can get a little hectic. The Jukebox.io app is here to help by providing a nearly autonomous music solution to keep your venue’s vibe going while you handle business. It streamlines the entire musical atmosphere by catering directly to your customers, and broadcasting to the world how much they’re enjoying your venue.

Our service will keep your customers’ favorite music playing while getting the word out about your establishment via social media. This keeps your customers coming back while attracting many more. So set up the Jukebox.io app today and get your name out there!

[jukeboxio]

Reaching Out to Patrons

Photo credit: linkedIn media

Loyal customers strengthen the foundation of your business. They provide a substantial amount of your revenue, they help you through lulls in the economy, and they build and reflect on your company culture. Most importantly, they are often members of the community that you directly serve.

Building a relationship with these loyal patrons could be vital to maintaining their business. Social media provides a common platform for businesses to share news, events and information with their customers. The Jukebox.io app enhances that relationship by adding music into the equation.

Customers can add or suggest music to the venue’s playlist (over which venue admins have total control) and once a patron’s song is played, the app can send out personalized messages from the business to the customer.

The business can send a generic or personalized greeting—either a message as simple as “thank you for your business,” or something more creative, like a birthday wish or formal dedication. Once the customer is notified, a bond is made between them and your business.

Businesses who have tried this have shown an increase in repeat business as a result of the feature. The Jukebox.io app combines the fun of the jukebox with the ease of social media and mobile technology. Start attracting repeat customers by downloading the venue app today!

[jukeboxio]

Engaging the Customer

Photo credit: 55Laney69

 The key to attracting loyal customers to your business is to know what they want. It’s about knowing what kind of atmosphere they want to be in. It’s about setting the mood, and it’s about choosing the right music to do it.

Studies show that music’s role as a social bonding tool dates back as far as humanity’s hunter/gatherer stage. Music strengthens community identity, serves as a means of communication, and even produces physiological reactions in the body (such as oxytocin activity) that also coincide with social bonding.

When it comes to your business, engaging your customers through music is vital toward building lasting relationships with them. The Jukebox.io venue app streamlines this process by empowering your customers with the ability to suggest and dedicate music to be played in your venue.

Engaging your customers via social media is also important. Dedications through the Jukebox.io app will be shown on social media, helping to get your business out there while helping your customers socialize through music. Set the mood of your venue by knowing exactly what your customers want to hear. Music is important to them. Give them the chance to help curate your venue’s music playlist, and they will always come back.

[jukeboxio]

Scheduling

Photo credit: angelaambroise

You want to make sure your customers have a great experience, and that requires that you allow them a certain amount of control over what music they listen to in your establishment throughout the day. But, as curator of your venue’s playlist, you have the responsibility of scheduling the right music for each part of the day. And constantly tending to that task can be a real time-waster.

The Jukebox.io app features music scheduling functionality that automates this for you. The venue app has the ability to program certain genres, artists and playlists to play at specific times of the day. So if you want stimulating classical music to play in the morning, The Beach Boys in the afternoon, and electronic dance music at night—this can all be automated according to your specifications in the Jukebox.io venue app.

And this feature is reserved only for the venue app. So you don’t have to worry about users hijacking your playlist, as user submissions can be enabled or disabled at your discretion. Customers can suggest music, and if you are allowing the user side to be enabled, the playlist will transition into the customer’s suggestion, then back into your playlist.

On the venue side of the Jukebox.io app, you serve as curator of your venue’s music while enjoying the app’s slick and automated user interface. Different times of day call for different tunes. That’s what makes the scheduling feature of the Jukebox.io app essential.

[jukeboxio]

Licensed Music

Photo credit: 55Laney69

Performance Rights Organizations such as BMI, ASCAP and SESAC file hundreds of copyright infringement lawsuits on a yearly basis. Failing to secure proper music licensing costs businesses a great deal of money, in some instances racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages and legal fees.

Did you know that when music is played over loudspeakers at your venue, it is considered "public performance" and thus requires the music's licensing to be cleared accordingly? If proper clearances are not in order, you may be on the hook for legal damages that could be a major financial blow to your operation.

The Jukebox.io app contains a full library of licensed content, including major and indie label recording artists. Our roster includes music licensed under Warner and Universal, and the list is growing! Choosing music that fits your venue’s atmosphere is one thing, but it’s also important to maintain a music library that is current and that your customers know and can identify with.

You want your business to be successful, and the more successful it is, the more visible it will be. So you should have all of your affairs in order when it comes to the content that you play over your speakers. The Jukebox.io app is the most affordable solution for this. We’ve invested a lot of money into attaining the proper music licensing so you don’t have to!

[jukeboxio]

Offline Playback

Photo credit: 55Laney69

 As mobile technology evolves, spotty and insecure wifi still remain prevalent in public spaces. Any number of things can be the culprit, including interference or just bad equipment. And when it comes to entertaining your customers, it is vital to have a backup plan in case your business falls victim to spotty wifi.

The Jukebox.io venue app has you covered in this area. When songs are queued in the app’s playlist, they will be cached to your device. When connectivity is totally lost, playback will default to your local storage, so the music goes on, uninterrupted by connection issues.

The physical jukebox has gone out of style, and mobile technology dominates music playback. Streaming services are preferred for most users, but as curator of your venue’s music, you need to keep the music going, even when streaming becomes problematic.

