Gabb, a company specializing in kid-safe technology, has announced the launch of Gabb Music+, a premium version of its existing Gabb Music streaming service, available on Gabb phones.
Gabb on Tuesday (May 7) said it has recruited a team of “top music industry talent” in Nashville to lead the development of Gabb Music+. This team, with experience at firms like The Walt Disney Company, Sony Music, iHeartMedia, CBS, and others, brings expertise to curate Gabb’s kid-safe music service.
The launch comes two years after Gabb partnered with Tuned Global to introduce Gabb Music, a custom-made streaming service for children in the US. The service is exclusive to Gabb phones and powered by Tuned Global’s white-label streaming technology.
Gabb emphasized that Gabb Music and Gabb Music+ address a key concern for parents: providing access to technology without exposing children to inappropriate content. Unlike other streaming options with limited parental controls or children’s music limitations, Gabb Music boasts the “largest” library of kid-safe music, including current hits and popular songs across genres and decades, the company says.
“This is the first time a music streaming service that includes all genres has been built from the ground up with kids in mind first and foremost.”
Kerri Fox-Metoyer, Gabb
“This is the first time a music streaming service that includes all genres has been built from the ground up with kids in mind first and foremost,” said Kerri Fox-Metoyer, Gabb’s Head of Entertainment.
“It’s a streaming service that parents can trust out of the box,” added Fox-Metoyer, who brings extensive experience in entertainment and technology to Gabb, having held executive positions at Disney, Sony Music, Sony Electronics, and EMI Music.
Named one of Billboard Magazines 2018 Top Branding Power Players and recognized as one of Nashville Business Journal’s 2018 Women in Music City award honorees, she assembled a team of music industry veterans, including Eric Lackscheide, a three-time nominee for R&R Pop Music Director Of The Year.
The team secured partnerships with major record labels to offer their vast catalogs on the service. Gabb Music employs a process that combines filtering tools, Gabb’s proprietary technology, and human review to curate what Gabb calls “the world’s safest music catalog for kids and teens.”
Gabb filters content based on its own standards and guidelines.
On Gabb Music+, kids and teens can create custom playlists, search the extensive library, and download songs for offline listening, allowing them to explore music safely and discover their own preferences. Additionally, Gabb curators create playlists tailored to kids’ activities, moods, and milestones.
“We’re really intentional about gathering feedback from families,” said Gabb CEO Nate Randle.
“Before Gabb Music, it was an all-or-nothing situation: give kids the music they want but potentially expose them to inappropriate content, or don’t give them anything. Gabb Music gives kids the freedom and control to explore different genres of music.”
Nate Randle, GABB
“One of the top requests we heard from both kids and parents was a safe music app. Before Gabb Music, it was an all-or-nothing situation: give kids the music they want but potentially expose them to inappropriate content, or don’t give them anything. Gabb Music gives kids the freedom and control to explore different genres of music.”
Gabb Music and Gabb Music+ are exclusively available on Gabb phones as part of the monthly service plan or as an additional subscription, depending on the chosen plan.
Gabb’s new offering comes as parents increasingly seek age-appropriate music streaming options for their children. Music plays a vital role in a child’s development, but existing streaming services often fall short in terms of safety. While parental controls exist, they often can’t guarantee that inappropriate content won’t slip through.
Another player in the kid-safe music streaming market is Yoto, an online audio platform tailored for kids. Yoto was founded by Ben Drury and Filip Denker, who developed a device that allows kids to access music and audio without being exposed to advertisements, unsuitable content or racking up too much screen time.
Yoto has already struck partnerships with music giants Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. Notably, Universal Music has in the past ventured in the kids’ entertainment space after signing an exclusive global partnership deal with Moonbug Entertainment, the company behind popular kids and family music catalogs, including CoComelon, Little Baby Bum and Blippi.
Meanwhile, Warner Music Group’s Arts Music division inked a deal with toy maker Mattel, under which Warner became the exclusive distributor of more than 1,000 songs from Mattel brands such as American Girl, Barbie, Fisher-Price, Hot Wheels and Thomas & Friends.
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