vs.
- First I'm going to give a really quick rundown of what I think these websites are all about.
- then I'm going to compare the two to see who does what better,
- and finally I'll give you tips on how to utilize both effectively.
RUNDOWN
SONICBIDS
Ultimately, Sonicbids is a simple way to send a press kit out to opportunities for venues, concerts, competitions, festivals, and music publishing. It's centered around building your press kit, and searching for opportunities that might suit your music style.
Where I think this website shines is the breadth of opportunities, and the simplistic, streamlined decor of the website and electronic press kit that can easily be emailed both to Sonicbids-hosted executives and outside A&R. It's not a site built to be seen by fans, so there's no fan numbers and ranking among other bands. It's directly musician-promoter based, and in some ways I think that takes the pressure off some of the competitive nature of these music websites, which I think deters from the application process (for instance, online "likes" don't always equal a solid and legitimate fan base).
Where I think it may need to improve is in their selection process of those who DO list on Sonicbids on the promoter's side. That being said, you must, must, must be smart about where you put your money - I mentioned this in my "10 tricks of the trade" post but I'll reiterate: it's ultimately your responsibility to do the research before applying to any opportunity, especially when there's money involved. You need to be business-savvy and know when to splurge on something legitimately useful as a leg-up in your music career (such as applying to major festivals like CMJ, SXSW and Musikfest), and when to save your pennies for something with better chances of success and usefulness. A recent addition to Sonicbids listings is its "Token" listings, which are opportunities sponsored by Sonicbids via tokens that you're given each month. (The supersonic plan, for example, gives you 25 tokens to use for these gigs and automatically refill back up to 25 each month.)
REVERBNATION
Reverbnation seeks to be both artist AND fan based, though I'm not really sure that's true. Perhaps we'll see a surge as the indie scene becomes the default access to music apres the fall of the music Empire...for right now, though, Reverbnation is an indispensable tool for those who don't have a website and need a place for fans to go to get their band fix.
The big pluses are obvious - you have a free platform upon which to list your upcoming shows, upload music and video, start a band blog, offer your music as ringtones, maintain a mailing list, and discover other artists in your genre. It is the beginner's guide to a proper website. Obviously, it would be better if your website weren't a one-pager with ReverbNation branding stamped all over your stuff, but it's really the next best thing, especially if you're on a budget. Things are organized in a user friendly way, and the sections on the page are customizable and moveable...kind of like MySpace (may it RIP...wait, it's not dead, yet? Dude...someone needs to pull the plug on that site. SERIOUSLY. WHY DOES MYSPACE STILL EXIST? Silly Justin Timberlake..)...
An additional plus is Reverbnation's new advertisement options; for a pretty penny ($30 a WEEK!), you can advertise on websites that get a LOT of traffic, such as RollingStone.com, MTV.com, YouTube.com, etc. Singer-songwriter Lonna Marie has been capitalizing on this new feature upon her move from NYC to LA, and from all her new traffic through ReverbNation, she's climbed to top ten on LA Singer-Songwriter charts!
This may seem all right and good, but if you're planning on looking professional to potential management and performance opportunities, Reverbnation can't really be your crutch. If you want to be taken seriously as an artist, it's highly recommended that you expand past Social Media programmed, hand-held promotional tools. Don't get me wrong, advertising through ReverbNation can yield new fans and opportunities, but when you meet that contact who can change your career, it's a much more professional and powerful thing to be able to direct them to your own website. (That's more of a word of caution; an aside. An "apropos", if you will. Carry on Reverbing.)
Also, even though I like to toot my own horn and proudly exclaim to the world that my band has been in the top 10 for Blues artists in NYC on Reverbnation Charts (we even hit #1 in February and have been straddling top 5 ever since!) for over two weeks, that number is more an indication of traffic to your social media sites. (The charts that people really rave about are RADIO charts like the ones listed by Billboard.) So, being at the top of Reverbnation is an accomplishment in and of itself, but outside of the website, not something you have to be "visible" or "lucrative" as a band, to do. And visibility is really the goal of marketing your band, yes?
