If you love listening to music and would like to be actually paid for the pleasure of doing so, then listen-up!

I would like to introduce you to www.slicethepie.com , a website which does exactly that:  It serves up music tracks for you to listen to, almost as often as you like, and will then pay you in exchange for a meaningful review posted for each track heard.

Before I proceed too far, let me exert a note of caution.  If you are not really interested in music, are quite short of spare time and are simply looking for a way to earn some fast cash, then this is most certainly NOT for you!

If however, you love listening to music of different genres, have a few spare moments to call your own, like writing and would be happy to earn a few quid into the bargain… then read on.

Slicethepie is a British company (always a good sign) with a global reach.  It is the sister company of another website called www.soundout.com , a leading market research company which acts as an audience insight and evaluation tool for musicians and the music industry in general.  It guarantees accurate and objective insight into new music, 100% powered by real music fans… and this is where SlicethePie comes in.

Reviews for the best new independent songs are submitted to SoundOut, via SlicethePie.  These are sent directly to A&R (talent scouting and development of artists and repertoire) at major labels, with the effect of helping to secure TV, radio play and licensing opportunities.

This really is a big deal, for both indie (new) and established musicians.  It is a clever way to get critical mass exposure in a very short space of time, a service for which they are willing to pay, and a ‘slice’ of payment trickles back down the chain of command directly to you the original reviewer.

This really is a fun and simple way to earn a little bit of extra cash and is completely free to join.  As you can see, from the figures paid out to date (see screenshot) from all the historical reviews posted, the average pay out is quite small – $0.10 cents per review.

This may not sound like a lot, but this figure can climb to about $0.20 cents depending upon the length and quality of your review status.

Additionally, the company will pay you a 10% top-up fee based on the earnings of anyone you have recommended to their site – I will not of course be claiming any such personal benefit as a result of this article 😉 .

The registration is easy and takes about five minutes, and once you have received your confirmation email, then you’re all set to make a start as a music reviewer.

You will need to listen to at least the first 90 seconds of each track before you can start writing your review.  In fact, SlicethePie actually suggest that you start writing your review whist you are still listening to the track.  That way you can focus on specific elements of the music allowing your review to be more objective.

The website suggests that you focus on one or more of the following elements in order to create a quality review:

• Intro – how do you think the intro was? Too fast, too slow, boring?
• Lyrics – were the lyrics meaningful?
• Rhythm – is there a good rhythm to the song?
• Vocal – is the voice distinctive, original, appealing, natural?
• Digital effects?
• Instrumental – do the instruments flow well (together)?
• Hit potential?

Most reviews don’t exceed more than a couple of paragraphs, so it’s quite possible that you can listen to and write each review within a few short minutes.  As with all things; practice makes perfect and you will find that you soon get into a decent rhythm and the reviews will start to flow off your pen.

SlicethePie will pay out via Paypal once your reviews have been vetted by their team for quality purposes i.e. they won’t pay out for a quick review such as, “Great tune mate”!  Once your cash has been awarded and added to your account you can with draw your money at any time, as long as you have a reached a minimum $10 balance.

So all in all, this is a fun way to earn a bit of extra cash. If you are looking for some other ideas to boost your earnings potential from home, there are lots of cash generating ideas to be found within my website www.theProfitBox.co.uk .

Until next time, have yourself a great week.

Richard