DanceOn says it's 'not just about dance anymore,' announces music entertainment brand
NEW YORK -- DanceOn is expanding its repertoire.
The L.A.-based digital entertainment company, which has traditionally been known as a dance network, said Tuesday that it is launching a parent company called izo, dedicated to music.
CEO Amanda Taylor launched DanceOn back in 2010 as a multi-channel network dedicated to dance in pop culture. She co-founded the network with major players across the entertainment industry, including Madonna, Guy Oseary and Machinima chairman AllenDeBevoise. Investors include Allen DeBevoise, AMC Networks and Third Wave Ventures.
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Since then, the digital media company has evolved into a network with about 5 billion views, 30 million subscribers and 75 million fans across its platforms.
The goal of izo -- whose name was inspired by the musical term “intermezzo” -- is "to connect audiences with popular music programming and empower its fans to engage with music."
"We are not just about dance anymore,” Taylor, who will remain CEO, said in a statement. “Launching izo helps us further cultivate our audience of music fans and super-serve the DanceOn creator community and audience.”
The parent company -- whose music partners include Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and Sony, 300 Entertainment -- will "leverage DanceOn’s capabilities in breaking new music artists to launch new participatory programming brand for music fans."
New programming from izo will take stem from of DanceOn’s successful formats, including “Artist Request” and “The Edge." The company will also build new music-related series and branded entertainment. Under izo, DanceOn will continue as the top dance programmer and community empowering dance artists.
The news, announced during NewFronts, comes after DanceOn's successful efforts to help digital influencers become mainstream.
In 2015, the company pushed four new artists into the Billboard Top 40 chart.
"Our creative team and creator community develop programming that meaningfully impacts music discovery and pop culture," Taylor said.
The company also recently tapped Karen Schuchardt (who was leading digital video sales at Disney’s ABC television network) as chief revenue officer and Betty Tran (who ran the marketing and digital operations at Insomniac Events), as executive vice president.
DanceOn will celebrate izo with a party in New York City on Tuesday, where pop duo Tegan and Sara will perform.
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Topics Music
Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
