I have a SOUNDCLOUD, but I was wondering how many JPFER's have one as well. Follow me on mine and I will follow you back. Use this thread to post a link to your SOUNDCLOUD as well.

THE WATTON SHOW SOUND CLOUD PAGE

Thanks,

Greg

Hi Greg:

Many of us poor songwriting fools spend all our time trying to write the next big hit (background laughter explodes) and simply keep our noses to the grindstone. We are semi-insulated from the many changes and happenings going on around us.

Please tell us how sound cloud works and what it can do for us. My Number-One question... is it free? I watched your "page" expecting to hear songs performed by you. Surprise... you showed several artists. Were they singing material supplied by you? Please don't extract any negativity from my comments. I'm simply trying to evaluate how this might work for me and others here.

Regards,

Dave

Hi Greg,

I have one but I don't use it much....

http://soundcloud.com/colinwardmusic

Colin,

Thanks for the follow. I followed you back. I will give your songs a listen in a bit. :0)

Greg

Dave,

I detect a slight condescending tone from your response, but despite that, while YES, of course I am thinking about writing hits, I DO enjoy what I write, even if that consensus isn't shared by all.

Soundcloud is free. You can upload your material on there and have individual links to share your music with anyone on the web. This link will explain it further:

http://soundcloud.com/tour/

Off subject, I'm starting to get the impression that I am not very welcome here on these messageboards. I've suspected as much for some time, but if that's the case, then I will begin to visit JPF less and less.

Thank you for your response Dave.

Greg

Oh, and Dave, I'm not a performing songwriter. Sorry to disappoint you.

Greg

P.P.S. Dave, yes, those songs were written by me and collaborators FOR the artists who recorded the songs and released them. I explained that to the right side of my soundcloud profile.

Many industry professionals ask for a Soundcloud when pitching to them, so that's why I have one. What benefit would Soundcloud have for you? I don't know, you make that call yourself.

Please don't extract any negativity from my responses. I am simply trying to be as informative as possible.

Greg

I get soundcloud occasionally, mostly back when I used to do drugs.

But If I eat alot of junk food Ill get soundcloud for a while too.

The boards have been very slow lately. Do not confuse lack of responses with how welcome you are!

Answer is no. I have a Sound*click* "page" (actually, three of them). Have had since 2004 or so. I have not seen any particular advantage to Soundcloud over the other OMDs. Since I'm pretty sure the Industry is not going to be at all interested in anything I write, I am mostly interested in having a place where I can archive my material, and (1) have it "date stamped" to prove when I wrote it, just in case, and (2) have a relatively simple-to-understand link people can use to hear what it sounds like. Soundclick is old and clunky, but it does both.

Joe

Hi Greg:

Please never expect anything condescending from me. My apologies if it sounded that way. I have always been under the impression that you were a songwriter and also did your own vocals... like me. (I'm not overly excited about my vocals but I'm too tight to pay someone else to do them... LOL!)

I was curious about SoundCloud and how it works. Mostly, if it costs anything. I'm working on a shoestring budget for writing and recording songs as well as submissions. It's a tough grind, this thing we call songwriting.

Regards,

Dave

Greg:

As a follow up... I just saw your post regarding your concern about folks welcoming you to JPF. I agree with what Colin told you. Things are really slow here at JPF recently with the exception of a few "newbies" still learning how things work here and how to be cordial and/or civil.

I hope you understand how valuable your input is to the rest of us. I value your hard work and wish you tons of success in your musical efforts. Keep your "dobber up", Pal... you are important to JPF.

All the best,

Dave

Duly noted, Dave. :-)

I am not a singer and I don't try to put my vocals on anything, so that's why my songs don't feature me on them. All of my work are collaborations as a result of tireless networking and relationships building. Fortunately, many of my co-writers DO sing and have studios, so studio cost has never been an issue for me. Building teams and having good relationships with the right people can sometimes be a benefit when it comes to studios...

Yeah, SC costs nothing to join and the free account allows you certain perks and privileges up to a point. Which I am fine with because if I know I am about to exceed a certain limit, I will simply create a new account if I need to. I'm personally not willing to pay for the premiums.