2. DON'T trash an opportunity that rejected you. Sonicbids gives you the ability to write on the wall of any opportunity you apply for, but if your purpose is for anything other than to give praise, don't do it. First of all, Sonicbids AND all kinds of executives see that you're a complainer, and even if there's a just cause, you will be associated with complaining. Not a good impression to make. Secondly, if you feel you were screwed, that's a discussion to have privately. An opportunity with no reviews already speaks volumes to those who know better. You don't need to be a martyr. Do your research and you won't have a need to complain. And don't expect to get a lengthy or personal response as to why you were rejected. Did you get a novel back from the college you were rejected from? Why is this any different? I'll answer for you: It's not.
3. DO keep your band gig schedule up-to-date. One of the things potential employers look to see is that you're busy. They want to see how far your fan reach is and what quality venues you're playing. In general, you want to fill out all sections of the EPK that you're given. Also, insider's tip (don't tell Sonicbids!) I like to list that each and every one of my gigs booked, I got the opportunity through Sonicbids (because in a way, though not always directly, it's the truth). Reason being, the more gigs you've booked with Sonicbids, the more reliable and verifiable an act you look. Keep your gig schedule up to date, so it will be one less thing for someone to have to look up.
4. DO your research. I'm going to say this again and again, but you could potentially waste a lot of money applying to gigs that you either don't qualify for or are a waste of YOUR time. The Sonicbids opportunity post is just a taste, or a preview, of the information you need to make an educated decision. Visit their website. Is it well done? Does it include testimonials? Who's affiliated with this opportunity? Do a google search. How well known is this company/festival/booker? Do you recognize any bands who have also been booked by this opportunity? If they don't list the expected attendance of the event, or how exclusive their acceptance rates are, find out by doing a little research. Remember, you're choosing them. You're putting money where your mouth is first. They need to deserve it. They need to be the kind of company you would be proud to be affiliated with. They have to help your resume. And on the other side of it, really assess where you are in your career. Certain festivals or opportunities won't take you seriously if you haven't played a festival before, or if you don't have a full-length album or a music video. It doesn't mean you'll be nixed forever or that you don't deserve to/aren't talented enough to play, but if your EPK is all their going by, honestly assess if that's strong enough to be a contender for the opportunity. If you're applying to a songwriting competition, offer lyrics to all the songs you post in your EPK. And for those bigger festivals, an application is not enough. Try to contact the people in charge directly. Sometimes knowing someone or finding an executive to give a call and formally recommend you is the ONLY way they'll even look at your application.
A quick list of Do's and Don'ts for ReverbNation:
DON'T use their free fan-mailing program. You can easily export the emails of your new ReverbNation fans as .xls or .csv files. I highly recommend a free e-mail marketing site for your mailing list such as MailChimp or Constant Contact, because for free, they offer you sleeker, more individualized options that also maintain your branding.
DO use the website as a place to spot local and touring bands. There's a "technique" I call six degrees of separation. ReverbNation has their own version, called Rabbit Hole. It's on the lower left corner of the page, and if you click on it, it creates a playlist where each band has something networking in common with the band of the previous song playing. I suggest you do something similar: look at the top ten rankings of the bands in your town, in your category/genre, and see what venues they're playing and who they're opening for, etc. It will inspire you to have certain goals. You can befriend and fan them and ask to play a show with them. Being part of the extended network of a band that is doing well can do a lot to create opportunities and forward your career. If you're planning on touring or expanding your fan base, you can find the top 10 or 20 in that town and do the same thing. Tell them you'll throw a huge bill and hustle for turnout at your home base if they put you on their bill in their town and do the same. You might just be able to barter a place to stay, too.
