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The last decade has seen an incredible rise in the power of content, however, at the cost of real ownership for creators so a team of developers, creatives and operative masters created SonX - which is set to put value back into creativity by disrupting the music industry and redefining how fans and artists connect worldwide. We caught up with Lee Gray to find out more about this fantastic project and here's what he told us:
What is SonX about?
SonX is a community platform that allows superfans to subscribe to their favourite musicians via a montly membership fee unlocking a ‘digital backstage’ experience, exclusive content and rewards.
Why is it different from the other platforms from an artist’s point of view?
SonX allows artists to more income from a smaller number of fans. We give artists insight and actionable data, enabling them to build meaningful relationships with them. This is great because it filters out social media negativity, trolling and meaningless interactions. In essence it provides a safe space to explore their creativity.
How would a fan benefit from SonX? What are the perks?
One of the main elements we’ve been working on for the fan is the ability to be seen as individual by your favourite artist. Having that ethos at the front and centre of the user experience ensures that they [fans] get to be apart of a community of like-minded superfans. They’re rewarded with NFTs & limited edition merch and positive interactions & engagement. There are no ads no algorithms, no selling of your personal data, SonX is about you having that direct relationship with your favourite artist.
Where does the idea come from?
The idea for SonX originally came during the pandemic. I saw a lot of signed artists saying they had no money on social media and I couldn’t really understand why as I had never worked in music before Sony Music Entertainment, only fashion and entertainment. I knew live performances had gone away but I still couldn’t fully understand how artists with 500,000 streams had no money – streams must mean something. After doing research, I realised that 500,000 streams is only £2,000 and if you are signed to a label, you’re giving 85% of that away, and the 15% that you keep, you’re paying your band, manager, make up artists etc. and then when you look at your hands you’re only looking at £5, so I felt like there could be something that can be created that’s a little bit sexier and artists can get what they deserve. I feel like some of the options that were out there didn’t solve many of the issues that musicians were having and I’m the kind of person that is quite impulsive so I was like “why don’t I just go for it” and that is how I started SonX.
You started at Sony Music Entertainment, why the risk of creating something new?
Although I’ve worked for many incredible companies like MATCHESFASHION.COM, Harper’s Bazaar, Intertalent Rights Group, Sony Music Entertainment being one of them. I’ve never shy’d away from failure or the power of the idea. I felt like it was less of a risk because I had spent the last 10 years working across many different industries and gaining enough experience to lead a business. With that said, I’ve already learnt so much and so I can only look at SonX as being a success for me personally whether it becomes a huge success or not
Artists are currently required to create tik toks, sell VIP Packages, create a lot of music all the time - which can be a bit overwhelming for them. What’s your opinion on that?
It’s incredibly overwhelming, especially if your only goal is to make music however, it’s a reality of what it means to be an artist and hopefully you have the right team & people to surround you and support you. I’ve seen that the artists who seem to create balance are those who are incredibly authentic to themselves and what they want to contribute through their art so if you feel like the best way to connect with your fans is through a tiktok, or a limited edition NFT or taking time away for yourself and explaining where you’ve been through a video on Vogue then that is what you’ll do and the people that understand & support your point of view will get that.
There’s currently a lot of competition in the music industry at the moment, what’s the key of success?
The beauty about technology is that it has made it incredibly democratic. I don’t think there is one blueprint today of how to become a success however, there are certainly best practices. I’d first ask yourself what kind of artist do you want to be? How important is the music vs the fame? Would this be as enticing to you if you were able to make the music you want to make but would only be able to play at gigs and festivals rather than arenas? Is it important to you to be signed to a major label or do you prefer the careers of people who remained independent? Once you’ve asked yourself those questions then I think it will be a lot easier in determining what the next steps should be for you.
SonX is a community platform that allows superfans to subscribe to their favourite musicians via a montly membership fee unlocking a ‘digital backstage’ experience, exclusive content and rewards.
For more info, head over
https://www.sonx.com
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