Radar exits Beta, matches bands with hopeful music video directors

Today sees the launch of Radar Music Videos, a platform that enables artists, bands and music labels to commission music videos from established and upcoming directors.

The site, which has been in Beta for just over a year, is entirely bootstrapped by ex-BBC producer Caroline Bottomley and is already cash-positive. That’s thanks to a business model that shuns free or freemium in favor of paid-subscriptions only, for both the artists who are commissioning works and the directors who are hoping to land a gig.

Overall, Radar is pitching itself to the music industry as a simpler and more cost effective way to commission music videos. Commissioners are charged £19.99 per-month, while director hopefuls pay £3.99 per-month to be listed and to be able to respond to music video briefs.

Radar has already seen a number of commissions come to fruition, the latest of which is a music video for Fat Boy Slim’s latest track Machines Do The Work. Others who have used the platform include Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip, Mercury Records, and a number of other independent artists and labels.

Music videos commissioned through Radar must credit the site and can also potentially benefit from “distribution” through Radar’s YouTube channel and presence on other video platforms, including a recent tie-up with the BBC Film Network.