This document discusses the past, present, and future of music data. In the past, data lived in silos and was not interconnected or stable. Currently, music data is of poor quality due to acquisitions and lack of standards. In the future, linked open data that is interconnected, stable, and machine readable will be important. Personal assistants are a killer app for linked data, but music industry data is still disconnected and in silos. The conclusions are that if data remains isolated, dirty, or without stable identifiers, it will become irrelevant, as will the owning business.

1. Interconnecting systems, platforms and
technologies by data
Robert Kaye, Founder, Metabrainz
@mayhemBCN
Music 4.5 is
created by
#m4pt5
#dataissexy

2. Interconnecting systems, platforms
and technologies by data
Robert Kaye
Executive Director
rob@metabrainz.org
@mayhemBCN

3. Data in the past
Data lived in silos

4. Data in the past
Data lived in silos
Data was not interconnected

5. Data in the past
Data lived in silos
Data was not interconnected
No stable data IDs

6. Data in the past
Data lived in silos
Data was not interconnected
No stable data IDs
Data was very dirty:
“People will understand what it means!”

7. Current music data
Cobbled together from many acquisitions

8. Current music data
Cobbled together from many acquisitions
Little perceived value of data

9. Current music data
Cobbled together from many acquisitions
Little perceived value of data
Lack of data quality standards

10. Current music data
Cobbled together from many acquisitions
Little perceived value of data
Lack of data quality standards
Very dirty, some labels don’t really know what they
own

11. Current music data
Cobbled together from many acquisitions
Little perceived value of data
Lack of data quality standards
Very dirty, some labels don’t really know what they
own
Huge cleanup job, with intangible benefits

12. Current music data
Cobbled together from many acquisitions
Little perceived value of data
Lack of data quality standards
Very dirty, some labels don’t really know what they
own
Huge cleanup job, with intangible benefits
Misperceptions about utility/value of data

13. Data for tomorrow
Data for tomorrow: Linked Data

14. Data for tomorrow
Data for tomorrow: Linked Data
Heavily intraconnected data

15. Data for tomorrow
Data for tomorrow: Linked Data
Heavily intraconnected data
Heavily interconnected data

16. Data for tomorrow
Data for tomorrow: Linked Data
Heavily intraconnected data
Heavily interconnected data
Stable IDs

17. Data for tomorrow
Data for tomorrow: Linked Data
Heavily intraconnected data
Heavily interconnected data
Stable IDs
Machine readable data:
“A computer can’t figure out what this means.”

18. Linked data 2007
Linked Open Data ten years ago:

19. Linked open data today
Ten years of data
growth:

20. Linked open data today
Ten years of data
growth:
The music industry
isn’t really part of
this!

21. Where is the killer app?
In the bath:
“Ok, Google. Play by any beats necessary by Wax
Taylor on Spotify.”

22. Where is the killer app?
In the bath:
“Ok, Google. Play by any beats necessary by Wax
Taylor on Spotify.”
No luck.

23. Where is the killer app?
In the bath:
“Ok, Google. Play by any beats necessary by Wax
Taylor on Spotify.”
No luck.
Why doesn’t this work?

24. Where is the killer app?
In the bath:
“Ok, Google. Play by any beats necessary by Wax
Taylor on Spotify.”
No luck.
Why doesn’t this work?
Whose fault was this?

25. Where is the killer app?
In the bath:
“Ok, Google. Play by any beats necessary by Wax
Taylor on Spotify.”
No luck.
Why doesn’t this work?
Whose fault was this?
( surprise: it was my fault! )

26. Alexa, Siri, G Assistant
Personal assistants are the killer
app for linked data!

27. Alexa, Siri, G Assistant
Personal assistants are the killer
app for linked data!
There is only one problem...

28. Alexa, Siri, G Assistant
Personal assistants are the killer
app for linked data!
There is only one problem...
More closed data silos!

29. Personal assistants...
… can increasingly answer questions
about music.

30. Personal assistants...
… can increasingly answer questions
about music.
Yet, most of this data did not come
from the industry.

31. Personal assistants...
… can increasingly answer questions
about music.
Yet, most of this data did not come
from the industry.
The industry is largely disconnected
from these increasingly popular tools.

32. Personal assistants...
… can increasingly answer questions
about music.
Yet, most of this data did not come
from the industry.
The industry is largely disconnected
from these increasingly popular tools.
Also: Open solutions are quickly coming of age!

33. Conclusions
If your data is in a silo, it is becoming irrelevant.

34. Conclusions
If your data is in a silo, it is becoming irrelevant.
If your data isn’t curated and clean, it is becoming irrelevant.

35. Conclusions
If your data is in a silo, it is becoming irrelevant.
If your data isn’t curated and clean, it is becoming irrelevant.
If your data doesn’t have stable IDs, it will become irrelevant.

36. Conclusions
If your data is in a silo, it is becoming irrelevant.
If your data isn’t curated and clean, it is becoming irrelevant.
If your data doesn’t have stable IDs, it will become irrelevant.
If your data isn’t connected, it will become irrelevant.

37. Conclusions
If your data becomes irrelevant, your business
becomes irrelevant.

38. Conclusions
If your data becomes irrelevant, your business
becomes irrelephant.

39. Any questions? Catch me fast!
Robert Kaye
Executive Director
rob@metabrainz.org
@mayhemBCN

40. Thank you to our event partners
Music 4.5 is
created by
#m4pt5
#dataissexy