Content Analytic Platforms

One of the huge upsides in the digital distribution economy is access to data. Content creators have more tools for tracking their content than ever before. In fact, not that long ago you just kind of had to "guess" what was going on with your music. Now, with at least two major platforms, you can watch it happening in real time. The downside, of course, is that there isn't a ton of uniformity. Each service has its own little quirks and you kind of need to come up with the metrics that matter most to you. Let's take a look at some of the defining characteristics of the different "content analytics" platforms related to services like Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Pandora, and YouTube.

All of these platforms help you look at the big picture. That means things like number of streams over time, number of listeners etc. Typically, the most common time frames include looking at these changes over 7 days, 28 days, the year so far, or for as long as they've been tracking the data. But they all have a unique way of measuring how fans engage with your content. And they all have some extra tidbits worth paying attention to. Probably the current "standard" for these platforms is Spotify for Artists which underwent a huge overhaul beginning in 2018 and continues to release new updates with regularity. Most semi-serious artists probably at least know about Spotify for Artists.

Spotify was the first platform to really "brand" its metrics. The most obvious example of course, is "monthly listeners" — an otherwise arbitrary statistic that Spotify has chosen to make front-and-center on its platform and was the metric that launched a thousand marketing plans. But the most important metric available to users is actually "saves," a metric that is mostly unique to Spotify for Artists (but not Spotify as a consumer-facing platform). Saves are probably the best indicator of user engagement with a song. A good "saves to listeners" ratio helps you make sure your song is resonating with the right people. Although not entirely unique to Spotify, you can also track your "followers" in Spotify for Artists. The unfortunate thing about followers is we don't know what they're "worth" at this point. Obviously if somebody follows you on Spotify, they're more likely to hear your music than if they don't. But how much more? Spotify doesn't really say.... 

Your followers aren't necessarily guaranteed to see your new music — a point emphasized by Spotify's recent push to get people to advertise new releases to Spotify in platform. There is also "Canvas Views" for people who upload a Canvas for their song. It is, frankly, not that interesting of a metric. Spotify also has a few articles available to read. They are definitely intended for brand new acts. Spotify of course hasn't released any official language on this, but general knowledge says that if at least 10% to 20% of the people who listen to your song also save it, you'll be in a great spot algorithmically. Spotify for Artists is how you officially submit a song for editorial consideration. That doesn't mean you might not end up on an editorial list if you don't submit the song. And it certainly doesn't mean you will end up on a list just for submitting your song. But "best practices" for Spotify include submitting your song through their submission portal on Spotify for Artists. You technically need to do it a least a week in advance, but a month or longer if you've got it is typically preferred. 

Definitely. Spotify for Artist does a good job of letting you control your profile presence on the platform. Spotify is pretty clearly working to make Spotify for Artists a "two-sided marketplace", that means they ultimately want to monetize the platform by offering services within it. They've already started doing this by acquiring SoundBetter, a platform designed to help artists find collaborators, singers, producers, mix engineers, mastering services, and more. Spotify has advertised SoundBetter within Spotify for Artists. 

Apple Music lagged behind Spotify in releasing an analytics platform for awhile, but when it finally got out of beta, the Apple Music for Artists platform offered some interesting metrics. It's much more of a straight up analytics platform, meaning there aren't any editorial submissions or extra content. In some ways, that keeps it nice and clean. But in others, it means there's not a whole lot of reason to hang around for more than a few minutes. Apple Music for Artists has two distinctly unique metrics worth paying attention to. The first one is downloads. This is important because people still buy digital downloads (especially internationally) and it's money in the bank. That's an insight you wouldn't be able to get from any platform besides Apple Music for Artists. The second unique metric is the Shazams app that helped you identify what song was playing. Well Apple bought it awhile back and incorporated it into things like Siri. And believe it or not, people still use it quite a bit. Shazams are a metric that can indicate interest in your song. The more a tune is "Shazamed," the more it means people are interested in listening to it again.

