About Reviews

   Industry Review Board

    What's In A Review

    Sample Reviews

Review Guidelines

MakeaStar.com's Industry Review Board (IRB) is composed of professionals with significant experience in the music industry.  They are motivated by a desire to help  unsigned artists develop their talent and are always looking for the next promising star.  IRB members have worked at major record labels, publishing companies, radio stations, music publications or are published and/or signed songwriters themselves.  They have done A&R, marketing, artist management, booking, publishing and publicity.  They have owned their own labels, practiced entertainment law, done session work, engineered, produced, mixed, remixed, DJ'd., programmed and reviewed.  In short, they are "professional" in every sense of the word.

Unlike most music review sites, MakeaStar.com guarantees that one of the people listed on our IRB will listen to the music you submit in its entirety, carefully consider it and write a  confidential review tailored to your submission.  The reviews are not written to please you, but to give you an honest, to-the-point and constructive opinion of how your music may fair in the commercial world.

Among the credits of our IRB members, here are some of the names that you may recognize:    

As you can see, MakeaStar.com's reviewers are the professionals that the music industry goes to and depends on.  They are people who know and understand the ins & outs of the business and who have the right contacts to make things happen when they discover good material!  If you are serious about making music and want to get some professional opinions on your work, then these are the people who should hear it.    Top  

If you are a qualifying industry professional and are interested in applying for membership on the MakeaStar.com Industry Review Board, please email AdvisoryBoard@makeastar.com

    What's in a review

When you submit your song, you may request the reviewer to pay attention to certain elements of the music or give specific advice.  In general, however, the Industry Review Board member who reviews your song will comment on the following elements, assigning a rating from 1 to 10 for each:

1. Music
2. The song as a whole: melody, groove, and chord progression.
3.  
4. Lyrics
5. Just the words, separate from performance, and whether they suit the music.
6.  
7. Arrangement/Production
8. Arrangement:  Song structure, flow, and instrumentation.  How well do the sounds in the song blend together?  What  instruments are used, and how?

     Production:  Sound quality and clarity of the recording.  

(Note that we have grouped arrangement and production in one category to level the playing field for those artists without access to  expensive sound equipment and recording studios.)

1. Lead Vocal
2. Vocal performance: power, range, and technique.  Is there emotion and a genuine feel to the vocals?
3.  
4. Musicianship
5. How well are the instruments played (or programmed)?  Other considerations include skill, technique, and emotional expression.
6.  
7. Originality
8. Whether the music is fresh and new in a way that works.  Is there anything that the reviewer hasn't heard before?  Is this a new hybrid?
9.  
10. Marketability
11. How much appeal does this song have in the public arena?  Does it have the potential to sell in today's market, within its genre?
12.  
13. General
14. This is where the reviewer writes general comments about the song and what directions you can take to further develop your music.

         You may interpret the 10-point scale as follows:

Scores of 1-3:  The artist has "missed the mark".  Needs a lot of work.

Scores of 4-6:  Average, nothing out of the ordinary; a good try that fails to catch the reviewer's attention.  There is nothing particularly wrong, but it doesn't move the reviewer.

Scores of 7-8:  This is something inspirational and has a good spark to it.  If the reviewer scores the song this high in several categories, it's a great song that has the potential to be signed.  It is as good as anything in the market right now.  Makes an Industry A&R person say, "I would love to hear more..."

Scores of 9-10:  This is an exceptional work that blows the reviewer away.  If the song earns many 9's or 10's, it's hot!

Score of N/A: Is used only for Lyrics, Arrangement/Production, Musicianship and Lead Vocal.  For example, an instrumental song would receive a "N/A" score for lyrics and lead vocal.  For the purposes of the MakeaStar.com contest, however, the overall review scores are normalized by our VAR (Virtual A&R) engine such that "N/A" ratings do not adversely affect the artist and do not put a song at a disadvantage.

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Click here to see sample Fan and Industry votes. 

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    Review Guidelines

As a reviewer, you should adhere to the following guidelines when listening to and reviewing a song.

Try to answer the following question: "How can this artist improve on his/her art?"  The purpose of the review is to help an artist further develop his/her talent. Reviewers should do this by tapping into their own experience, their  knowledge of music and the opinions they have formed on how great music is made. Reviewers should think of themselves as mentors advising songwriters who are trying to better define their art.

Be honest and use the first person: As a reviewer, you are somebody MakeaStar.com considers an expert - voice your opinion freely. While it may sometimes seem unkind to say what you are really thinking, it is important to remember that honesty is an integral part of the services MakeaStar.com is offering songwriters. Remember - Honest, constructive criticism will help an artist grow.

Be constructive: In order to be as helpful as possible, reviewers should give suggestions about what steps artists can take to improve. Listen to the song, consider it and then try to come up with resources and ideas for the artist. If comparisons apply, use them; if a song is derivative, say so; if there's a recording secret you know, share it; and if there is a songwriter or song that they should hear, tell them where to find it. These are just a few of the things you have to offer songwriters at MakeaStar.com.                     

Be specific:  As part of MakeaStar.com's services, artists may ask a reviewer to pay special attention to certain aspects of their music. In those cases, reviewers should take special care to write focused comments that zero in on an artist's specific strengths and weaknesses in that area.         Top