Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

Steve Salvari is backing Jeeni

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Steve Salvari is backing Jeeni

Steve Salvari, the London-based music producer, singer, song-writer and musician has played an integral part in shaping the British musical landscape, and his work is cited as vital reference points in the chronology of British Pop, Soul and Jazz Funk. His CV reads like a Who’s Who of musical luminaries, working with artists from a broad spectrum of genres, including Chaka Khan, Robert Palmer, Barry White, Billy Ocean, Lulu, Aswad, Jonathan Butler, Natalie Cole and Omar. Now Steve has joined Team Jeeni as our latest ambassador and mentor, and he’s passing on his experience and support to the new generation of Jeeni artists.

Steve says, “Many others have tried and failed to support unsigned artists achieve their dreams, but the difference with Jeeni is the strength of the management team and their experience and connections in the industry. The Jeeni team are straight talkers, very focused, fully transparent with an unstoppable attitude to make Jeeni a huge success.” Welcome aboard!

Steve Salvari

18
Feb

Artist Focus: Cassius Gray

With casual, effortless rhymes and relatable vibes, Cassius Gray is making huge waves in the UK jazz rap scene.  Cassius Gray has expanded and diversified Jeeni’s hip-hop, rap and RnB channels with six incredible tracks, each one different to the last and totally refreshing. His last single, ‘Sunbeds’ is a lush and lavish piece, fueled by smooth, old-school RnB samples and sentiments; listen on Jeeni here: https://jeeni.com/sunbeds-cassius-gray/. And check out Cassius’ showcase here: https://jeeni.com/showcase/0xr7kzzd8v5p/   Cassius has been making music for seven years now and has been developing his sound with every chance he’s had. His track from 2019, ‘A.M’ has nearly 1 million listens and according to Cassius is a surefire crowd-pleaser, “my favourite to perform was my song A.M with Souleymane Noe/Luther King, it bangs so hard live man!” Luther King contributes an icy cold verse on ‘A.M’, as well as providing the dangerously catchy “I don’t care if this tune don’t bang” hook.   One of many successful collaborations, ‘A.M’ set a trend of sorts; ‘Jp from 640’, Teddy, J P Rose, and producer San Tino all followed with collaborations after the 2019 single. Cassius especially praised the latter for the creative synergy the two have, “Specifically shout out to my guy San Tino - the producer of our 2021 Single ‘Cookoo’”. This track from last year saw Cassius venture into an entirely new direction for his vocal talent: garage. San Tino lays down an unmistakable modern garage beat over which he plays calming synth pads and minimal, yet effective added percussion. As well as just rapping, Cassius also sings over the freeing instrumental in the form of expressive, auto-tuned vocalisations and humming. This stylistic risk and subsequent pay-off makes ‘Cookoo’ a clearly special moment in Cassius Gray’s young discography.  ‘Chillhop’ and ‘jazz rap’ are broad genres that Cassius is often inclined towards, but to expect one style from this artist is pointless. Cassius’ influences act like a rolling snowball, picking up anything and everything in its path and using it to make it stronger, more complex and layered. His inspirations stem back to early 90s hip-hop, namely ‘A Tibe Called Quest’. Q-Tip's crew redefined hip-hop and continues to stir the imaginations of entire generations of artists even now. Tribe’s approach to samples, beats and attitude can regularly be seen in Cassius’ own work, especially with tracks like ‘Mum Called?’ and the collaborative, ‘World Spins Too Fast’.  Cassius is an essential component of this new and exciting wave of UK hip-hop and Jeeni, along with all of his fans, can’t wait for his debut album, which he promises is lined up for this year. Make sure you’re following Cassius on social media to stay in the loop of his ever-developing sound.  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassiusgray_/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cassiusgraymusic   Jeeni showcase: https://jeeni.com/showcase/0xr7kzzd8v5p/   How can Jeeni support artists like Cassius Gray?   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.  artist biography

