The Music Xray Blog
technology enhanced identification of high potential songs & talent
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How Artists are Making it Happen on Music Xray!

Posted by Mike McCready | February 24th, 2011 | 1 Response

 

In the 90 days from February 1st to April 30th over 1550 songs and acts were signed or placed via Music Xray. And we’re just getting started!

 

The truth about the current music business is that there are more opportunities at the fingertips of independent artists/musicians than there has ever been in the past. Companies like Music Xray are making it easier for music industry professionals and their companies to tap into the talent pool of independent acts without becoming overwhelmed. Still, it can feel to an artist like they’re roaming around in the dark, unsure if they will find a deal and unsure of how to get it done.

While there is no one formulaic way to success, we’re starting to see an increasing number of success stories emerge on Music Xray and I’d like to share the stories of two artists and how they each got it done differently.

When you’ve got something good – submit, submit submit!!

Mary Sarah is a talented teenager from Texas. She began submitting on Music Xray about 7 months ago. She submitted to some of the top producers who were offering detailed feedback, song critiques and career coaching. Each of these people were impressed with what they heard. Some of them passed the music on to people they knew. All of them wrote stellar critiques and as always, the industry professionals on the site rated the music for Music Xray’s back-end statistics (keep reading. You’ll see why that’s important).

Then, once she knew that the music she had recorded was standing up to tough scrutiny, she began submitting her songs to all sorts of opportunities: label deals, management deals, sync license deals, exposure opportunities on blogs and more.

Finally, she was spotted by Nan Cassidy on Music Xray, an artist developer based in Nashville together with Sharon Dennis of Dennis Management. When they heard Mary Sarah they knew there was something there. Right on Music Xray, they were able to see Mary Sarah’s stats via statistics from Next Big Sound. They could see that Mary Sarah’s Twitter, Myspace and Facebook followings were growing. Lastly, they were able to look at Music Xray’s back end statistics and that’s when they knew.

One of Mary Sarah’s songs had been submitted to industry professionals on the site 38 times and it had received an average of a 4 star (out of five) rating on every measured attribute (composition, arrangement, performance, production & hit potential).

That is the power of collective A&R!! Thirty-eight industry professionals had heard and LOVED Mary Sarah’s music but none of them had opted to (or been able to) offer her a deal. But they had taken the time to listen and rate her music because Music Xray had made that possible and due to that, Nan and Sharon were able to feel even more confident that their instincts were spot on. Nan and Sharon signed Mary Sarah to a management deal and now she’s on her way in Nashville. Subsequently, Maray Sarah won a $50,000 promotional marketing campaign from Musicati based on yet another submission.

Target opportunities like a sniper.

Grand$un is a hip hop artist from the New York area who has written and produced a couple yet-to-be hit songs. They are really good. He doesn’t have a big budget to invest so he watches Music Xray’s opportunities closely and instead of taking the shotgun approach that Mary Sarah did, he sits back and makes sure each opportunity is as close a match as possible for his songs. He submits only when he reads of an appropriate opportunity or if his songs are matched to an opportunity via Music Xray’s song to opportunity matching system (S2O).

He has secured a few opportunities but nothing that blew the doors off the hinges for him. But then, it happened and he was signed to a one-album deal at Orpheus/Fontana (Universal). You just never know when it’s going to happen. Grand$sun added, “I couldn’t have done it without Music Xray”.

In both cases, both artists were given a lot of validation by professionals on the site who told them they had what it takes to make it. That’s why, if you’re not getting deals on Music Xray, you should be getting as much professional feedback as possible. It could lead directly to a deal but at the very least you will learn how close to a deal you are, your song will accumulate data within Music Xray’s statistics back end that other professionals can see (as in the case of Mary Sarah) and you will learn what you need to do to make it happen.

You’re invited to Music Xray – What is it?

Posted by Mike McCready | February 23rd, 2011 | 2 Responses

Music Xray is where thousands of music industry professionals conduct A&R in complete transparency.

We had some extra marketing money this week so we just thought we’d give it directly to you. So, for a limited time, when you open an artist account on Music Xray, this is what you get:

 

1. Free uploading and/or importing of your music.
2. Free song to opportunity matching.
3. A free credit to get you started (enough for one submissions to one major label).
4. A free focus group conducted on your music (we’ll pay 25 people to provide feedback on your music).
5. Guaranteed feedback on every submission.
6. Guaranteed response time (or your money back).



Everyone Gets a Free Focus Group!

Posted by Mike McCready | February 21st, 2011 | No responses

Starting RIGHT THIS INSTANT at Music Xray, everyone gets a free focus group to get real fan feedback on their music.

 

    1. Log in to your artist account.

    2. Navigate to “Focus Groups” and then to “start new focus group”.

    3. Choose the song you want to test in your focus group.

    4. Check the box at the bottom of the page that says, “Free focus group of 25 participants”.

    5. Click the PayPal button. YOU WON’T BE CHARGED.

Check in on the results each day to see them arrive (you will get an email once the all results are in).

 

If you don’t yet have an account, just click the sign-up button to the left to get started for free. Keep all your rights. Keep all your revenue on deals you get. No strings! No catches!

Download the full Musicians’ User Guide here

 

Songs Selected Every Day on Music Xray!

Posted by Mike McCready | February 16th, 2011 | No responses

Not a day goes by that songs and acts aren’t selected for opportunities on Music Xray. Some days the number of selected songs and acts is in the several dozens.

Be sure to check out the success stories on the site for just a few of the great opportunities being fulfilled through Music Xray.

