Military-only music site partners with major publisher - Entertainment, Music - Navy Times

Military-only music site partners with major publisher

GIJams.com, a site launched in 2009 that lets military musicians post and sell their own original music, recently got a leg up thanks to a partnership with EMI Music.

The partnership, formed late last month, gives GI Jams musicians a massive, global music publisher in their corner, working to get their songs into commercials, movies, radio and other media worldwide.

Husband and wife songwriting team Denny Randell and Biddy Schippers launched the site in November 2009. “Our vision has always been really, really big,” Schippers said. “We definitely see this as a completely expansive project.”

Active-duty personnel, reservists and veterans from all branches can post their music on the site; the only requirement is that all music be original. Many of the artists are country, rock and alternative musicians, but all genres are accepted.

GI Jams is not a record company — just an online storefront for the music acts. While only members of the military can post music, civilians can create fan pages.

“We always saw [GI Jams] as a multifaceted, multidimensional, multimedia project,” Schippers said.

Randell, who wrote several chart-toppers for Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons — three of his songs were featured in the hit musical “Jersey Boys” — is now spending part of his time promoting the work of others artists. For Randell, GI Jams serves those who serve.

“These people have talent but are busy defending us and don’t have a chance to follow their dreams,” Randell said. “Now there’s a place for their songs.”

Listeners can stream songs on GIJams.com for free or pay 99 cents to download individual tracks. Some acts sell full albums. Proceeds go to the artists.

Randell and Schippers have hosted several GI Jams concerts; Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., attended one last year. Las Vegas declared May 20 “GI Jams Day.”

GI Jams released its first album April 25. One of the artists featured on that album, Adrian Manuel, recorded a music video for his song “Freedom” while piloting a Black Hawk helicopter in Iraq. The video is available exclusively on GI Jams: Vol. 1.

The website showcases more than 100 artists.

“The vision is to give any military artist a chance to show off musical talent,” Randell said. “This site — it’s about them.”