Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

Weekly Round-up #3

/ By Freya Devlin
Weekly Round-up #3

Jeeni's weekly round-up of music and entertainment news.

Spotify Free Users Are Growing Faster Than Paid Subscribers


A report from eMarkerter suggests that Spotify will hit 41.5 million free users in the US this year. That’s an increase of 9.7% over 2020, and part of a trend that finds ad-supported listeners making up an increased share of Spotify’s platform. If that trend continues, Spotify is expected to have as many as 52 million US-based ad-supported listeners by 2025. Spotify's subscriber base has also grown by 19% year-on-year to 172 million. "Looking ahead: Spotify will hit 52.0 million ad-supported US listeners and 52.2 million paid US listeners in 2025, totaling over 100 million."

Radiohead’s Entire Catalog Is Now Available on Bandcamp

On Oct. 21, Radiohead’s entire catalog became available to stream and or purchase on Bandcamp. The collection includes Radiohead’s nine studio albums also offers the band’s live album from 2001 I Might Be Wrong, disc two of In Rainbows, TKOL RMX 1234567, OK Computer reissue OKNOTOK 1997 2017 and the upcoming Kid A Mnesia collection.

“Today, Bandcamp is thrilled to announce that the full studio discography of pioneering UK band Radiohead has come to Bandcamp. Radiohead have forged a career built on constant change, dreaming themselves up anew with each record, but never getting so lost in innovation that they forget to instill every one of their songs with genuine human pathos.” The announcement by Bandcamp stated

Radiohead pulled all their music from Spotify in 2013 “the last desperate fart of a dying corpse.” said Thom Yorke. Although their music returned to Spotify in the following years.

What Spotify, Apple and other streaming services want to pay songwriters from 2023 onwards

Music streaming services such as Spotify, Apple, Pandora and Google are reportedly proposing lower royalty rates for songwriters to the US Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) for five years between 2023 and 2027. Although not released to the public the rates proposed are said to be the lowest ever seen in streaming history, these companies are now coming under fire for disproportionate royalties.

CEO of the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA), David Israelite told Music Business Worldwide “We will be fighting to raise significantly what streaming services pay songwriters, and we will now see with full transparency to what degree Spotify, Amazon, Apple, YouTube and Pandora are trying to cut what little they currently pay,”

Music industry 'should support struggling small gig venues'

 Greater Manchester mayor and Former culture secretary Andy Burnham, called on the "big players" in music to pay a levy, just as football clubs contribute to grassroots facilities. The Music Venue Trust says 30 venues are at imminent risk of permanent closure because of the pandemic, with hundreds more in trouble. Burnham has said that the music industry should help bail out small music venues that are struggling in a panel with Independent Venue Week.

Burnham suggested the music industry adopts a system like Football Foundation. The FA and Government's charity which he helped set up, helps communities improve their local football facilities through football grants. The Premier League and Football Association gave £53m last year, with another £18m contributed by the government.

"The industry needs to step up for you, and I think we should be mounting a case to say, the industry has to pay a levy to support grassroots venues, because that is their talent production ground. They are the junior football clubs of the country. That's where the talent comes through."

In Jeeni News

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Jeeni is Hiring! We are currently recruiting for the following roles:

• Role 1: Marketing Assistant
• Role 2: Marketing Executive (Digital Marketing)
• Role 3: Marketing Executive (Public Relations)
• Role 4: Jnr Developer
• Role 5: Jnr Developer
• Role 6: WordPress Specialist
• Role 7: Senior Developer
• Role 8: Senior Developer
• Role 9: Sales Executive
• Role 10: Sales Executive
• Role 11: Partnership Co-ordinator

These are Kickstarter Scheme positions (candidate must be aged between 16-24 and on, or have applied for, Universal Credit.

If you'd like to apply for any of the above roles please send your resume to shena@jeeni.com

Jeeni's Pick of the Week

Our Pick of the Week is Colectiva a nine-piece ensemble exploring the spaces between Afro-Latin music and jazz while reflecting on themes of sisterhood and female empowerment. Exploring the boundaries between Afro-Latin music and Jazz, Colectiva are a unique voice on the UK scene.

Read our blog here: https://lnkd.in/en7sSa2C
Check out Colectiva's showcase on Jeeni https://lnkd.in/en7sSa2C

New Music Friday

In our New Music Friday segment we've chosen to showcase Glasgow based Alt-rock band Respite. Respite blends elements of punk, post-hardcore and pop music, with lyrics and vocals heavily inspired by pop-punk and emo. Having supported acts such as Hawthorne Heights, Trophy Eyes and Like Pacific, the band released their first single “Chemical Sleep” on the 3rd of October and dropped their debut EP “Vol. 1” on 29th of October. Available to stream everywhere right now!

