Unhurd cashes in on artist control
The London marketing platform un:hurd raised seven-figure funding from existing backers and newcomers to support independent musicians and record labels. The company automated advertising campaigns across major platforms while serving more than 185,000 artists and labels worldwide. Kobalt Music founder Willard Ahdritz and Trapital analyst Dan Runcie joined returning supporters in the investment round.
The platform will expand to Android devices through Google Play in November and has formed alliances with distribution services Amuse and KOSIGN. Chief executive Alex Brees said the firm developed statistical models over two years to reduce marketing uncertainty for artists. The technology analyzes data from thousands of musicians to recommend personalized promotional strategies.
The financing followed an investment from a San Francisco company, EMPIRE, eight months earlier. Recent campaigns through un:hurd helped British group The K’s achieve a number one album and supported rapper Tinie Tempah’s career relaunch. The platform offers playlist-pitching tools and content-generation features alongside its advertising automation services.