DON'T rely on it to take the place of a real personal website. ReverbNation is a great tool when you're starting out as a band, but it should absolutely not be a replacement for an actual website. A website, like ReverbNation, (when done correctly) is a well-designed, easy to navigate hub that is versatile enough for fans to enjoy but still makes a good impression on the business side. The difference? ReverbNation has its branding all over, and it's fairly limited from a design perspective. You want you website to be centered around YOUR BAND's branding, with a heavier placement on band RSS feed/News and press items. Also, I've been told time and time again that a band without their own website looks disorganized and less established. You want to list as few urls as possible to people who count, and you want it to be the one place that's undeniably all about you...no distractions. An artist who does this well is Janna Pelle: www.jannapelle.com
DO learn from your page's traffic statistics. As you utilize ReverbNation for sharing new videos and songs, you can get a sense of which pitches/media were more effective than others by viewing the stats on viewership. Use this to gage how to make the most out of every post. The winners are the ones that cause a jump in new fans, runners-up are the ones that cause people to visit the site.
The big pluses are obvious - you have a free platform upon which to list your upcoming shows, upload music and video, start a band blog, offer your music as ringtones, maintain a mailing list, and discover other artists in your genre. It is the beginner's guide to a proper website. Obviously, it would be better if your website weren't a one-pager with ReverbNation branding stamped all over your stuff, but it's really the next best thing, especially if you're on a budget. Things are organized in a user friendly way, and the sections on the page are customizable and moveable...kind of like MySpace (may it RIP...wait, it's not dead, yet? Dude...someone needs to pull the plug on that site. SERIOUSLY. WHY DOES MYSPACE STILL EXIST? Silly Justin Timberlake..)...
An additional plus is Reverbnation's new advertisement options; for a pretty penny ($30 a WEEK!), you can advertise on websites that get a LOT of traffic, such as RollingStone.com, MTV.com, YouTube.com, etc. Singer-songwriter Lonna Marie has been capitalizing on this new feature upon her move from NYC to LA, and from all her new traffic through ReverbNation, she's climbed to top ten on LA Singer-Songwriter charts!
This may seem all right and good, but if you're planning on looking professional to potential management and performance opportunities, Reverbnation can't really be your crutch. If you want to be taken seriously as an artist, it's highly recommended that you expand past Social Media programmed, hand-held promotional tools. Don't get me wrong, advertising through ReverbNation can yield new fans and opportunities, but when you meet that contact who can change your career, it's a much more professional and powerful thing to be able to direct them to your own website. (That's more of a word of caution; an aside. An "apropos", if you will. Carry on Reverbing.)
Also, even though I like to toot my own horn and proudly exclaim to the world that my band has been in the top 10 for Blues artists in NYC on Reverbnation Charts (we even hit #1 in February and have been straddling top 5 ever since!) for over two weeks, that number is more an indication of traffic to your social media sites. (The charts that people really rave about are RADIO charts like the ones listed by Billboard.) So, being at the top of Reverbnation is an accomplishment in and of itself, but outside of the website, not something you have to be "visible" or "lucrative" as a band, to do. And visibility is really the goal of marketing your band, yes?
COMPARING THE TWO SITES
REVERBNATION SONICBIDS
- Payment Plans Free; EPKs/Gig Apps cost $ $6-$12
- EPK $6, more if you want to customize more comprehensive/free
- Opportunities More opp's, most are lesser known More professional opp's
- Uploading Media Unlimited pics/video links Pay for more pics/vids
- Social Media Sharing Offers embeds and widgets Offers EPK email templates
- Visibility Internal/Social Media Internal; Potential Industry cx
MAXIMIZING USE OF BOTH SITES
PAYMENT PLANS
For the first year or so, I used Reverbnation for free as an artist, and it worked well for me. If you're on a budget, I recommend starting out with Reverbnation as a free account. The "customized" emails, widgets and layout options that a pro-membership offers are simply not worth the monthly fee. You have ample opportunity to get your branding and music out there with a simple format; the other customization is in my opinion, superfluous. In fact, many artists I know who are starting out or less computer savvy use that as their main landing page for fans because of how brilliant the layout is. It has a lot of visuals and everything is right there on one page.
