Spotify Billionaire CEO Daniel Ek is out of touch with reality.

Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

Spotify Billionaire CEO Daniel Ek is out of touch with reality.

Spotify’s economic model has been widely condemned by musicians and songwriters for years, with critics claiming that the service pays out paltry royalties and gives major-label artists an unfair advantage via playlist placement and other promotional avenues. But according to CEO Daniel Ek, the problem is not Spotify, it’s those lazy musicians!

The response among musicians and performers on social media has been extremely negative with many paying subscribers boycotting Spotify because of how badly it treats musicians. In 2020 more than any other year since Spotify launched, there’s been a surge of musicians talking publicly about their streaming royalties not being enough to live on – including a campaign in the UK (#BrokenRecord) that has trained its sights not just on streaming services, but on labels and the wider industry structures. Tom Gray who started #BrokneRecord campaign states: "This has been problematic for such a long time, and that’s why I call it ‘Broken Record’ because there’s nothing new about this. I’m just saying basically the same things that you’ve heard a million times. But the context has completely changed.”

Many artists and fans believe there are no alternatives or options when it comes to music streaming. Being told by a billionaire to work harder and faster, isn’t likely to be the best artistic motivator, either. According to Ek, musicians need to get with the times and keep up a steady stream of content: “There is a narrative fallacy here, combined with the fact that, obviously, some artists that used to do well in the past may not do well in this future landscape, where you can’t record music once every three to four years and think that’s going to be enough. The artists today that are making it realize that it’s about creating a continuous engagement with their fans. It is about putting the work in, about the storytelling around the album, and about keeping a continuous dialogue with your fans.” He concluded, “I feel, really, that the ones that aren’t doing well in streaming are predominantly people who want to release music the way it used to be released.”

Jeeni is the newest offering in this, the fastest growing media sector. Created by Mel Coucher, a digital guru who wants the musicians and performers to take 100% of the money they earn - yes, you did read that correctly!

Currently in the last 5 days of its 3rd crowd funding event, Jeeni smashed its £100k target in the first 6 days! Find out more at www.crowdcube.com/jeeni but you’ll need to be quick to invest, only 5 days left!

If you’re an artist or performer, or just a follower of music who is wanting a better system, which offers everyone a service based on ethics, honesty and fairness then come and see how we do it, at www.jeeni.com

Or, you can just stick with what you know and keep filling the pockets of billionaires?

Click HERE to visit or return to jeeni.com

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07
Feb

Ace Bermuda - ‘WTF is Ace Bermuda?’ (Feat. Jada Freeman & Profiiit) Single Review

If the elusive, grand and electrifying Ace Bermuda were a TV show, ‘WTF Is Ace Bermuda’ would be their theme song. The collective’s first official release perfectly encapsulates the group’s innovative intentions and collaborative nature. The first official emergence of Ace Bermuda has been literally years in the making and although they took their sweet time to release a track, the debut has smashed all expectations. Brand new to Jeeni, we’re so lucky to catch this group at the genesis of their refreshing and wild style of alt hip-hop/electronic fusion. This act consists of a core partnership of Jake Thomas and Jacob Richardson, two evil-genius producers, who work overtime for the chief himself, Mr. Ace Bermuda. The semi-retired industry legend watches from a distance and nods his approval as the two do his creative bidding. ‘WTF Is Bermuda’ is a living, breathing organism which shifts and morphs around whoever takes to the mic at any given time. Where other electronic based producers might copy and paste chunks of identical audio to flesh out a track, the Bermuda beat-makers give each bar attention, care and detail. Similarly, neither feature steals the show, but instead are balanced and work together incredibly well. American rapper, Profiiit brings a stone-cold iciness to the middle section of the track. His second verse is accompanied by a harsh, yet distant synth that snakes alongside his un-faltering bars and propels the part even higher. East London’s Jada Freeman sing/raps her smooth, and captivating featured verse as the track begins to peak and wind down. The reverb settings and panning given to her vocalisations brings an ethereality to her voice which adorns the outro with charm and beauty. A potential reason behind Ace Bermuda's ambiguous sense of identity is also subtly addressed here on the group's debut single, another reason why this track is important to the act's timeline and history. A repeating verse heard at the beginning of the track and throughout, criticises those who value their image above a message that they could be expressing, "Look, another self promoter, spread your face, not your voice". This ideology was infamously held by the late MF DOOM; the masked rapper was known for occasionally sending imposters in his stead at live shows to outline the unimportance of his actual identity. This is an interesting stance in the music industry, which luckily has been continued with acts like Ace Bermuda. Check out Ace Bermuda’s showcase on Jeeni: https://jeeni.com/showcase/AceBermuda/ The Ace Bermuda masterminds have a lot more up their sleeve. Follow the group on socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ace.bermuda/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ace_bermuda Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ace.bermuda.927 They also have an upcomming live show with ‘Naytiive’ at Fiddler’s Elbow, Camden on the 12th of February: https://www.ticketweb.uk/event/limited-tickets-naytiive-support-the-fiddlers-elbow-tickets/11537915?pl=hotvox&edpPlParam=%3Fpl%3Dhotvox How can Jeeni support artists like Ace Bermuda? 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.

03
Sep

Jeeni now live to the public on Crowdcube having raised £80K and on schedule to reach £100K target.

Jeeni, the social music platform that brings artists closer to their fans – and shares revenue ethically – is poised to become the first Portsmouth-based start-up to go on Crowdcube for its third round. If you want to see our pitch click HERE. With 350million streamed music subscribers and market growth up by 39% this year, Jeeni is likely to ride the wave and be a huge success, not only with unsigned musicians and performers but with their superfans. “We’re standing by to raise £100,000 for 2.4% with a pre-market valuation£4M,” says Jeeni founder Shena Mitchell. “And while we are already negotiating with several major investors, the beauty of Crowdcube is that the artists themselves can actually own a stake in the company for as little as £10.” Shena continues, “Jeeni’s mission is to support unsigned music and performers, by helping them build a fanbase. We aim to fast-track careers in the music business, and make sure they take the lion’s share of the revenue that’s raised. Jeeni is needed more now than ever and we have proved that the demand is high. Currently we can only support 100,000 videos, so we must now move up a gear as we head for global roll-out. This Round Three investment will be used to scale up again and launch our next-generation platform. It will also be used to develop our IoS and Android apps." When the financial backing has been secured and we go live, we’ll be creating new jobs in the area, which is great for the local economy. When you consider the wealth of music talent in Portsmouth – hosting over 2,000 music events a year with Victorious, The Guildhall, Band Stand, Wedgewood Rooms, and all the Portsmouth Festivities and pubs – we’re alive to the opportunities of our local music culture, creativity and talent. But with live venues locked down for now, the online opportunity of Jeeni is needed more than ever. It’s so cool to think someone reading this might choose to invest in Jeeni now with just £10, and then use Jeeni to build their own fanbase for fame and success! We’re going to try hard to make sure that happens.” JEENI is currently inviting investment on Crowdcube. To find out how to get involved please join our mailing list for updates or check out our fundraising pitch. If you want to see our pitch click HERE.

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

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