With so much music coming out every week, it's harder than ever to get noticed. That's why Canadian company Play MPE has streamlined digital music promotion, distribution and discovery. Play MPE enables artists to get their music into the hands of the right people — including radio programmers, music supervisors, members of the media, curators and more. The platform now services over 100 countries worldwide in multiple languages.
Play MPE distributes music and promo materials directly to industry insiders — busy professionals who don't have time to deal with inadequate or glitchy platforms, and who will simply ignore requests that don't offer all the necessary assets and metadata up-front.
Play MPE continues to improve its service here in Canada with the addition of Scott Steele, who joined the company as an Executive of Music Industry Relations. He brings 15 years of experience in radio, plus four years with labels, making him uniquely positioned to understand artists' needs.
To fill us in about what's new with the company, and to better introduce their new Executive of Music Industry Relations, Play MPE conducted a Q&A with Steele, whose past experience includes Sony Music Entertainment, Glassnote Entertainment Group, Bell Media, 101.9 The Fox, KiSS 100.5 Country 600 CKAT and more. Read it below.
Scott, you have worked in the music industry for some time, what were you up to before you joined Play MPE?
I was lucky enough to work in radio and with music labels for my entire career. In radio, I worked in markets like Fort McMurray, Sudbury, North Bay, and Edmonton. My first label job was with SONY Music Canada and then as the Canadian Label Manager for Glassnote Records. Most recently I was doing some freelance music promo here in Toronto.
Why did you make the leap? What excites you the most about your new gig?
What really cemented my decision to join Play MPE was the chance to work on the cutting edge of the industry. The tools that we offer our label and artist partners along with our strong relationships with Canadian media are second to none.
What is Play MPE doing that sets it apart?
What sets Play MPE apart is how easy-to-use and time-efficient our system is. From uploading assets to selecting your lists - everything is done with the user in mind. Being able to get a release fast and efficiently to our fantastic and frequently updated lists is such a game-changer.
Why should people use Play MPE? Especially indie labels & artists, what can it do for them?
Coming from the indie label side, I can honestly say that the ease of use, speed of creating a release, and the lists that Play MPE has built and continues to grow made it a go-to for me when I was at Glassnote.
Play MPE is global, but as far as Canada goes, what has Play MPE done for the market?
Obviously, we're very proud to be sponsors of the Polaris Music Prize and CBC Music's Toyota Searchlight but on the day-to-day, we work with and provide advice to countless Canadian artists. Canada is one of the most innovative and exciting regions for music in the world and we want to spread that far and wide!
Any advice for anyone wanting to promote their music?
Planning is the key to any promotion. With a well-built plan, you will have the overview you'll need and the confidence to deviate if you need to.
Play MPE distributes music and promo materials directly to industry insiders — busy professionals who don't have time to deal with inadequate or glitchy platforms, and who will simply ignore requests that don't offer all the necessary assets and metadata up-front.
Play MPE continues to improve its service here in Canada with the addition of Scott Steele, who joined the company as an Executive of Music Industry Relations. He brings 15 years of experience in radio, plus four years with labels, making him uniquely positioned to understand artists' needs.
To fill us in about what's new with the company, and to better introduce their new Executive of Music Industry Relations, Play MPE conducted a Q&A with Steele, whose past experience includes Sony Music Entertainment, Glassnote Entertainment Group, Bell Media, 101.9 The Fox, KiSS 100.5 Country 600 CKAT and more. Read it below.
Scott, you have worked in the music industry for some time, what were you up to before you joined Play MPE?
I was lucky enough to work in radio and with music labels for my entire career. In radio, I worked in markets like Fort McMurray, Sudbury, North Bay, and Edmonton. My first label job was with SONY Music Canada and then as the Canadian Label Manager for Glassnote Records. Most recently I was doing some freelance music promo here in Toronto.
Why did you make the leap? What excites you the most about your new gig?
What really cemented my decision to join Play MPE was the chance to work on the cutting edge of the industry. The tools that we offer our label and artist partners along with our strong relationships with Canadian media are second to none.
What is Play MPE doing that sets it apart?
What sets Play MPE apart is how easy-to-use and time-efficient our system is. From uploading assets to selecting your lists - everything is done with the user in mind. Being able to get a release fast and efficiently to our fantastic and frequently updated lists is such a game-changer.
Why should people use Play MPE? Especially indie labels & artists, what can it do for them?
Coming from the indie label side, I can honestly say that the ease of use, speed of creating a release, and the lists that Play MPE has built and continues to grow made it a go-to for me when I was at Glassnote.
Play MPE is global, but as far as Canada goes, what has Play MPE done for the market?
Obviously, we're very proud to be sponsors of the Polaris Music Prize and CBC Music's Toyota Searchlight but on the day-to-day, we work with and provide advice to countless Canadian artists. Canada is one of the most innovative and exciting regions for music in the world and we want to spread that far and wide!
Any advice for anyone wanting to promote their music?
Planning is the key to any promotion. With a well-built plan, you will have the overview you'll need and the confidence to deviate if you need to.