JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum IAIRA - Who are they and what does this mean ????

I guess I will try and take these one at a time.
“The bios of the 2 main players allude to industry involvement without specifics.”
Very true and I agree with you. Mark and Franks feelings were that a bunch of name dropping and who knows who would just turn people off. After all our audience is intended to be independents not to impress established industry people. Myself, I am a shameless promoter. I will bend their ear on this and see if we can’t satisfy everyone’s need to know.
“Sponsors. Are they really sponsers, or advertisers ?”
We use a combination of both just like we use a combination of paid employees and volunteers. A huge amount of resources have been and are being put into this. The goal is eventually to get IAIRA self-sustaining. I really don’t see how this is different from JPF. We both want to provide services to the community without losing our houses in the process.
“Membership - there are no known members displayed who are "proud to be associated with" IAIRA.”
First and foremost we value the privacy of our membership. If any of our members would like to step into the light and volunteer an endorsement just email me and I will see if we can’t have a member endorsement page. From my point of view this is another great opportunity for us to do some name dropping but I have an uphill battle there. I will see what I can do.
“There is no overview of how "certification" is achieved.”
Good point. I will see if we can’t get some clarification on the web site. In short IAIRA uses online services where independents post their music. It is based on plays at that site. This is an evolving process as we determine which sites have significant relevance to independent producers of music. As to back linking to the charts used we have no interest in being in bed with those companies as we see this as a potential conflict.
“1 spin on a small regional station, would in my opinion outrank a "chart" position on a small internet site any day.”
Perhaps so, but it would be next to impossible to quantify at this time. In the future who knows?
“At the moment, I'm seeing the site as a "service" site which is all too common. Give out a shiny certificate, for lack of performance, and make everyone feel good. And perhaps make the small indie with a few streams of his song, pay for the privelidge as well.”
We are a service site. What makes us different is the vast majority of our content is free to the member. What we do charge money for is we feel inexpensive and certainly voluntary to purchase. The last part of your statement just plain perplexes me. I explained earlier in this thread what I believe the marketing value can be if used correctly. As to those who pay only to make themselves feel good why not? A couple beers make me feel good and they are rarely free. Value is in the eyes of the beholder as well as need.
“Welcome again to JPF. Being at the bottom of the musical sh*t heap, we're a tough bunch, but fair. Please persuade me otherwisw, that your own interests are not paramount here.”
We are happy to represent ourselves here on JPF. I myself tend to be a bit blunt sometimes but I do not ever mean to be offensive (ok maybe once in awhile). As for Frank and Mark IAIRA is a project of passion that has been evolving for several years. We will always strive to meet the members needs and to address their concerns. We also realize we will not always succeed. We will not be a fit for everyone but we are there for those that need us.