Sonicbids doesn't have a free option. You either pay for their standard plan, or get their SuperSonic account which allows you to apply to more elite opportunities and also add videos to your press kit. For my band, our music video was lucky to get a bunch of views and attention, so we felt it was a strong part of our press kit. That, in addition to being able to apply to certain festivals (we got into SXSW and Musikfest through Sonicbids) make upgrading to Supersonic ($12/mo) worth it. However, I would recommend upgrading to a Supersonic account once you've got a local following and are ready to expand your fan base to the national level. Most big festivals won't accept "baby" bands who don't have experience playing to larger crowds. (Read that with a grain of salt, but "resume" is everything on that site.) More about that in the section labeled, "Opportunities".
EPK
Your bio needs to be short (two paragraphs), sweet (a rundown of the most impressive gigs/awards your act has played or earned) and descriptive about your sound in a way that makes you both stand out and yet gives the reader a clear idea of what you sound like. The next person to self-proclaim they're the next Bob Dylan gets punched square in the nose.
You can have as many songs as you want, just know that if they GET to the music (they'll be reading/looking first) they'll probably play the first 15 seconds of your first song. If they like what they hear, they'll play the first 15 seconds of the next track to confirm their opinion. They really love you if they get to song number three. Song one and two must be catchy and sonically indicative of your overall sound, though they can be diverse. Song one should be the most upbeat or driven of the two. It's the first impression. Liveliness will beat out soulfulness.
Your main picture is the first visual, so it better be well done, clear, and match up with the first two songs in your EPK in feeling. Why? You want your act as a product to be cohesive. If your first song is quirky, your picture should reflect that. You want the message to spread across mediums - bio, pics, music, choice of venues...Sometimes a live picture is a better main picture, but my opinion is that for a main picture, you want something along the lines of a fan poster - something that best sums up the people behind the magic.
Your bio needs to be short (two paragraphs), sweet (a rundown of the most impressive gigs/awards your act has played or earned) and descriptive about your sound in a way that makes you both stand out and yet gives the reader a clear idea of what you sound like. The next person to self-proclaim they're the next Bob Dylan gets punched square in the nose.
You can have as many songs as you want, just know that if they GET to the music (they'll be reading/looking first) they'll probably play the first 15 seconds of your first song. If they like what they hear, they'll play the first 15 seconds of the next track to confirm their opinion. They really love you if they get to song number three. Song one and two must be catchy and sonically indicative of your overall sound, though they can be diverse. Song one should be the most upbeat or driven of the two. It's the first impression. Liveliness will beat out soulfulness.
Your main picture is the first visual, so it better be well done, clear, and match up with the first two songs in your EPK in feeling. Why? You want your act as a product to be cohesive. If your first song is quirky, your picture should reflect that. You want the message to spread across mediums - bio, pics, music, choice of venues...Sometimes a live picture is a better main picture, but my opinion is that for a main picture, you want something along the lines of a fan poster - something that best sums up the people behind the magic.
OPPORTUNITIES
Sonicbids is the preferable platform for applying to Opportunities, because it is geared towards actually forwarding your career through putting your foot in the door with applications to festivals, booking gigs, and getting your music reviewed and published. Although you have to pay monthly, it's worth the money (only $6 for the regular account) because you have access to a myriad of agencies, labels and companies looking for new talent. I've booked over 50 gigs through them, and I have to say, some of the biggest jumps in my musical career are directly attributed to this website. That being said, I'm aware I might be an exception to the rule. But I'll preface that by saying that I AM an exception BECAUSE I'm using the site efficiently, and I believe the majority of the bands who have bad experiences do NOT.
