Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

We coded this online music collaboration site back in 2005 and have pretty much left it to run on its own.  I`d like to know what people think would make it a better site and find someone that would like to take it to the "next level" in the realm of user participation. 

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Pokerman It`s not about what you can do... it`s about what you will do! Amateur Poker League Software - Drive Traffic - Add 100,000 Songs to your website - Music Catalog

I was a pro musician for lots of years, and frankly, I didn`t get too excited by the site. Here`s my reasoning:

Setting aside it being hard to read, with the yellow text on red background, my first thought was where do I play? Yes, I know I can haul out the syn and grab an MP3 file. Likely I can upload it from here to there. Then what?

Who does that final mix that`ll be for sale? What studio are they using, and what kind of ears do they have? And how do I find players who match my style, but who also will go back and forth? It`s not a live jam, after all, more like a musical forum.

Can I hear some stuff from the players I`d like to select? Or do I just post a music phrase and have others mess with it? How does that happen? Who owns what, when it`s all finished? And what if I really like it and want to release the cut on my own CD? Can I do that? Is there a way to handle copyrights?

Suppose I say I put in 80% of the musical work, but my collaborators disagree? What`s the arbitration system?

It`s an interesting idea---a musical forum, with snippets of music being the posts. I`m not sure who could take this to the next level. What`d be really stunning would be a way for me to upload *directly* from my keyboard into the forum. How that would happen I haven`t the foggiest idea, but that`s my sense of how I`d want it to work. Like a global jam, sort of...y`know?

I`m wondering if a better idea might be a way to offer studio engineering via the Web. I might put a melody line together, and some "studio players" could add a percussion and bass line. Then I`d get an email notify, download my melody already mixed with a "click track."

I could then add tracks, to the point where I was stumped. Say I want a jazz sax added, but can`t play sax. I could upload what I`ve got, and again, either on-call or registered other players could take a listen, download, and add in a sax line. I might include written notes along the lines of what sort of solo I`d hear.

That sort of collaboration might work. Then the site would offer engineering and mixing at that end, for a fee. It`d be a way for people to "self-publish" their songs and ideas, sort of like "vanity publishing" in the written text realms.

The above is exactly what the site does without the fee.  The click track is optional depending on how the individuals what to utilize the system  most collaborations do use the click tracks they just don`t upload them with the mix

Here are just a couple of the many songs that have been completed on the site I`m partial to the last one "Man of the House" cause I wrote it.

http://www.music-weed.com/weedfiles/-weed-96decibelsHB5-JZ%2 01%20More%20To%20Go.WMA

"Heaven on Earth" and "Happiness" BELOW both use the same "Seed" tracks but ended up quite different depending on who and how it was finally mixed and which tracks were used the vocals on both are my stepsons.

Heaven on Earth

http://www.music-weed.com/weedfiles/-weed-96decibelsHB5-Heav en%20On%20Earth.wma

Happiness

http://www.music-weed.com/weedfiles/-weed-96decibelsHB6-Happ iness.WMA

Man of the House

http://www.music-weed.com/weedfiles/-weed-96decibelsHB2-Man% 20Of%20The%20House.wma

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Pokerman It`s not about what you can do... it`s about what you will do! Amateur Poker League Software - Drive Traffic - Add 100,000 Songs to your website - Music Catalog

Ah...well, if what I asked is exactly what the site does....."Den doan` do dat!"  I mean, how come the Web site doesn`t essplain all this?

I`m listening to the first example cut you sent.... Sounds great! If this was done by connecting players with players, and they have an option for studio engineering, I`m impressed!! Now all you have to do is make it crystal clear.

Hmm....how about having one of these songs as "Hear the results!" (Maybe get one unlicensed so the clicker doesn`t have to go through all that hooplah and just hears streamed audio.)

Remember, musicians are Ear Oriented. Many other sites would be annoying if they had music and streamed audio...but not this site.

In fact, I know a piano guy in the complex. He`s into jazz, has a Yamaha, and can do pretty much everything he needs. But he`s sadly searching for a sax player who thinks like he does. Can`t find one for two reasons. He doesn`t have wide contacts within the "biz," is his main problem.

But his second problem is he doesn`t want to hire a sax player or pay a full-boat studio player. He`d just like to find a "like-minded individual" who`s also trying to make it "out there" and see if they can make tracks.