In recent days, companies like Fuel TV, Universal Pictures, Island Def Jam and others have begun sourcing music via Music Xray. Some of these opportunities can only be found on the site if your songs are matched to the opportunities. The only way to get your songs automatically matched to opportunities is by uploading them (or having us import them for you) for free. Make sure your entire catalog is in Music Xray’s database.

 

Feedback on EVERY Music Xray Submission

Posted by Mike McCready | February 8th, 2011 | No responses

Up until recently, when song owners made submissions on Music Xray they would be notified when their song was listened to by the industry professional they submitted to but then would not hear anything further unless the professional wished to pursue the matter. Exceptions were made when musicians submitted to a professional who was explicitly offering feedback or career coaching.

Starting a few days ago however, we launched a feature whereby industry professionals don’t simply click a button to acknowledge they received and listened to the song, rather they now either “Select”, “Place on Hold” or “Not Select” a song for an opportunity, in which case they provide a reason or reasons for their decision not to select a song or artist.

I know this seems like the natural or normal thing to do in the day and age of web 2.0 but let’s not kid ourselves. Many emerging artists are too young to remember the days when labels, publishers and the like would not even accept unsolicited material. In my day, you’d send your demo tape or CD to a label and most likely you’d never know if it even arrived, let alone get any acknowledgement that your music had been listened to.

Getting guaranteed feedback from top A&R executives, program directors, music supervisors and more is a watershed for musicians and song owners and I am proud that Music Xray is again the first to make something like this a reality.

Music Xray: Get Deals or Get Better

Posted by Mike McCready | February 1st, 2011 | 3 Responses

Music Xray

Music Xray: Good, Better, Best

In short, that’s what Music Xray is about. If you’re not getting deals on Music Xray you may want to consider submitting to a professional for a song critique or some career coaching; or doing a focus group for your song, Music Xray’s latest feature.

 

Of course no on likes rejection and even The Beatles got turned down more than once. It’s just part of the process. But, if you’re consistently not being chosen for deals on Music Xray, you need to find out why.

 

There are now more than 1100 music industry professionals on Music Xray, all eager to hear your music. Open a free account. We’ll match your songs to opportunities for free so you know who is seeking music like yours. Then, you make it happen.

 

 

Brand New Feature: Focus Groups for Your Songs

Posted by Mike McCready | January 26th, 2011 | No responses


Results Page for Focus Groups

Results Page for Focus Groups

Do you want to know what what real music fans think of your song?

Do you want to know how the market is likely to react to your music?

Want to know if you have a hit on your hands?

You know that before you get a deal, an industry professional is going to do some market research on your music. You need to know what the results will be before they do.

Music Xray is making that possible. Simply log in to your account and click the “Conduct a Focus Group” button you’ll find on your dashboard.

 

 

TIP OF THE WEEK – Invite Others and Get Paid!

Posted by Mike McCready | January 14th, 2011 | No responses

Earn money when you invite other artists to join Music Xray.

Simply log in and click the button you see on your dashboard and follow the steps.

Also, click on the “settings” tab to see how you can use your affiliate code to tweet or post Music Xray opportunities and get paid when anyone transacts after clicking the link.

For help, contact us at support@musicxray.com

Music Xray: Probably the largest community of Music Industry Professionals (A&R’s, Supervisors, Program Directors etc.) in the World

Posted by Mike McCready | December 26th, 2010 | 1 Response

 

Mike McCready

Mike McCready, Music Xray Co-founder & CEO

Hello from New York,

 

I hope you had a good holiday break.

In 2010, the music industry began adopting new technologies like we’ve never seen before. That has resulted in more opportunities open to everyone (not just material submitted via trusted contacts), better ways for the industry to filter through large quantities of music to find the gems, and lowered risk on investments in the commercialization of music.

Music Xray has led the way, and in 2010 became what is probably the largest online community of Music Industry Professionals in the world – all eager to use the most advanced tools ever assembled to conduct A&R and to open the doors of opportunity to musicians everywhere.

We have big plans for 2011 and we hope to play a key role in helping you get the deals and exposure that you need to get your music and your career to the next level.

Below is a featured list of some of the more than 1000 opportunities open on Music Xray.

On behalf of the entire Music Xray team, we wish you a successful 2011.

Mike McCready (@mjmccready)
Co-founder & CEO

 

P.S. Click here to get the musician’s guide to Music Xray.

What is Music Xray Doing for Musicians?

Posted by Mike McCready | December 5th, 2010 | 1 Response

Music Xray for ArtistsSince officially launching in January of this year, Music Xray has helped artists get their music licensed on CBS, get signed to record deals, production deals and more. Be sure to check the success stories section of the site for a few of the deals we hear about.

Music Xray does not pre-screen your music. You submit directly to the professionals listed on the site. You are guaranteed that they listen and you receive confirmation when they do. Music Xray does not take a cut of your deals. Your deals are yours.

Occasionally, we create opportunities for you in partnership with labels and other entities.

Just this week we’re announcing seventeen artists and their songs have been selected for the major label-backed Music Xray Compilation – Great Tracks by Independent Acts. All artists will receive royalties from sales. It will be released across the UK in late January 2011 and three songs will be aggressively promoted to radio.

A few of the artists selected include Brave Chandeliers, Ben Novak, Simon Fagan, The Loomers, 9Giants, Val Broeksmit/Andrew Jackeri and more! The next volume is already in the process of being created so submit your music here.

Be sure to get the Music Xray musician user guide here.