Team Jeeni- 4 months today since Lockdown.

Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

Team Jeeni- 4 months today since Lockdown.

LOCKDOWN
The impact of the pandemic crisis on the Jeeni project continues to be remarkably positive, not least because we have genuinely been able to help hard-hit artists and performers. The decision to open Jeeni for free subscriptions to all-comers in response to lockdown has seen mass sign-ups via our website and online community.

Yesterday, Jeeni returned to Crowdcube to raise more funds for helping new talent. Jeeni founding director Mel Croucher says, “We’re ahead of our original schedule, but there’s still so much more to do. We need to scale our online platform globally now and build our mass artist showcases to hit all our targets, and give our new artists the recognition they deserve.” We have already reached 90% of our target so if you want to see our pitch click HERE.

Shena Mitchell, Jeeni founding director, says: "I have never worked so hard in my life, but it's actually been a welcomed distraction. I am fortunate that I have been working from home for many years, so no change there, and fortunate to be living in a house with an office and a garden. Living on my own 24/7 for 120 days has been a challenge. Working with musicians and performers in lockdown has been a massive privilege, listening to music all day and watching magical performances is a treat for me, as up until 2 years ago I was mainly working in academia and public sector fundraising for start-ups, which I loved. But working with Team Jeeni creatives is a dream come true.

Most importantly, during this time of lockdown we have been able to reduce the cost of acquisition from £3 an artist to zero, and has again proved the concepts successfully pioneered in our Directors' previous marketing campaigns. We are connecting, collaborating, sharing and supporting each other, while we have fun and make a real difference, and we are delivering well.

We now have over 27,000 unsigned artists waiting to be uploaded, with over a 1,000 new artists joining every day. As predicted, once the flood gates opened we would have plenty of content and could easily reach 100,000 videos relatively fast at no cost. However, we need to carefully balance our success against storage and streaming costs and that is why we have decided to relaunch Jeeni as a paid subscription service."

Jeeni aim to raise £100k for 2.4% equity with a pre-money valuation of £4million.

Jeeni is needed more now than ever and we have proven that the demand is high. Jeeni Generation-4 will only support 100,000 videos, so we must now embrace Generation-5 as we head for global roll-out.

TEAM

We are pleased to welcome five new members to Team Jeeni.

Andrea Harding: Social Media. Dedicated to reaching out to new audiences, spreading the word about Jeeni artists, and helping build their fanbases.

Sharron Goodyear: Image Maker. Photographer of the Year Winner, Jeeni official photographer for artists, performers, promotions and events, specialising in online virtual shoots.

Sammie Venn: Writer, Columnist and Blogger. Syndicating Jeeni news, interviewing and promoting our members, and spearheading our poetry and drama channels.

Louis Mitchell: Video Wrangler. Identifying up-and-coming unsigned musicians, performers and dancers focused on Asian Hip Hop, Grunge and Rap.

Lizzie Crow. Popular presenter for the BBC and top commercial broadcasters, and our go-to expert for voice-overs, podcasts, jingles and spoken word channels.

Click HERE to visit or return to jeeni.com

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03
Sep

Music Tech Startups announce strategic alliance for the greater good of the Musician and Performer.

We are delighted to announce the strategic alliance between Jeeni and California-based AmplifyX, the only FINRA and SEC compliant platform that allows investors to build a portfolio by directly funding musicians. The alliance was arranged by Kelli Richards, Jeeni Managing Director USA, who was mentored by Steve Jobs at Apple where she launched and managed the Apple music and entertainment division. This represents a major advantage for Jeeni in the USA, our most important global territory in terms of artists and revenues. We gain access to more rising stars along with their followers and fanbases, with mutually advantageous joint promotions and publicity. The partnership will officially kick off at the end of August with a global streamed concert, featuring our 10 most popular artists from both sides of the Atlantic, and will be co-branded between Jeeni and AmplifyX. Co-founder of AmplifyX Bobby Kamaris says, “Our companies run in an adjacent space helping independent artists, and our philosophies and motives are very very close. What you guys at Jeeni have done in putting it together and launching is actually incredible.” Co-founder of AmplifyX Adam Cowherd adds, "Did you know that artists take home only 12% of the $43 billion spent on music annually, according to Citigroup? [1] The hip-hop artist Russ put it perfectly when he said, 'The music business isn’t set up for the artists to get rich. It’s set up for everyone else to get rich off the artists.' [2] If you start looking deeper into the music industry, one of the first things you’ll discover is how broken it is. Artists are the nucleus of the business, but somehow they’re the individuals left with no ownership of their Intellectual Property (IP), inhibited creative freedom, and only a sliver of the earnings. There are so many entities involved in the value chain of music that it has created a convoluted industry structure that lacks equality and transparency. When we break down the mechanics of the music industry, we see just how many hands are in the pot: record labels, managers, producers, booking agents, and streaming platforms. A report by Ernst & Young highlighted the post-tax payouts of streaming revenue and identified that record labels are taking nearly 75% of the payout. [3] Why are artists today signing with record labels?" Jeeni Founding Director Shena Mitchell adds, "This is an exciting opportunity for Jeeni to develop strong relations with USA partners. AmplifyX is focused on building a new framework to fund independent artists with their unique platform for artists to raise capital from nontraditional sources. Our visions are entirely complementary and aligned." Jeeni, is the social music platform that brings artists closer to their fans, and shares revenue ethically. Jeeni is presently raising funds on Crowdcube and is 110% overfunded with 4 days to remaining. If you want to see our pitch click HERE.

