A Heap Of Australian Musicians Are Now On ‘Serenade’, Which Is Basically Cameo But For Gigs
More than 85 acts are ready to go, including Lime Cordiale, Ella Hooper, Didirri and WAXX.
While live music is slowly returning across Australia, a new service has launched for musicians to perform songs from their own homes and studios, just for you — and the likes of Ella Hooper, Lime Cordiale, WAXX and Sarah McLeod are on-board.
Serenade is an Australia-only app and site inspired by celebrity shout-out app Cameo. You request a musician to perform a song for you, and within ten days, they’ll send back a high-quality video performance, complete with a cute little message just for you or whoever you want them to shout out.
You can request a particular song, and give a little context, too, for a personalised message. Due to licensing issues and the nature of the app, they’re not made to be uploaded across YouTube or social media: instead, it’s something just for you (or whoever is lucky enough to get a gig as a gift).
Chatting to triple j about the app, Lime Cordiale said it was a way to do intimate performances they can’t really do otherwise.
“We get a lot of requests from people asking to play birthdays or formals and it’s just not something that we can realistically make work,” the band told triple j.
“Creating a performance from our own home that’s legitimately for the people we’ve made it for (and not going to get shared all over the internet) is pretty special and something that people seem to be wanting and needing.”
Artists currently on-board, in addition to those above, include Imbi, Kwasi, Teen Jesus and The Jean Teasers, Didirri, Tania Doko, Jess & Matt and Ash Grunwald. Currently, there are more than 85 acts ready to go, with costs ranging anywhere from $150 to $1,000 (Lime Cordiale).
Best of all, Serenade is giving 75 percent of the profits directly towards the artists.
The app was founded Max Shand, a former music journalist who also helped found Afterpay: since a soft launch in August, its earned its artists more than $10,000.
You can read more about Serenade on their site, where artists can also register to be part of it.