While it's possible for a user to favorite a song on Apple Music, we don't have a way of seeing those numbers right now in the analytics platform. Maybe in the future, but it just doesn't exist. However, Apple music does prominently display radio spins, which can be another good indicator of your song getting long-term algorithmic support. Here's another interesting thing about Apple Music: instead of displaying a monthly listener stat, they go with Average Daily Listeners. Apple Music's geographic location is also a lot more robust. While Spotify only lets you look at top cities, Apple Music for Artists shows you legitimately every place your music was played on a heat map. It's probably the best geographic information of all the platforms, along with Pandora (which is only in the U.S.).

Apple Music typically pays better than Spotify because they don't offer a free version. While the platform has fewer users than Spotify and you might get fewer listeners there, the money is better. In other words: don't sleep on Apple Music. Millions of people still use it and the Apple Music for Artists platform is robust enough for you to measure potential marketing effects of sending people to Apple Music. Apple Music is probably the slowest when it comes to updating data. It's pretty much always two days behind (sometimes three) and can update at completely random times of the day. The platform also doesn't have any "real time" measurements, which overall means it all just lags a little behind the others. 

Amazon Music for Artists' streams and listeners do update in real time, making it the most up-to-date platform of the three so far. Hands down the most unique metric (and also potentially the most confusing of all the platforms) is "Voice" and "Daily Voice Index." What it boils down to is: how many people asked Alexa to play your music. Amazon breaks these down by voice requests for Artist, Album, Song, and Lyrics which is definitely unique. So basically, this is how Amazon is measuring a user's engagement with your music. Similar to Apple's Shazams feature, it seems like it could limit a lot of actual engagement and might be better for determining certain trends with songs.

It's also clearly in line with their goal of making Alexa a huge priority. The Daily Voice Index basically shows you if the number of requests indicates you are "Cool," "Warm," "Hot," or "On Fire." Outside of the obvious implications, we don't really know what that means. Amazon's official explanation for this is that "Daily Voice Index compares this artist’s total number of requestors with artists that have a similar-sized audience on Amazon Music." Amazon Music for Artists also has one other section that is unique to it: Fans. Again, not a lot of information about what exactly constitutes a fan or a "Superfan" (a subcategory within fans), but Amazon says, "Fans are a segment of an artist’s listeners from the trailing year who show a high affinity for their music."

Which makes it sound like they're using how likely somebody is to listen to the artist over time as an engagement factor, which is pretty cool. Because it's all still in beta we don't have a ton of info on how useful any of this is just yet. But it's nice to see Amazon working towards offering unique insights based on its platform. Amazon is very interested in becoming a one-stop-shop for artists. That includes things like offering artist merch directly in Amazon itself. They are currently testing the waters and sending fairly frequent surveys to beta users about potential features to include. So that is to say, the one thing to know about the early iteration of Amazon Music for Artists is: expect it to change, probably drastically. 

YouTube uses "YouTube Analytics for Artists" interchangeably with YouTube Studio, but we'll just keep calling it YouTube Studio for now because, well, that's what it's called in YouTube. First of all, props to YouTube for being the only platform that includes its analytics dashboard directly in its core product. But that's also because YouTube is the only one of these platforms where you can directly upload your content without a middleman. Technically, YouTube's various iterations of analytics are the OG. They date all the way back to 2008 in some form or fashion. YouTube Studio's data puts all the others to shame. But that also means it can be a bit overwhelming. So when it comes to looking at YouTube Studio like you would the other three mentioned above, what are some of the important stats?

YouTube Studio has so many metrics that are unique to it that we could write a whole post just on YouTube and barely scratch the surface. Most people already know about likes, comments, and subs though. Instead, let's look at a particularly interesting metric: Watch time which is a pretty solid indicator of engagement because it allows you to see just how much of a song a user is listening to. We know Spotify has this data (which they refer to "skip rate") but they don't share it on their platform. That means your ability to get in and see how long people are watching videos for can really help you understand which songs might be resonating the most. Another critically important unique metric: MONEY. If you're monetizing your channel, YouTube Studio can show you your estimated earnings from the ads playing on your videos up to a few days ago. These two unique metrics alone make YouTube Studio very powerful.

