Want to prove you know how to pick a hit song? The FanLabel app is where you just might find out whether you’re among the best A&R talent scouts or not. In FanLabel, you run your very own fantasy record label.
To help you with a full breakdown of the app and how to play, we’re going to list out all the tips and insights from A-to-Z, starting with…
A: Accuracy. Under the “Your Label” page, you are able to see your accuracy score in challenges (Best-of-Five and Crowd Favorites), Quick Picks and Fantasy Contests. This includes the total number of entries, wins and an accuracy percentage for each type. It is a great way to measure how you’re performing within the app.
B: Best-of-Five. The bread-and-butter of FanLabel. Best-of-Five contests run every day and currently consist of four main genres: pop, hip-hop, country and alternative. Users pick one song from a pool of five they think will be the most streamed track. These are brand new, just-dropped songs, and are updated every day. No repeats here!
C: Crowd Favorites. Similarly to Best-of-Five, Crowd Favorite challenges run every day (usually at least two new challenges per day). What makes these interesting is, instead of making your pick based on streaming data, you’re betting on the song you believe will be picked most by fellow FanLabel players. Crowd Favorites also use a wide variety of genres, themes and music selections.
D: Discovery. One of the best reasons to play FanLabel is for music discovery. As mentioned above, our Best-of-Five contests provide brand new songs every single day of the week, with 30-second previews and the ability to stream the full songs directly on platforms like Apple Music and Spotify. Our curators carefully select new releases for you to hear before your friends do. You’ll also sometimes see new songs in Quick Picks, Crowd Favorites and Fantasy Contests, as well.
E: Elevator Pitch Winner. FanLabel is one of the most exciting new companies in the world of gameplay. It was crowned as the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association’s 2020 Elevator Pitch award-winner at the FSGA Winter Conference held in Las Vegas. Read more about it here.
F: Fantasy Contests. Another core experience of the FanLabel app. Each individual Fantasy Contest is a week-long, and makes up one part of four-week long “season.” You may use your allotted budget to sign five different artists to your fantasy label each week — those you believe will be combine for the highest streaming total. These contests are typically based on a specific genre or theme and group artists together who are generally similar in streaming data, but some will be higher than others. There are both weekly rewards and season rewards. This is an opportunity for FanLabel users to maximize their Royalties.
G: Genres. As mentioned above, the four core genres of FanLabel — those that you will see every day — include pop, hip-hop, country and alternative. However, we do our best to diversify our music selections, and on any given day you may see EDM, R&B, heavy metal, folk, blues, punk, hot rock, Latin trap, K-Pop and countless others. We’re big on nostalgia, too, so look out for “Throwback Thursday” and other special contests incorporating the sounds of yesteryear.
H: Hip-Hop. Did you know hip-hop is the most streamed genre? Some of this can be attributed to the sheer volume of releases and some of it may have to do with accessibility — it is easier now than ever before for, say, an underground hip-hop artist’s music to go viral. But the underlying fact is that hip-hop and rap music is incredibly popular in 2020. FanLabel is well aware of this, and you will see hip-hop represented every day in the app, including challenges, Fantasy Contests, Quick Picks and various other features.
I: Interviews. The FanLabel team often conducts interviews on its “Play the Music” podcast (more on that later), where we speak to a wide variety of music industry professionals, including artists, managers, producers, journalists, sound engineers and many others. We also conduct interviews and write feature stories right here on the blog, including how to write a hit song, or how artists use social media to promote music, as well as question-and-answers segments and much more.
J: Jam Bands, Jazz, Justin Timberlake and more. Just some more potential genres, themes, artists and musical stylings you may find within the FanLabel app. These specific examples will likely be found in Crowd Favorite special contests or Quick Picks. As for Justin Timberlake, in addition to his songs, you’ll also find his officially-licensed merchandise in our Marketplace, which we’ll get to momentarily.
K: Knowledge. Outside of everything else mentioned in this article, FanLabel wants to make sure to keep fans educated on the music industry. That may include discussing the business side of the industry on our podcast and blog, or perhaps working with colleges, universities and music schools to provide internships to students. We also want to keep our users abreast of all of the new music releases or current streaming data numbers. We love learning about the industry, and we want to share our knowledge with you.
L: Leaderboards and Leagues. FanLabel is fun to play for many reasons, but a key driver of it is competition. We have leaderboards available to the public so that you are able to see how you stack up against other players. The Global Leaderboard is based on total lifetime earnings of Virtual Royalties. Meanwhile, there are weekly leaderboards for pop, hip-hop, country and alternative, which incorporate the results of each daily contest throughout the week in each genre. There are also leaderboards for each fantasy contest. While it’s not a live feature just yet, we also wanted to remind you to be on the lookout for leagues. Just like in fantasy sports, you’ll be able to create your own leagues with friends where you can compete for bragging rights and possibly prizes.
