Xposure Music has turned the emerging artist’s never-ending hustle into a streamlined and productive experience that gives all involved parties access to what they truly need. Xposure has opened the platform to all interested musicians, with an impressive roster of vetted pros searching for a platform to give valuable feedback. Artists will find pros from major labels like Capitol Records, RCA Records, BMG, Atlantic Records, Universal Music Group, and Sony Music, Motown, Internet Money, Roc Nation and more.
 

Aspiring artists are hungry, and send their music anywhere and everywhere they think could be fruitful in kick starting their career. With an influx of inquiries and no great way to filter through these requests, artists get lost in the shuffle. Xposure solves this problem. Backed by strategic investors from the music and entertainment space, Xposure unlocks access to top music industry professionals. 

“I want to find the next superstar, listen to more artists, and help kickstart artist journeys,” says Polo Molina, founder of Grassroots Music and manager of the Black Eyed Peas. “Xposure has the tools to do just that. Without Xposure, streamlining the listening and discovery of new artists’ music has been a difficult process. We receive thousands of DMs and emails, with Xposure, it's easy and enjoyable for my team and I to filter through and listen to these talented artists.”

Aspiring musicians can now easily send their music directly to industry pros. All artists can submit music for free, direct to the pro of their choosing, with Xposure’s Free Submission. They can also ensure feedback by booking a 1-on-1 Video Call with a pro, or submit their music for Guaranteed Feedback to receive genuine and productive feedback within 7 days. Pros can filter through emerging artists and their musical submissions, providing filters by genre, status of release, and type of track submitted.

“In streamlining the feedback and discovery experience for the artist, we are also making the interaction easier for executives, with the help of integrations with Chartmetric and Spotify. These are industry leaders deep in the music ecosystem, who are excited about building relationships with the next generation of artists,” says Gregory Walfish, co-founder of Xposure. “It's so rewarding to witness the positive interactions happening on the platform already. We're truly building the future of music industry access, and there's nothing more exciting than seeing these connections take place in our Xposure ecosystem,” added Ryan Garber, co-founder of Xposure.

Professionals from all major record labels are available on the platform, as well as other professionals from marketing agencies and social media platforms.  Pro involvement has doubled since Xposure’s initial launch, and now includes the artist management teams behind Black Eyed Peas, Lil Nas X, R3HAB and more.

“I was completely blown away when I received messages back from professionals, I wasn’t expecting real advice and insight,” says Shania, an artist blending 90s/2000s R&B with Caribbean influence, who received meaningful feedback from executives at Roc Nation, through the Xposure platform. “Before Xposure, I was struggling with my confidence, my journey had a rocky start. I was super critical and anxious. Through Xposure, I found a community"

Artists with ambitions, yet lacking connections had to find the backdoor to be noticed by a professional in the industry: the stage exit where tastemakers might emerge, the boutique where the gatekeeper shopped, the restaurant where so-and-so’s manager frequented. Xposure, a new platform connecting artists and vetted industry professionals, has drawn a new front door to foster this networking and mentoring. 

Launched by invite July 7th, 2022, Xposure (xposuremusic.com) turns the all-consuming hustle to get noticed into a transparent and streamlined experience, one that improves the workflow for all involved. The brainchild of two young entrepreneurs tired of watching their musician friends struggle, Xposure will launch with over 2,500 artists on the waitlist, and continue to expand over the coming weeks, with additional industry pro’s and innovative feedback methods joining their arsenal. It’s time to start networking in a whole new way.

Alternative rap and rock artist Fayz is already reaping the benefits of connections made through Xposure’s networking. Before finding the Xposure platform, Fayz “felt discouraged by music.” After receiving feedback and genuine interest from a pro, unique opportunities have come to Fayz, which otherwise wouldn’t have been presented. “Xposure is crucial for musicians trying to gain more traction and actually increase their elevation into the music industry, and get their foot into the door,” says Fayz. “It’s the secret ingredient to an upcoming artist. To me, it’s done nothing but that.”

“We’ve set out to expedite artist journeys and bridge pro-to-artist relationships – artists like Fayz are doing just that. When an emerging artist can take their career to the next step and transform their feedback into a lasting relationship, it becomes so much more than an interaction over the platform,” says Xposure co-founder Gregory Walfish. “That’s what our pro’s do, they’re scouting out new talent and offering expertise to tomorrow’s next breakout star.”

