Before I continue my last three reviews of digital direct sales tools for independent musicians, I want to give an extra special mention to Genuine Caring. Not only do they provide an awesome service to a number of inter/national and local (Lehigh Valley region of Eastern Pennsylvania, USA) charities, but they do it in style with a very clean approach to their web site and the agreements with independent musicians or musician agents.
There’s an easily followed form for creating your musician profile. Then, you start to upload songs — which also have a simply interface. The only thing out of the ordinary is that you can optionally select a charity that most of the proceeds will go to. Songs sell for $1.99 with a $.20 royalty going to the musician (or agent). If you don’t set a specific charity, the listeners/buyers can choose one when they purchase a song. Songs must be in MP3 format, but may be at any quality level. Once you’ve uploaded your song, it awaits approval as “GC rated”. In addition to clean, family-friendly songs, Genuine Caring asks that songs be uplifting. The approval process has always been less than a day in my experience.
Listeners come to the site and can browse the charities and musicians, preview a portion of each song, and click to add the song to a shopping cart or as a gift. While the site is easy to use, there does not appear to be a way to embed any of the Genuine Caring shop on other web sites. This may be by design since the point is to get exposure and funds for the charities.
Genuine Caring has an awesome presence on several Social Media platforms including Twitter, FaceBook, Google+ and more to help advertise the songs and the causes. They also provide each artist with a publicity kit (via email) to maximize sales — which will also maximize the benefit to the charities. High marks from me for the personal touches by GC!
I highly recommend that independent artists upload at least one of their songs to help the causes at Genuine Caring. It’s a great way to give back.
Playful blessings,
Stan
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about.me
stan stewart
muse and music for the present moment
I look for ways to re-invigorate our human experience of life. I want us to drink up every moment with enlivening spontaneity. One of the ways I do this is with improvisation -- especially improvised music. With voice, guitar, percussion, piano (keyboards) and friends, I develop "in the moment" creations. I also play classical and pop music for the vast joy it brings to know the composers and songwriters of the past and present through their music.
[...] My Bookings review of GenuineCaring [...]
[...] deliver or provide a useful platform; and one new service that I really like which allows for song sales while simultaneously benefitting charities. The two final reviews are of tools that focus (almost) solely on direct digital song [...]