Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

How to Build Your Own Playlist

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How to Build Your Own Playlist

In our previous blog called, "Top Ten Tips on How to Promote your Music Independently" http://bit.ly/2W2nCJ5 we suggested you get yourself PLAYLISTED.

Maybe we should have said, Build your own Playlist and then get yourself Playlisted. So what is the difference?

Building your own PLAYLIST is an easy way to boost the promotion of your own music, so why not give it a go. The video is 3 minutes long so I have taken the highlight. (Approx. 60 second read time)

  1. Start by creating your own public playlist filled with great music, and include your own tracks too.
  2. With a small amount of work you you could get a few hundred followers, it'll still help your chance of landing on other, bigger playlists.
  3. With a lot of work and fun, you could build your playlist to have thousands or even millions of followers over time.
  4. Discover Weekly algorithm takes EVERY playlist into account, no matter how small. The algorithms behind Discover Weekly find users who have built playlists featuring the songs and artists you love. It then goes through songs that a number of your kindred spirits have added to playlists but you haven't heard, knowing there is a good chance you might like them too.
  5. Ideally, you want to be uploading & submitting your tracks to playlists weeks in advance of your release. For example Spotify alone get 20,000 new tracks every day.
  6. Make sure you get your tags rights so you can be featured automatically and help the editors find you. No guarantee, but you need to start somewhere.
  7. Share your music on your own social media platforms to get on a playlist, stay on a playlist and grow your fanbase. Drive traffic from off platform, that means share your links everywhere. Post them on your socials, website and other channels.
  8. You can only submit one track per release, so if you're releasing an album or an EP, have a good think about which track is most likely to get picked by a playlist.
  9. Pitch your music to independent curators, if you are not sure how to do this, keep a eye out for our next blog.
  10. Try not to disheartened if you do not get thousands of followers straightaway, keep choosing music you love and keep adding to your playlist, be true to yourself, only add your favorite tracks and have some fun.

Check out our new community of facebook, called: Unsigned Artist Community and join today. http://bit.ly/2Q45ri8

https://vimeo.com/396927442

10
Mar

Artist Focus: DarkStarGraver – Rapper, Singer, Poet

While DarkStarGraver has a Zambian heritage, he lived in South Africa until he was two at which point, he bounced around the UK from Birmingham, to London, to Scotland and finally at ten years old, found where he identifies most, in Portsmouth. This is where Graver found his passion and drive as a rapper and has “been a Pompey lad ever since.”  With innovative wordplay and masterful creative insight, DarkStarGraver is making an exciting splash in the UK hiphop scene, particularly with last year’s ‘Burning Bridges’, a dark, and impressive debut EP that expertly showcases his range as a rapper, singer and producer. Criminally underrated and unexplored, it’s only a matter of time before DSG blows up.  Like all great artists, Graver grew up surrounded by iconic and memorable music. Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Sade all combined to create a powerful and soulful pool of inspirations for a young DarkStarGraver. Inspirations of the past collided with the then-current music landscape of garage and grime as the final push to convince him to start creating his own brand of the music that he loves.  Graver found a particular success with a cut from his Burning Bridges EP, ‘CodeRED’ which holds the key components of a modern hiphop hit; A hard-hitting, adaptive beat, a catchy sung chorus and pure skill on the mic. Graver's 'CodeRed' was last year, a long time on from his first ever beat, ‘Dark Stars’ which kicked off his journey and brand as an artist.  More than just a creative outlet, DarkStarGraver is inspired by artists like Tyler, The Creator and Kendrick for their tendencies towards lyrics deeper than just the surface. “Music is how I vent my most intimate thoughts and feelings, it’s therapeutic to me so I'm typically drawn to music that does the same”.  From Graver’s, ‘Nivana Over DIGITS’ video, it comes as no surprise that earlier this year, Graver was nominated for ‘Music Video of The Year’ by LMSUK’s Portsmouth Radar. DarkStarGraver’s vision is realised vibrantly and clearly in his visuals. Watch now on Jeeni: https://jeeni.com/bcewhactsrxr/  Last year, Respect Magazine said, “DarkStarGraver is one of the most exciting new acts on the UK rap scene” and they couldn’t be more accurate. Graver’s mindset is fresh, focused and inspiring and we can’t wait to hear his next project.  Check out DarkStarGraver’s Jeeni page: https://jeeni.com/?s=DarkStarGraver  How can Jeeni support artists like DarkStarGraver?   JEENI is a multi-channel platform for original entertainment on demand. We’re a direct service between creatives and the global audience.   • We give creatives, independent artists and performers a showcase for their talent and services. And they keep 100% of everything they make.  • We empower our audience and reward them every step of the way.  • We promise to treat our members ethically, fairly, honestly and with respect.  • Access to artist liaison and a supportive marketing team 