M: Marketplace. The FanLabel Marketplace lives within the app, and is full of great officially-licensed artist merchandise, from artists such as Billie Eilish, Justin Timberlake, Eminem, The Weeknd, Greta Van Fleet, Migos and many more. The best part is, FanLabel players can combine their Virtual Royalties with actual cash to get great deals on products. Coming soon, the Marketplace will also feature cosmetics for your label and live experience opportunities! Learn more about the Marketplace here.
N: Newsletter. The FanLabel Newsletter is sent out monthly. It is our way of keeping you up-to-date on all things FanLabel, including the FanLabel blog, top-performing players, special offers, new features, insider tips, and of course, music news. In addition to our monthly newsletter, FanLabel may send out specific newsletters regarding the Marketplace, “Play the Music” podcast or special events. Sign up here.
O: Oldies, But Goodies. For as many new songs that run through the FanLabel app, there are many older songs that you’ll hear as well. We may run a 1950s swing challenge, a 1960s pop rock challenge or a 1970s disco challenge on any given day. Maybe you’ll find a Quick Pick featuring two 1980s hair metal hits, a 1990s boy band feature or a challenge highlighting the top-five songs of a specific year. In addition to all of today’s hits, there is a wide variety of nostalgia that can be heard in the app.
P: “Play the Music” and B-Sides Podcast. The “Play the Music” podcast features a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the business side of the music industry. Hosted by FanLabel co-founders, Jeff and Rich Sloan, the weekly show features industry-leading commentary from artists, producers and music industry professionals. In between episodes, “Play the Music” also features minisodes called “FanLabel B-Sides,” hosted by FanLabel’s Mick Brege. These episodes dive further into interviews with artists, covering the music-making process and how artists navigate the music business today. Listen to all episodes here.
Q: Quick Picks. Quick Picks are, well, quick, easy and fun ways to play the FanLabel app. Choose between two songs that you think had more streams in the last seven-day period. You can play previews of each song, and for every song you choose correctly, you’ll earn 100 Royalties for your label. Choose wisely!
R: Results. Most of the regular challenges in FanLabel run for 24 hours. As mentioned above, Best-of-Five contests are based on real-life streaming data. So, these challenges show results the next day, after the streams are scored. Crowd Favorite contests work the same way, but are again based on picks within the app rather than streaming totals. Quick Picks are instant results — you have a 50 percent chance and either guess correctly or incorrectly and are immediately rewarded if correct. Fantasy Contests work a little bit differently, as you can collect “points” every 24 hours, but the length of the full contests last for two to three weeks.
S: Social Aspects. FanLabel allows you to “follow” other labels, where you can see what songs your friends/competitors are picking within the app. You can also see how they’re performing overall. You can also view who is following your label, and who you are following, on the “Your Label” page. For more on why you should follow other labels on FanLabel, read here. Additionally, we are working toward other social features where you can connect with friends, such as the aforementioned leagues.
T: Total Earnings. The Global Leaderboard is based on Total Earnings — this means all Virtual Royalties your label has earned throughout its lifespan. You can view your Total Earnings on “Your Label” page underneath your record label name, directly next to your followers/following tabs.
U: Unique Experience. Fantasy sports can be found everywhere in today’s day and age. Fantasy music? Not so much. FanLabel brings you the unique fantasy experience of being able to run your own record label, “sign” artists of your choice, discover new music, compete for fun and promote your own artists. It provides a glimpse into what it’s like to work in the music business.
V: Virtual Royalties. Virtual Royalties is FanLabel’s form of currency within the app. You can earn Royalties in a variety of ways, and can use them to work your way up the leaderboards, win prizes and (along with cash) purchase items in the Marketplace. For Best-of-Five and Crowd Favorite challenges, payouts are tiered: You earn the highest number of Royalties for picking the No. 1 song, a slightly smaller amount for choosing the No. 2 song and an even smaller amount for picking the No. 3 song. You’re out of luck for a fourth or fifth place song. Fantasy Contests are percentage-based, where the top five percent earns 10,000 Royalties, the next 11 percent earns 7,500 Royalties and it continues to decrease from there. Quick Picks are all or nothing — 100 Royalties for a correct pick, zero for a wrong guess.
W: Website. The FanLabel website is your one-stop shop for everything FanLabel related on the internet (besides the actual mobile app, of course). Here you can read our blog, listen to all podcast episodes, keep up with the latest news, learn how to play the app and of course, download the app, amongst other things.
X: XXXTentacion, X Ambassadors, Xzibit and more. Perhaps this is a bit of a stretch for the letter “X,” but you can find these great artists and many of their songs, along with several other artists, throughout the FanLabel app. Rest in peace, XXXTentacion.
Y: Your Label. This has a two-fold meaning. Of course, the very underlying functionality of FanLabel is that you’re able to start your own “fantasy record label,” where you can name it and sign artists of your choice. However, the “Your Label” page within the app is also the place to see how you’ve performed in the app, find your followers, customize your label and more.
Z: Zara Larrson, Zac Brown Band and more. Again, stretching here by using specific artists with “Z,” but we appreciate the talent and individuality that all musicians, A-to-Z, bring to the table. We love being able to share our love of music with you, and providing this experience.
If you haven’t already, download the FanLabel app and try it for yourself.
