Clearly, if you're here, you've already become addicted to the wonder of Slice The Pie (if you haven't, please check out the link at the bottom of this hub). The ability to influence the current music industry and get paid for it is a powerful feeling that just about anyone could love. So, it's no wonder you're looking for the best ways to make the most of your STP reviews.
Thankfully, you got a little old me here to give you the best insider tips to earning more money faster and giving fantastic reviews to the starving artists of the world (and some famous ones).
Tip 1. Write While You Listen
Trust me, while I do understand the point behind listening to the whole song through before writing the review, I can guarantee you that you won't capture all the elements of the music that you enjoyed, disliked, or would change - if you don't at least take notes while you're listening to the song.
Tip 2. Mention ALL Elements
If it's a techno song, formulate a response for every midi and synth instrument or sound you hear coming out of it. If the music focuses on the traditional guitar drums and bass vocals, talk about what brought you joy and what just plain old annoyed you. Were the drums too loud? Or were the songs so good you want to run out and buy that guy's album right now? If so, mention it and be honest. Then, go back and comment on the other elements that you hear. Was the guitar too quiet throughout most of the song but bold and beautiful during that well-placed guitar solo? Tell them!
Not only does this give the artists a FULL review of their song, but STP pays MORE when you give DETAILED reviews that include EVERY element of the song. So make sure you review the following:
· Vocals
· Instrumentals
· Synth/Midi/Effects
· Mix/Sound/Volume
· Timing/Rhythm
· Composure
Tip 3. Paint A Picture
Use your creative imagination to paint a picture of the music you hear. Does the song remind you of a sad sunset by a sandy shore? Or does it bring back memories of that fun summer you spent with your high school sweetheart? Or it brings you the image of a modern-day Bonny and Clyde, just trying to stay together against all odds.
Every song paints a picture in the listener's mind, and if the artist was passionate and put the right emotion in their music, then the same image they had when they wrote the song will be the most common image brought to their listeners. So, by sharing the idea the music brought to you, you're not just providing a great review; you're helping the artist understand how well their meaning came across to their audience.
Tip 4. Use Feeling Messages
Yup, the same advice I would give to a couple in trouble is the one I will provide you with right now - Use FEELING Messages. It helps to correct problems in human communication by opening up to our most human side, and in your review, it will be an additional help to the "painted picture." Not only that, but it will help lengthen the study.
So let the artist know, did their song make you want to vomit? Or did you find yourself having difficulty writing the review because you tried to get up and dance around the room? Did the artist nearly bring you to tears with their sad, melodic song? Or did you feel the passion and persistence of a hopeless romantic trying to chase down their soul mate? Tell them how the music made you FEEL.
Tip 5. Compare
I've heard several fantastic songs on STP that sounded like a cross between Dolly Parton and Mandy Moore - to artists I'm rather fond of, which I made sure to put in the review. Another song that sticks out in my memory sounded like a unique cross between Stained and the Plain White T's, with a vocalist that made me melt like butter as I listened to him weave his web of emotion into the song.
Does the song you're listening to remind you of any pieces you've heard before? Do you recognize the genre and other songs that might be on the same radio station as the song you're listening to? If you can, compare the music to something you've heard before.
Tip 7. Be Articulate
Aside from the fact that you want only some of your reviews to say the same thing repeatedly, STP takes you down in rank for lack of genuine reviewing - which can be mistaken for a lack of articulation. I've already talked to several other STPs' who didn't understand why they were losing in rank when they were putting out reviews of a decent length. However, after a quick conversation, it was easy to see that it needed more new and exciting things to say about the songs being reviewed.
So brush up on your grammar and vocabulary so that you're reviews are all as unique as the songs you're reviewing.
Tip 6. Relate
There are two ways to relate to a song:
1. Through the memories it triggers.
2. Through any personal experience you have with the instruments being played, the vocal style being a song, the genre, or the art of music production.
You should use both ways to review the music. Listen to the lyrics and get a feel for what memories it brings up. Happy times? Sad times? Weird days? Long days? That time when you couldn't find your car keys made you late and ruined the rest of your day? Whatever memories the song brings up, whether relevant or not, should be added to the review.
Then, if you have any experience with the instruments played or any other aspects of the song you're currently reviewing, talk about how you might have done it differently or praise them for being able to do something you haven't yet accomplished - you get the idea.
Tip 8. Write LENGTHY Reviews
Now, with all the above tips, you should already be at least two to three hundred words, though I will challenge you to write MORE than that. STP only offers a small base pay for each review (under Level 3, it is only .02 cents per review guaranteed); however, they pay more for WELL-WRITTEN and DETAILED reviews. And I've tested that theory and had several conversations with the STP staff about how the pay works.
The best way to maximize your time on STP is to ensure your reviews are as long as possible without getting boring or irrelevant. The tricky part is not adding extra words, symbols, or characters to trick the word counter. Not only is it tacky, but the STP reviewer box is equipped with the knowledge to know if you mentioned most of the elements that would exist in nearly all songs, and the STP staff personally reviews each review you write before they pay you. So it will do no good to cheat on this one; they've got their eyes open for cheaters, bots, and sock puppets.
They are serious about offering their artists quality reviews, so besides being on the defect for cheaters, they also pay the most for those quality reviews. I've received as low as .08 cents for short and light studies and up to .27 cents for detailed reviews up to 300 words. When I use all of the tips I've given you here, I've consistently written detailed reviews in length, which earn me at least .25 per review. Now, if you have decent typing skills, that means that if you can spit out thoughtful reviews quickly, you can be into the $$$ in no time. I can type an average of 40 wpm while listening to the music (thank you, ADHD!), and since most songs are less than four minutes long, I can finish a 400-word review in just about ten minutes - roughly ten songs per hour.
Here is the essential element: STP only allows each submitted song to be reviewed ten times so that pieces will be quickly rotated in and out of the review system. That means that you can only check the songs that have not reached ten reviews yet, and even though there are hundreds of songs submitted every day, more studies are joining up every day, and sometimes the reviews get gobbled up - meaning that you will only get so many songs to review some days. So, by writing lengthy reviews, you'll ensure you get the most compensation for your review, even if you only get a few songs to review on some days. If you get a lot of pieces, you'll make even more.
Tip 9. Develop a Style
I relate my review style to a cross between Simon and Mary Poppins. It's rare when I'm not thoroughly criticizing and breaking down every piece of a song that I can wrap my ears around. If it's good, I'll say so (and usually very enthusiastically), but if it's my taste, I'm not afraid to honestly tell them why. Regardless of my preference for the song in question, and like Mary Poppins and her magic bag of tricks, I always have a suggestion to offer that can help bring the music around, raise the quality, heighten the production, or make it radio-ready. Some of my reviews are hellishly harsh, and others are over-the-top with passionate praise. That's just my style. I've heard of other reviewers who like to compare songs to food or who only focus on all the good elements of music; that's their style.
What's your style?
Tip 10. Review EVERYDAY
Aside from the obvious notion that the more you review, the more you'll make (duh!), you'll also have more chances to make the most of the days when the songs are just overflowing in, and there have been some days when there was more review available then I could stand. There have also been other days when I could have used the income and the distraction from other work (did I say that?), and there were only a few reviews.
So by checking in every day at various times throughout the day, you'll make sure you're getting a BIG Slice of that Pie.
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