Soundclick and the indie scene

SoundClick is a really cool site for independent musicians for sure. Over the last few months I've had 1000's of song plays and hundreds of downloads, and 19  independent internet radio stations playing my music. So I think it's a great way to get your music out there.

I've had many of my songs break into the Top Ten on their charts, and I think that's pretty cool. It's better than keeping songs locked up in a drawer.

I was going thru the blues charts the other day, and found Robin Trower even has a site there.

So, has this activity resulted in actual money?  Or were the downloads free?

I'm trying to suss out where the line is between vanity stuff and actual commerce, and that line is a lot more blurry these days.

I mean, Trower is on soundclick, yet your ditty is (was?) #3.  I mean no offense at all, as I think you just threw that thing together quickly to demonstrate something, but that is in no way of release quality, and for it to be #3 makes me question the whole point.  

Well, from a commerce perspective, anyway.  It all probably works well for vanity stuff, but that's not where I'm coming from.

Or, please correct me.  I'd love it if you told me you made a couple hundred bucks on your downloads.

I love to be able to tell you that, but it hasn't happened yet, as I have them posted for free. I tried charging for a while, but nobody was buying, which has been my experience with other sites as well. Money comes when you have cd sales or you're playing live.

If you're looking for a pot of gold, the music business may be the wrong place for you, as even though it can happen, so many things have to be in place. SoundClick is a great starting point though, as you can indeed get your name and music out there. You can also meet or find out about many other musicians, that you'd never hear of otherwise.

Now regarding my little diddy that is at #3, you have to understand the blues. It's not about crying over bad things, it's music to make you happy. It doesn't have to be polished to be enjoyed. In many cases, the rougher the recording the better. Many people want a "real" sound, not something that sounds manufactured. They don't need complicated chord patterns, just something simple. The sound I have here, is very similar to the sound of a 3 piece blues band I used to work with in the 70's, and they were quite popular at the time. I used to run their light show. It was good times, and we played for many packed houses. I'm still great friends with the lead guitar player of that band, and he too has a site at SoundClick, he's only got one song up so far but is planning more, You can check him out at....

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=485679

We like the idea of being able to post music on SoundClick, to share our music with each other and other people as well. The chart thing is cool as you can see if there is any interest in your music ...it'll also tell you which of your songs is popular and which aren't. So it can help you make decisions on which direction you should go in.

So are the charts a joke ?? No. Why ?? Just check some of the other talent there, and you'll be amazed at some of the music you can find, that you won't find anywhere else. There's many, many very talented people posting there, and I'm very proud of having my music do well on the charts.

Trust me on this, being #3 is a lot cooler than being #346 on any chart. Try it sometime.

Another artist I'm working with, Lekzee, also has a site set up on SoundClick.  I helped her set it up a couple of weeks ago, and she's already had over a 1,000 plays on her music....she's thrilled about that, as her music was going absolutely nowhere before.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=485250

Check out Robin Trower's SoundClick site....

http://www.soundclick.com/pro/view/01/default.cfm?bandid=472393&content=main&songid=0

Ain't nottin wrong with that......

I tried charging for a while, but nobody was buying, which has been my experience with other sites as well. Money comes when you have cd sales or you're playing live.

If you're looking for a pot of gold, the music business may be the wrong place for you, as even though it can happen, so many things have to be in place. SoundClick is a great starting point though, as you can indeed get your name and music out there. You can also meet or find out about many other musicians, that you'd never hear of otherwise.

Oh, I'm not looking for a pot of gold - I get my "pot of bronze" from PC work.  But I am looking for something I consider "worth the effort".  That is, of course, different for everyone, as we all have different things that drive us.  And I don't wish to imply that money would be the only, or primary, or even *A* consideration.  I could see putting some stuff up for free myself.  But WHAT I choose to work on, and whether it be for pay up front (engineering, producing, writing, etc) or on spec, will depend on what the potential outcomes are.

I mean, if it's all a vanity thing, then I'd do some acoustic folky singer/songwriter stuff and some 80's hair-band metal - and I and my 2 fans will enjoy it.  But if there's a market, I can bend a bit and work on more contemporary things.

Now regarding my little diddy that is at #3, you have to understand the blues. It's not about crying over bad things, it's music to make you happy. It doesn't have to be polished to be enjoyed. In many cases, the rougher the recording the better. Many people want a "real" sound, not something that sounds manufactured. They don't need complicated chord patterns, just something simple.

Oh, I get the blues.  I listen to a range from Johnson to Stevie Ray.  But I didn't mean for this to turn into a critique of your work, as you didn't ask for it.  If you want to know my particular criticisms, I can PM or post them.

So are the charts a joke ?? No. Why ?? Just check some of the other talent there, and you'll be amazed at some of the music you can find, that you won't find anywhere else. There's many, many very talented people posting there, and I'm very proud of having my music do well on the charts.

Trust me on this, being #3 is a lot cooler than being #346 on any chart. Try it sometime.