YouTube has a very cool feature that allows you to see how your songs are doing in videos where you have a copyright claim. What does this mean? It means if somebody uploading their own lyric video of your song, you get to track those views and engagement in your YouTube Studio, even though it's not technically your video. Another cool thing is that you can see your views in real time, meaning if you're running ads (either on YouTube or elsewhere), you can monitor their effectiveness. If you're using Google Ads to run YouTube ads, it will even break down that traffic source for you. Oh, and traffic source — another great metric. Really this whole platform is just head and shoulders the best one for analytics nerds. Except for general age and location data, which is surprisingly not great. That's probably due to the fact that YouTube doesn't require you to have an account or enter any of that data to watch a video. The monetization for YouTube is not like the other platforms, so it's much harder to pin down. And because you can upload a lot of content that isn't just strictly your music, it's up to you to be organized enough to make use of the data. 

There are several other platforms that might be working on analytics backends we don't know about yet. Places like Deezer and TIDAL seem to be good candidates for them, for sure.

Real Cost to ERP Systems

If you’re in the initial stages of the enterprise resource planning (ERP) evaluation process, you’re probably wondering, “How much is it going to cost my small business?” This is a fair question, yet unfortunately there is no simple or precise way to answer it. Estimating the total cost of an ERP system requires careful assessment of an array of variables which can vary wildly from one small company to the next. The size of your businesses, your unique requirements and your scope of use all play a critical role in determining the cost of the ERP system.

Understanding the factors that influence the cost of ERP will help give you a better idea of how much your business can expect to pay for an ERP startup. Moreover, it gives you the knowledge to carefully evaluate estimates that fall significantly below or above industry standards. Many companies began using ERP systems rather than accounting software applications. An ERP system differs from accounting systems in that accounting systems only perform accounting-related tasks. An ERP system, however, can handle not only accounting tasks, but general business management tasks as well. Overall, it's a more powerful platform. An ERP system is essentially a suite of software packages that can perform accounting, product planning and development, manufacturing, inventory management, sales management, human resources, and other business tasks. 

Open source ERP systems support is priced on a per-user basis. Specifically, the number of users that will be using the system at the same time and the level of access they require. For example, a small-to-medium-size job shop may not require a Master Production Scheduling module or sophisticated warehouse management, and a large multi-national company would probably require more financial management applications than a make-to-stock manufacturer. Some ERP systems allow third-party software add-ins which for users to create customized documentation and reports, generate barcode labels and perform custom data extractions. You can expect third-party software licensing to be about 10-15% of the overall software cost.

Implementation costs are a significant consideration because you as the buyer can dramatically influence this expense. Implementation costs cover planning and organizing your project, training, prototyping functional areas of your business, installing the software, configuring the system, implementing process changes and completing conversions. Typically, an implementation to software cost ratio of .75:1 to 1:1 is considered a good planning goal but a ratio of 1.5:1 or 2:1 is not uncommon for more complex or customized ERP initiatives, especially if the implementation will cover multiple locations. It's necessary to have professionals install and configure your ERP system, so you will need to include these implementation costs in the total price of the ERP system. ERP systems are complex software applications, so you will likely need to change operating systems, upgrade or change servers, and change other hardware and software you use on your company’s network in order for the ERP system to run properly. You will also need to – or should – set up a test environment as part of the implementation so you can test the ERP system without affecting your company’s real data. This can save a lot of potential working hours if there an issue with implementation. 

As mentioned, an ERP system is a complex software application that can be thought of as a suite of software applications that are simultaneously compatible. Your employees will need training on how to use the programs, because an ERP system is not as intuitive or easy-to-use like a basic accounting software program. Therefore. When you talk about enterprise resource planning and overall cost, you must also talk about training. Utilizing ERP software can be a learning curve, especially for those who are unfamiliar with utilizing an enterprise solution, or those who aren’t as technologically-savvy as others. There are initial costs associated with training your employees on in-depth tactics and ways in which to use the system. There’s also costs associated with continuing training, specifically on-site training when needed. Often, the ERP vendor will provide training upon request at a standardized hourly rate. There will be times when a consultant becomes necessary, in the case of specialized content or particularly difficult need arises. In any case, you will need to factor these additional costs into your analysis when reviewing ERP systems for purchase.

