Today we’re excited to introduce something the Gala Music community has long requested — incorporating third-party streaming data into our BEAMS distribution algorithm.

TL:DR

• If you own an artist’s track that’s performing well on other music platforms, you should benefit from the popularity.
• We want to recognize the success of artists outside our walls, and reward the fans who support them.
• To pilot this idea, we’ve picked a Gala Music favorite: PLS&TY and a couple of their tracks
• If successful, our plan is to incorporate third-party streaming data into all Silver Tier and above tracks in terms of calculating BEAMS rewards

BEAMS beyond our walls

We know that music extends beyond the Gala Music platform to services like Spotify or Apple Music. If you own an artist’s track that is performing well on other platforms, you should benefit from that popularity. While listens on Gala Music will always be prioritized in BEAMS distribution, we want to recognize the success artists are having outside our walls, and reward the fans who support them.

Piloting the idea

We’ve picked a Gala Music favorite to help pilot this: PLS&TY. Starting May 25, we’ll include third-party streaming data in calculating rewards for “New Color.” One week later, we’ll extend this feature to PLS&TY’s new track, “Yours,” exclusively available on Gala Music before other platforms. This way, both Gala Music listens and external streams contribute to the track’s success.

Longer term roadmap

Our plan is to incorporate third-party streaming data into all Silver Tier and above tracks, as third-party streams will be a significant factor in total rewards generated. As Bronze artists qualify to “level up” to Silver, their tracks will level up with them, and also include streams from outside the Gala Music platform, benefitting the early supporters of those artists.

Test and learn, test and learn

It’s important to remember that this pilot is a learning experience for us all and it’s a necessary step in creating a more equitable distribution algorithm. We’re excited about this update to Gala Music and hope you are too!