Check out their showcase on Jeeni https://jeeni.com/showcase/respite-band/

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6 of the best music related sites and blogs

05
Jun

6 of the best music related sites and blogs

We have been scanning the internet and asking members what they think are the very best music-related sites and blogs. Basically, what's hot and what's not! Our choices may well differ from yours, so let's have the debate. Many things have changed in recent years and will change at an even greater pace now. With online streaming services we can enjoy our music for free or a low cost. So let's get started with the ones we love. We love Vampr. Vampr is an app that helps you discover, connect and collaborate with fellow musicians, the music industry and music lovers alike. Vampr stats show 33,798,736 swipes and 5,017,135 connections made in 198 countries worldwide. Pretty impressive stuff, so check them out here. https://vampr.me/ We also love Pitchfork. Pitchfork has some awesome features such as best new music, and we really like the music reviews. The writers seem to be in the know and very much "thought leaders" in the music industry. They are continually updating the website with the latest information related to the music industry. Unfortunately one of Pitchfork's main features is that they have their own music festival, this year to be held in Berlin which would have hosted over 40 bands across three different stages, but now cancelled. Check out Pitchfork here: https://pitchfork.com/ We also love Hypebot. Hypebot is one of the most well-known online music sites in the industry, and there is good reason for that! This site is updated very regularly so you know you are getting all the latest information possible. They also cover other areas such as “Music Tech”, “DIY” and “Charts”. You can also sign up to the Hypebot newsletter to get the daily lowdown on everything happening straight to your inbox! Hypebot covers a wide variety of topics in the music industry, so no matter what you are looking for, you’ll probably be able to find it here. They also have a charts section where you can filter by “emerging artists” or “established artists” as well as the country and city. And of course you can play artist tracks. Check out Hypebot here: https://www.hypebot.com/ Our next site is Your EDM, dedicated to Electronic Dance Music. Everything you need to stay up to date with the latest in this music genre can be found here. This includes all the latest news as well as featured articles and sub-sections/ genres of EDM, like house and bass. On this site you even have the ability to download free songs, from a variety of different artists trying to make a name for themselves in the industry. All the different sub-genres are listed on the site as well, so even if your taste is really narrow in EDM, you can still find some great information. New info is updated almost daily. Make sure you follow them on social media as well, so it is even easier to get updated on the latest information. Check out Your EDM here: https://www.youredm.com/ Next on our it's-gotta-be-hot list is All Music. All Music doesn’t really have as much news on the music industry as the others listed here, but their focus is mainly on providing information in new music and helping visitors discover their next obsession. They also provide recommendations if you create an account, and once you have rated albums, you will get recommendations on what to listen to next. They cover music from all common genres including pop, rap, electronic, classical, blues, country and more. They provide an in-depth review of all the latest albums and give options on how to stream the tunes, if you want to. There are three different ratings available to view, “All Music Rating”, “User Ratings” and “Your Rating” so you can have a more detailed view on what people think about a particular album. Check out All Music here: https://www.allmusic.com/ Last but not least we love Jeeni. Jeeni is a new platform that we are developing for Independent Musicians and Performers and is in beta testing phase. JEENI is a multi-channel streaming service for original and unsigned talent. Jeeni provides a showcase for musicians and performers to put their talent in the spotlight, giving superfans the power to make them stars. The Jeeni promise is to treat their creative talent ethically, fairly, honestly and with respect. Most importantly Jeeni is committed to – No hype. No adverts. No rip-offs. No Fakes, and making sure that the artists get 100% of their direct sales. Jeeni is presently looking for beta-testers to help us improve the site. A beta-tester simply registers for a FREE account, then designs their own showcase by uploading their music and videos and give us feedback on their user experience. Please contact Shena@jeeni.com or call 07703567196 if you are interested and want to find out more. Check out Jeeni today: https://jeeni.com/ That's all Folks!

