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Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

Weekly Round-Up #4

/ By Freya Devlin
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

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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)

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Never too late for Jeeni!

06
Jun

Never too late for Jeeni!

by Mel Croucher I was a young man living in Stockholm. It was the summer of 1969 and I was flat broke. I had the clothes I stood up in, a diploma in architecture and a kazoo. I was too shy to be a busker, so I invented pay-on-demand live-streamed entertainment. I became a human jukebox. I got me an abandoned cardboard box just about big enough to hide inside, and I cut a horizontal slot near the top for my media input/output. Below the slot I punched eight holes to act as the graphic user interface. The reason there were eight holes was because I only knew eight songs, and I scrawled the song title alongside each hole. The idea was for passers-by to provide me with digital input commands by sticking their finger through the hole of their choice, and I would give them a short rendition of the selected song on my kazoo. As a token of their appreciation they would reward me with loose change dropped through a small vertical slot labelled Thank You in English and Swedish. It was very hot squatting inside that box. So here we are, more than half a century later, and the music industry should be in crisis. As a result of the pandemic, artists and musicians have seen their venues close down, festivals cancelled, tours abandoned, and wary audiences slink off to go online. The new normal for live performers should be that they are well and truly buggered. But I am delighted to say the very opposite is true. The new normal has revealed that the traditional models for the entertainment industry were a hoax. All those record labels, agents, managers, ticketers and merchandisers were a bunch of parasites. Half a century later, the new generation doesn't even need a kazoo and cardboard box to squat in for a live performance. They've got smartphones. And they don't need to rely on passers-by to busk at. They've got a global audience, thanks to utilities like Soundcloud, Tidal and Jeeni. Even on Facebook we have the facility for interminable live broadcasts of self-indulgent shite from the box-room. And I'm not just talking about singers and musicians. The same applies to actors, dancers, poets, voiceovers and kazoo virtuosos. There are more independent artists than ever before who have been able to break into the mainstream without any support from a lousy label, a poncy publisher, a suffocating sponsor, mingy manager or arrogant agent. This is an entertainment revolution, where digital distribution, streaming platforms, social media and online marketing tools have changed the way artists perform their work and reach out to fans. By cutting out all the spongers, an independent artist can suddenly enjoy a number of important advantages. To me, the most important is that they now have 100% complete control over the direction of their music, spoken word and creative work. They also have full control over distribution, marketing, artwork, merchandising, deadlines, gigs, ticketing, prices, schedules - in fact all of those affirmative decisions about their creative vision. But it's not just about control. The new normal means that independent artists can keep 100% of all the profits generated from sales, streams, licencing deals, merchandise, and small change dropped through cardboard slots. The reason they can do this is because without the parasites they own all their own stuff. Independent artists own the master rights to their creative work, which means they also have the freedom to negotiate licensing, streaming and publishing deals, and they don’t have to worry about shyster contracts, expensive lawyers, and signing over their rights. Of course the parasites are not going to give up without a fight. Book agents, publishers, distributors and publicists are still clinging on, years after it became obvious that nobody really needs them now that anyone can self-publish in the digital age. In the music and entertainment industry the leeches will still argue that they are vital, even though they already know they are dead. They will keep trying to treat artists like idiots and tell them they don't have the money for mastering, or production or touring or merchandise. Which is a lie, because if artists don't have to pay the leeches then they will save the money. Artists will also be told that they have a limited network of fans and contacts, whereas organisations and labels have access to big fat fanbases and red hot connections with professionals, promoters, booking agents and media. This is an even bigger lie, demonstrated by the fact that even a no-hoper musician like me has a Facebook network big enough to fill The Royal Albert Hall, including the bogs, with or without social distancing. The biggest problem I can foresee in this brave new world of independent entertainment is lack of discipline. Put simply, if creatives were once prepared to rely on a bunch of parasites and leeches, they must now learn to rely on themselves, and that involves actually getting down to some hard work and doing stuff, irrespective of whether or not they have oodles of native talent. Desperation and hunger is an excellent motivator, so I invite the independent artists and performers of the new normal to get hold of their own electronic cardboard box and give it a go. And above all, don't forget to have fun while you're about it. Mel Croucher is the founder of the UK videogames industry, and writer of the most widely-read, longest-running column in computer journalism. He is the founder director of Jeeni and owns a black T-shirt. Click HERE to visit or return to jeeni.com