UPLOADING MEDIA/SOCIAL MEDIA SHARING
Sonicbids is not really for sharing media to your fans, but ReverbNation is a fantastic way. Why? The more you share, and especially the more your fans share you ReverbNation-specific music/video links, the better your popularity rank on ReverbNation. (Right now, Sylvana Joyce & The Moment is #1 on ReverbNation, and as we were climbing the ranks, our fans got excited rallying to help us get new listeners, because they could SEE the influence they effectively had by watching our rank climb.) Since ReverbNation is more fan oriented, put as much content on Reverb as possible. You want to update it first and make it the "go-to hub". (ReverbNation is more about establishing a mailing list and an updated gig schedule and along with Bandsintown, is one of the most popular gig databases for indie acts.)
A quick list of Do's and Don'ts for Sonicbids:
1. DO choose some professional photos/audio for your EPK. If you're going to be putting up a profile on Sonicbids, the only people looking at your profile are executives potentially hiring you. You don't want songs recorded on your phone. You don't want pictures taken on your phone. Those are the kinds of things you can open your wallet for because they send out a clear message: I am a professional. These things are invaluable to an artist and they make the difference between being passed over and actually being taken seriously.
UPLOADING MEDIA/SOCIAL MEDIA SHARING
Sonicbids is not really for sharing media to your fans, but ReverbNation is a fantastic way. Why? The more you share, and especially the more your fans share you ReverbNation-specific music/video links, the better your popularity rank on ReverbNation. (Right now, Sylvana Joyce & The Moment is #1 on ReverbNation, and as we were climbing the ranks, our fans got excited rallying to help us get new listeners, because they could SEE the influence they effectively had by watching our rank climb.) Since ReverbNation is more fan oriented, put as much content on Reverb as possible. You want to update it first and make it the "go-to hub". (ReverbNation is more about establishing a mailing list and an updated gig schedule and along with Bandsintown, is one of the most popular gig databases for indie acts.)
If you post a video through ReverbNation, your YouTube or Vimeo view counts still go up (since it's a re-direct and not an internal upload) as well as your RN page views.
A quick list of Do's and Don'ts for Sonicbids:
1. DO choose some professional photos/audio for your EPK. If you're going to be putting up a profile on Sonicbids, the only people looking at your profile are executives potentially hiring you. You don't want songs recorded on your phone. You don't want pictures taken on your phone. Those are the kinds of things you can open your wallet for because they send out a clear message: I am a professional. These things are invaluable to an artist and they make the difference between being passed over and actually being taken seriously.
2. DON'T trash an opportunity that rejected you. Sonicbids gives you the ability to write on the wall of any opportunity you apply for, but if your purpose is for anything other than to give praise, don't do it. First of all, Sonicbids AND all kinds of executives see that you're a complainer, and even if there's a just cause, you will be associated with complaining. Not a good impression to make. Secondly, if you feel you were screwed, that's a discussion to have privately. An opportunity with no reviews already speaks volumes to those who know better. You don't need to be a martyr. Do your research and you won't have a need to complain. And don't expect to get a lengthy or personal response as to why you were rejected. Did you get a novel back from the college you were rejected from? Why is this any different? I'll answer for you: It's not.
3. DO keep your band gig schedule up-to-date. One of the things potential employers look to see is that you're busy. They want to see how far your fan reach is and what quality venues you're playing. In general, you want to fill out all sections of the EPK that you're given. Also, insider's tip (don't tell Sonicbids!) I like to list that each and every one of my gigs booked, I got the opportunity through Sonicbids (because in a way, though not always directly, it's the truth). Reason being, the more gigs you've booked with Sonicbids, the more reliable and verifiable an act you look. Keep your gig schedule up to date, so it will be one less thing for someone to have to look up.