13
Aug

THE ETHICAL ANSWER TO THE GREAT STREAMING RIP-OFF

For too many years, the giants who control the world's music streaming services have been ripping off the creators and performers of the content that allows these services to exist. The figures are staggering, 355 million paying subscribers to an industry worth over twenty-four billion dollars a year. But most artists who provide the content don't earn enough from their monthly streaming royalties to buy a pizza. Now there is an ethical alternative, a streaming service run by artists for artists, where creatives and supporters own a share in the company and keep 100% of what they make. It's a Portsmouth-based venture called Jeeni. Last month, the UK Government report on the major streaming services painted a picture of a broken model that fails to reward musicians fairly. Superstar Nile Rodgers calls it a huge victory for his peers. “I want to believe in my optimistic heart and soul that things will change,” he told the Financial Times, after giving evidence to the Government committee. Rogers is appearing at the Victorious Festival in Jeeni's home town of Portsmouth, alongside a raft of artists who have set up their showcases on the Jeeni platform since their campaign was launched. The founders of Jeeni have a track-record of success, and include veteran entrepreneur Mel Croucher, who founded the UK videogames industry in the 1970s. He is joined by several GRAMMY-Award-Winners and celebrities, including Roger Watson, the ex-boss of Arista Records, responsible for selling over 500,000 records. "We've all made it to the top," says Watson, and now we're giving something back to a new generation. We've got the experience, they've got the talent. Now we're giving them all the tools they need to showcase their work on Jeeni, and get properly rewarded for their efforts, as well as own a piece of the action too." Jeeni's CEO, Shena Mitchell is also no stranger to successful start-ups. She founded The Innovation Warehouse and has now taken Jeeni to the crowdfunding platform Crowdcube, where budding superstars can own a slice of the company for less than the price of that legendary pizza. More information: jeeni.com/investhttps://www.crowdcube.com/companies/jeeni/pitches/qD0WNq

06
Jun

Why weird is my new wonderful.

By Sammie Venn Jeeni's Official Writer, Columnist and Blogger. The dictionary definition of weird is “extraordinary, out of this world” I remember the feeling of utter hope and merriment when I read that. I suddenly didn’t feel alone anymore. Once I fully released my inner oddball, the magic started to happen. The people who I thought I loved and loved me just fell away. It was like watching grains of sand slip through my fingers. At the time it felt like a gigantic loss but in hindsight it was the best gift I could have been given. I’m grateful every day for all the losses as what I have gained surpasses anything I could have dreamt of. I came out of the “kooky closet” said a tentative hello to my new surroundings and have never looked back. Having always felt like I had trodden a different path in life, I used to feel embarrassed about my so called “weirdness”. A damaging label that was attributed over the course of many years. Always being on the periphery at school, shallow friendships and poor choices in men made me feel like there was something wrong with me. Decades later I began the journey of coming to terms with whatever it was that made me feel a bit different. I read countless books, watched documentaries on Gaia, downloaded as many spiritual audibles as I could afford and after a period of counselling I realised that actually being “different” totally rocked and I certainly wasn’t the only one experiencing all those feelings of self-doubt. Self-doubt had finally set sail to distant shores and my passport to a happier more soulful life had been stamped with creativity with no expiration date.  My wired but wonderful List...So I’m not ashamed of saying that... 3am – the hour of writers, poets, musicians, silence seekers and overthinkers – In this crazy time that is 3am I really do achieve a lot of work. The silence is accompanied with prolific bird song and the sunrise paints a spectacular sunset across the fields. So there is no better landscape for creativity. Gardening at Night -I water my roses at midnight in an old fashioned Victorian nightie with a gin and tonic in hand. The kiss of the night time breeze provides a magical space to reflect on the past 24 hours and plan the next. Adventure at work -I have made a home office in my camper van and drive to various different places to work and mediate and be away from the humdrum of daily life. I need to be portable otherwise I feel stagnant and confined. My camper caters for most needs; a whistling kettle for fresh coffee, a writing station and insanely comfortable bed for those cheeky afternoon power naps. Writing Erotica -I love to write erotic poetry and have an entire bookcase at home dedicated to naughtiness throughout the ages. Ancient manuscripts and recent tomes dedicated to Love, and all of the emotions surrounding it adorn the shelves. Wild words and Soul Magic - I have about 10 different tarot desks I particularly Love Rebecca Campbell’s “Work your light” the illustrations are as magical as her words. I love to practice either quietly by myself or with my bestie in London. We savour our weekends as they are few and far between these days but we still write together and have created different worlds where we pretend to live like we were once warrior soul sisters. In fact lockdown has been perfect for that.  There are so many other things I do in my arsenal of “weird but wonderful” and I wouldn’t be without any of them now. Lewis Carroll wrote in “Alice in Wonderland” “you’re mad, bonkers, completely off your head. But I’ll Tell you a secret. All the best people are”. Definitely my mantra, it even sits as a plaque on my wall in the studio. Have you got any practices or quirks that you embrace? We would love to hear about them. Click HERE to visit or return to jeeni.com