Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

Weekly Round-Up #8

/ By Doug Phillips
Weekly Round-Up #8

The latest developments and additions to Jeeni's mission!

Rock-star Eden James joins Jeeni!  

New York based Eden James has joined Jeeni’s ranks of global stars. “I like what you do and I would love to help,” Eden says. "I was fortunate to have musicians from Bruce Springsteen's, Paul Simon's and David Bowie's bands contribute to my studio recordings. The last 6 months have been a huge success for me, winning 25 music and video awards around the globe, 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.” We’ll be bringing you exclusives from this Number One chart topper right here, meanwhile check out his Jeeni showcase at https://jeeni.com/showcase/edenjames/ 

New Content Contributed to Jeeni’s Database of Talent! 

Fresh, new music has been poured into Jeen’s diverse collection of artistry and talent. The aforementioned Eden James has provided a vintage and classic collection of tracks for our ever-growing rock channel, including ‘New York’ and ‘Black Book’.  

The industry legend, Lennox Campbell also contributed some of the stellar RnB and soul tracks that he’s produced such as ‘Beautifull’ and ‘Lost One’s’.  

Another exciting new addition to Jeeni is the UK chill-rap artist, Cassius Gray. Achieving over 2 million streams across his discography, Cassius has achieved so much already and we can’t wait so promote him further. Check out tracks like ‘From Here On Out’ and ‘Flight 22’ on Jeeni, now. 

Featuring members with connections to Elton John and Hanz Zimmer, ‘Coolstar’ is an epic collaboration of all sorts of artists and have offered the tracks ‘Homeland’ and ‘I Keep Walkin.’ to Jeen’s database. 

Brand new music from Daisy Chute and I K 8OY has also been added to Jeeni today, on the same day as their releases. Check out Daisy’s ‘Cradle Songs’ and I K 8OY’s ‘Let You Know’. 

New Jeeni Blogs Published!

In anticipation for Maple Sky’s new single, ‘Vision’, set to be released next Saturday, we prepared an ‘Artist Focus’ blog for the smooth jazz quartet, “Maple Sky specialise in a broad and flexible portrayal of jazz with influences from Esperanza Spalding, Yebba, and D’angelo.” 

We’ve also been reviewing and praising the stunning work of our artists. Beginning with Glaswegian rock band, Respite’s first EP, ‘Vol.1’, “This five-track project is a triumphant and proud announcement of a new advancement in their style, synergy and musicianship.”  

We also had two single reviews, for Arianna May’s ‘Suffolk Bay’ and Baby Panna’s ‘Golden’. On Suffolk Bay, Arianna May’s “vision is translated through her expressive piano playing and is then fully realised by her sweet, graceful vocals which glide as delicately as the accompanying strings.”. Baby Panna’s ‘Golden’ is an impactful final track for his debut mixtape, “The instrumental landscape set for this frank and passionate narrative is an atmospheric and soulful wave of spaced-out beats and crackly samples.” 

Jeeni also featured its first live review of Giack Bazz’s incredible set from last Friday (21st, January), “Considering the arsenal of instruments Giack typically uses to convey his vision, the emotive power that he communicated with just his voice, a guitar and a pedal board was astonishing.”  We loved attending Giack’s gig in East-London and we’d love to see our artists perform more often.  

Reach out to the Jeeni marketing team at doug@jeeni.com or ella@jeeni.com. 

Make sure you're following us on social media to keep up to date with new releases from our artists, our blogs 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/ 

12
Mar

Visa-Free EU Travel Petition for Performers and Bands

Finally, a deal has been agreed with the EU and on 1 January 2021, the UK is going it alone. However, one vital element of the economy seems to have been left out of the agreed terms - Musicians. A petition for visa-free travel or 'Musicians Passport' for this huge part of the the population is gaining enthusiastic momentum via social media and at the point of writing, is well about 155,000 signatures, growing by approximately 1,000 every 1/4 of an hour. Several industries have been granted visa-free access to the 27 EU states in the final agreement. Despite the government being lobbied by a number of industry heavyweights and artists, their concerns the new rules could jeopardise the £5.8billion music industry, when live gigs and shows are back on the social spectrum, have not seen visa-free travel for musicians addressed. Touring Europe, bands and artists may need secure visas for each country they plan to perform in, making it far more costly and harder to afford for many artists and crew members. The Visa-Free petition’s creator Tim Brennan added: “As a freelancer, I and many like me, travel through the EU countless times a year on different tours and events, this will become impossible due to cost and time if we do not have visa free travel.” The petition reads: “We would like the UK Govt to negotiate a free cultural work permit that gives us visa-free travel throughout the 27 EU states for music touring professionals, bands, musicians, artists, TV and sports celebrities that tour the EU to perform shows and events & Carnet exception [allowing the temporary import or export of goods without having to pay duty or VAT] for touring equipment,” You can sign the petition here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/563294 At the time of the lobbying, a government spokesperson told NME: “We are working closely with the arts and culture sector to prepare for the end of the transition period and recognise the importance of touring for UK musicians. We are seeking a reciprocal agreement with the EU to allow UK citizens to undertake some business activities in the bloc without a work permit, on a short-term basis.” Last week (December 25), UK Music's chief exec. Jamie Njoku-Goodwin welcomed the government's EU deal, but said it still left “many questions” unanswered for the music industry. Jamie Njoku-Goodwin - Chief Executive of Music UK Njoku-Goodwin is one of the Government’s most senior advisers with unrivalled political connections across Downing Street, Whitehall and Westminster. He was a special adviser to Health Secretary Matt Hancock and also worked as a special adviser at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Once the petition reaches 100,000 signatures, it may be considered for debate in Parliament. Industry eyes will be looking straight at Njoku-Goodwin to be the man to have the debate converted in to action. We will posts any updates as we get them.