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Artist Focus: Nnaomi

03
Mar

Artist Focus: Nnaomi

Describing her own music as “euphoric, experimental and nostalgic”, Nnaomi is paving her own exciting path in the RnB and neo-soul corner of music.  Portsmouth based Nnaomi has been an essential Jeeni artist for some time now and has most recently added her newest single, ‘Hate Me’ to one of Jeeni’s most rapidly advancing and growing channels, RnB (https://jeeni.com/channel/all-channels/r-and-b/). “At just over 2 minutes long, 'Hate Me’ still manages to progress so organically and timely; it takes its time to set the pace and tone of the story told in the lyrics. At the climax of the track, it feels like Nnaomi’s painful memories begin to swirl more unstably around her head as samples and synths begin to distort, warp and spin around the stereo space. These flittering pieces of audio eventually start to drown out Nnaomi’s voice, painting a tragic image of her thoughts and guilt becoming overpowering and too much to process.” Check out the full review of ‘Hate Me’ here: https://jeeni.com/blog/nnaomi-hate-me-single-review-blog-jeeni/   This newest track promises a lot from Nnaomi and if her short collection of singles says anything at the moment, it’s that she can deliver on them all. Nnaomi describes her singles as “little stories”, “I say this because the songs I make come from my real emotions and real experiences, the beats I choose actually bring emotions and thoughts out of me I feel like I suppress because I’m surprisingly not very good at talking about my feelings, so instead I put it in songs. It’s the easiest way for me to express myself”. From this analysis into her own work, it’s no longer a mystery as to why so much emotion is contained in tracks like ‘Like Me’ and ‘Hate Me’.  Mental health, and processing emotions healthily is certainly a recurring theme in Nnaomi’s work, as she explains, “Something that inspires me is my own ability to take advantage of the fact that sometimes my emotions are intense, finding a way to execute it in a healthy way has been amazing because I’m so used to bottling it up, which wasn’t beneficial”. Besides from her methodology in utilising emotions as a key inspiration for her work, Nnaomi’s has some specific masters in the alternative RnB genre to thank for her curious and adventurous creative tendencies. Progressive soul artist, Frank Ocean is a major influence for Nnaomi, as is modern neo-soul singer, SZA.  When asked about the similarities in the titles of ‘Like Me’ and ‘Hate Me’, Nnaomi noted that the connection was both coincidental but likely sub-consciously intended at the same time, “I wanted to portray my mental state in a way that was artistic. “Like Me” was written when my views and thoughts on certain things were hopeless and reminiscent. “Hate Me” is like the healing sister. The one that’s accepted the way that “love” and its experiences can sometimes change you for the worst. A much more self-aware and grown-up outlook on love and how to deal with it”; a poignant and layered insight into this partnership of singles.   Nnaomi hints at longer projects in the future, however she's currently happy “taking it one step at a time” with fantastic singles like ‘Party’s Over’, ‘Like Me’ and ‘Hate Me’. She’s also excited to arrange more live shows this year as restrictions are the lowest they’ve been in years.   Follow Nnaomi on socials to stay updated on what she’s working on:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/nomesm_   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naomim_0/   Check out Nnaomi’s showcase on Jeeni: https://jeeni.com/showcase/nnaomi/   How can Jeeni support artists like Nnaomi?   JEENI is a multi-channel platform for original entertainment on demand. We’re a direct service between creatives and the global audience.  artist biography • 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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26,426 views of Jeeni Blogs since we launched Crowdcube

10
Jun

26,426 views of Jeeni Blogs since we launched Crowdcube

With 5 days to go on Crowdcube we are reflecting on what we could have done better and how we could have improved our campaign, as well as on our successes. Even though we "bust a gut" working 7 days a week for 5 months, we always want to reflect and improve where we can. Both Mel and I are academic in terms of looking at all the options and possibilities and like to analyse our work, and most days we take time to look at how things could be improved. We are not critical of each other, just honest and reflective in an open and supportive way. Jeeni, the social music platform that brings artists closer to their fans and shares revenue ethically, has successfully raised over £340K on Crowdcube across three rounds. If you want to see our pitch click HERE. As part of the campaign we launched Jeeni.blog which has been a huge success and we have had over 26,426 active views, and my LinkedIn has over 12,000 followers. LinkedIn has become my preferred social media and we have genuinely started moving away from Twitter and Instagram. I find it much more professional, interesting and informative. So as part of our learning we are going to learn how LinkedIn can best support Jeeni going forward. Our Facebook Group Independent Musicians and Performers has also been a huge success with over 2,500 new and active members with organic growth, and over 1,300 posts, comments and reactions with no advertising spend, engaging with over 30,000 unsigned artists with a zero cost of acquisition. Click HERE to visit or return to jeeni.com

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