4 months ago
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It was not by chance that UK-based information technology and telecoms company Minutes Network chose Jamaica to host the official launch of the new Jingle creator app. It was deliberate. And Vladimir Emmerig told The Sunday Gleaner that the decision was really a no-brainer.
“Jamaica is the first country we are doing the launch in because Jamaica is all about music. When you think of Holland, where I am from, you think of windmills, cheese, and wooden shoes. When you think of Jamaica, you think about reggae music and Usain Bolt,” Emmerig said.
Hosted at the Courtleigh Hotel in New Kingston last Tuesday, the launch was described as “very successful”.
“The event was so full we had to put out more chairs. Persons asked questions. They did [one-on-ones] after the event, and people signed up,” an elated Vladimir said.
Event organiser Bridgett Anderson told The Sunday Gleaner that on the day of the launch, the opportunity had presented itself for them to move to a bigger space, and despite this, there was still standing room only.
The Jingle app, which is specifically designed for creators, has as its target market singers, actors, influencers, or any public figure with a fan base. It is free of cost and has a layer that will see creators earning money through the app.
“This is a product that has the capacity to give a tremendous boost to any creator’s image ... established or upcoming ... and something else which cannot be ignored, the product also generates an extra revenue stream. Absolutely no cost, no catch. The only thing we ask is to share the app with your fanbase, and on our side, we make sure you start earning from day one,” Emmerig told the gathering at the Courtleigh.
Revenue will come by way of the built-in calling functionality, which Emmerig explained will allow fans to make and receive telephone calls from within the app, “turning fans into a new revenue generation stream, generating significant income”.
“You must be asking, ‘How can all this be free? Sounds like too good to be true.’ But this is where our strength in IT and telecoms joins the artiste’s hard work and efforts, which gave him a loyal fanbase. Combine these two facts, and we have created a strong combination which can create a great new revenue stream,” Emmerig shared.
REVENUE SHARING
He told The Sunday Gleaner that international calls to Jamaica can be expensive, and to give an idea of the cost, he cited that calls from the UK to the US, for example, can cost one cent, whereas calls from the UK to Jamaica can cost 30 cents per minute and more. By his knowledge-based calculations, “there is US$31 million of incoming [call] traffic” annually, and with this app, the creators can enjoy a piece of that pie.
“This will be mainly to international numbers ... we offer the cheapest rate out there to call any normal telephone number in the world. Think of Skype, where you upload money/credits onto an account and you can start calling.”
He added that 100 per cent of the revenue generated by outgoing calls via the app goes to the creator, whereas there is a 50-50 split for inbound calls. The Jingle technology converts a regular incoming call into a VoIP call, and “we get paid by the initiating telecoms carrier for every minute the callee and the caller are connected”.
“This revenue we split according to a percentage between my company, Minutes Network, and the artiste, so this is where we create revenue and, therefore, are able to offer the application for free,” Emmerig told The Sunday Gleaner.
Getting a bit into raw figures, he noted that “the population of Jamaica is 2.89 million, and 2.2 million are 18 and over ... and these are the people to most likely to receive an international call”.
“So this US$31 million ... let’s say for [ease] of the calculation ... gets divided equally over all these people, then that would mean US$14 per person per year. Now let’s say you have 20,000 followers and half of them download the app, we generate US$140,000. A 50-50 split would mean US$70,000 for the creator annually,” he said.
Admitting that this is “under ideal circumstances”, he used an average success rate calculation to arrive at an “ultra-conservative” figure of US$17,500 annually, which, he emphasised, is money the creator otherwise would not have earned. He noted that the creator can use some of these funds to give rewards such as concert tickets and merchandise to fans, “or they can put it all in their own pockets”. Creators will have live access to view their earnings at all times.
NO ADVERTISEMENTS
The app is devoid of advertisements, and each creator receives his own custom-branded application carrying his name. Fans join the creator’s application for free and can find music, video updates, and more. Each fan who installs the application becomes part of a new revenue stream at no cost to the fan.
“When fans go to the Google Play Store or Apple Store, they find the app with [the artiste’s name]. Artistes can post updates, share music directly from your YouTube or preferred platforms, share videos, sell merchandise and tickets, and engage with fans directly within the app in the communication section – without any middlemen. Something posted on the other media platforms will automatically appear on the app as well, therefore, fans will have the content of all media channels in one place on their phone,” Emmerig pointed out.
Fans can also purchase and instantly activate custom-branded eSIMs directly from the app. Each eSIM carries the creator’s unique brand identity, with the mobile network appearing under the creator’s name on the fan’s mobile device.
English (US) ·