A growing number of Nigerians are turning to online freelancing to earn extra income, while others have already made it their fulltime careers. While most of these jobs encompass around content writing, computer programming or virtual assistant, there is now a new demand for music composing too.
In 2017, DJ Jesse Neo, an Australian-American singer-songwriter, music producer and technologist, founded the platform Gemtracks Beats. It started out as a private store to sell his personal instrumental beats, but after seeing potential for international explanation, has turned it into a freelance marketplace.
“The reason for making Gemtracks Beats a public marketplace is to allow undiscovered music producers and artists to have an outlet to show off their skills,” Jesse explained. “After travelling to many countries, Nigeria is one country that has stuck out to me for being the most beautiful and creative. I mean, I met many talented musicians that have not been recognized in the world stage. It is kind of a shame, really. This is why I decided to help all the musicians in this country to get their names out there.”
Currently, the platform houses a huge collection of different tracks, including pop beats and even reggaeton beats. As new freelancers join, it is likely for more genres to be introduced.
Recently in an article posted on Business Insider, it stated Gemtracks Beats would benefit African musicians the most. This is particularly true as freelancers would be able to create their own services based on what they are good at. This could be music mixing or songwriting, for example.
Then the freelancer would also be given the freedom to set the asking price and the terms. This makes it possible for the freelancer to have their name credited in the song releases. If the song happens to be released by an international star in America, there is no doubt it would change the freelancer’s life too.
