Gemtracks provides a range of song instrumentals and articles, as well as an exclusive online store that produces unique backing tracks for bands, singers and songwriters. One of the unique aspects of this platform is that each track is sold to one customer only and removed from the website once sold. This means that the buyer receives full copyright ownership of the track.
We recently interviewed the founder of Gemtracks Jesse Neo to know more about this online platform and his entrepreneurial journey.
Jesse, Thank you for talking with us. Kindly describe your journey as an entrepreneur so far. How and when did you come up with the idea of Gemtracks?
Thank you for having me. I started my career as a musical artist in 2017 as a singer, songwriter and producer. As my songs were released and magazines started to pick them up for reviews, I began receiving requests from labels and media companies asking me to compose beats and instrumental music for them. That’s when I realized there was a market for instrumental music. So after my jobs with the media companies ended, I decided to start my own online store known as Gemtracks where anyone could come and buy beats.
What were the initial challenges that you faced in your endeavor?
I was contacted by the companies that wanted me to write for them on the internet. So it made sense that the business I would start would be online too. The first challenge was knowing what sort of music would sell. When I was under contracts with labels, I was given clear instructions on the type of music. But when I was on my own, I had no idea and had to experiment. Eventually, after listening around 100 tracks on the website, I was faced with the problem of not having people to come to buy them. So marketing was another issue because I was so new to the field.
The music industry is a highly competitive Industry. What are some of the things a newcomer should keep in his or her mind?
I think one reason for the high competitiveness is because you just don’t know what type of songs will start trending. I remember ten years ago, punk and rock were very popular. Now, electronic and hip hop are taking over the charts. My advice is to stay authentic to yourself and don’t compare yourself to other artists. Your sound is yours and there’s no need to sound like someone else. I mean, people want to listen to you, not another artist.
What are some of the projects you are currently working on?
Besides Gemtracks, I am also working on some of my new releases. I was also planning to film a music video but due to the pandemic, this had to be postponed to next year. Even in the delay, I am still constantly thinking and re-deciding how the video should be filmed. It has always been a dream of mine to make a video so I know I need to give my all into it, especially since this will be my first time.
In your view, which is your best release, and why?
I think my best release is my track, ‘Sex Magic.’ I wrote the song like in half an hour one Sunday afternoon, and immediately after release, I was receiving replies in my Twitter account with people reposting the lyrics. Then several magazines picked up the song and gave them sparkling reviews. To this day, I still come across people that know me because of this song.
How is the Music Industry coping with the ongoing pandemic?
A lot of artists are trying to find gigs online. This is another reason why Gemtracks is so popular. On Gemtracks, artists can buy and sell instrumental beats. This means they don’t need to leave their house or anything like that. In fact, I have just launched a directory of music producers that you can work with online.
