TRASH for Artists

A suite of features designed to enable independent artists to make their own music videos with the help of TRASH's AI-assisted editing. Artists could create an account to upload their music to a platform and track its performance among other users.

The Opportunity

Musicians posed a unique opportunity as creators who utilized video to complement and promote their art. By allowing them to upload their own music we enabled them to feel a personal investment in the platform while promoting our core belief that art and science should be held side-by-side. We predicted that they would have higher retention rates and off-platform shares than other users.

My Role

As Associate Product Manager, I worked closely with the Product Lead/CEO to outline the vision for the product and bring it to launch. A large component of my work was recruiting a group of musicians to beta-test the feature before launch and start building a community around it. I communicated cross-functionally between engineering, design, and legal teams to deliver feedback from QA and user testing.

Challenges

Music uploads opened up the platform to legal risk in terms of copyright infringement
The COVID-19 pandemic began in the middle of development for this feature and forced us to pivot our launch and promotion strategy
Asking musicians to share their music on our platform required us to gain their trust and respect
Working with contracted developers in Europe meant navigating steep learning curves and time differences
The upload portal being a website instead of an in-app feature created a barrier to entry

Outcomes

Surpassed the target for beta users by 40% due to the implementation of CRM tools and ads
Launched with a group of 70 musicians who made >100 videos
250+ tracks uploaded to the platform
Featured in Product Hunt, Music Ally, Tech Crunch, Music Biz Association, & Business Wire

Artist Testimonials

"So the first thing I like is that it's super easy," said Okayceci. "TRASH App basically does all the editing for you so *whispers* you don't have to. Second of all, there's a big selection of music that you can pick and artists that are on the app. I'm one of them so you can check that out." - Okay Ceci

"I love that TRASH allows artists to have a dialogue with fans and listeners by including them in the process of making our music videos. It's a great way to connect and have a visual conversation with our audience." - Brook D'Leau

"First of all I love how much time is saved with Trash, that video I made took 15 minutes and it's making me want to get footage all the time to make more. I also love checking out what other folks did with my songs :)" - BlxckCxsper

"Trash for artists has been a super amazing tool for me to connect with independent artists. I have learned that as an independent artist it can be very hard to get your music out to the masses and create content at the same time. trash has helped my artist build that bridge while still being able to find time to create music" - Brandon Deese

"Trash gives creatives the keys to the castle. You can move from the moment of inspiration to the moment of execution within minutes, and you can do so without sacrificing quality or vision. For active multi-hyphenates, this app is a must-have." - Trace William Cowen

"The people who run the Trash app are all so kind and creative. I honestly had a great time working with them on the launch of Trash App for Artists. They listened to my feedback and needs as an artist using the app's features and made a lot of what I suggested a reality. So cool to be part of something new with such a dope organization." - Jennie Lawless