Well, sure.  And I guess "joke" was the wrong word.  I mean, an elementary school talent show winner, an american idol winner, and a Grammy award winner are all winners, and the top of their respective heap.  I'm just trying to determine the nature of the heap.

Well the nature of the heap is that it's open to anyone who wants to have a site. You can get one for free, so it's just a matter of whoever get's their recordings together and can upload them is eligible, and here's the total stats of songs and membership as of today....

» 1,588,682 songs
» 232,903 accepted bands
» 1,932,912 verified members

To find myself on the top of the charts with this many entrants is amazing to me.

As far as opportunities go, you can charge for your downloads, whether or not you'll sell any, is another story. You can also sell cd's.

I don't need critism of my music, I already know it's weak points, and will be working on it in the future. I view SoundClick as a wonderful starting point for anyone, and who knows what'll happen...I never expected my music to do so well on the charts. Not for a second.  But what really impresses me is the shear number of plays and downloads I'm getting...and anything is better than having music sitting in a drawer.

[completely bogus]

Bogus Ratings,

Well...

A "music club" that I am a member of has posted more that 50 works on SoundClick.  Immediately one of the pieces became the top selection in the collection, even though it was a mediocre recording peformed in a mediocre manner (as admitted by the artist).  It has strangely remained in the top position even though some other pieces have had more plays.  I researched SoundClick's explaination about how they rate tunes and their explaination was far, far, from complete and forthcomming.  More cuts have been added to our site and yet the ratings have not changed.  We now use the site so we can share among ourselves, but all the members of our "club" consider the SoundClick rating system to be completely bogus (and sadly so)  

It is still probably a good place to get exposure, but their rating system is not democratic and not representative of either popularity or quality.
.

They won't tell you how they determine their chart position because people then try to "play" the charts to get better ratings.  I haven't a clue how they determine ratings as even though my plays go up or down, chart activity is different, and beyond my control.

But if you spend some time listening to some of the other artists there, the charts do seem to make a certain amount of sense. They don't put all my music in the top 40, that's for sure. And after thinking about it, those songs do not deserve a high place on a chart. So I have to agree with their decisions, and I can assure you, they don't put anything in the top twenty that doesn't have some musical quality to it.

So, has this activity resulted in actual money?  Or were the downloads free?

I'm trying to suss out where the line is between vanity stuff and actual commerce, and that line is a lot more blurry these days.
.

Naw, it's clear as a bell: it's all vanity.

Nothing wrong with that, but let's be real: no one ever made money just by posting their stuff on some internet site. It's vanity pages. And soundclick is especially goofy since their "charts" have no connection with reality whatsoever.

As a quick perusal of their "blues" chart quickly makes clear...

Chris

Well, with 2 million members, I'd say there's quite an active community there, with lot's of potential for meeting other artists. In this business, alot of success depends on your ability to smooze and hook up with other people, so   this is much better than keeping one's music locked in a drawer.

As they say, any exposure is better than no exposure. More people have listened to Lekzee's music in the last two weeks, than in the last two years. So is that a good thing ?? You bet !!

As they say, any exposure is better than no exposure.

Translation: vanity.

As I said, there's nothing wrong with it. I have a vanity page myself.

But if you think you're going to further your music *career* by signing up with places like soundclick, you're seriously deluding yourself.

The only way to further a music career is the same as it's always been: get in the van and tour your ass off.

And if you're doing that already, soundclick (or any web page) will help to *supplement* those efforts, sure.  

Chris

hehehe, there's just no pleasing you is there. I'm finding more and more artists everyday because of SoundClick. Because of my site on SoundClick, I got the job of recording Lekzee's music, and a few others on the way...

Lekzee has been talking with people all over the country because of her SoundClick site... things are happening for her.

Here again, it's up to your smoozing abilities and quality of your songs to make the site work for you. If you expect  to upload your songs and have it  work on autopilot, you may be disappointed.

I haven't heard Robin Trower's name for years, until I was glancing over the charts. So, poof, I was able to hook up to his music.

Too bad you don't recognize a great marketing tool when you see one.

Your simpleminded enthusiasm is  - as ever - a wonder to behold, djwayne.

May you never fall from innocence.

Chris

and your grouchy negativism will follow you everywhere.

I tried charging for a while, but nobody was buying, which has been my experience with other sites as well. Money comes when you have cd sales or you're playing live.

The only way to further a music career is the same as it's always been: get in the van and tour your ass off. And if you're doing that already, soundclick (or any web page) will help to *supplement* those efforts, sure.

Looks to me like we're not even disagreeing particularly. I just think you're attributing a negative connotation to the word "vanity". The desire to get your music heard is "vanity". It becomes "commerce" as well when you start making money at it.

Jester was just asking whether there was a realistic chance of "commerce" happening with these sites. All I said is if you're relying *only* on websites, you're kidding yourself. The real way to "spread the word" (and hopefully, someday make some money) is the same as it's always been: playing live.

These sites are fine for what they are. I'm not knocking them.

And it's not "negativism" simply because someone disagrees with you or isn't inclined to swallow whole your wide-eyed market-speak.

Chris