Guest
John Lister
John Lister is Head of Community at Rap Fame, as introduced on the show.
Episodes (1)
John Lister, Head of Community at Rap Fame, explains why the app's mostly-artist audience rates, mentors and pays to promote each other's music.
Questions these episodes answer
Why do people invest more in themselves after winning small prizes on Rap Fame?
Lister says winning even a modest prize like fifty dollars makes people feel invested in, which in turn makes them invest more in themselves, often putting winnings toward gear like a microphone that keeps them creating and improving.
Why do rap fans value authenticity over polished production?
Lister says rap's culture rewards real self-expression, so listeners prefer a raw freestyle recorded on a phone over something heavily produced and corrected, unlike genres built around selling a catchy narrative.
How does Rap Fame's Judge for Judge system help new artists improve?
Users can join crews of up to twenty people who give feedback, and Judge for Judge sessions match two artists to rate each other's songs live on delivery and impression, helping newcomers get noticed and learn what to improve.
How much prize money does Rap Fame give out in its weekly competitions?
Rap Fame runs multiple paid competitions every week, with some grand prizes reaching a thousand dollars or more and others as small as fifty dollars, and Lister says the competitions have run for over four years and given out around three hundred thousand dollars total.
Could an artist-to-artist feedback community like Rap Fame work outside rap music?
Lister thinks the core mechanics, feedback loops and charts that motivate people, are universal and already exist scattered across forums and social platforms in other genres. He believes the same model could work for country, metal or any genre with the right marketing.