4. DO your research. I'm going to say this again and again, but you could potentially waste a lot of money applying to gigs that you either don't qualify for or are a waste of YOUR time. The Sonicbids opportunity post is just a taste, or a preview, of the information you need to make an educated decision. Visit their website. Is it well done? Does it include testimonials? Who's affiliated with this opportunity? Do a google search. How well known is this company/festival/booker? Do you recognize any bands who have also been booked by this opportunity? If they don't list the expected attendance of the event, or how exclusive their acceptance rates are, find out by doing a little research. Remember, you're choosing them. You're putting money where your mouth is first. They need to deserve it. They need to be the kind of company you would be proud to be affiliated with. They have to help your resume. And on the other side of it, really assess where you are in your career. Certain festivals or opportunities won't take you seriously if you haven't played a festival before, or if you don't have a full-length album or a music video. It doesn't mean you'll be nixed forever or that you don't deserve to/aren't talented enough to play, but if your EPK is all their going by, honestly assess if that's strong enough to be a contender for the opportunity. If you're applying to a songwriting competition, offer lyrics to all the songs you post in your EPK. And for those bigger festivals, an application is not enough. Try to contact the people in charge directly. Sometimes knowing someone or finding an executive to give a call and formally recommend you is the ONLY way they'll even look at your application.
A quick list of Do's and Don'ts for ReverbNation:
DON'T use their free fan-mailing program. You can easily export the emails of your new ReverbNation fans as .xls or .csv files. I highly recommend a free e-mail marketing site for your mailing list such as MailChimp or Constant Contact, because for free, they offer you sleeker, more individualized options that also maintain your branding.
DO use the website as a place to spot local and touring bands. There's a "technique" I call six degrees of separation. ReverbNation has their own version, called Rabbit Hole. It's on the lower left corner of the page, and if you click on it, it creates a playlist where each band has something networking in common with the band of the previous song playing. I suggest you do something similar: look at the top ten rankings of the bands in your town, in your category/genre, and see what venues they're playing and who they're opening for, etc. It will inspire you to have certain goals. You can befriend and fan them and ask to play a show with them. Being part of the extended network of a band that is doing well can do a lot to create opportunities and forward your career. If you're planning on touring or expanding your fan base, you can find the top 10 or 20 in that town and do the same thing. Tell them you'll throw a huge bill and hustle for turnout at your home base if they put you on their bill in their town and do the same. You might just be able to barter a place to stay, too.
DON'T rely on it to take the place of a real personal website. ReverbNation is a great tool when you're starting out as a band, but it should absolutely not be a replacement for an actual website. A website, like ReverbNation, (when done correctly) is a well-designed, easy to navigate hub that is versatile enough for fans to enjoy but still makes a good impression on the business side. The difference? ReverbNation has its branding all over, and it's fairly limited from a design perspective. You want you website to be centered around YOUR BAND's branding, with a heavier placement on band RSS feed/News and press items. Also, I've been told time and time again that a band without their own website looks disorganized and less established. You want to list as few urls as possible to people who count, and you want it to be the one place that's undeniably all about you...no distractions. An artist who does this well is Janna Pelle: www.jannapelle.com
DO learn from your page's traffic statistics. As you utilize ReverbNation for sharing new videos and songs, you can get a sense of which pitches/media were more effective than others by viewing the stats on viewership. Use this to gage how to make the most out of every post. The winners are the ones that cause a jump in new fans, runners-up are the ones that cause people to visit the site.
it just seems like all the money you spend on both sites you could be putting toward a booking agent because reverberation cost 9.95 for standard then 19.95 a month to go pro then spend money on promote
ReplyDeletestarting at 25.00 minimal then 3.99 to be spotlight artist in order to be number 1 one the charts you gotta pay for it then if you what your music to be criteced by and a&R to see if your music is ready for radio another $9.95 but i don't even think these people really exist and sonic bids you have to pay for everything but my question to you how come reverberation never does concerts for there artist on there site like how myspace at one time did or even sonic bids as much money as they make on us then can go nationwide in each city and let everybody perform that is on there site in every city and don't pull that crap oh this is a contest and if your music is good then you can perform crap theres too many artist going up against each other instead of just letting the crown know what good and bad
Thanks for some helpful info, nice article!
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