03
Sep

Victorious Festival - Colour of the Jungle

Colour of the Jungle are a five-piece rock band, performing at this years Victorious Festival. The bands captivating songwriting and energy has resonated with audiences from Munich to the South coast of England. The group of five friends jammed for fun before moving to the studio, where they soon discovered their true potential and recorded their debut EP The Jungle Book. Their catchy-but-emotional, approachable-yet-raw sound is built upon sexy bass-driven rhythms and edgy instrumentation. Creating music that sticks in the head and the heart. Following the release of their debut EP The Jungle Book, Colour of the Jungle dropped ‘Steel Tray’. A summer anthem that captures the complex bass lines of John Harris, confident drum beats of Dan Fiford, rhythmic riff and leads of Joe Costello and Brendan McVeagh, and intriguing lyrics of Jack Evans. Inspired by iconic rock and roll greats such as Kings of Leon, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and The Growlers, Colour of the Jungle are sculpting their own identity of modern garage rock. To date Colour of the Jungle have played many festivals. Including Victorious, Wickham, Street Party and Hayling Island Kite Festival. Along with playing many events and venues from their hometown Portsmouth, all around Hampshire, right through to London and also venturing out to Munich… you could say there are truly creating a stir in the jungle. The Pompey band continue to make a name for themselves, gaining an impressive reputation with their live shows. Winning “Best Local Band’ in the 2021 Southsea Folk Awards. Colour of the Jungle at Victorious Festival 2021 Victorious Festival is the UK’s biggest metropolitan festival and returns to Southsea Seafront this this August Bank holiday weekend (27th-29th August). With an excellent line-up including Madness, The Streets, Royal Blood and many more. COTJ will perform a set including music from their new EP ‘Monkey Mind’ on the Seaside Stage at Victorious Festival. Nick Courtney, will present the Seaside Stage, showcasing the best up and coming talent from Portsmouth and surrounding areas. See cruise liners soar past while watching the next big thing. Catch Colour of the Jungle on the Seaside Stage on Saturday 28th August 2021 at the Victorious Festival, Portsmouth. Or check out Colour of the Jungle’s showcase here: Colour of the Jungle | Showcase | JEENI #independent #victorious #festival #portsmouth #jeeni #colourofthejungle #showcase