12
Mar

Jeeni Employing with the Kickstart Scheme

As a fast growing new business, still in its exciting dewy youth, Jeeni are delighted to be employing with the Kickstart Scheme. Launched by Rishi Sunak in July 2020, employers need to be approved by the DWP and are incentivised to take on 16-24 year olds, at risk of long-term unemployment. Jeeni - working with the Kickstart Scheme The successful Kickstart candidates are taken on for a placement of 6 months, given training and support to create skills to help with ongoing permanent employment. The criteria for Kickstart means the jobs offered must be new positions, previously not available at the company. For Jeeni, it works perfectly, as the company is growing and expanding at a rapid rate, so these roles have evolved naturally. Being an online streaming platform, Jeeni is perfect for this particular age group. Their online skills and technical ability, are almost second nature to them. Currently, there are three positions available, Marketing Assistant, Partnership Co-ordinator, Project Manager and joining the team will see these new team players taking on the social media platforms and the partners who work alongside and support Jeeni, evolving the planned projects for 2021 and brainstorming ideas for 2022 and beyond. Jeeni is delighted to be employing and partnering with the Kickstart Scheme. The whole team are looking forward to welcoming the new members, and working alongside them to keep building the Jeeni brand and grow the platform for all the artists, performers, talent and their fans. For more information or to apply for any of the positions available, follow the link below. www.jeeni.com/careers

23
Mar

Wendy King - Five Ways a Budding Guitarist Can Get Noticed

  The music industry is on a roll. A report by the World Economic Forum highlights how global music revenues have risen by 20% since 2021, largely due to a surge in streaming which accounts for 65% of the industry's revenues. Over the previous year, streaming revenues rose by 24.3% and reached £14.1 billion, showcasing the impact of digitalisation.Despite the significant growth of the music industry, the sector remains notoriously difficult to enter. Our previous post on "The Hardships of Getting a Job in the Music Industry" visits how it can be tricky to get noticed in the music industry, especially with its unfair demand for work experience. While internship and work placement can be a great way to gain valuable experience, it's essential that young talent makes an effort to get recognised and recruited for these opportunities. In this article, we visit how budding musicians— specifically guitarists— can get noticed.Establish an online presence We all know that streaming and digitalisation have become a key part of the music industry— making it a great opportunity for budding guitarists to perform and showcase their talent. There are many ways to establish an online process, primarily through social media. To ease some self-marketing processes, consider signing up for a service connecting you and a global audience. Our platform Jeeni is a multi-channel service that allows artists and performers to showcase their talent, keep 100% of earnings, and have full creative rights. Through online opportunities, you can expand your reach and visibility as a guitarist.Add in guitar effects While you don't need special gear to get started, investing in a guitar rig and effects allows you to not only practice with equipment important in your career later on but enables you to change up your songs and how you present them. Many guitarists rely on Electro-Harmonix analogue delays, which have helped produce modern music's most sought-after and oft-imitated sounds. The Electro-Harmonix Memory Toy is suitable for those just developing their rig, as it's a simple board with three knobs but still provides clean tones. This device allows you to add subtle delay effects that still elevate your tunes.Try busking or street performing Many famous guitarists like Glen Hansard and Passenger (Michael Rosenberg) started as buskers before making it big. If you want to try your hand at busking, having an amp is necessary to get your tunes heard by people. Roland amps are well-known for their portable PA systems, making them convenient for playing on the go. The Roland Cube Street II is suited for street performances as it's battery-powered, as well as having an angled back for floor placement. This amp enables electric and acoustic players to amplify their music, allowing you to build confidence and showcase your talent to the public.Collaborate with other indie musicians For those looking to reach more music fans, it's essential to collaborate with other musicians. However, it's important to be mindful of their music style— you're more likely to retain an audience if your music aligns with theirs. If you've followed our earlier tips and already established yourself to a small audience, you can bring bigger value to others, opening the opportunity to work with more prominent artists. Check out the Jeeni channels to spot potential collaborators.Keep making and performing music Although it may seem straightforward to keep making and performing music, many tend to ignore the need to simply put yourself out there to help you get noticed by someone who likes your approach. Aside from exposure, being able to perform constantly can help you practice and identify areas of improvement— allowing you to master your talent fully.There are plenty of opportunities to learn and expand your reach as a guitarist. For more guitar-related insights and songs, make sure to visit our Guitar channel to inspire your work. Written by Wendy King for jeeni.com