Spencer Guide

1.1First login and account creation

Initial access: When you arrive on spencer-app.com from a computer, you land directly on the Radar (the search tool). The other tabs (Project, Co-Lab, Signal, Dashboard) stay locked until you are logged in.

Sign-up methods: You can create an account with your email address and a password, or directly with your Google account.

Validation: If you sign up by email, an activation link is sent to you. You must validate this email to be able to log in.

The onboarding carousel: On your first login, an introductory carousel quickly walks you through Spencer's features.

1.2Initial identification step

Before you reach the interface, a mandatory form collects:

• Your username.
• Your first and last name.
• Your role in music (Artist, Professional, or both).

1.3Filling in your profile and visibility rules

From the Dashboard, Profile tab, you need to set up your public information:

• Required items: first name, last name, username, profile photo (essential to build trust), roles (Artist, Producer, Beatmaker, Sound engineer, multiple choices possible), year you started and bio.
• Completion indicator: a gauge shows how complete your profile is.
• External links: you can add redirect links (Spotify, YouTube, etc.).

1.4Portfolio and gear

To reach 100% completion and enrich your profile on the Radar:

• Portfolio: you can add up to 10 tracks for now. For each audio file you upload, you must specify the roles you played (Arrangement, Recording, Beatmaking, etc.). Users can listen to these excerpts directly from the Radar.
• Gear: a section to list your equipment by category (preamp, audio interface, microphone, instruments…) with the brand and model (example: AKG C414).

2.1Creating and categorizing services

All the business management happens in the Activity tab of the Dashboard. Services are created one by one. For each one, you must define: a type, a name (public title), a description (optional), a rate and a format.

Services must be classified in one of these 5 categories:

• Production: composition, production, music creation.
• Arrangement: mixing, post-production, mastering, editing.
• Recording: vocal recording, drum recording, etc.
• Room rental: the studio made available for free use without a sound engineer (rehearsals, or an artist coming with their own technician).
• Coaching and training: any support or teaching service.

2.2Pricing models and formats

Rate types: fixed price (e.g. €150 per mix), hourly rate (recommended for recording and rental), or on request (possible but less recommended for transparency reasons).

The format (a fundamental distinction)

• Remote: the service is attached directly to your individual profile. On the Radar, it is your profile card that appears with your services.
• At the studio: the service is attached to a physical venue (Studio). It appears on the studio page and not on your personal profile.

2.3Financial setup with Stripe

Requirement: your services stay greyed out with the "not visible" label until your Stripe account is set up.

Process: available from the Dashboard banner or the Pro space (the Pro space only appears if you sell services). Setup takes less than 3 minutes.

Required documents: company registration extract (Kbis), IBAN, phone number and email address.

Activation: once Stripe is linked, you turn the visibility of your services on or off manually using the eye icon.

2.4Adding and configuring a studio

A studio is added with the "Add a studio" button or directly when creating a service in the "At the studio" format.

Step A: the 5 basic steps (studio created at 33%)

• Name: identification of the venue (e.g. Spencer Records).
• Location: enter the address. The exact address stays hidden until a Co-Lab is paid. The Radar shows a vague radius. If autocomplete fails, type the address manually. You can enter only the city to preserve your anonymity while still being locatable on the map.
• Starting rate: indicative hourly price (recommended for recording) or "on request" if you only do mixing/mastering.
• Opening hours: fixed time slots for each day of the week OR the "Contact me directly" option (handled case by case).
• Photos: upload visuals. The first photo uploaded is the main photo (you can reorder them by drag and drop).

Step B: advanced details (to reach 100% completion)

Click the "Edit" icon (pencil) to specify:

• Infrastructure & technical: presence of a recording booth, console type (analog, digital, hybrid, controller + model), DAW used (Pro Tools, FL Studio, Ableton…).
• Amenities & logistics: parking, Wi-Fi, restrooms, fridge, maximum capacity (artists included), minimum booking duration (e.g. 2 hours minimum, leave at 0 if no restriction).
• House rules & conditions: night sessions allowed (yes/no), smoking policy (smoking, non-smoking, outdoors only), cancellation conditions.

3.1Structure of a Spencer project

A project works like a global folder meant to centralize a set of tracks (single, EP, album or a working storage space).

Track metadata: for each track created within a project, you can enter the BPM and the musical key from the edit tab (the three small dots).

Segmentation by stages

Each track natively includes subfolders matching the production stages:

• Reference: to import inspiration tracks (e.g. "a mix like The Weeknd").
• Instrumental: to centralize the production / the beat.
• Lyrics: a text area dedicated to the lyrics.
• Demo / Mix / Master: to track the technical deliverables.