The reason why I was sort of feeling unwelcome is because I am in the minority here as a writer in a genre most folk on the boards here aren't really into, so I sort of feel like an outsider sometimes.

Other times I've posted things that have backfired on me, even if my intentions were good, so that sort of made me gun shy, relatively speaking.

Thanks for your encouragement however. I certainly appreciate that! :-)

Greg

Hi Greg:

Thanks for the info regarding SoundCloud.

Dave

So Colin & DRS have one, Dave is interested in learning more about it, and a couple people have said they don't have one. What about the rest of you? No?

Just have a soundclick Gregory -- these sites seem to all be places to store and showcase your music -- I don't believe that any have a Real regular listener audience
to me one place is good enough - i don't want to spend time maintaining many sites

the next step for me would be to set up and maintain my own page -- then work on developing links to that one -- having control : )

best wishes
jm

Well, not much maintenance needed on soundcloud. You upload your song, you write what you want about the song (ie who wrote it, produced it, etc), and then you get an individual link to that song in particular for promo purposes if you so choose.

Very user friendly and it's hassle free.

Greg

yes indeed -- it's the SAME on soundclick
so why should I do it again ?

: )

Can you stream content on soundclick from any mobile device that supports Apple or Android technologies (ie. iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Tablet, etc)?

You can do that with SoundCloud.

I believe So -- but I'm not much of a streamer

just give people the link

Me with JM, Greg. I don't know if Soundclick does that; I suppose it'd be nice if they did--but I don't use that, so I don't particularly care. People being able to play or download the songs on their 'puter from an easily-remembered link is enough.

Joe

Alrighty then. Then I suppose this thread is sort of irrelevant.

I don't have a soundclick and I don't plan on getting one, but whatever works for each individual.

(shrugs)

I'll drink to that!

http://www.soundcloud.com/lindaofficial


JIMMY PAGE OFFICIAL SOUNDCLOUD:
http://www.soundcloud.com/jimmypage


....among other MAJOR NAMES...
Foo Fighters, Prince, to drop a couple.

Be there - just to rub shoulders with the big guys.

Btw Jimmy's soundcloud is a little known web gem with tasty RARE treats avail for purchase.

:-)
Linda

Once again - Greg is right and SoundCloud IS the happening place the major names are beginning to trust. Just as Twitter is the place where celebs/artists/A-List names choose to network with their fandoms.

SoundClick will never obtain that. It's outdated and can't keep up. Plus is a total pain compared to the ease of SCloud.

You gotta keep moving over to The Next New Thing to stay current and stay afloat. I just joined Tumblr.

L

My only axe to grind here is that -- just like willingness to revise & collaborate -- if ANY OF YOU wish to get ahead in this BUSINESS you MUST GO WHERE THE LISTENERS ARE.

Which Greg (and I) are painstakingly trying to tell you.
Pardon my tone too. :-/ it's just frustrating to me to see Greg virtually ignored when he is a working professional with REAL CUTS making REAL MONEY yet his advice & counsel while always solid is continually questioned.

He is more well-connected than near any of you realize in LA and has 90% of the game more figured out than the rest of us.

Give the man some cred. He's earned it.

You wanna get somewhere in music?? Follow THIS guy.
No joke.
Got your back, Greg.
xx


PS I don't mean to start anything here, I am just annoyed by the tone Greg gets back in any number of his threads and he is VALUABLE here more than most of you may ever realize. Entirely stupid not to WELCOME every word of advice he has to pass out. Word.

Double post sorry

Thanks Linda, but my word isn't law. There are other professionals out there far more qualified than I am. Despite the minimal successes I've been blessed to have, I am not a household name and I am not living the rich life. While I do have plenty of knowledge, I also recognize that there are also a lot of people (especially many who call the jpf messageboard home) who are not interested in working in the mainstream music market. That's fine because they don't have to.

I really don't need to be validated by anyone on this board. I'm doing what I'm doing regardless of any of the opinions anyone here may or may not have of me.

