The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world we live in. In fact, a lot of professions have been re-assessed in terms of how essential they are. In turns out, the creative industry is not top of the list and as a result, has caused heavy financial losses among many artists. This has caused a surge in financial burdens and worry among many communities across the country.
So what can musicians do to make up for loss earnings and put their careers back on track? Is there an alternative to live performances and meeting up in recording studios to produce new songs?
Singer and songwriter, Jesse Neo, has recently announced on social media that he has partnered with Milana Leybovich to create a state-of-the-art music collaboration platform for musicians. Both singers have already established themselves in the industry with several singles released separately, and Milana being a member of the successful Los Angeles band Nuthin’ Under a Million and recording soundtracks for several Disney movies.
Now, the two industry powerhouses have joined force to take music and technology to the next level with the release of their platform, Gemtracks. There are no special requirements to join, and membership is free.
“Gemtracks is pretty much a marketplace for musicians and producers to sell beats, collaborate with other musicians, book recording studios and get support from other musicians,” Jesse explained. “It started out as the former, and then slowly expanded as the brand grew. After witnessing a rise in hip hop music, hip hop beats are slowly becoming very popular among today’s artists!”
Back in 2017, Jesse had just entered the music industry with his tracks and received positive reviews from several top magazines such as The Huffington Post and RESPECT Mag. Eventually the singer moved to Los Angeles to be closer to the industry and worked for several record labels where he met Milana.
“One issue that I realized after being in the industry for over three years is the fact a lot of things is still manually done and hasn’t change for over several decades,” Jesse said. “For example, contracts must be signed physically, discussions are done face-to-face, and studio bookings are done with pen and paper. I found this to be a big problem especially since so many other industries have moved on with technology.”
With this in mind, Jesse launched Gemtracks as a personal website to sell his backing tracks and beats that would otherwise be given to record labels. After a bit of marketing, several media companies began purchasing them for up to $600 each – a crazy amount for the young artist at that time.
“One reason for the growth is probably due to the fact that each track could only be sold once,” Jesse continued. “This also means the full copyright gets transferred to the buyer. The final track then can be distributed to radios and streaming platforms without limit. I guess the exclusiveness in this is what attracted so many people and is what justified the high prices. Also, everything is done instantly via the internet, including the transfer of copyright and all the other legal aspects.”
After Milana saw the website, she agreed Gemtracks would be a gamechanger. The issue of musicians worldwide being unable to earn steady streams of income was a worrying issue that came to her mind, and the potential of Gemtracks may be the answer of solving this problem. Together, with the surge of new visitors signing up, they built up the site with more features.
Today, several hundred producers mainly from America that have worked with labels such as Universal, Sony and Warner have become members. These include Taylor Carroll, Lucas Gold, Beowülf and I.Y.F.F.E. However, anyone can sign up to the website, including those that are just starting out.
Each track sold will give the producer 70% of the gross revenue. So if a track is sold for $149, the producer will be paid around $105. The payment will be sent straight to your PayPal account within two weeks.
“The plan now is to turn Gemtracks into a distribution and marketing company too,” Jesse told us. “With so much knowledge of how the industry works, Milana suggested using them to disrupt the marketplace. We can’t reveal what we are doing yet because it’s still top secret, but I can tell you that everything is going very well.”
Besides being a platform for established artists, new artists that are interested in joining the industry can also find the website useful. There is a frequently updated blog that shares many business secrets in terms of composing, recording and performing. There are videos, tutorials and even a free eBook that you may want to read during time in lockdown.
“A lot of people are very techsavvy these days,” Jesse concluded. “So as long as you have access to a laptop with a built-in microphone, you will be able to start creating music too. It is very easy, we have all the support to give you, and who knows – you may end up being the next international superstar!”
So if you are a musician that is out of work and unable to make ends meet, consider trying out this new platform. To learn more about Gemtracks and how to get your career in music started again, head over to the website now to buy beats.