Set up the site somewhat along the lines of a dating service, or singles service. Back before the Web, the newspaper classifieds did this just fine. Now, with "modern" technology, nobody can find anyone. :-) Fix it!

Thanks Craig for the feedback. 

I might be a little too familiar with the site and thought we`d done a good job of explaining the process.  I will soon be utilizing the ignite2000 software to create a tutorial on exactly how the process works (the software is phenomenal for this very thing)

To find an artist and their musical preferences and instrument click on "Artists"  or "Search Site". Each artist can also upload 3 sample tracks so you can hear their style... again available on the Artist page by searching on "all"

To listen to "seed" tracks click on the link "Seed Tracks" in the left hand nav.

To view current projects and hear the latest mix... click on the "Projects" link in the left hand nav.

From the front page.

How it Works

Downloading - Listening to Tracks and Samples

• Anyone can download a track or sample while a project is in process. 
• After a project completes the final mix phase it will be included for sale on the Buy Music page through a non-exclusive distribution agreement with Shared Media Licensing.  
• A visitor to the site can listen to any track or mix currently in Seed Track or Active Project status free.
• Tracks are not listed by genre because it is impossible to tell what the final form of a song may take. 
• Completed songs that have entered the digital distribution system are available on the Buy Music page.  Visitors may listen 3 times free and support the artists by purchasing the track.

Uploading seed tracks.

• Registered Artists may upload an original track on the seed track page. A producer can then choose to use that track as the base of a project.
  • Format is WMA or MP3 or whatever turns your crank.
  • Not every track submitted  will necessarily result in inclusion in a project.
• You may choose to be the producer for your seed track`s project, or allow someone else to produce. We have found that some people just want to play and they aren`t interested in producing the project themselves.

Uploading - Auditioning a Track

• Available only for Registered Artists
• Download the track from the project for which you wish to audition.
• Using your PC based recording software. Add your recorded track. Mix down the tracks and save them in wma or mp3 format. The bit-rate should always be maintained at 192 or better for quality purposes.
• Upload the modified file to the project.
• An e-mail is sent to all the contributing artists to let them know that a new track has been uploaded.
• You may be asked to post a solo track for further work.
• The process repeats till the composition is complete and ready for Final Mix.

Samples

• Some Musicians prefer to upload a sample rather than a fully structured song.
• An audition can be a single track that is inspired by the sample.
• It may take several single track auditions before the Seed Track has enough "structure" to make it ready to accept the mixing in of additional tracks - These decisions are made by the project producer.

Lyrics

• Open to all Logged in Artists
• Any Logged in Artist may upload original song lyrics to be used in a collaboration project.
• Artists may create a project and begin the process by uploading lyrics as a "Seed Track"

The Final Mix*

• Available to all Registered Artists.
• Once the project`s producer is satisfied with the rough mix, he/she will ask the artists to upload a clean single track to the "Solo Tracks" folder on the project page.   This may be in .wav format or in some other audio format at the discretion of the producer.
• The Solo tracks are then downloaded, mixed, and re-uploaded.
• Once the participants are satisfied with the final mix, the project manager will mark the project as complete.

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Pokerman It`s not about what you can do... it`s about what you will do! Amateur Poker League Software - Drive Traffic - Add 100,000 Songs to your website - Music Catalog

Yah, I`m not saying you don`t have something people can understand in terms of how it works. What I`m saying is I went to the site as an erstwhile musician and had all the above questions.

In your direct response, developed through SuN, community member to member, you posted that the site already does what I asked. So...how come I asked?

Because I`m not a pro musician anymore, I wasn`t taking the time to go through the whole site, page by page, and navigating it. I just looked at the landing page for an "overall" impression, and had all those questions.

What I`m suggesting is a rework of the main page (ugh on the colors!), to better address my questions quickly. One way would be to have some fast, clear copyrwriting as to the point of the site and how it works, then a "learn more..." button. Something with bullets that explain:

• Are you looking for a like-minded player to add some tracks?
• Want some help engineering a project?
• Got lyrics, need a rythym section?
• Looking for a session band, short-term?

Something like that...where you tell players "What can I do for you with this site?" :-) Y`know?

Collaboration network guarantees for providing willing musical technology groups close to each other so that they may meet their creative specifications. Believe in in performers collaboration includes personal commitment of passionate performers to have wealthy experience of becoming effective artist.

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voice over artist