Former Spotify Lead, GYROstream & DistroDirect Members Launch Artist Service 'Group Speed'

A new artist service is in town, courtesy of two Australian music distribution brands – GYROstream and DistroDirect – and Spotify.

Former Label Partnerships Lead at Spotify Canada, Adrian Burke, Global Head of A&R at GYROstream, Benjamin James, and GYROstream and DistroDirect Marketing Specialist Jackson McMaster have teamed up with trailblazing digital strategist Alison Bremner and artist manager Taylor Dwyer to launch the new artist service Group Speed.

According to a press release, Group Speed is an initiative born out of being tired of old music industry models, with the aim of building artists’ careers and fanbases through distribution and funding solutions.

Group Speed will showcase impressive curated services, including partnerships with digital streaming platforms (DSPs), holistic artist promotional strategies, advanced funding opportunities, and quality distribution services. Understanding that today’s listeners are drawn to music via algorithmic discovery, Group Speed will focus on fan conversion and community engagement.

Burke spent seven years at Spotify, cultivating key partner relationships, developing global artist campaigns, and implementing data-driven strategies to help artists gain plays on the platform. Burke will lead the strategic operation of Group Speed out of North America.

Meanwhile, Bremner is known for catapulting TikTok user Hannah Balanay (known as @thexhan) to fame, transforming the creator into the most-followed TikTok user in Australia with 18 million followers. In addition to her work on TikTok, Bremner has locked in strategic partnerships with Gucci, TikTok, and Red Bull and has worked on campaigns with Sony Music, Universal Music, and 88 Rising.

@thexhan

true mvp is @Ali Adel ‘s finger 👆🏻🔥 ( dc @It’s Dan ✨🕺🏾 ) #ratata #dance #thexhan #amapiano #trend #australia

♬ Work It Ethan Tomas Amapiano Remix - DJ Ethan Tomas

Dwyer will work out of Los Angeles as the A&R and Streaming Partnerships Coordinator alongside James and McMaster.

Adrian Burke commented in a statement, “I’m thrilled to have assembled such a strong launch team with a varied skillset across multiple verticals. We're here to answer the call from artists and labels looking for growth and guidance in a time of accelerating change. Our intentionally boutique framework will serve to deepen our collaboration with artists, labels, DSP Teams and partners across our networks.”

GYROstream and DistroDirect CEO Andy Irvine added that both companies are “thrilled” to have Bourke launch and manage the Group Speed rollout, writing: “Expanding our artist services offering globally and opening it up to new markets as a standalone product is the next evolution of our business and we can’t wait to see what the team achieves.”

GYROstream and DistroDirect CMO Viv Mellish stated that Group Speed offers an “entirely new way” to connect with audiences, allowing “borderless artists and labels to be able to tap into a whole range of premium services they may have never had access to before.”

You can follow Group Speed via the company’s website.