Inside Next Top Hit

With a barrage of music services out there that promise bands a better way to showcase their music, it’s difficult to find ones with either a) a large enough number of users; or b) substance enough to convert interest into some lead for the band – financial or otherwise. Attempting to change that is Next Top Hit. According to the site

It is designed to be a platform that will enable unsigned and indie musicians to receive recognition and remuneration for their work.

How it intends to do that is a mix of the MySpace and Gimmesound models, topped off with a world tour contest that promises one lucky band the opportunity to “win a fabulous expenses-paid five nation world tour to launch or consolidate your career”.

We spoke to the people behind Next Top Hit and asked the tough questions to find out exactly how NTH intends to bring something new and unique to an already cluttered band-promotion-service table.

I understand the intention behind Next Top Hit, but how different is it say from a MySpace that also allows bands to upload music and create profiles?
Next Top Hit differs from other social website as it allows the artist to monetize their work. Like other social websites, Next Top Hit allows the artist to create their own unique profile, upload their pics and their music, but the key difference is that when a fan downloads their music, the artist will share a contribution of the download price. The artist has the ability to set the price of each of their tracks (using our Next Top Hit currency ‘Bling’) and will receive a share of that money when there track is downloaded. The money will be transferred into the artist account in real time, meaning they don’t have to wait for months to receive remuneration for their work. Next Top Hit also allows artists to add their gigs onto our Gig Guide for all fans to see where and when their favourite bands are performing.

The competition is also similar to Diesel’s UMusic. Could you shed some more light about the international tour that the winning band will partake in?
The Global Music Challenge will  include a five nation world tour across four continents. After the first three months of voting, the top bands from every region will go into the Global Music Challenge and compete for the chance to win the tour. The band with the most votes in the Global stage will be announced as the inaugural winner of Next Top Hit Global Music Challenge and will be taken around the world. On each leg of the tour, the most popular artists from the regions will also be given the opportunity to perform as support acts.

There are several music platforms like Purevolume, Soundclick, Reverbnation, etc that aim at promoting independent artists. What is Next Top Hit’s plan to get more musicians involved with this project?
Next Top Hit Global Music Challenge will be the main draw card for pulling musicians to the site, as we are offering a unique prize. The chance for the artist to actually monetize their work too will bring artists to the site. Next Top Hit is offering the full package, the chance for the artist to promote their own music, advertise their gigs, sell their merchandise, and more importantly sell their music.

How did this concept come about originally? What was the driving force behind it?
The concept was original adopted by the founder of the site, Nathan Battle. He wanted a fairer deal for the artists, which with the rise of digital music and the Internet, is now possible. He wanted to ensure that artists got more money in their pockets and that they get paid in real time instead of having to wait months for a royalty cheque.

His idea came about as he realised that there is so much music available online, that it is extremely hard to find standout talent – so he decided that by creating an online venue for all musicians and providing an attractive, career changing prize, he would be able to attract many undiscovered stars from around the world and give music lovers a hub to find great music online. Nathan also wanted to give artists control over the distribution and marketing of their music so although we invest significantly in promoting our winning artists, we allow everyone to retain full control over their music, as too often artists have to swap control for cash, and we absolutely want to leave that behind.

Is the Global Music Challenge intended to be a periodical affair, or is it a one-time thing?
The Global Music Challenge will be an annual competition.