Win the Visuals.fm Music Tectonics Startup Contest
The music industry is constantly evolving, driven by a powerful need to find smarter, more equitable ways to manage the incredible value generated by music. This sentiment was the heartbeat of Music Tectonics’ eighth annual gathering, a conference that brought together founders, investors, and executives under the banner of “The Rising Tide.”
The theme was clear: the focus should be on technologies that expand value across the industry, fostering growth and efficiency rather than simply causing disruption. It was at this vibrant gathering that the competition, “Swimming with Narwhals,” sought to identify the most impactful solutions reshaping how music is made, distributed, and monetized.
The results highlighted some truly innovative approaches. Resolut took home the Jury Award. This platform tackles one of the industry’s most stubborn bottlenecks—royalty disputes—by automating the resolution process at scale. It proved that sophisticated infrastructure can solve massive financial headaches for creators.
Meanwhile, Visuals.fm claimed the Audience Choice award. This platform addresses the creative side of the equation, streamlining workflows by instantly generating custom visuals and videos tailored specifically to music releases. It shows how technology can supercharge the creative experience.
Beyond these two frontrunners, other finalists demonstrated ingenuity in addressing critical friction points in the ecosystem. EquitX developed a fairer pricing structure for the high-demand world of concert and event ticketing, while Cadence IO provided a unified data entry point, helping artists and distributors organize, deliver, and track releases seamlessly across the supply chain.
The consensus among the judges and attendees was compelling: technology is best deployed as an engine for growth, not just disruption. Dmitri Vietze, Founder of Music Tectonics, captured this sentiment perfectly, noting that the finalists reflected how tech could address real pain points, leading to greater revenue, efficiency, and capacity for creativity.
This focus on pragmatic solutions underscored the conference’s broader discussions, which explored everything from closing royalty collection gaps and deploying practical AI workflows to unlocking emerging monetization channels like gaming and virtual environments. The event successfully fostered conversations around how music can thrive as both an artform and a thriving industry.
The backing for these forward-thinking solutions was strong, with major sponsors including Artist Growth, AWS, LyricFind, Morrison Foerster, ONErpm, Rock Paper Scissors, Vocana, and the Yamaha Music Innovations Fund. The success of the “Swimming with Narwhals” competition confirmed a noticeable shift in the landscape: high-utility infrastructure is proving to be the most valuable innovation in the music tech space.
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