TuneCore launches educational and rewards programmes for artists

The launch follows the company’s recent announcement of its team in Africa, and the two programmes form part of the company’s plans to empower artists. In January, TuneCore head of Southern Africa Jade Leaf told Music In Africa that the company would concentrate on key areas such as “reviewing the local stores for online distribution and a big focus on education for artists to better equip themselves with the tools to release music independently”.

TuneCore Certified awards musicians with digital plaques to celebrate their milestones for total streams garnered from a single or an album. The awards programme works in a similar way to traditional music industry artist recognition plaques. The personalised awards are given once a given streaming threshold from 100 to1 billion is reached across all streaming platforms. Awardees can also share their streaming milestones on social media via their badges.

“We created this programme in order to celebrate independent artists’ success,” TuneCore chief revenue officer and co-head Andreea Gleeson said. “It’s the modern iteration of the plaques artists get when their album or single has sold, or equivalently streamed, 500 000 or 1 million copies or more. For as much as TuneCore democratised the music industry and made it easy for independent artists to distribute their music, these badges democratise the recognition of success and achievement, making it attainable for all levels of artists, from hobbyists and beginners to full-time creators.”

TuneCore Rewards is a free multi-level educational programme, which allows its artists to unlock rewards and VIP status through career education. It is currently in beta and will officially launch sometime in March. The award levels are divided into New, Emerging, Rising and Breakout, with two exclusive top tiers – Accelerator and Legend. Artists can bypass the first three tiers by either earning more than $1 000 from their streams or distributing at least 25 releases.

The programme provides curated masterclass videos from industry experts, which cover a wide range of key areas such as music promotion, social media for musicians and release planning, among others. After completing the classes, artists will receive credit and unlock points, which can be used for a variety of rewards and discounts.

The Accelerator level features a one-on-one mentoring programme by TuneCore’s Artists and Partner Relations team. Artists will gain analysis and advice on their social media presence, guidance on their listings in digital stores and streaming partners, as well as assistance with digital marketing and planning releases.

Legend status is aimed at top earners who are offered exclusive education sessions and other high-level artist support benefits. These independent artists will gain access to the Artist and Partner Relations Team, VIP Artist Support and Content Review.