I do know that many respect me as a person and fellow JPF'er, but that doesn't mean they have to respect or like the genre of music I choose to work in.

Most people here are comfortable with soundclick. Those who wish to check Soundcloud out, may do so. Those who don't, won't.

Thanks for having my back Linda. I appreciate it. :-)

P.S. My advice and council isn't always solid. I am human after all! :-) I do try my best though.

Yeah.....Jimmy Page and I are on Soundcloud together!!!

Actually, I have noticed that Soundcloud is now connected with CD Baby and other major sites that can upload files to each other saving some time and effort.

One annoyance on Soundcloud to me is that there seems to be no volume control (or I have not found it), so if I am listening, I have to control the volume from elsewhere.

I'm going to take a look at Soundcloud when I get on high speed hookup. At dialup speed I don't want to have to start uploading songs again. I'm doing a fair amount of that now when pitching songs to artist,takes up a lot of time.

Hi Linda

I think it all depends on what you are trying to do -- Certainly NOT dissing Gregory -- I totally respect his position and choices.

But I am a Singer Song writer and I stand behind the idea that My work and efforts are better placed in creating MY OWN site and then Linking to places that will get me the exposure -and local performance- that's different than what Greg and maybe you are trying to do. I wish to spend MORE time performing not working web sites.

Best wishes to both of you, though, in what you are choosing.

j,

Joyce,

I don't know if I'd call it working websites, as that is not my motis operandi. If working websites was all it took to make it in the music business, then "everyone would be doing it."

Knowing your market and using the tools to help you "ride the waves" is just a small fraction of the bigger picture.

Colin,

You're right. There isn't a volume control as far as I can tell. I think you can control the volume manually from your own desktop settings on your computer, which is separate from the web browser anyway.

Everett,

Yes, dial up can be a challenge. I'm not sure how to give advice on that one. :-(

Hi Greg:

Any advantage to doing the "premium" thing at SoundCloud? Forgive me if I have called it by it's wrong name. I'll probably just stick with the free membership but would rather hear your opinion than read the hype.

I was glad to see Linda's post regarding you and her nice comments.

Poor pitiful, forgetful me. I joined SoundCloud several years ago and it appeared to be doing absolutely nothing so I just left the two songs I'd posted with them and did not go back until yesterday, when I uploaded a third song. The layout/format seems a little different to me but I'm sure I'll gradually catch on. Got any newbie tips? Is it mandatory to participate in facebook or twitter? I know lots of folks love it... but I don't have time for social networking.

I suspect your answer is gonna tell me that participation is essential... LOL! But seriously, that's why I left SongRamp. I loved the "venue" and people there but it eventually becomes a "liars club" of songwriters praising other songwriters.

Thanks again for bringing this up. I'm glad Everett is getting high-speed service even though it's via satellite.

All the best,

Dave

I chose to start a soundcloud site to showcase all of the demos I'm having done. That way, should anyone want to listen to what I have, they don't have to wade through all the self-recordings and pre-demos that I've posted at soundclick.

I also think it's easier to upload than on soundclick. Of course, that could be operator error on my part!

Also, lately, I can't get a song to play all the way through at soundclick unless I pick "lo-fi". What's up with that?

And lastly, I just love the name!

To each their own. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Ricki

Hi Gregory

I did Not say or think for one second that working websites is ALL that you do.

So far I have a soundclick - 2 myspace pages - a facebook page - a weebly page -- a youtube page had an iac page and a couple of others that I never use

in addition My own web page for art -- so the next logical step is to create a music site that links up with the art page --- since this is the one === by far === that has the Most traffic

and I do believe that once I do that -- I probably won't need another site to maintain. That's what I am thinking -- I could be wrong, but time will tell

again Gregory - you are working different angles than me so maybe soundcloud will Really take off and have their own audience == I have heard more Listener crowd types suggest Pandora

jm

I have a SoundCloud but get better results at Amazing Tunes.

http://jimcolyer.amazingtunes.com/

Dave,

Stick with the free account, that's what I did. I haven't felt a need to pay for the premium stuff yet. I don't know if I ever will. I am presently only using Soundcloud to showcase songs I've already had cuts on that have released and sometimes to upload a song I want to show an industry person I'm pitching to. So yeah, free is the way to go in my honest opinion. :-)

Dave,

Regarding facebook and twitter....

