EAR Snap is a New Digital Hub to Connect Musicians with Photographers
Elton Audio Records has launched EAR Cinema/Snap, a new digital marketplace that allows musicians to connect with and hire U.S.-based videographers and photographers.
Elton Audio Records (EAR) — an independent record label, online music news site, and management company based in New Jersey — claims it has identified a gap in the market for music artists who need to hire a videographer or a photographer but don’t wish to search through different channels to find a professional that may or may not be a fit for their specific needs. This can become even more complicated and difficult if musicians are on a tour or their project is on a tight schedule.
EAR explains, “the time it takes for a musician to research, compare, and start working with a videographer can be a time-consuming process,” and to relieve the time and energy spent on this, EAR created EAR Cinema/Snap, which is a digital marketplace for musicians and videographers or photographers to connect and get hired.
EAR Cinema refers to a catalog of filmmakers, while EAR Snap is focused on stills. Both services are focused on U.S.-based professionals, and currently, EAR wants to fill one photographer and one videographer spot per each state with the current exception of Alaska and Hawaii, which may change as its service develops.
Similar to other directory websites that allow talents to be hired, EAR Cinema/Snap lets musicians browse and search through a catalog of available videographers or photographers in the area that they want to shoot a music video, commercial, or live show. Each professional has a personal profile — called a Pro Page — that details their bio, contains example footage of their work, displays their social media links, and more.
An example of a talent being hired through an EAR Cinema listing and their produced video can be seen below.
EAR explains that it wants to “maintain a quality standard,” which is why the communication begins with artists who are prompted to get in touch with the videographer or photographer before booking a shoot. Once this happens, communication is opened for both parties to discuss requirements of the shoot, negotiate a price, and other details.
Once both parties have agreed on the terms, such as project duration and location, the music artist will pay a deposit for the service. After the project has been delivered, which can also be done through EAR’s own secure file transfer system, the remaining funds will be sent within one to three business days.
In regard to pricing structure, EAR takes 15% share for marketing and expansion combined with a 2% fee which it uses to pay for website expenses, which leaves the photo or video professional with 83% of the fee they negotiated with the artist. EAR says that the additional benefits of being listed on this directory mean an additional source of advertising services that can be found on Google search, while EAR takes care of maintaining and developing the website.
Launching in May 2021, EAR has opened its applications for any interested professionals who want to be considered.
