The Digital Demo Tape

When Jayou Productions, a music production team out of Melbourne, Australia, wanted to get their music heard by successful artists in the United States, they ended up learning some painful lessons. “We paid hundreds of dollars to illegitimate outlets and never heard anything back,” says Sinmayan Thilagarajan, a Jayou producer.

That was before they signed up for Blazetrak. Now they’re in the process of closing a deal with Eddie Weathers and Jermaine Dupri of SoSoDef/Dieniahmar Music. Weathers heard Jayou’s music via Blazetrak. He liked their sound and told them how to improve it, and eventually introduced their music to Dupri, resulting in a face-to-face meeting. “Blazetrak got us heard with the same music that was being ignored everywhere else,” says Thilagarajan.

Launched in 2009 by music industry veterans Ron Harrison, Nate Casey, and Corey Stanford, Blazetrak provides personal video messages from entertainment professionals. The trio partnered when they realized that feedback on demo tapes had monetary value. The goal was to develop a systematic way for record company executives, producers, choreographers, and more to receive music from aspiring artists.

Blazetrak users can search through a database to find one or more entertainment professionals from whom they

would like to get critiques. The user can then submit video, audio, images, or documents directly to that professional. “We focus on making sure the targeted person in your submission personally responds to you via video–no middleman,” explains Harrison, the chief sales officer. “We created this company so that you don’t have to live in L.A. or N.Y. to get connected.”

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Users must purchase Blazetrak credits–one credit begins at $15–and the number of credits vary based on whom the user is making a submission to. If a video response is not furnished within 30

days, the user has the option to wait longer, or they can request their credits back and submit to someone else. A premium account for $49.99 a year offers the ability to skip to the front of the line and the option of immediate credit refunds. A revenue sharing agreement with Blazetrak provides incentive for the industry professionals to respond to as many submissions as possible.

While still in beta, Blazetrak generated just under $1 million in revenues for 2011. Grammy award-winning music producer/songwriter Bryan-Michael Cox has used Blazetrak since its inception. “This is one of the most resourceful music-based websites that I have seen; it’s the real deal for those trying to break in. Results happen, and people get real opportunities,” he says.

With four full-time employees, the company has recruited 400 music professionals including Mathew Knowles, Andre Harrell, Big Boi of Outkast, and Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins. The addition of Facebook, Twitter, and an upcoming reward system aided in increasing the user base, says Harrison, who predicts the company will generate $1.5 million to $2 million in revenues by year end. In the future Blazetrak looks to cross over into other industries.

–Rod L. Wilson