3.2Sharing and permission management

From the project's top menu, two sharing modes coexist:

• Invite a member (internal collaborator): requires the contact to have a Spencer account. Enter their email to send an invitation. You must assign their permissions: read-only / permission to comment / permission to delete files.
• Enable a sharing link (external): generates a URL you can pass to people without a Spencer account (e.g. to let a friend listen to a demo). Strict restriction: people using this link can only listen to the track. Downloading and commenting are not possible for them.

3.3The Listening Room and interactive feedback

As soon as an audio file is uploaded to a section (Mix, Master, etc.), the Listening Room becomes available:

• Version management: files stack chronologically under the labels V1, V2, V3… tied to the folder type (e.g. Mix V1, Mix V2). It is strongly advised not to "replace" a file; always create a new version to keep the history.
• Timestamped (time-coded) comments: by clicking at a precise spot on the waveform, you leave a comment tied to an exact time (e.g. at 01:43 "raise the bass volume"). The comment shows on the waveform and in the side discussion thread.
• Task resolution: collaborators can reply directly under the timestamped comment. Once the change is made, the provider clicks "Resolve" to archive the feedback.
• Feedback isolation: comments left on V1 stay attached to V1 only. They do not appear on V2, to avoid any visual confusion.
• Final delivery: to get the validated final file, click the Download button from the interface of the relevant version.

4.1Flow overview

The workflow on Spencer follows a precise, contractual and secure method, divided into 6 phases:

• Request / Brief (artist)
• Acceptance & chat
• Proposal / Quote (studio)
• Secure payment (escrow)
• Execution & timeline
• Closing, 48-hour claim window & rating

4.2The Co-Lab request (the brief)

The process must be initiated by the artist (the requester) from the provider's Radar page (freelance profile or studio).

• The artist clicks "Contact" then "Make my request".
• They select the relevant project (or create it on the fly) to grant the provider access.
• They tick the services they are interested in (e.g. 4 h of vocal coaching + 8 h of drum recording) and write an introductory note (the brief).

4.3Acceptance and discussion

The provider receives the notification in their Co-Lab tab. They review the brief.

If they click "Interested", the request is validated: a private chat room opens to refine the details (availability, budget, constraints).

4.4Sending the proposal (the quote)

Once agreement is reached in the chat, the provider clicks "Send a proposal".

• Adjusting the services: the artist's initial request is pre-ticked, but the provider can edit or remove it.
• Custom line ("Custom service"): if the request falls outside their usual services, the provider can add a tailor-made line by entering the service name, unit price and quantity (hours or units).
• Execution details: a precise date/time (optional), a delivery deadline (e.g. within 14 days) and the number of included revisions (the maximum number of versions V1, V2, V3 the provider commits to delivering).
• Prerequisites: the provider ticks the mandatory items the artist must upload to the project for work to start (e.g. for mastering, tick the Mix prerequisite; tick Reference track or Lyrics).

4.5Payment and securing the funds

The artist receives the priced proposal. To officially start the Co-Lab, they must make the payment.

• Split payment: Spencer includes a pay-in-3 option with no fees via Klarna for eligible projects (e.g. a €500 project). The artist is charged in several installments, but the studio is guaranteed the full amount.
• Escrow system: as soon as the artist pays, the money appears on the provider's Stripe dashboard, but it is locked. The provider cannot transfer it to their bank account until the Co-Lab is finalized.

4.6Execution and timeline

Once the payment is validated, the Co-Lab moves to the "Started" status.

• The artist sees a reminder of the required prerequisites they must upload.
• The Co-Lab tab shows a timeline: an automated logbook recording every action in chronological order (file upload, feedback left, step validated).
• The provider accesses the artist's project through their "Projects" tab, "Shared with me" sub-tab. They make their successive deliveries in the Listening Room.

4.7Closing, claim window and transfer of funds

When the deliverables meet the criteria of the proposal:

• The provider clicks "Complete the Co-Lab".
• The 48-hour claim window: the artist has a strict 48-hour window to file an official claim by email in case of a dispute or unfinished work.
• Release of funds: after this 48-hour period with no dispute, the funds are officially released from escrow. They become available for a transfer from the Stripe account to the provider's personal bank account (standard Stripe bank timelines: 3 to 5 business days).
• Mutual rating: both parties close the experience with a star rating, a public recommendation checkbox and a written review. These ratings feed the Community tab (reviews received and given) and affect your reputation on the Radar.