When up-and-coming artists vie for the attention of A&Rs, producers, and directors, it often means they are ignored and frustrated, while professionals in the music industry end up being flooded with direct messages and email that are nearly impossible to organize and inspect.
Enter: Xposure Music, a Montreal-based startup that aims to open a “new front door” to the music industry by providing a platform that benefits musicians and those who hope to discover them.
“We see our mission to not only simplify access, but enable serendipity,” says Gregory Walfish, co-founder of Xposure. diverse. “We wanted to compress what could take months of outreach or thousands of dollars to get to the right place at the right time, into an engaging interaction for artists and professionals. We want to help people find that breakthrough moment.”
Walfish and Ryan Garber, both 22, founded Xposure with the goal of “giving all artists in the industry the opportunity to put their music in the hands of any high-level executive they can imagine.”
How it works? Artists can join the platform and submit their music to a group of industry insiders, who set their own rates for different services. Artists can pay for written or video comments, as well as a live call with an executive. Or they can send in their music for free without a guaranteed refund. This system helps artists prioritize their time and money in terms of communication and self-promotion, and helps executives organize music submissions with specific filters related to genre, engagement, streaming, whether a track is a song or a beat, and whether it has been released. . not released.
Among the players at Xposure is Polo Molina, founder of Grassroots Music and director of Black Eyed Peas. Nick Gregor, Global Head of Song Management at Hipgnosis; Kate Loach, A&R Director at Capitol Records; And the Steve Aoki team. Xposure does not take any part of the artist’s future revenue – only 25% of transactions made on the platform.
“I want to find the next star, listen to more artists, and help start the artist’s journeys,” Molina says. “Xposure has the tools to do exactly that. Without Xposure, simplifying listening and discovering new artists’ music has been a difficult process. We receive thousands of direct messages and email. With Xposure, it’s easy and fun for me and my team to filter and listen to these talented artists.”
Alternative rapper and rock artist Fayez adds, “This is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to have a more experienced ear that gives me a different perspective. I want an unbiased opinion to tell me if the song is worth it. The idea that I can send my music to CEOs and other people professionals and listening to their honest feedback, it has changed the way I create and make music.”
Fayez has received comments from Loesch, Spencer LeBoff (A&R Director at BMG), and Jake Broido (A&R at Atlantic Records), among others. Walfish cites Fayez as an example of Xposure’s goal of “accelerating artist journeys and bridging pro-artist relationships”.
Garber adds: “It is so rewarding to see the positive interactions happening on the platform already. We are truly building the future of access to the music industry, and there is nothing more exciting than seeing these connections happen in our Xposure ecosystem.”
While it’s not the first platform to connect artists with music managers, Xposure differentiates itself by focusing on the individual experience.
“Other platforms limit you to a certain number of characters and do little to prevent reviewers from posting unhelpful or offensive comments,” Walfish explains. “Others have a low price point, but feedback is given so broadly, that isn’t helpful either. We wanted to make sure the artists were getting specific and detailed responses that could help them improve their craft and move forward in their careers. For example, an executive gave In UMG A&R one of our artist beta testers has a five-minute video full of tips.”
If the various price points make getting professional guidance seem practical, at least the artists on the platform can ensure they get what they pay for.
“We need more front doors for artists, where everyone comes in with open eyes and knows what’s up. Presenting the critical aspect provides interaction with just enough structure so that it focuses on the task, but without overdoing it or taking advantage,” says Matt McClernon, Senior Manager on the Relationship Team YouTube Artists and Xposure Consultant.
While online proliferation can propel an artist to stardom, Xposure also aims to level the playing field and offer the same – Important Exposure to creators in all fields.
“Xposure provides artists with the opportunity to gain the same access as TikTok’s viral success,” Gregor notes. “It’s all about challenging the idea of the algorithms that determine whether an artist will be heard by top music executives and leaders in the space. You cross the line into the office.”
He continues, “The following next Adele or Michael Jackson may not be that good at social media. They may be talented in other ways. They deserve to be heard.”
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