The solution is a music app that operates directly from your mobile device, caches songs from a playlist that caters to your customers’ musical taste, and falls back on your local music library when connectivity issues arise—all features of the Jukebox.io venue app.

So don’t allow bad wifi to interfere with your customers’ experience at your business or venue. With the Jukebox.io app, no matter what the connectivity issue—with our offline playback feature, the beat will go on no matter what.

[jukeboxio]

Zero Setup Cost

Photo credit: 55Laney69

It costs nothing to set up Jukebox.io for your business! Other venue music solutions not only require special equipment other than simply a smartphone and speakers, but also come with a hefty setup fee. Jukebox.io users get a one-month free trial of the venue app, followed by month-to-month billing with no obligation or cancellation fee.

Once the venue app is downloaded on your smartphone, simply plug it into your speakers or PA system and begin hosting playlists. You will receive a reminder to set up payment information after the first seven days. Once your information is entered, you can enjoy the rest of your free one-month trial.

The venue app is accessible to anyone (managers or employees) given admin privileges, and has total control over who can submit recommendations/dedications to the playback queue, as well as the music that is played. So any abusive or potentially abusive users can easily be banned, as can explicit or offensive content.

If you are happy with the service (which we’re sure you will be) do nothing and you will be billed automatically. And if you need to cancel for whatever reason, you may do so at any time with no cancellation fee. However, we are confident that the Jukebox.io app is the only music solution for your venue!

[jukeboxio]

Five Ways to Improve Music in Your Venue

Music is important to a positive customer experience, whether it’s in a restaurant, bar, gym, cafe—wherever sound and aesthetics influence common space. But playing the wrong music in your venue can do more harm than good, possibly even driving business away and alienating patrons. The Jukebox is an invention that prevents that, and even attracts more customers through a common love of great music and great atmosphere. Download the Jukebox.io app for your venue, and follow these simple tips to help your business cultivate great customer experiences...

Know Your Patrons

Photo credit: South African Tourism

Who are the folks who frequent your establishment? Which demographics get the most out of the products and services you provide? Meet them. Talk to them. Check social media—who is ‘liking’ you?

 Know the Taste of Your Customers

Photo credit: Yngve Bakken Nilsen

When getting to know the people who support your business, find out what they like. Which musical artists do they like on social media? Which concerts or festivals do they attend? The Jukebox.io app has access to a wide variety of content from major music brands like Warner and Universal, as well as several indie labels—and the list is growing!

  Set Your Venue’s Vibe

Photo credit: Luciana Ruivo

The quality of the atmosphere is almost as important to the success of your business establishment as the quality of the services and products that it provides. Lighting, decor, and (most of all) sound all set the mood for your space and determine the comfort level of your patrons.

 Schedule the Music

Photo credit: Todd Lappin

Different times of day call for various kinds of music. While morning may require something upbeat, afternoon and evening might call for something a little bit more soothing. While customers get to request and dedicate music, admin users have full control over what plays and how it's scheduled using the Jukebox.io venue app.

Give Your Patrons a Voice

Photo credit: epSos .de

Your customers are most satisfied when they are given the option to control their own experience with your business. The Jukebox.io app affords its users the ability to recommend and dedicate music—just like a real jukebox, but conveniently from their mobile device.

[jukeboxio]

Pop Music, Authorship, and Branding

Photo credit: Brennan Schnell

 In late July of this year, Meek Mill publicly accused Drake of not writing his own lyrics, following a beef that was apparently inflamed by the Canadian actor turned rapper not promoting Mill’s latest album (even though Drake was featured on it). Rumor spread that Atlanta-based artist, Quentin Miller (who has written for Drake in the past, including credited work) had ghostwritten the section of Mill’s new release that Drake was credited on.

 Miller denied the allegations, Drake Inc. more or less buried them in diss tracks and social media insults, and the internet weighed in heavily on what the controversy is supposedly really about. Amidst all of this, Meek Mill decided to try and squash the beef, and seems to genuinely want it behind him. And somehow, as the personal elements of the feud gained visibility, the subject of ghostwriting was pushed into the background.

 Ghostwriting, broadly defined, can include transcribing or paraphrasing ideas in order to augment them with the style of a skilled, yet unattributed writer. Or the ideas themselves may originate with the writer, but the brand (not the writer) gets the byline. At best, ghostwriting is a consensual means by which creators and brands execute a mutually beneficial creative and/or business endeavor. At worst it is the dishonest and sordid racket of posers and plagiarists.

 It is a vast industry, I’m sure, yet I have no idea how to truly quantify its size, scope and influence within the culture, or if a metric will ever exist to do so, truthfully and accurately. It’s done in music, literature (some theorize Shakespeare even had a ghostwriter), academia, business, and anywhere content exists. Behind the scenes, pop music has always compartmentalized brand and author—as famous pop figures often perform the work of other songwriters, credited or not.

 Authenticity and vivid honesty are virtues in hip hop, until it becomes compromised by pop values. Drake is a pop artist. And in the world of pop, brand awareness—not truth or innovation—is what is cultivated. The issue of ghostwriting may pop up now and again as the dust settles on this feud, but how it truly affects the Canadian rapper who “started from the bottom” is questionable, as the controversy elevates this already ubiquitous brand in the headlines.