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

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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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10
Jun

Let’s celebrate the “F” word – unlocking the power of our feminity. By Sammie Venn

By Sammie Venn Jeeni's Official Writer, Columnist and Blogger. Here at Jeeni.com we celebrate and support all musicians and performers, and poetry has its own dedicated channel for artists and performers to showcase their work and earn 100% of their sales, ticketing, merchandise and donations. Last week Jeeni returned to Crowdcube to raise more funds for helping new talent. We have been very encouraged with the positive response as we reached our target in just 6 days and now overfunding If you want to see our pitch click HERE. Today we showcase Sammie Venn as a very talented and creative writer. “For I conclude that the enemy is not lipstick, but guilt itself; we deserve lipstick, if we want it, AND free speech; we deserve to be sexual AND serious—or whatever we please. We are entitled to wear cowboy boots to our own revolution.” After reading Dr Naomi Wolfs powerful words I dug my cowboy boots out of the closet, turned the radio up and attempted to work through my own solitary revolution. I too wanted lipstick, love and liberty. I wanted to dance to my own beat and feel ecstatic about it. I have been in the retail industry for over 25 years now; understanding what women want and correlating that to how they feel, is a task both meaningful and joyful to me. It is something I continue to learn and explore daily as finding our inimitable style is part of the process of discovering our femininity; for me it is about how we show up in the world. I have never been an avid follower of fast fashion, the clothes we wear and how we choose to adorn ourselves is part of being authentically who we are. At heart I am a boho gypsy who longs to live her life in maxi dresses with no shoes, in the sunshine. This is of course not always practical but I like to kiss the earth with my toes as often as I can and working from home, especially at the moment provides me with that luxury. Celebrating our femininity should be a practice that connects both the pleasure and magic of being a woman. It’s easy to berate ourselves, finding fault in the smallest of details but it is those elements that we should embrace and nurture more than anything; it is after all what makes us unique in this world. I had a hip replacement a couple of years ago at the age of 45. As painful and heart breaking as it was, I learnt to love the scar I see every day, as it was that very operation which allowed me to walk again. Falling in love with your body, scars and all, is about accepting everything that is wild, vulnerable and rampant about it. Listening to our intuition and feeling the emotions that accompany it, is a practice worthy of time and dedication. I have always appreciated music, the soundtrack that accompanies my life is as varied and eclectic as the decades I have lived in. Maya Angelou wrote that “ a bird does not sing because it has the answers, it sings because it has a song”. So when we write, listen or perform, we give something of our heart to a receiving audience. I have been working on a series of practices that will hopefully help to reclaim our pleasure both internally and externally. Here are a few rituals that harness the wisdom that we all carry within ourselves. Something for the mind, body and spirit. Reclaiming Pleasure. When we feel pleasure, we radiate it. Our skin glows, our eyes smile and our bodies feel more fluid and engaged with life in the moment. Finding pleasure in our daily activities is all part of a healthy sacred self-care regime. Notice what brings you joy, is it walking in nature? Dancing slowly to a rhythmic beat? Eating delicious food? Meditating? Soaking in a candlelit bath? Whatever it is, write it down and designate some time to your desires. Fulfilling our deepest needs brings us joy and harmony. Date Yourself. Have a date with yourself, be your own lover. Imagine your ideal soiree then recreate that for yourself, it can be wildly extravagant or very simple. A few years ago I took myself out for dinner, I dressed as if I were going out for the perfect first date. It was an odd experience as I had never done anything like this before. I was as nervous about being alone in a restaurant as I would have been meeting a prospective partner. But after my first glass of prosecco, I eased into the evening. I pulled out my notebook and listed everything I wanted to attract into my life; health, the feeling of safety, oneness with myself and those I loved, a man who respected me on all levels and a career I could be proud of. I ate my dinner mindfully, observed those around me and then smiled to myself, I remember feeling happy for the first time in years. I still have the journal I wrote in that night, I see it as part of my self-healing revolution. When you commit to choosing you, that loving vibration will radiate into all areas of your life. Click HERE to visit or return to jeeni.com

