SmartLabel launches RadioMatic and builds greater independence

GRONINGEN, November 2026 - SmartLabel introduces RadioMatic, custom radio for shops, offices and public spaces with generated music, jingles and promotions. With this business service, SmartLabel aims to contribute to the development of SmartLabel Academy, Music Distribution and its streaming platform TraXs, making its artist services less dependent on outside investment.

A sustainable music career takes more than good music. Artists also need to understand what rights they have, what agreements they are making and how income is shared. SmartLabel wants to make that business side more accessible, so creators can make better-informed choices about their work and career.

While building their products, SmartLabel kept running into the same dilemma: what is good for creators does not always fit existing business models. "We wanted to make distribution fairer and easier, but that turned out to be only a small piece of the puzzle. We wanted to build a music streaming service that creates more income for artists, but every time an investor wanted to get involved, it came at the creator's expense and we had to walk away from the deal. Because many creators lack proper insight into royalty flows, contract terms and the parties standing between them and their income, we set up the SmartLabel Academy."

Each of the four ventures tackles a different barrier. Through the Academy, creators learn the business side of music. Through Distribution, music is released and rights and metadata are properly recorded, and TraXs creates direct contact with listeners and new ways to generate income. RadioMatic, meanwhile, targets a different market and is meant to create the financial room to develop the three artist services independently.

RadioMatic offers custom radio stations for the commercial market. This is radio for shops, offices and public spaces, with generated music, custom jingles and promotions that adapt to the location and the moment. In other words, places where you don't go for the music, but where music does shape the experience. Revenue from RadioMatic will contribute to the development of services for artists, who benefit from better support with knowledge, distribution, building income and a better relationship with their fans.

"AI is here to stay. The question is who builds it. I’d prefer it to be people from within the industry rather than big tech from the outside. That way the industry gets a seat at the table, not a place on the menu," says Jonathan Oudekerk, founder of SmartLabel.

The SmartLabel Academy gives artists the chance to learn the details of the business side of music: rights, royalties, contracts, payouts and more. Every creator builds a CreatorPassport that gives them an overview of their work, where rights need to be registered and where income originates from. A personal AI artist manager guides them through these processes from start to finish and helps them make sense of the jargon.

SmartLabel Distribution puts music on all major platforms for a one-off fixed fee per track, with all income going to the creator. Rights and metadata are recorded correctly at the source, so artists build a solid foundation for their career.

TraXs is where everything comes together and the world listens to your music. It is a music streaming app in development. Here, artists are paid directly, get more insight into their listeners and can build direct contact with fans who choose to do so. They can also let fans share in future earnings without giving up their rights.

This is where RadioMatic is most welcome. Investments that would undermine the core of TraXs are regularly turned down, because their terms do not sufficiently serve the artist's interests.

With these four ventures, SmartLabel wants to help build a music industry in which more creators can make a sustainable living from their work. The artist services focus on business knowledge, releasing music, and building income and fan relationships. RadioMatic is meant to help fund their further development. That way, we are building a future in which music makers stand stronger and can focus more on making music.

"If we want to give artists more control over their work, we also have to think carefully about how we fund our own services and how that makes us dependent. RadioMatic should give us more room to develop without depending on outdated models." - Jonathan Oudekerk, founder of SmartLabel

Also read Jonathan Oudekerk's opinion piece: Music makers get a seat at the negotiating table or end up on the menu.

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The four ventures of SmartLabel:

1. SmartLabel Academy: understand how your music career works as a business.

2. SmartLabel Distribution: release music with control over your rights and income.

3. TraXs: stream music, earn directly from fans and build relationships with them.

4. RadioMatic: generate revenue to develop the artist services independently.

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Note to editors, not for publication

For questions, interviews with founder Jonathan Oudekerk or images: Guy van Koolwijk, PR & Communications Lead, press@smartlabel.media, +31625084017. Logos, portraits and background: smartlabel.media/en/press.