Implementation costs are one thing, but another major aspect of an enterprise resource planning software solution is customization. You want your new solution to work perfectly and uniquely for your business, and that usually requires some level of customization. If out-of-the-box functionality isn’t enough for your ERP users, you may need to incur some expenses regarding developing a more customized product. You will incur some expense in developing customized reports so that your employees can perform their daily and monthly tasks with ease. An ERP system can store a substantial amount of information, but users are limited in the ways that they can access the information. Therefore, it is not uncommon to have IT staff dedicated to developing customized reports for various departments so that business processes and analysis can be performed timely.

When new software releases of your enterprise resource planning solution are announced, you may want to consider upgrading. Software upgrades for any ERP system should be an expectation at some point down the line; the last thing you want is for your version of the solution to become obsolete. If your company is upgrading from an accounting software program to an ERP system, then you will certainly have a lot of processes that will need to be redesigned. For companies using accounting software, many tasks may be performed outside the software either manually in a paper format or a third party application such as MS Excel. The acquisition of an ERP system should, in theory, mean that many of these tasks are being automated by the software to increase both accuracy and efficiency in performing these tasks. Even if your company is changing ERP systems, no two are alike so you can expect to have some changes in your company’s business processes to coincide with the software’s processes. When an intriguing upgrade becomes available, you’ll have to pay an upgrade fee. In addition, there may be additional hardware or software needed to ensure the upgrade runs as seamlessly as possible.

Maintenance with on-premise ERP system is extremely important. You need your product working properly and constantly up-to-date. Costs associated with ongoing maintenance include any additional hardware needed, IT labour and any other departmental costs to ensure your enterprise solution is in perfect shape. You will need to maintain your ERP system so you will need to factor in these costs.  Maintenance costs for an ERP system typically run between 15–20% of the initial purchase price. Like all software programs, ERP systems require periodic upgrades to avoid becoming obsolete. You should consider how often you expect to upgrade your ERP system, and what these costs will be when you go through with the upgrade. You should also consider that any upgrade may affect business processes, and require additional hardware or software so the system runs smoothly if your business is not run on a mirrored set-up while performing the updates or data transfer.

Your employees will run into trouble using the ERP system, and you will detect numerous bugs so you will want to ensure that your vendor will provide you with adequate technical support to resolve these issues. You should ask your vendor if this support is included in the fees or is an additional cost, as  support can end up affecting your bottom line if not included in the initial purchase, and isn't closely monitored. Small-to-mid-sized businesses can expect the cost of software and services combined to be a significant investment, but a properly implemented ERP system will pay for itself quickly.

To ERP or not to ERP

This is one genuine question many small business owners need to ask themselves. Implementing an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is one of the biggest investments a business can make, yet many small businesses claim that they are ‘too small’ for adopting an ERP system. So we decided to focus on some point that why Small businesses need an ERP system to stay at the top of their competition. This stems from the mindset that the number of users expedition the need for an ERP solution. The accuracy is that ERP for small business must be faster and sharper than the competition. In today’s business perspective, no business is too small for an ERP solution. ERP for small businesses allows to appear, act and operate like an enterprise-scale business. Even so, ERP Implementation for Small business comes with some risks. When you attempt to integrate your business operations with data and technology. There surface unexpected challenges. 

What is ERP?

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has been known to be the backbone of many corporate-scale businesses. This software is a key tool for managing the whole tasks of a business life cycle like production, order processing adapt, inventory management and much more. It also supervisor business resources between stakeholders, such as; materials, revenue, order, staffing, and manufacturing capacity. All these things are done in a single interactive database management system with built-in analytics and a dashboard. An open-source ERP solution for small businesses can be implemented across several aspects of industries like spazashop or retail, hospitality, manufacturing, transport, industrial, as well as agricultural farming and livestock management. In the past, there haven’t been as many suitable ERP options available to small-sized businesses as there are at the present time. ERP for small business was not so easy as these businesses simply didn’t have the funds or technical support to create the base necessary to endorse the traditional corporate-scale ERP solutions.

