It is, Lume\u2019s founders say, a response to a broken streaming model that returns a pittance to artists. Lume offers a higher rate of return, with 80% of each sale going to the artist. It has big backers, including investment from Substack\u2019s Hamish McKenzie, Letterboxd\u2019s Karl von Randow and pop star Ella Yelich-O\u2019Connor, aka Lorde.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Twenty-five local artists have become early adopters, with albums by Bic Runga, Tiki Taane, Reb Fountain, Fur Patrol, The Phoenix Foundation, Lontalius and Dick Move available when today\u2019s launch button is pushed. Thanks to a recent publishing deal, Lume will be available worldwide too. \u201cIf you\u2019re in London, you can download a Lume,\u201d says Harper.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This past Monday, a checklist showed how much work still needed to happen. Just 10 of those 25 albums had red ticks of approval beside them. Assets for Bic Runga\u2019s Red Sunset were needed. A new album of unreleased material by reclusive Auckland rock act Voom required sign-off. \u201cTwo of the four Fur Patrol members have approved,\u201d announced Russell, Lume\u2019s artist liaison, to more nods.<\/p>\n
Lume\u2019s launch was delayed from mid-June to mid-July, pushed out to help negotiate international deals. Even then, staff admit they were stretching themselves to get it ready. While no one\u2019s yet spent the night in the office, Warren expected he and Lume\u2019s engineers would pull several all-nighters. \u201cThere will definitely be some late nights,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
At the very reasonable time of 10am, I was given a very strong coffee and an all-access pass to see how everyone will experience Lume when it launches today. \u201cYou\u2019re the first to experience it,\u201d Harper told me, passing me his phone and a pair of headphones. Here are the answers to all the questions I had\u2026<\/p>\n
Lume founders, from left, Tim Harper, Justin Warren, Duncan Greive and Sacha Judd (Photo: Supplied)
\nIt\u2019s a streaming service \u2013 but a very basic one<\/p>\n
Your purchased Lumes appear in a carousel. Flick through them, pick one to play and the first track begins. The player resembles Apple Music more than Spotify, but that\u2019s where the similarities end. Lume offers an album experience, with tracks designed to be listened to in the order an artist presents them. You can\u2019t make playlists out of your Lumes, but you can gift them to friends for a 24-hour period. Those albums stream with sound quality \u201cbetter than most streaming services\u201d, Lume promises.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s much more than music inside each Lume<\/p>\n
What\u2019s in a Lume? Whatever an artist wants to include. A typical package includes a combination of music videos, live performances, interviews, photos and notes alongside bonus tracks, remixes or unreleased songs. These can be browsed while streaming, but playback will stop if you\u2019re watching a video with audio, or listening to bonus content.<\/p>\n
Some inclusions are fascinating. The Phoenix Foundation clipped print reviews for its 2015 album Give Up Your Dreams and adds their Trans Fatty Acid EP previously available only on cassette. Fazerdaze\u2019s Amelia Murray adds studio footage from her recording sessions for Soft Power plus a full concert performance from last year\u2019s excellent Powerstation show. Vera Ellen offers Google Docs full of mixing notes from her album Heaven Knows What Time.<\/p>\n
Seeing what\u2019s in each Lume is part of the fun. Troy Kingi includes instrumentals from last year\u2019s excellent hip-hop album Night Lords. Tali adds detailed notes to each song on her 2022 album Future Dwellers, plus photos of her mum painting the artwork. The devilish outtakes from Erny Belle\u2019s Not Your Cupid cover shoot made me squeal with delight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lume has exclusives unavailable on other platforms<\/p>\n
This is what could make Lume truly stand out from the packed streaming market. For launch, Buzz Moller has compiled an entire album of unreleased material from his band Voom, a big deal considering there have been just three in 36 years. Tiki Taane\u2019s Past, Present, Future includes four previously unreleased instrumentals and eight live songs.<\/p>\n
Rockers Swallow the Rat are releasing a full live album. Brooding singer Lontalius packages two different versions of last year\u2019s album Heavy. Rising Auckland artist Isla Noon may have taken this concept further than most, having last year\u2019s album Out of Body completely reworked into seven electronic-tinged bangers, then adds music videos, live performances, demos and studio videos.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Lume of Tiki Taane\u2019s Past, Present, Future includes four previously unreleased instrumentals and eight live songs.
\nMore Lumes, er, loom<\/p>\n
As Russell\u2019s conversation with Supergroove suggests, discussions are under way with many more artists about joining Lume. Phase two, scheduled a month from now, has 12 artists, big names and some smaller ones too, listed on the office whiteboard, which I was allowed to see only on the condition I didn\u2019t reveal them.<\/p>\n
Lorde is \u2018tossing it all up on Lume\u2019<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, Lorde sent out an email to fans that included a link to 49 demos from last year\u2019s album Virgin. It felt like a good Lume had been spoiled by one of the platform\u2019s early investors, especially when Lorde said, \u201cI\u2019m going to toss it all up on Lume\u201d in the same newsletter.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s much more coming from the first Lume by Aotearoa\u2019s biggest pop export. \u201cYou haven\u2019t seen [her Lume] yet,\u201d says Harper. \u201cShe got to do something on the anniversary of Virgin for her fans. But she also got to hold back some stuff for Lume.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lorde\u2019s email has opened doors to the international market\u00a0<\/p>\n
That one note from Lorde has sparked conversations. \u201cWe\u2019ve had labels from all over the world going, \u2018Hey guys, can we have a chat?\u201d says Harper. He\u2019s not prepared to reveal which just yet, but says they are \u201cmassive\u201d. \u201cAll the big indies are going, \u2018We love this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
As I scrolled and streamed all of the Lumes available on launch today, an album by the Canadian artist Goldie Boutilier spun on a turntable in the corner of Lume\u2019s office. Later, Russell emailed me links to her music and said, \u201cI\u2019m on a one-woman mission to get her on Lume \u2026 when we\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perhaps that signals Lume\u2019s future \u2013 less as a Spotify rival and more as a boutique musical medley dripping in cool. But who knows what the future holds. Lume is a startup and any pivot is possible. \u201cThe first couple of months are about proving the concept,\u201d says Harper. \u201cFrom there we can scale up as we need to.\u201d<\/p>\n