Music Audio Expert - English (US)

$11/task

rate as listed

Workload: 10+ hrs/week
Engagement: Project-based
Location: Worldwide
Field: Creative

Evaluate AI-generated music in English (US) — scoring head-to-head samples on musicality, prompt adherence, vocal quality, and mix — and annotate songs against a structured genre and structure taxonomy. Mercor is staffing this for a leading AI lab at a part-time commitment of 10+ hours per week for up to six months.

What the work involves

Most of your time is spent listening critically and writing down why one output beats another. You'll receive pairs or batches of AI-generated songs alongside the prompt that produced them, then rate them on musicality, creativity, prompt adherence, vocal quality, and production/mix quality. The written rationale matters as much as the score — labs use it to build reward signals, so "the vocal sits too far forward and the sibilance isn't tamed" is useful in a way that "sounds worse" is not.

The second workstream is annotation: tagging genre and sub-genre, marking song structure (intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, outro), and describing vocal and instrumental characteristics through a taxonomy the lab provides. You'll also score the quality of training data — flagging clipping, artifacts, mislabeled genres, incoherent lyrics, or samples that simply shouldn't be in a training set. Lyric evaluation in US English is part of the scope, so comfort with prosody, rhyme scheme, and idiomatic phrasing is assumed.

What the platform screens for

Mercor's onboarding is a resume upload plus a roughly 25-minute AI-led conversational interview covering background, experience, and motivation. Expect the interview to probe whether your credentials are real and load-bearing: 3+ years as a producer, audio engineer, or mixer, and/or a music degree spanning performance, theory, and lyric writing. Follow-up questions tend to press on specifics — what you mixed, on what monitoring, with what signal chain. Vague answers about "working in music" don't survive a second question. Evidence of released or credited work helps.

Logistics

Fully remote and largely asynchronous; work is claimed from a queue rather than scheduled
Part-time, 10+ hours per week, with an immediate start and a duration of up to six months
Observed pay band is $30–54/hr, varying by credentials and task type — treat this as reported, not guaranteed
You'll need reliable critical-listening playback (studio monitors or reference headphones) and a quiet environment

What they look for

3+ years as a music producer, audio engineer, or sound mixer
Fluent audio-engineering vocabulary for describing mix, vocal, and production quality
Native or near-native English (US) with lyric-writing experience
Working knowledge of music theory, song structure, and genre/sub-genre taxonomy
Degree in music covering performance, theory, and composition
Clear written rationale under a structured rubric

Before you apply

Would you pass this screen?

Drawn from what this listing actually requires. Answered in your browser — nothing is sent to us, and we do not store your answers.

Do you have at least 3 years of professional experience as a music producer, audio engineer, or sound mixer?
Production/Engineering/Mixing Experience · required
Have you written original music (lyrics and/or melody) in English?
Music Composition in English · required
Do you hold a college degree in music that included coursework in performance, theory, and lyrics or songwriting?
College Music Degree · preferred
Is English your native language or do you speak it at near-native proficiency (fluent, minimal accent, able to understand and discuss technical concepts)?
English Language Proficiency · required
Are you available to work part-time, at least 10 hours per week, starting immediately for up to 6 months?
Availability · required

0 of 5 answered

Included with this listing

Interview prep — 10 questions

Matched to what this platform's screening actually measures. Answer each out loud in 60–90 seconds: claim → concrete example → implication.

What it tests: Verifying the core credential (3+ years in production/engineering/mixing) and checking whether experience is broad enough to evaluate across music categories or narrowly specialized.
A strong answer: Name a specific duration and describe actual projects (genres, scales, your role) that show hands-on production or mixing work. Mention tools or techniques you've used. The answer should make clear you've shipped finished music and understand how production decisions affect the final output.
Where people lose it: Claiming 3+ years but describing only songwriting, bedroom hobby recording, or academic coursework without real production credits. Or listing years without naming a single project, tool, or concrete outcome.

Summary, eligibility guidance and screening preparation are prepared by Sidequest from the platform's posting. Check the source listing before applying.