Most growing businesses end up creating a fragmented business structure made up of several separate programs that handle finance, inventory, sales, payroll and more. However, open-source technological advancements have opened the door to more practical small business solutions. However, There are points that small businesses owners need to understand. Within a small company or startup, attendants wear multiple hats. Each person inclines in frequently wherever and whenever the need arises. But the fact is nobody has the time to manually process multiple spreadsheets and separate mountains of data and if so there must be some errors at the end of the day. ERP system for small businesses are geared towards  blending and automating key business functions such as taking orders, inventory management, account management, etc. However, ERP software is integrated over all departments of a company of any size. Implementing an ERP system for small business entails careful planning in order to minimize the risk of failure and to ensure that all the goals are met.

A sound ERP implementation strategy will involve a team to assess your operations. Analyzing your processes, and discovering precisely how specific ERP applications will help you outperform. An unclear vision is a risk you can avoid. This progress requires an established ERP strategy prior to selection, a standardized implementation blueprint and involvement of all business and IT staff members. Any business can get a real-time return on investment dispatch from the use of an integrated ERP system if executed correctly. ERP implementation for your business - You need an ERP implementation that includes upfront training. And engagement plan to get your teams on board early and excited about some change. Software change management is a key exercise in the success of your manufacturing ERP solutions. The risk of poor user engagement is extremely important and can easily manage early on.

When you should realize that this is high time!! Miss management of warehouse/Inventory is one of the signs.....Are you loosing the track of your products? There are more scenarios like the sales estimation is based mostly on guesswork; your company is struggling to keep up with an upsurge of orders or relies heavily on Excel spreadsheets; getting solid facts becomes problematic- it is surely the time for your business to implement an ERP system. Instead of each department having its own information system, all relevant data can be shared and accessed by a few clicks by integrating an ERP system. This eliminates the need to re-enter or export data which can result in fewer errors. It increased the productivity of your company and reduced the expenses on human resource.

Real-time data provided by the ERP system can be beneficial for management, marketing, accounting and enables your organization to make vital decisions on time which reduce the overdue of deadlines. Teams can detect any potential issues that may bump the productivity level. An overall report of operations allows the business leaders to make an effective decision on time and respond quickly to a changing business environment. Perhaps one of the enormous benefits that can be enjoyed from ERP for small business is an increase in productivity, which is important for any company’s bottom line. With increased transparency by smooth business processes, employees can shift their focus on managing enlarged volumes of business. This aids in transforming various features of your business and overcoming the challenges involved in your business growth as well. Besides, when your small business makes the swap to ERP software, you can enjoy streamlined data flow. This is exclusively true among fast-growing businesses, which may run into problems when it comes to data being discriminate in different departments. 

For example, financial data needed by the inventory department may be difficult to get ahold of. With an ERP software, everything is in one place and all official data is available to each department. Implementing an ERP for small business can bring a huge change on the matter of struggling with collaboration. Poor communication and lack of collaboration often come as a result of employees not having access to data when they need it. When all employees have access to data across all the departments, collaboration is better facilitated because these workers are better able to see the “big picture” within your company. Perhaps most important fact for many small business owners is that an ERP system evidently reduces overall operating costs. By streamlining data into one software application, now you can save money on the individual software and management systems that you were previously paying for in each department. 

When you receive the right software suggestion based on your environment and needs. The chances of a seamless ERP Implementation success for your business are high. The selection of scalable, relevant, and tested business software lead to seamless processes for your business. A sounds ERP implementation will involve more than an out-of-the-box only solution. You need to select a company that is willing and able to customize the ERP business modules that align with your goals. A reputable ERP implementation company takes systems and data very seriously and when it comes to making decisions for a small business, it’s important to have all the data in one single system which will ensure that the data is up-to-date. With openERP for small business, there’s never any doubt that this is the case. As a result, decision-making is more joyous and greater peace of mind with having confidence in any choice making.