Artist Research & Scouting Specialist

We are looking for a detail-oriented research specialist to help us identify and compile independent music artists who meet a specific set of criteria. This is a research and data collection role. You will not be doing outreach — your job is to find the right artists, verify they meet our requirements, and deliver clean, organized lead reports.
Quality is everything in this role. We do not want volume. We want accuracy. Every lead you submit should be one you have personally verified against the full checklist. Scouts who consistently submit unqualified leads will not continue with us.
What You'll Be Doing:
Searching for independent music artists across YouTube and Spotify who match our target profile. Verifying each artist against a detailed checklist before submitting. Collecting specific data points for each artist and organizing them into clean reports. Submitting leads in batches on a regular schedule with notes on why each artist qualifies.
Target Artist Profile:
Genres we are focused on: Phonk (all types including drift, slowed and reverb, Brazilian phonk), Synthwave, Retrowave, Electronic, Lo-fi, Ambient, and similar instrumental or electronic music styles.
Priority regions: Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Belarus, and other Eastern European and CIS countries. Latin America and Asia are also welcome. Any country is acceptable but the listed regions are highest priority.
Minimum size requirements: At least 500K monthly listeners on Spotify, OR multiple tracks with 2 million or more views on YouTube.
Distribution: Artists must be on DistroKid, TuneCore, standard Amuse, Routenote, or self-distribution. Do not submit artists on The Orchard, Black 17, Chillhop, Create Music Group, Believe, or any major label.
What to Look For:
Original music only — no covers, no slowed and reverb versions of mainstream hits. Active YouTube channel with consistent uploads and views. Independent-looking artists with no obvious label affiliation. User-generated content presence — search the artist's song titles on YouTube and TikTok and note how many non-official videos are using their music. This is an important signal and should be included in every report.
Verification Process — Follow This Exactly:
Step one: Check the YouTube video description. Look at the "Provided to YouTube by" line to identify the distributor. Look at the copyright line — "Copyright Control" or the artist's own name is a green flag. Any third-party company name is a red flag. Step two: Search the artist name and song titles in the ASCAP and BMI public databases. If nothing comes up, that is a strong green flag. If a third-party publisher appears, do not submit the artist. Step three: Check Spotify credits on the artist's top tracks. Look for any publisher or admin name listed. Artist's own name or nothing at all is what we want.
Only submit an artist after completing all three steps.
Red Flags — Do Not Submit These:
Artists signed to or distributed by Black 17, Phonk Point if heavily branded, The Orchard, Chillhop, Create Music Group, Believe, or any major label. Cover songs or slowed and reverb versions of mainstream artists like Travis Scott or Drake. Artists with very low activity, dead profiles, or no uploads in the past 6 months. Any artist with a visible third-party publisher or admin in their credits.
What to Submit for Every Artist:
Artist name. Main YouTube channel link. Spotify artist link if available. Top 1 to 2 songs with view and stream counts. Distributor identified from YouTube credits. Any label name visible in credits. Estimated monthly listeners or total views. Instagram link, email if visible on YouTube About tab or Linktree, and any other contact information you can find. Number of user-generated videos using their music on YouTube and TikTok — search the song title and note what you find. Your personal notes on why this artist qualifies.
Priority Tiers:
Tier 1 (submit first, highest priority): 1M or more monthly Spotify listeners or multiple tracks above 5M YouTube views, fully clean credits, active UGC use, Eastern European or CIS region. Tier 2: 500K to 1M monthly listeners or 2M to 5M YouTube views, clean credits, original music, any region. Tier 3: Below minimum thresholds but exceptional UGC presence or one standout viral track — flag these separately and we will review individually.
Non-Negotiable Requirements:
You must be able to navigate YouTube and Spotify fluently. You must be comfortable using ASCAP and BMI public search databases. Every lead must be personally verified — do not submit artists you have not checked yourself. Ability to read and navigate Cyrillic profiles and Russian-language pages is a strong advantage and will be prioritized in hiring. Organized, consistent reporting — leads must be submitted in the format specified, no exceptions.
You Are Probably NOT a Fit If:
You prioritize quantity over quality. You are not familiar with independent music distribution or how to read YouTube video credits. You cannot commit to a consistent weekly batch of verified leads. You have no experience researching artists or creators online.
Application Requirements — All Three Are Mandatory:
Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
First, submit 5 sample artist leads using the exact format above. These should be real artists you have found and verified yourself — this is the most important part of your application and shows us immediately whether you understand the role. Second, describe your research process: how would you find artists in these genres who are not already on our radar? What platforms, tools, or methods would you use? Third, confirm whether you can read Cyrillic or navigate Russian-language pages, and list any tools you use for music research.

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