Finding the musicians and creative collaborators you’re seeking for your band is endlessly frustrating and difficult. Whether you’ve been left on “read” by a prospective target, your message seemingly disappeared into the void, or you don’t even know where to start to find the right person, everyone’s run into a wall at some point or another.
Enter Featured X, a new platform designed to link up musicians with other musicians, writers, photographers, graphic designers and more. In other words: Cameo for music! No longer will you have to take a shot in the dark with a Facebook message to an inbox that may or may not be checked, email some manager who you know won’t give you the time of day, or rely on antiquated platforms like Craigslist: Featured X was made by musicians, for musicians, with vetted contacts and an incredibly easy-to-use interface sorted by professional category.
What’s more, the platform specializes in metal, hardcore and other dark arts. You might know co-founder Ryan ‘Tuck’ O’Leary as the bassist in Fit For a King, and may recognize his partner, Jeff Menig, as the talent booker at long-running Atlanta metal bastion The Masquerade. It always feels better knowing the people behind a company you’re thinking about working with are one of you, doesn’t it?
Some key players already offering their services on Featured X include:
Matt Byrne (Hatebreed)
Mark Heylmun (Suicide Silence)
CJ MacMahon (Thy Art is Murder)
Spencer Charnas (Ice Nine Kills)
Tanner Wayne (In Flames)
Kellin Quinn (Sleeping With Sirens)
Shane Told (Silverstein)
Andy Cizek (Monuments)
Brandon Saller (Atreyu)
Kevin Boutot (The Acacia Strain)
Josh Manuel (Issues)
Travis Orbin (Darkest Hour, ex-Periphery)
… and tons more. And that’s just on the musician side. Whether you need a guest guitar solo on one track, a drummer for your entire album, graphic design help for your cover artwork, web design work or anything else, it’s never been easier to book the talent you want.
Featured X was recently rolled into Artist Republik, an all-in-one artist services platform that offers distribution, marketing, merchandising, ticketing and more, enabling self-represented music talent and industry stakeholders to sidestep controlling agents, gatekeepers and management when it is not necessary. You can easily see how the partnership with Featured X makes sense. With over 75k users from around the world, Artist Republik is committed to its platform and the ways in which it hopes to challenge older models and instead, help artists to be successful without the help of a record label.
“This partnership was a no-brainer for us,” explains Menig. “Our biggest motivation has been unshackling artists from the ‘way it’s always been’ structure, giving them the freedom both artistically and monetarily they’ve always deserved. This deal will allow us to bring that reality to fruition for our community & beyond much faster than anticipated, and we cannot wait to continue to help artists value themselves more than ever before.”
