On Encore, videos are the most important part of your profile. They are the first thing most clients will watch and use to make their decision about who to book.
We manually vet every musician's videos on Encore to ensure that the standard of musicianship on display remains high.
If you're concerned your videos might not meet these criteria and you are serious about winning work online, we strongly suggest you invest in a professional showreel. You can read our guide to affordable showreels here. If this is not possible, we recommend taking a few sample videos using a good quality smartphone.
I can't apply for jobs
All videos are sorted into four categories based on the criteria below: poor, acceptable, good, and excellent. If your video has been given a poor rating, it will not be approved, and you will not be able to apply for jobs until you upload a new video. Once you've uploaded a new video, email help@encoremusicians.com to request for your videos to be revetted.
The full criteria we use to measure video can be found below, but the most common reasons for videos being rated as poor are:
- Broken video links
- Video footage is not professionally shot
- Video displays the wrong musical service (e.g. a video of a solo violinist for a string quartet profile, or a video of a band for a solo guitarist profile)
- Video footage contains references to contact details or URLs
Vetting criteria
To pass the vetting process your videos must meet these criteria.
Musicality
The performances displayed in your videos must display an excellent level of musicality. This will be judged based on your:
- Tuning: does the artist perform in tune
- Tempo / Groove: does the artist convey a clear sense of pulse
- Technical accuracy: does the artist make any noticeable technical errors
- Charisma / communication: does the artist convey their personality and engage with their audience
- Tone: the quality of sound produced by the instrument(s) should be expertly controlled and suited to the genre of performance
Video quality
At least one of the videos should contain high-quality imagery and audio. The quality of videos will be judged based upon the:
- Image quality (no shakey or blurry footage; shot on a high definition camera)
- Audio quality (no distracting background noise; clear sound; the audio is synced with the video)
- Lighting and composition
- Cutting style
Note: as long as your profile contains at least one high-quality video, you will not be penalised for additional lower quality videos such as live footage from a gig.
Range
Your videos should display a good range of ability for an artist of your type. This criteria can only influence your vetting assessment positively. I.e. if you have a great range of videos you score may increase, but if you only have one video you will not be penalised.
- Is the artist shown performing in a number of different settings?
- Are there any videos of the artist performing live?
- Does the artist display the full range of their skills (e.g. performing the different genres or styles expected for their type of instrument)
Examples of excellent videos
- This Postmodern Jukebox-inspired video by Nouveau Lounge is one of our favourites on Encore. Slick audio and professionally shot video.
Georgia Thursting (Singing guitarist)
- This solo acoustic showreel by Georgia Thursting is shot in a nice venue with pro cameras and recording equipment.
- The Edge prove they’re just as good outside the studio in this high energy, live showreel.
- Some nice editing and some subtle fairy lights on the sofa help create this right ambiance for this act. Ed & Oliviya get a LOT of bookings on Encore thanks to this video!
- The quality and variety of covers in Rachael’s showreel has helped her become one of the most booked harpists on Encore.
String Infusion (String ensemble)
- We love the various shots used in the String Infusion’s acoustic demo, and the audio is nicely mixed.
- The beautiful lighting and sound quality in this video have helped Ben get bookings as a soloist and group jazz musician.