My thoughts on Facebook. I personally like it, but there are pros and cons. If you're wanting to connect with the fans, create a fan page that your fans can "LIKE". Keep your personal account private among friends and family and anyone else you want to let into your world.

For a more professional networking setting, LinkedIn is a better way to go.

Twitter is a way to connect with your fans and allow them to keep up with you like a commentator would keep a listener in on what's going on. It's like the new digital mailing list where your followers can get the low down on your activities without having to read a novel if you will.

For large scale promotional campaigns to get new fans interested in you and your artistry, I would recommend headliner.fm You can sign up for a free account and/or pay for their premiums for larger outreach potential, but that's up to the person. A songwriter buddy of mine, Andrew Fromm (google him), swears by it.

If I think of anything else to add, I'll post about it. :-)

Ricki, thanks for your commentary! :-)

Joice,

Duly noted. Yeah, social networking has become an art in it's own way. lol

Pandora is a free internet radio company. SoundCloud is an alternate way to get your music heard by those you want to send to without having to deal with MP3 files and the like.

Think of SoundCloud as more like streaming song pitches to your intended mark rather than waiting for upload/download file attachments when you email someone a pitch.

It's just more convenient. That's why I recommend it.

Jim,

Amazing Tunes looks kind of cool. I will have to check it out more thoroughly later. :-)

I also have a youtube because I like to post videos. I just recently got an instagram account, but that's more for fun to keep my followers and fans entertained. haha

In addition to songwriting, I've been getting my journalistic chops down. Here is a new article I collaborated on with Craig Clizbe from Clizbeats:

http://clizbeats.com/cody-simpson-grows-up-wishing-you-were-here08251201/

Thanks, Greg and Jim for your feedback regarding SoundCloud. Your advice is most helpful.

Jim, I looked at your Amazing Tunes Page and was impressed with it's simple, straightforward appearance. I attempted to only play a song and a box opened up wanting to know where I wanted to download the song. Since I'm not paying for it, I decided to decline... and I did not recognize the music format. (Not MP3, WAV or anything else I normally work with... pray tell, what is their required format and how difficult is it to upload songs to their site?)

Regards,

Dave

so Gregory -- if I give you a link like this one

you just Click and Play my song with Mac Charles on soundclick....
I just don't understand why you think this is any different than sending someone to Soundcloud --- it Really is the same

but I would Not recommend that you switch over . ?

jm

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=542528&songID=11702609

Joice,

I have to click on the link your song is on, choose lo fi or hi fi or whatever option is available, and then a new window pops up to play your song.

With SoundCloud, I give you a link straight to my song and all you have to do is click the play button. No extra windows or anything pop up.

I prefer SoundCloud, but thanks for letting me know about SoundClick.

right but that's not Really a big deal imho --- changing all my songs to soundcloud would be

there's also a feature to play the song automatically --- I just feel it is better to give the person an option of downloading and lo fi -- since I still use lo fi at times on dial up --- sound cloud won't play on dial up == and people still have it

anyway -- I see nothing still to convince me that it is a superior site or a necessary add
but i appreciate your efforts and choice.

best to ya
jm

I'll probably try out soundcloud in the near future. I just want to get a CD worth of songs ready first. I think the wave audio form format looks pretty cool (ha, ha). I think soundclick works for me as a repository of new songs and first/second recordings quite well (even though it does have some age and size problems with the underlying infrastructure).

I've had a SoundCloud for a couple of years now and I love the user interface more than other hosting site.
Been thinking about upgrading my account from the free one but will probably stay as it's ACE!

It's a lot easier to find great music on soundCloud.

That's a good idea, Ricki. I just opened a Soundcloud account.

http://soundcloud.com/s-w-campbell

Scott