For ScoutsFind hidden gems before anyone else.
- Discover new, unheard music
- Give feedback that really helps
- Support artists and get early access
- Build your reputation as a trusted ear
Real music. Real people. Real discovery.
EARliest connects new music with the right ears —
honest, transparent and fair.
The Next Million Seller
by The Next Beatles
0:000:10
Listen first.
Your rating unlocks after 10 seconds.
Revealed.
Your rating is locked. Keep listening or discover the next song.
Artists pay
for an audience.
Never for a result.
100% transparent.
No bots. No fake plays.
Just real people & real music.
For ArtistsGet your music to real listeners.
- Reach active scouts & real fans
- Pay for attention, not for promises
- Valuable feedback from real ears
- Grow your audience step by step
indie shuffleSOUND CURATORSMusic PeopleEARLY STAGEWAVE FINDER
Early Access
No spam.Be the first to discover. Be the first to shape EARliest.
Just good music.
ABOUT EARliest
Hear it before everyone else does.
EARliest is built around a simple idea: music deserves to be heard before it is judged by a name, a following, an algorithm — or how it was made.
Listen first.
Scouts discover music through blind auditions. The artist, the real title, the cover and creation details stay hidden until a rating has been made.
Judge the music.
Human-made, AI-assisted or AI-generated: during the audition, none of that changes the question. Does the song work for you?
Discover what is next.
After the rating, the artist is revealed. Scouts can keep listening, visit the artist elsewhere and know they may have heard something before everyone else did.
For Scouts
Rewards are for taking the time to listen and give an honest opinion — not for saying that every song is a hit.
For Artists
No subscription just to exist here. Songs can be discovered without a reward, while Artists can choose which tracks should reward qualified listens.
First, we listen.
FAQ
How EARliest works
For Artists
Do I have to pay to get heard?
No. Your music can be discovered and played on EARliest whether you have a balance or not. Rewards simply give Scouts an additional incentive to listen.
What happens when Rewards are OFF?
The song remains in discovery and can still be heard and rated. The Scout simply receives no listening reward for that play.
Where does my money go?
A rewarded listen costs $0.15. $0.10 goes to the Scout, $0.01 supports EARliest and $0.04 goes into the Community Pool for future discovery and community rewards.
Does my balance expire?
No. Your EARliest balance stays with your Artist account until you choose to use it for rewarded listening.
For Scouts
What is a Certified Scout?
A Certified Scout has built a reliable track record. Certification is based on how consistently a Scout's ratings reflect the later listener consensus across many songs — not on simply rating everything highly.
Why is there a daily Reward limit?
EARliest rewards discovery, not endless clicking. Your status sets how many rewarded listens you can earn from each day. After the limit, you can keep listening and rating normally — those listens still help discovery and your reputation, just without a cash reward.
How do I build reputation?
Rate honestly. As more listeners rate the same songs, EARliest can compare your musical judgement with the broader listener response. Reputation needs enough ratings before it becomes meaningful.
When can I cash out?
Your Scout balance comes from rewarded qualified listens. The current minimum payout is $10.00. During Early Access, payout requests are recorded for manual processing.
CONTACT
Talk to Earl.
Questions, ideas, feedback or something that does not quite work? Earl is listening.
Email
earl@beearliest.com
For account or payment questions, please write from the email address connected to your EARliest account whenever possible.
Please don't send music by email. Music submissions happen through EARliest.
Legal information
Operator and contact information for EARliest.
- Service / website
- EARliest
- Operator / legal name
- Heiko von Schalscha-Ehrenfeld
- Geographic address
- Rua da Inglesa 87, 6100-011 Cabeçudo, Portugal
- Tax identification number
- 301 435 383
- Commercial register
- Not applicable / to be added if a commercial registration applies.
- earl@beearliest.com
- Telephone
- +351 912 093 263
Consumer complaints: If EARliest falls within the Portuguese Livro de Reclamações regime when commercial operation begins, the required prominent access to the Electronic Complaints Book must be added here and/or in the site footer before launch.
Consumer dispute resolution: The applicable Portuguese alternative dispute resolution information should be added once the operator's establishment and competent consumer arbitration centre are confirmed.
PRIVACY
Privacy at EARliest
EARliest stores the information needed to run accounts, music discovery, rewards and platform security. We do not sell personal data.
What we store
Account information such as email address, nickname and preferences; Artist projects, uploaded tracks, covers and links; and listening activity such as plays, pauses, skips, ratings, listening time, reward transactions and clicks on external music links. We also keep basic technical visit information such as page, session identifier, referrer and browser/user-agent information.
Why we use it
We use this data to operate EARliest, match music with listeners, prevent abuse, calculate Scout rewards, provide listening history, give Artists statistics and improve the service.
Uploaded music
Audio and artwork uploaded by Artists are stored so they can be delivered to Scouts. Public Artist information is revealed only according to the discovery flow.
Your choices
You may contact us to ask about access, correction or deletion of your personal data, subject to records we must retain for legal, accounting, fraud-prevention or dispute purposes.
Contact
Privacy requests: earl@beearliest.com · Heiko von Schalscha-Ehrenfeld, Rua da Inglesa 87, 6100-011 Cabeçudo, Portugal.
TERMS
EARliest Beta Terms
EARliest is currently a beta music-discovery service. By using it, you agree to use the platform honestly and only upload material you are entitled to share.
Artists
You remain responsible for your music, artwork, names and links. By uploading content, you confirm that you have the rights and permissions required to store, stream and display it through EARliest. You grant EARliest the limited permission necessary to host and deliver that content as part of the service.
Scouts
Ratings must reflect genuine listening. Automated listening, multiple-account manipulation, coordinated rating abuse or other attempts to obtain rewards dishonestly are not permitted. Reward eligibility and daily limits may depend on account status and anti-abuse checks.
Discovery and rewards
Artists pay for genuine listening attention, not for positive ratings or guaranteed results. Open Discovery songs can be heard without a Scout reward. Reward availability may change according to Artist balance, Scout limits and eligibility.
Beta service
Features, limits and reward mechanics may change while EARliest is in beta. We may remove content or restrict accounts where necessary for security, rights complaints, abuse prevention or legal compliance.
Contact
Questions: earl@beearliest.com · EARliest / Heiko von Schalscha-Ehrenfeld, Rua da Inglesa 87, 6100-011 Cabeçudo, Portugal.