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Artist Focus: Eden James

06
Jul

Artist Focus: Eden James

    Devoted to bringing depth, grit and sophistication to his alt-rock sound, Eden’s success has been steadily building momentum since 2002.    Hailing from Australia and currently residing in New York, Eden has been grinding and innovating for years, always striving for greatness in his craft. Eden joined Jeeni after being initially impressed with the marketing team and the brand established which at the time was led by Ella Venvell, “The first thing I noticed and liked about Jeeni is the quality of the visual design of the whole Jeeni brand and how it brands each artist’s posts. It’s slick and contemporary which is absolutely necessary if your content is going to stand out.” Jeeni are honored to be uplifting and supporting an artist of Eden’s caliber and it seems as though both us at Jeeni and Eden himself are excited to see what we can do for each other next.   Eden's style is in a lot of ways a romantic call back to the most iconic days of rock music.Eden is directly inspired by acts such as Leonard Cohen, Iggy Pop, The Strokes and a good many others. With such a lineup of rock icons to look up to, it’s no surprise that Eden’s own work is so varied, layered and mould-breaking. His voice is certainly reminiscent of the great Nobel Literature winning Bob Dylan, another one of his legendary influences. Full of character and swagger, Eden’s voice is no mere copy of Dylan’s however; Eden brings an unplaceable uniqueness and charismatic tone that is entirely his own. It's strangely refreshing to hear someone single-handedly bring back the golden years of rock with such fresh and exciting projects and performances.   If rockstars bothered carrying around resumés, Eden James’ CV would make for quite the read. Having a career lasting over two decades and contributing with the bands of Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie, Eden has made a giant splash in the world of indie rock, “The last 6 months have been a huge success for me, winning 35 music and video awards from ceremonies around the globe, gaining chart entries on itunes and Amazon Music, and receiving a slew of reviews and interviews from some of the biggest music magazines out there, including Classic Rock magazine and American Songwriter magazine.”    Driven purely by a passion for music, Eden began his career as a musician in the early 2000s. Music has been Eden's ultimate goal since he was a young boy, “I have always been spellbound by music. I started playing the drums when I was 8 years old and around that time began listening closely to songs and how they were put together. I started writing songs in my teens so I’ve been making music a long time. I was, (and still am) very independent so I taught myself a few other instruments and began recording the songs I was writing. I released something very early on as an electronic artist, then realized my true passion was in the rock genre so began to focus on writing in that genre. I scraped together funds for the recording of my debut album and went ahead and recorded it and co-produced it in Brisbane Australia. The album was picked up by a large indie label called Collision Records Australia and the first singles were released in 2002 with the debut album to follow in 2003. Since then, I’ve never stopped releasing and producing albums.” Eden’s dedication to the rock genre and the industry as a whole is nothing short of astonishing and it's that kind of dedication that is essentially what keeps music alive and well.    If Eden wasn’t already a giant asset to Jeeni and its mission, He’s provided an exciting and busy list of Eden James projects that fans can look forward to this year:   1. Album release of "All the Good Blank Are Taken" Alternative Mix 2022 (with new artwork) OUT NOW!   2. Video Album Release of a concert: Eden James Live at Baby's All Right, NYC. Alongside album release on streaming platforms, too. (Potential Jeeni Exclusive, later this year!)   3. A limited edition vinyl record release of the 2021 album "All the Good Blank Are Taken" - August/September 2022.   4. Live shows in the summer with my New York-based band. Eden also hopes to tour all around Europe in addition to US shows.   5. Studio album number five (As yet untitled) - July to December 2022       Jeeni are honored to be uplifting and supporting an artist of Eden’s caliber and it seems as though both us at Jeeni and Eden himself are excited to see what we can do for each other next.    How can Jeeni support artists like Eden James?     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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Love everything creative and want to be a blogger or a podcast creator?

05
Jun

Love everything creative and want to be a blogger or a podcast creator?

Are you a professional music journalist or a music student who wants to expand your arena? Are you a collaborator or curator or a podcast creator who would like us to help you distribute your work globally? For each blog and podcast posted we will donate £10 to you and also promote your blog and podcast to all our members for FREE and encourage anyone that reads your blog or listens to your podcast to donate as well, on average bloggers an pod casters can earn from $800 to $2,000 a month. The Independent Musicians and Performers Community (IMAP) has been set up by the founders of Jeeni. Our Community is for everyone and anyone creative: musicians, voice-artists, performers, poets, singer-songwriters ... the list is endless. We connect, collaborate, share and support each other, while we have some fun and make a real difference. We are a completely independent group and have no interest in political debate in this community. We encourage our members to share their original music and performances. We scan the media every day for what support is available for musicians and performers. We make it our mission to wade through lengthy documents and policies so our members don't have to, and we grab the main highlights and takeaways to make it easy for them to absorb the plethora of information swimming around. The industry is being very responsive and coming up with lots of ideas, like allowing artists to keep earning by adding donate buttons on streaming platforms. Some organisations are making grants available, some are discounting their streaming platforms, whereas others are allowing artists and fans to sign up for free. We expect to see many online services partnering with one another to combine their overall membership offerings, such as Soundcloud and Twitch. And we are very interested to see what the major global companies do and how they respond to these new and unknown market conditions. If you fancy joining Team Jeeni as a blogger, pod caster or a contributor and want to find out more just drop me a line and we can start chatting.

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