06
Jan

DarkStarGraver - 'Over The Bridge & Far Away' Album Review

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. This is the first album DSG has released since becoming an integral part of the Jeeni mission. DarkStar has been an avid Jeenius since Summer last year and has been blessing the Jeeni database with vibrant and innovative artistry ever since. All seven tracks of this incredible project are on Jeeni right now. Jeeni is always looking to represent and uplift artists with visions as clear and focused as DarkStar. DarkStarGraver's biggest crime here is leaving us wanting for more content because although he's cohesively expressed a giant variety of emotions, styles and influences, he took just 18 minutes to do it! He justified the choice of a shorter album on Instagram, "New album is 7 tracks in total, could’ve been more but I like that number", DSG cleverly released this record knowing he has so much more in his artistic tank for the next project. A clear highlight on this record is the early, consecutive killer features on ‘Running Man’ and ‘No Brainer’ from Kid Crayy and Baby Panna respectively. DSG takes the reigns on these tracks at first and allows his fellow Portsmouth MCs to embellish the final push and create a rememberable climax for these standout tracks. Kid Crayy's attacking flow is restless and constantly bops and weaves around the beat. Baby Panna, however takes his time and makes each syllable hit harder than the last. Panna also performs the ear-worm 'Ride with me' hooks just before and after his verse which just completes the track. DarkStar made it clear that “This project is dedicated to the Portsmouth Hip Hop scene” and made a specific mention to the Portsmouth artists that predate him and thanked them for “Sparking the fire that made me want to rep my hometown as an artist”. A meaningful dedication to a blossoming music scene is a suitable sentiment for such an excellently put together and varied album. DSG uses his robust and adaptable voice so well on this project that at times, it sounds like extra, unlisted features. For example, a rather high-pitch singing voice for the hooks on ‘On My Way’ is then met with a deep and resonant rapped verse to finish off the short opening track. ‘Gohan’ (review) which was a single teaser for this album, features more of DarkStar’s contagious melodic rapping which is enhanced and made all the more effective with the excellent production of Zack Nailor at WRS Studios. The hi-hats and 808 bass in the beat for ‘Juice & Gems’ works so well with the jangly acoustic guitar sample, as though they were always meant to be heard together. In fact, the entire album makes such an effective use of samples throughout; ‘Slow Jamz’ has a romantic and theatrical strings sample which turns the rapid, trap-esque beat into a dramatic, epic cut that is just too short. DarkStar also hints at a feral, almost growling voice on this track which provides yet more evidence that DSG will never settle or stop experimenting with what his voice can achieve. The album ends with class and impact. ‘Over Time’ features a melodramatic female vocal sample which wails over a seductive lounge piano, sparkling under the rumbling beat. The bonus, shorter track, ‘Justice League’ is a moody album finisher containing reams of witty wordplay which flows like water. Once again, a feat like this album is a credit to producer, Zack Nailor as well as DarkStar himself of course for containing the talent, passion and vision to pull something like this off so seamlessly. 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. Check out DarkStarGraver’s Jeeni showcase here: https://jeeni.com/showcase/darkstargraver/

19
Jan

Respite, 'Vol. 1' EP Review

Respite’s ‘Vol. 1’ EP is nothing short of a masterclass in modern alt-rock and the best thing about it is that its title implies that there’s much more to come. Since re-emerging as Respite, this is the first project from the pop-punk outfit, once known as ‘Finding Argyle’. Respite have been a part of Jeeni’s rock representation for a while now. It’s been an honour for Jeeni to follow and promote the revival of their brutal modern rock sound and the appreciation goes both ways according to their feedback; “Respite are proud to be a Jeeni Artist. Having a platform that supports and actively promotes upcoming artists is truly invaluable.” This five-track project is a triumphant and proud announcement of a new advancement in their style, synergy and musicianship. Although the group has access to a rich and varied reservoir of influences such as ‘Finding Malory’ and ‘A Day to Remember’, they certainly pave their own path within this rock sub-genre. The EP’s only single, ‘Chemical Sleep’ was a great choice for a teaser track. Rapid double kick drums and squealing guitars lay down the foundation on which Sam’s anthemic vocals glide. The pre-chorus production choice of layering spirited, but distant vocals over a casually recorded, radio-affected reversed harmony of the same line is a blissful respite before the thrashing resumes for the choruses. The production value on ‘Vol. 1’ is out of this world. The secret behind their clean and cohesive thrashing rock tone is group guitarist, Andrew Vaughan. Vaughan is Respite’s in-house producer, mastering engineer and manages the recording processes. However, without the impassioned performances in this project, Andrew’s job would be a lot harder. From Reiss Mcleod’s robust drumming, Ross Crawford’s commanding bass, Euan Macqueen’s essential guitar work and Sam Nicholson’s singable vocal melodies, Andrew was spoilt with the sheer talent held in this band. ‘Sincerely, Maybe’ and ‘Change My Mind’ certainly embrace a stronger pop/punk tone and the EP benefits well from its inclusion. Synthesis and brighter instrumentation is used for the lighter and accessible melodies on these tracks. A deliberate embrace of two slight deviations to their sound creates a balance in a natural and impressive way. ‘The Little Things’ and ‘Chemical Sleep’ are the slightly darker and tonally more serious cuts and instead of any kind of clash, the two variations of modern rock subtly contextualises the other and broadens the EP’s sound and style. The lyrical themes of romance and mental health develops deeper substance to the project instead of surface-level rock music. Something that cannot be faked is how emotion is embedded into the performances, and not just in Sam’s vocals, but in each member’s recordings; it elevates an already excellent project to numerous levels. If you want to learn more about Respite, check out our Artist Focus blog on them here: https://jeeni.com/blog/artist-focus-respite/ How can Jeeni support artists like Respite 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. Check out Respite’s Jeeni showcase here: https://jeeni.com/showcase/respite-band/

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