With professionals from the majors, Motown, Internet Money, Roc Nation, and more, Xposure offers artists a clear way to connect with top managers, multi-platinum producers, A&R pros, seasoned marketers, and other music professionals with expertise, for a reasonable consultation fee. These experts act as mentors and advisors, giving clear written or video feedback on burning artist questions. If the relationship clicks, artists can have one-on-one coaching sessions. Provided with tools to evaluate an artist’s potential, music pros can find talented creators right as they are about to break, without relying on algorithms or social media popularity contests. 

For artists, they can engage with confidence, knowing the pro they are working with has been carefully selected for their qualifications. Feedback is guaranteed in terms of quality and turnaround time; industry experts send extensive responses suggesting next steps for an artist’s material or plans. Pros have seven days to deliver their feedback or set up a consultation, so that artists aren’t left hanging. All transactions take place on the platform, ensuring safety and security.

“We’ve consulted with industry leaders and artists to make sure we get them exactly what they need in a transparent, affordable, and truly helpful way,” explains Ryan Garber, co-founder of Xposure. “We want to help build a new kind of network that connects those with clout and experience with newcomers, ready to work hard and perfect their craft.”

“We need more front doors for artists, where everyone goes in with eyes open and knows what’s up. Introducing the monetary side provides the interaction with just enough structure so that it’s focused on the task, but not overreaching or exploitative,” explains Xposure advisor Matt McLernon, a senior manager on YouTube’s artist relations team. “It plugs into so many trends in the music industry and the creator economy. The next generation of artists want to go more places with more info.” Xposure helps them do that.

Advisory board will offer strategic guidance to the Xposure team as they launch as the go-to platform for artist development, discovery, and mentorship by music industry heavyweights.

Music marketplace Xposure, which connects artists to industry leaders, is excited to announce their Advisory Board, composed of seasoned music and tech professionals eager to help mentor the team. Members include Global Head of Song Management at Hipgnosis Songs Fund Nick Jarjour, Vice President at REBEL and management for Lil Nas X, Adriana Arce, former entertainment partnerships professional at Facebook Chase Ellman, Senior Manager on YouTube’s artist relations team Matt McLernon, Founder of Grassroots Music, and Manager of Black Eyed Peas, Polo Molina. 

The team at Xposure envisions a world where no artist needs to send their mixtape to a label in a box of doughnuts, or fly across the country hoping to brush elbows with big-name producers outside a high-end store. They’ve seen what friends and colleagues will go through to take their music to the next level, and designed Xposure to bridge this gap, without wiping the artist of time and resources. 

“It's all about challenging the idea of algorithms determining whether an artist is heard by top music execs and leaders in the space. You’re skipping the line to the desk. Xposure provides artists with a chance to get the same access as a viral TikTok success,” says Nick Jarjour, Xposure advisor and veteran music business instigator. “The next Adele or Michael Jackson might not be good at social media. They may be talented in other ways. They deserve to be heard.”

Xposure opens up a world of opportunity and accessibility by granting virtually unlimited access to the right people, with the right experiences that artists need to go next-level with their music.

“Our advisory board is top-notch, with combined decades of experience working in entertainment, music, and partnerships. As we get closer to launch, the guidance of these individuals is influential to Xposure’s continued development,” says Xposure Co-founder Ryan Garber.

The Advisory Board at Xposure is dedicated to this concept, combining entertainment and musical expertise to help build an impressive network of industry professionals at companies such as Roc Nation, Warner Music, Internet Money, and Columbia Records. These pros are vetted, and are using the platform to discover new talent, offer their expertise to artists, or mentor artists through their next steps. Xposure hopes to transition these relationships past a one-off, transactional relationship, and promote long-term professional networking between pros and artists.

“We are so appreciative of the dedication and support of our mission by our Advisory Board,” says Xposure Co-founder Gregory Walfish. “Each member has brought a unique perspective and knowledge set, and has helped us shape the strategic development and rollout of our platform.”

Interested artists can request early-access to join the platform through the Xposure Music site at xposuremusic.com.

About Xposure:

With professional development platform Xposure, artists can now experience personalized music industry feedback and engage in real industry mentorship opportunities, like never before. Aspiring musicians receive personalized attention and constructive comments on their submitted tracks, directly from vetted music industry professionals and connections made through the online platform. In turn, music professionals gain access to an ever-expanding pool of new and exciting musical talent and an innovative tool to streamline their music submission process.

Artists can connect directly with recognized A&Rs, Marketers, Producers and Managers from the top labels and companies. Xposure revolutionizes how artists are heard by leaders in the industry, tearing down the barriers to get music into their hands. 

Xposure was founded in July 2021 and is backed by a strong foundation of music, entertainment and business experts such as Nick Jarjour, Matt McLernon and Mitch Garber, to name just a few. They have an all star team of operators from companies such as Instagram, Cameo, CAA and more.

