I AM POP raise €2M for growth as BMG, MAMA, Mad Decent join platform

• Max van den Ingh confirmed as Head of Growth
• MAMA Festivals, Mad Decent, The Orchard, Ministry of Sound and Elrow join client roster

11 March 2019: Messaging platform I AM POP has secured €2 million for further expansion. The investment will be used to integrate I AM POP’s chat editor into other messaging apps, alongside increasing the company’s fifteen strong workforce. The first key hire for this new phase of I AM POP is Max van den Ingh, who joins as Head of Growth. Van den Ingh previously led the digital transformation of Dutch leasing company MisterGreen, which he built into one of Holland’s fastest growing startups, with a 300% increase in turnover. He will be responsible for the commercial growth of I AM POP’s software-as-a-service offering, building the marketing and business development teams across the London and Amsterdam offices.The news comes as some of the world’s most exciting music businesses, including MAMA Festivals, Mad Decent, The Orchard, Elrow and Ministry of Sound join the likes of Sony, Warner, AWAL and [PIAS] as I AM POP clients. With social media newsfeeds now delivering engagement rates as low as 2% due to filtering and algorithms, I AM POP’s average open rates of 94% are driving success for the company, helping establish it as the go-to messaging platform for the music industry. Founder of I AM POP, Tim Heineke, believes messaging is the future of online communication. “We are entering an era of post-social. Private messaging is the new social network. Users are increasingly flocking to DM, private chat, groups and stories, fuelled by privacy concerns. Meanwhile, messaging apps are turning into full platforms. With 2 billion users and 100 billion messages shared daily, messaging services are the most popular apps in the world, however, many artists don’t yet have a presence. Our goal is to provide a simple platform that anyone can use and this funding will enable us to continue developing it.”Van den Ingh added “I AM POP is championing the shift from newsfeed sharing to direct messaging in the music industry. I’m looking forward to utilising my experience in the tech industry to streamline growth efforts within the company.”Aaron Bogucki, VP Digital Marketing, AWAL Recordings commented, “In the age of newsfeed algorithms and the public's wider understanding of online privacy issues, fans are relying on closed group communications via direct messaging at an increasing rate. AWAL's approach to identifying, engaging and converting our artist's fans using I AM POP's platform has helped us develop a valuable direct marketing channel for a number of our artists.” Alex Thomson Director of I AM Pop client Greenhouse Group, said, “I AM POP has been the most effective way for us to integrate Messenger into all of our campaigns. I can imagine it will only become more powerful over time as Messenger incorporates more e-commerce opportunities. The functionality it offers, and ease of using the app, for the huge pay off in response from our audiences... is just incredible.”   About I AM POPLaunched by Tim Heineke in 2016, I AM POP has progressed from a simple messaging platform for record labels, artists and events into offering a chat editor that allow clients to create and broadcast interactive narratives.With over-crowded newsfeeds increasingly filtered by algorithms and posting engagement rates below 2%, I AM POP’s open rates of 94% are positioning the company at the forefront of the messaging revolution. I AM POP’s client base encompasses a variety of media and entertainment brands, including Warner, Sony, Kobalt, AWAL, Mad Decent, BMG, Elrow and Crack Magazine among others. I AM POP recently secured a 2m Euro funding boost, allowing the company to expand its operations in London and Amsterdam and develop new products for 2019 that further develop messaging capabilities. Heineke previously co-founded music discovery service Shuffler.fm and digital distributor, FUGA.https://www.iampop.com/