The world may enjoy more ways to showcase talent than at any other time in history, but tell that to struggling young artists trying to find an audience. For all their dynamism, Spotify, YouTube, TikTok and Apple Music are turbulent oceans, and far too many fledgling musicians have been lost at sea.
TuneCore CEO Andreea Gleeson is a firm believer in the democratization of talent. A veteran of the ecommerce industry, Gleeson saw an opportunity for those starting out in the music industry to bypass the gatekeepers of the previous century and take center stage.
“I love digital retail, and I’d always been a big fan of indie music,” she tells The CEO Magazine. “When I was in my early 20s, I’d see artists playing on the New York subways and get their flyers. It was exciting.”
A decade later, as streaming was finding its feet, Gleeson was looking for a new direction in her ecommerce career. She wanted to combine her skills and her interests. It wasn’t long before an opportunity presented itself.
“I hadn’t heard of TuneCore before, but I saw it as a great match,” she says. “It was like the Amazon of music for musicians. There was no industry gatekeeper, so an artist could find an audience based on the merit of the music.”
Creating impact
Even at that early stage, TuneCore was a global platform working to break down long-standing barriers for up-and-coming musicians to access distribution for their art. Today it’s much the same, providing a breakthrough for artists such as Ed Sheeran and Phoebe Bridgers.
“To reach the next level, an artist needs a strong resume. In many ways, we are the first step in helping an artist build that resume,” Gleeson says.
“Take Ed Sheeran, for example. Before he had a formal music career, he shopped around his music, but no major labels would sign him. Instead, he turned to TuneCore, where he built his audience and gained momentum.
“Today, the approach has changed: labels don’t just sign artists; they sign audiences, understanding that a dedicated fanbase is what truly drives success.”
“With TuneCore, as long as an artist wants to bootstrap their business, they can.”
For Sheeran, the rest is history, but for others on TuneCore it’s a chance to build that audience while retaining full control of your intellectual property.
“With TuneCore, as long as an artist wants to bootstrap their business, they can,” Gleeson says.
“If you want to progress, you need a larger team. You need to start hiring people; you can’t do it all yourself. And what we’re so excited about is we can be a solution for artists that are at their very early stage or artists that are really large. We can help them run their own small business.”
Originally part of the marketing and product team, Gleeson was promoted to Co-Head of TuneCore in 2020, with the CEO role following in 2021. Even after a decade with the company, she says she’s still as excited as ever about what she’s able to do for aspiring musical talents.
“I’m one of those people that loves to drive impact; that’s the big thing that motivates me. It’s not about how large my team is or how much money I make,” she reveals.
“And driving impact is a big reason why I chose to come to TuneCore. Streaming has driven so many artists online because that’s where the listeners are. Digital-first artists are recording their music digitally, connecting with their fans digitally and debuting their music on digital platforms.
“They’ve cut the cord with traditional media, and TuneCore is the place where those artists can get their start.”
Developing artists
For a small annual fee, artists gain unlimited distribution opportunities to take their music worldwide, as well as a willing partner in their quest to find their audience.
“The things you’d typically do to develop an artist, TuneCore does. We work hand in hand with digital service providers to find ways to develop artists,” Gleeson says.
“For instance, we partnered with Spotify a few years back on its Spotify Discovery Mode initiative, which amplifies certain tracks based on your previous listening history. It emulates what radio used to do for discovery.”
“We don’t just clock in and clock out, we show up to drive toward something meaningful.”
For Gleeson, the role is a reward for her years of hard work in marketing.
“I can’t drive results without giving back. You have to drive results for your team, for the wider industry. You have to have a meaningful impact,” she says.
“As a company, TuneCore attracts people that want to make an impact. Many are artists themselves. So we don’t just clock in and clock out; we show up to drive toward something meaningful.”