Artists want guidance, to get outside insight into making music, but lack access to good guides and clear direction. They have to rely on luck, connections, or intense hustle to get it. Music execs, managers, and other professionals want to share their knowledge. But they are overwhelmed with requests, pitches, random messages, and awkward in-person encounters. 

Xposure, a new professional development platform for music, wants to revolutionize these relationships. On Xposure, hundreds of carefully vetted pros offer concrete mentoring and consultation to emerging artists. The platform revolutionizes how artists get heard by leaders in the music industry, tearing down the barriers to get music into their hands. Once they’ve been heard, artists get guaranteed, high-quality feedback on their work or business plans within seven days, all for an extremely reasonable fee.  

To ensure this feedback happens, Xposure harmonizes the needs of music pros with those of aspiring creators. Pros get a service that helps them manage relationships more efficiently. It offers a window into the very beginning of a potentially promising career. And it gives them an easy way to advise and encourage artists on their own terms, on their own time. 

“We see our mission as not only streamlining access, but enabling serendipity. We wanted to compress what might 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 pros,” explains Gregory Walfish, co-founder of Xposure. “We want to help people find that breakout moment.”

Past platforms and marketplaces aimed to tame the music business’ informal economy of connections by getting artists to pay for access—but without any promise of meaningful response. Xposure was designed to build a mentor relationship between music business newcomers and experts. 

Highly vetted, Xposure pros hail from the strongest companies and most innovative places in the business. They can check out artists’ socials and streams via a Chartmetric API integration, and then give video or written feedback. If the relationship clicks, artists can set up a one-on-one session via video call and schedule it in the app. Payment is easy for both sides, further reducing friction in one of the most fraught moments in the music business.

“It's all about challenging the idea of algorithms determining whether an artist is heard by top music execs and leaders in the space. You’re skipping the line to the desk. Xposure provides artists with a chance to get the same access as a viral TikTok success,” says Nick Jarjour, Xposure advisor and veteran music business instigator. “The next Adele or Michael Jackson might not be good at social media. They may be talented in other ways. They deserve to be heard.” 

The idea of skipping the line and getting access via platform has gained legitimacy thanks to apps like Cameo, the celeb marketplace that lets fans buy short shoutouts and other playful content from celebrities. Xposure builds on this potential, bridging the well-respected and -connected with ingenues and creating real opportunity between people once separated by misaligned interests.

Xposure started when two young Montreal entrepreneurs and investors, Walfish and Ryan Garber, were contemplating launching a startup of their own. They were excited by the music and entertainment space, in part because they had witnessed the struggles of their artist friends. They heard about heroic attempts to catch the ear of tastemakers, from hitting them up outside luxury boutiques in Florida, to flying across the continent in hope of a 5-minute meeting.

“Montreal has this big, lively cultural scene. We saw lots of friends and people close to us trying to pursue a music career and facing a lot of obstacles,” says Garber. “I realized that if we can help these artists who are feeling hopeless, we can help them be as strong as someone with a big network at their disposal.”

At first, they focused on big-name artists who, they imagined, might give brief feedback and affirmation to aspiring creators. Through a mutual acquaintance, they reached out to Steve Aoki. While the electronic musician loved the idea, Walfish and Garber soon saw a problem. “Steve and artists at his level just don’t have the time to do this consistently,” explains Walfish. “They have so many other commitments. But we realized that his team had just as much value to emerging artists. They have incredible expertise to share. And they have more time and willingness to do so.”

Xposure was born. The small team focused on how to attract the right mix of professionals and how to set standards for feedback that would provide real value to artists. “Other platforms limit you to a certain number of characters and do little to prevent reviewers from posting unhelpful or even hurtful comments,” explains Walfish. “Others have a low price point, but feedback that’s delivered at scale, which is also not helpful. We wanted to make sure artists got specific, detailed responses that could help them improve their craft and move their careers forward. For example, a UMG A&R exec gave one of our artist beta testers a 5-minute video full of advice.” 

In the future, Xposure aims to take interactions far beyond one-off advice videos or quick calls. The company hopes to expand artists’ and pros’ networks through ongoing connections and to create a more robust, democratic music business. “In music, you’re as successful as your network. We’re trying to build this network for artists in a new, more predictable way that fits into their budgets,” Garber notes. “It reflects the way many record label execs work. They have a ton of freedom to do things the way they want, but they are trusted to yield results. We’ve learned a lot from them, and we know artists out there will, too.”