14
Jan

Weekly Round-Up #7

The latest news on all things Jeeni, music and entertainment. Happy new year from Jeeni! We're constantly trying to enrich our database with new art for listeners to explore and enjoy and so, on this edition of Weekly Round-Up, we wanted to keep everyone updated on the new developments and additions that have been going on here at Jeeni. New Releases on Jeeni: Jeeni’s database of incredible new music has recently been expanded with new projects from a variety of artists ranging from hip-hop to country. Baby Panna, Ariana May, Richard Murray, Lennox Campbell and DarkStarGraver have all recently uploaded new projects onto Jeeni. Exciting new music is what fuels Jeeni and allows us to promote and boost the artists behind them. If you want to feature your work on Jeeni or if you’re already a Jeeni artist and want more of your work to be added to your showcase, contact us at doug@jeeni.com or ella@jeeni.com and we can sort everything out for you! New Review blogs: As more inspiring and inventive work is uploaded to Jeeni, as are more reviews. DarkStarGraver released an album late last year titled ‘Over The Bridge & Far Away’. Jeeni’s review of the album claimed that, “If you had any familiarity with this Portsmouth rapper’s refreshing and inventive brand of UK hip-hop, then it should be of no surprise that his newest album is as buoyant, animated and thought-out as it is.” We also had the pleasure of reviewing Maple Sky’s ‘Wearing Red’, a smoky and lush opening track from their self-titled EP. A “perfect sonic epitome of the smooth jazz inspired outfit”, ‘Wearing Red’ is certainly a must-listen for jazz-heads. Finally, Richard Murray’s anticipated new album, ‘Fire Sale’ was reviewed on Wednesday. “Richard Murray is a Northern Irish singer and songwriter who specialises in expanding the pre-conceived ideas people have about country music.” Jeeni University Partnerships: Jeeni is keen to operate and work with various universities to uplift blossoming and brand-new artists and to provide an ethical and supportive means of showcasing their talent to a worldwide platform. As well as getting young students and artists interested in becoming a Jeeni artist and making use of our marketing and artist liaison team, we’re also offering roles to become a part of the Jeeni team itself. Right now, we have our roles advertised with BIMM and Middlesex Unis, as well as on our Indeed page (https://uk.indeed.com/jobs?q=jeeni&l&vjk=a98f08cca58bd410). Make sure you're following us on social media to keep up to date with new releases from our artists, our reviews and any job openings: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeenimusic/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeenimusic Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeenimusic Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/33222018/admin/

02
Feb

I K 8OY - ‘Let You Know’, single review

Stirring together afroswing with tuneful rapping, the first official release from Nigerian/British rapper, I K 8OY is a shimmering and glossy UK hip-hop achievement. A new addition to Jeeni, I K 8OY began creating music back in Nigeria as a part of a band and moved to the UK to study. He began writing and recording music more centered around rap in 2018 however, like many artists, the pandemic caused a change in creative direction and I K began to take more inspiration from home and incorporated afrobeat ideas into his work. Jeeni is looking forward to propelling I K 8OY and increasing his outreach with our global platform. The smooth, silky nature of 'Let You Know' is reminiscent of J Hus’s debut album, ‘Common Sense’. This likeness is particularly due to a grand approach to production and the luxurious electronic keyboard which warbles the jazzy chords across the syncopated beats. A jazz-scaling saxophone is positioned in the distant right of the stereo space and does an incredible job in advancing the suaveness and confidence of the track. The tuning of percussive instruments, heard clearest in the intro, is archetypal of traditional Nigerian instrumentation such as the Dùndún or ‘Talking Drum’. A plucking palm-muted guitar then joins the tuned percussion and creates an ingenious polyrhythm that sits underneath the main beat. Although subtle, this attention given to the beat is such an effective device and really separates this track from other progressions in UK hip-hop genres. I K’s voice is gravely, authoritative and demands your attention, so it’s certainly not coincidental that I K 8OY has named Rick Ross as one of his main influences. His rushed and unique rap delivery is catching to the ear and contrasts with the easygoing instrumental accompaniment. Stay tuned, because if ‘Let You Know’ is anything to go by, I K 8OY is just getting warmed up. Album review Check out I K 8OY’s Jeeni Showcase here: https://jeeni.com/showcase/zhgeii1xjlpg/ How can Jeeni support artists like I K 8OY? 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.

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