Fan engagement platform Stationhead has merged with Mellomanic, an online music event platform.
Mellomanic powers real-time listening parties, video streaming events and data-driven fan engagement for artists and labels.
The merger under the Stationhead name creates a single service designed to connect artists and fans more deeply through interactive listening experiences, while unlocking new revenue opportunities for rights-holders across the global music ecosystem.
The new Stationhead is backed with new investment from Sterling Partners and Universal Music Group, among others.
“The new Stationhead creates a powerful, integrated fan engagement platform for the music industry that brings together both platforms’ complementary commerce, fan intelligence and monetisation infrastructures along with their live, interactive listening and community platforms,” said a statement. “Together, the new company delivers a powerful, integrated solution that drives incremental value across the music ecosystem.”
Collaborative, artist-centric, super fan-focused innovation like this is essential to the future of our industry
Michael Nash
“At Universal Music Group, we see tremendous potential in technology innovation that brings artists and their biggest fans more closely together, and Stationhead’s independent platform exemplifies that opportunity,” said Michael Nash, executive vice president and chief digital officer at Universal Music Group. “We’re pleased to enter into a commercial agreement and make a strategic investment alongside Sterling Partners as these talented entrepreneurs build a platform that fosters creative new ways for artists to connect with audiences and activate social engagement. Collaborative, artist-centric, super fan-focused innovation like this is essential to the future of our industry.”
In addition to its minority investment, Universal Music Group entered into a commercial agreement to use Stationhead’s technology.
‘EVOLUTION OF MUSIC FANDOM’
With the merger, David Rappaport, head of Mellomanic and the former chief operating officer of global touring at AEG Presents, will become CEO of Stationhead. Ryan Star, Stationhead’s co-founder and a recording artist, will serve as chief creative officer.
Steven Taslitz, chairman and co-founder of Sterling Partners, will serve as Stationhead’s chairman. Rappaport and Star will additionally serve as board members.
David Rappaport said: “This merger creates the ultimate direct-to-fan platform the industry needs. Even as far back as when I was an artist attorney, I felt that copyrights and artist businesses were substantially under-monetised and that an all-encompassing solution could be created for the industry that allowed all industry stakeholders to win. By bringing Stationhead and Mellomanic together, we’re building an additive, ecosystem-wide solution that drives real business and data for artists, record labels, music publishers and streaming services.
“As pre-release engagement and fan participation become increasingly central to the fan experience and the music economy, we’re creating destinations where creativity and commerce work in tandem – and where our unique position allows us not just to capture value, but to expand the overall opportunity for everyone.”
This merger creates the ultimate direct-to-fan platform the industry needs
David Rappaport
“Stationhead was built from the ground up to bring artists and fans together in real time, around the music itself,” said Ryan Star. “By merging with Mellomanic, we’re scaling that vision into the definitive home for fan communities, where listening becomes participation, fans organise with purpose, and artists know exactly where to reach their most engaged audiences.
“Through live listening parties that have already driven billions of streams on premium streaming services, we’ve demonstrated the commercial power of fandom at scale. This is the next evolution of music fandom, and it’s the future we’ve been building toward from the very beginning.”
With live listening parties, “first listen” pre-release events, community-driven commerce and data-informed fan experiences, Stationhead is designed to drive engagement and new revenue streams across the music ecosystem.
The newly combined platform already integrates with both Spotify and Apple Music, and plans to add additional major streaming services, enabling artists to engage fans, activate releases and generate incremental revenue.
“We’re excited to take the lead in building what we believe is a truly transformational company,” said Steven Taslitz, chairman of Stationhead and co-founder and chairman of Sterling Partners. “Sterling has a four-decade track record of scaling community-driven businesses across technology and music, including software platforms designed to foster engagement and participation at scale.
“Stationhead represents one of the most compelling opportunities of my career, an independent, industry-wide platform with the potential to drive meaningful incremental value for record labels, music publishers, artists, and fans by bringing artists and their communities closer together in powerful, new ways.”
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