| Hi, Technology makes it easier than ever to find audiences for movies, music, books and anything else you can dream up. But what about getting those audiences to pay for it? That’s trickier, and it’s one of the big themes we’ll be talking about at next year’s Code Media, which Kara Swisher and I are hosting in Southern California next February 12 and 13. And here are two of the speakers that will tell us how they’re tackling the issue: | Patreon CEO Jack Conte used to upload his videos to YouTube, and he got frustrated when those clips generated paltry ad dollars. So he created a company that lets fans send money directly to their favorite musicians, podcasters and artists. So far, so good: This year, Patreon will send more than $150 million to content makers, and it has become one of the buzziest startups in media. | | | | | | SoundCloud CEO Kerry Trainor is trying to make money delivering digital music. That’s an accomplishment that has eluded many people in the past, including SoundCloud’s founder, who Trainor replaced as chief executive earlier this year. In Trainor’s first onstage interview since taking his new job, he’ll talk about his new strategy, and how he plans to compete against everyone from Spotify to YouTube to Amazon. |
We’re adding Conte and Trainor to the impressive speaker list we’ve told you about so far, and we’ve got more to come. But great speakers aren’t the only thing that sets Code Media apart — it’s also the chance to meet and learn from our other attendees. Just like you, they’re trying to figure out how to help their companies navigate a media landscape that only gets more complicated. You’ve got ideas, and they do, too. We’ll make sure you have plenty of time to exchange ideas. Sounds good, right? We agree. That’s why we’ll be at the luxurious Paséa Hotel and Spa in Huntington Beach in February. You can join us there by signing up here. See you in February, Peter Kafka
Senior Editor, Media
Recode
More about our speakers:
| | Jack Conte
Co-Founder and CEO, Patreon
Jack Conte is a co-founder and CEO of Patreon, a membership platform that makes it easy for creators to earn salaries directly from their biggest fans. Patreon, which is on track to pay more than $150 million to creators in 2017 alone, has raised more than $100 million to date from a series of venture capital firms and angels. As a musician and filmmaker, Conte used to make YouTube videos that have amassed more than 120 million views. |
| | Kerry Trainor
CEO, SoundCloud
As the chief executive officer at SoundCloud, Kerry Trainor is responsible for leading the strategic direction of the company and driving SoundCloud’s continued success in its ongoing mission to fuel the platform’s one-of-a-kind, creator-driven listener experience. Prior to joining SoundCloud, Trainor was CEO at Vimeo; he has previously held roles at AOL, Huffington Post Media Group, Launch.com/Yahoo Music, and was a founder of FlipGloss Media. |
|