12
Nov

Weekly Round-Up #4

The latest news on all things Jeeni, music and entertainment news. The ongoing impact of Covid-19 on musicians Like many other sectors, the music industry has been hit hard by coronavirus with live performance revenue the biggest casualty. During the lockdown, the cancellation and postponement of most live music has had a catastrophic impact on the entire industry. In addition to a reduction in physical sales from the closure of retail stores. There has even been a negative impact on synch opportunities due to less production of visual content. And while streaming revenue has increased, it is not a sustainable source of income due to unfair revenue shares. According to National statistics even before the pandemic, a musician earned on average £23,059, well below the national average of £29,832, according to the Office for National Statistics. A report by UK Music predicted that musicians will have lost 65% of their income this year, rising to 80% for those most dependent on live performance and studio work. Frances O’Grady TUC General Secretary sent a strong message of solidarity and support to Musician Union members at the 39th Musicians’ Union Delegate Conference. Highlighting the effects of Covid-19 on musicians. “The pandemic has been a huge challenge to working people and musicians have been on its economic frontline, unable to work due to lockdown restrictions” she said.“Too often this government left the self-employed high and dry. Now ministers must step up to give arts, culture, entertainment, and festivals the support we urgently need”. Jeeni is ahead of the government in supporting musicians, the platform hosts a range of creative talent supporting them to grow an audience. On Jeeni, artists and creatives keep 100% of everything they earn, and thousands of performers are already on board, with an audience outreach that has grown to over two million. Check out what we do at Jeeni and how we support independent creative talent YouTubes ads business is now bigger than the entire global record business According to revenue figures released last week from YouTube Parent company Alphabet, YouTube generated $7.205 billion in revenues from advertising in Q3 this year. Up 43%, or by over $2 billion, year-on-year versus the same quarter of 2020. The $7.205 billion figure did not include additional revenues from subscriptions which YouTube just announced it has surpassed 50 million global subscribers to YouTube Music and YouTube Premium. Meaning that the video streaming giant now has a bigger ads business than the entire global record business. New artists face ‘massive competition’ from established acts due to streaming New artists face massive competition from major established acts such as Queen and the Beatles due to the advent of streaming according to The Culture Committee. Peter Leathem, chief executive from the music copyright collective Phonographic Performance Ltd, told MPs that even the most talented performers were “struggling” to make a living from their music in part due to the competition they face for plays and revenue. “They are faced with massive competition. If you look at 2019, the best-selling albums were Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, based on the film, and Abbey Road by the Beatles, on its 50-year anniversary. If you are trying to break a new artist or trying to get your own streaming going you have got the last 50 years of the music industry to compete with.” With lots of streaming taking place, the value of the market is much less and there is so much competition. Up-and-coming artists are also competing for a share of a “smaller pie”. He added, “If you are trying to break a new artist or trying to get your own streaming going you have got the last 50 years of the music industry to compete with." MPs are continuing to examine what economic impact music streaming is having on artists, record labels and the sustainability of the wider industry. It's clear that the music industry needs more support in terms of the value gap and allowing the spotlight to be on new artists. This is exactly what Jeeni are doing, by supporting independent artists. Jeeni is a platform that brings together creative talents and allows them to showcase their work to a wider audience. All while keeping 100% of everything they earn, and thousands of artists are already on board, with an audience outreach that has grown to over two million. Be sure to visit Jeeni and discover how we help independent artists rise above the limitations of major streaming services at Jeeni.com Jeeni News Artist Pairing Initiative We had our very first artist pairing meeting hosted by Jeeni’s Ella Venvell. The artist pairing is a new initiative by Jeeni where we pair up artists of a similar genre, one with more experience and the other a fledgling artist. The more experienced artist is able able to give advice and words of wisdom. While both artists can encourage and inspire each other by sharing their individual experiences. Our first meeting with Daisy Chute and Ariana May was a huge success. Daisy shared her experiences of being signed to a major label before becoming an independent self-sufficient artist, expressing the benefits and downfalls to both. Furthermore advising Ariana on the best ways to promote her music through a variety of avenues and the different revenue streams available. If you are an artist interested in Jeeni's pairing initiative then be sure to contact our Artist Liaison Ella Venvell at ella@jeeni.com, including info about yourself and why would like to be part of the artist pairing initiative. Pick Of The Week Our pick of the week is Glasgow based alt-rock band Respite. The band blends elements of punk, post-hardcore and pop music, with lyrics and vocals heavily inspired by pop-punk and emo. Respite released their first single, “Chemical Sleep” on the 3rd of October. Soon after following with their debut EP “Vol. 1” on the 29th of October which features five original tracks, and is available to stream everywhere right now! Check out Respite's showcase on Jeeni - Respite | Showcase | JEENI New Music Friday In our New Music Friday segment, Daisy Chute has been selected with the release of her EP Songs of Solace on Friday 12th November. A collection of six original songs which tells a story ‘through the beginning, middle and end of a relationship. Songs of Solace is available on all streaming platforms. Check out Daisy Chutes showcase on Jeeni - Daisy Chute | Showcase | JEENI Jeeni and Chillblast Partnership Jeeni has partnered with Chillblast to bring customers exclusive branded PCs designed for musicians and creatives. Chillblast is the UK’s Most Awarded PC Manufacturer. Find out more about Chillblast here, and discover why Jeeni has partnered with Chillblast to bring Special Edition music PCs with exclusive Jeeni branding. As well as a year's subscription to the Jeeni Platform with each order worth £85. Chillblast Jeeni PCs are perfect for all musicians and creatives, whether you're an independent bedroom pop artist or a music producer working on the next number 1 one single. Get the best deal on music PCs with our black Friday 2021 offer. Buy your Jeeni Music PC built and warrantied by the UK’s most awarded PC manufacturer here Jeeni PCs (chillblast.com)