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 ArtistServer  Monday, May 25, 2009 11:05:14 PM
Run Your Own Remix or Music Project at ArtistServer.com
ArtistServer provides a music project management system to assist you in creating and managing four types of music projects, including:
Visit the Music Projects section on ArtistServer: http://www.artistserver.com/projects/
In order to participate, people simply need to join ArtistServer. We offer 'Freeware' accounts which allow up to 5 songs to be hosted on the site. In addition, we offer an upgrade account which allows up to 300 songs to be hosted. ArtistServer does not charge a fee for your music project, we only limit you to creating music projects for music you own the rights to. We do not allow illegal remixed material and encourage artists to avoid sampling music protected by copyrights. More info here: http://www.artistserver.com/projects/ Tips on how to run a remix project here: http://www.gideonmarken.com/index.cfm/blog/2143/How_to_run_a_Remix_Project 
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ArtistServer Tuesday, Mar 17, 2009 7:16:09 PM
How to run a Remix Project
A Remix Project is a Great Way to Promote Yourself and Your MusicIf you are interested in running remix projects, the following should help you get started and get the most out of your remix project. AritstServer.com now offers a means to run your own remix projects. This feature provides you a set of tools to manage participants, a site the promote the project, and easy to use admin tools to manage the details of your project, like start and stop dates, terms, and sign-up management. What is a Remix? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remix - A remix is an alternative version of a song, different from the original version. A remixer uses audio mixing to compose an alternate master recording of a song, adding or subtracting elements, or simply changing the equalization, dynamics, pitch, tempo, playing time, or almost any other aspect of the various musical components. Some remixes involve substantial changes to the arrangement of a recorded work, but many are subtle, such as creating a "vocal up" version of an album cut that emphasizes the lead singer's voice. A song may be remixed to give a song that was not popular a second chance at radio and club play, or to alter a song to suit a specific music genre or radio format. Remixes should not be confused with edits, which usually involve shortening a final stereo master for marketing purposes.Remix Projects Even if you aren't creating electronic music, running a remix project or simply allowing others to remix your music is a great way to promote your music and yourself as a band/artist. You may feel that your music isn't 'remixable,' but chances are, it is, remixing works across all genres. There are many ways a remix project can function, but the most common is as follows. You write a song and record it, then you take the separate tracks from the recording and save them as WAV files, or convert them to high bit rate mp3 files. Be sure to not include effects, you'll want to make these files 'dry.' You now have a 'sample pack' which you can zip up w/ a 'ReadMe' file inside that contains copyright info and any rules about the project. Next, you upload the zipped up samples to a Web site, then get ready to do some promotion. After a period of time, you can select a winner, or just let the project play out for years. After the remix project is over, you should keep it online with all the songs. This way the project can continue to serve as a promotional tool for not only you, but also the artists who participate. Preparing a Song for a Remix Project While it is possible for people to take a completed/mixed song, lift their own samples from it, and create a remix, this isn't really remixing, it's sampling. In order to 're-mix,' an artist/producer needs access to the raw elements that were used to create the song (or anything else being remixed). The following is some information to help you prepare those raw elements so the remix artists have quality material to work with. The basics of samples:
Remix Sample Pack Preparation Tips:
Once you have your sample packs ready, you'll need a place to store them online. Below is a list of file hosting services, with the top two being the best choices. The reason they are the best is because your files do not expire, they have URLs, they are easy to use, and the download process is painless. While ArtistServer provides music and remix project hosting, we do not host your sample files. We do provide an easy way to add download links to your files and providing them to participants.
Before you start, you should have a plan or reason for your remix project. Is this a new release you are promoting? Maybe the launch of a new collective? Possibly you are looking to get B-sides created for a 12in release? Or, maybe you just want to dive in to the whole remix, mashup and sample scene. Whatever the reason, your project may not go anywhere unless you actively promote it and have a plan. Web promotion ideas and methods is a whole different discussion, so we'll leave that out for now. Before you do the promotion, setup your Remix project page or site. Artists with upgraded accounts at ArtistServer.com can create these in the My Account area of the site, under Music Projects. This would be a good time to work out the 'terms and conditions' for our project. Be sure to define how the remix artist can use their remix, for example: can they post it online or on P2P networks, can they put it on their own CD, what will the copyright or Creative Commons license be for the remixes. Are there any rules as to how the remixes should be titled (some artists want their name in the song title). Don't try to dictate too much control though, you'll find that having these people promoting their own remixes creates another wave of promotion for you, possibly bigger than the one you created. At ArtistServer, we provide a general set of terms and conditions for you to start with, feel free to modify them how you like. Once you have your promotion plan, the sample packs, and maybe even some banner ads created for your project, you'll be ready to announce the project on forums, blogs, your site, places that allow news releases posted about independent music, and fliers in your local clubs and appropriate stores. You'll want to include a link to your remix project Web page, so be sure to create your project before printing fliers. Contest Option: Some people run their projects as contests, where they'll pick the top 3, or the 'best one,' and present the artist with some prize. This is a great way to stimulate interest in your project if artists haven't heard of you. When there's no direct outcome for a project, you may find it difficult to attract remix artists. If this is your case, then a contest might be the only thing that will get your project off the ground, you could even offer a gift certificate from a site like amazon.com. ArtistServer provides a means to select any number of winners for your remix project. Keep Promoting: As the remixes come in, post comments, give feedback, and get the conversation going. Once you have a few on the site, you can do a second round of promotions at all the sites you first announced the project at. Let people know that there are some cool remixes to be heard, that the project is still in progress, and that it's not too late to give it a try. When doing your promotional runs, be sure to monitor the threads on the forums you post at and reply to everyone so they see that you aren't a spammer. Many people get this part wrong, they forget to communicate with people and simple spam the Web with information about their project. Concluding the Remix Project: At this final stage, you can either leave the project open, or you can close the project, so no others can sign up. From here, you could do a few cool things, like release a remix album, promoting the remixes on an online station, sending out a Cdr of the project to your radio stations that support independent music, creating a CD using an online service like Mixonic.com or CafePress.com, or do another round of promoting, presenting the 'best of' to people. Getting remixed is fun, it shines a new light on your music, it creates connections between people and genres, and it's an excellent way to promote your music and yourself as an artist/band. Enjoy, and keep in mind, these aren't rules, these are suggestions and ideas you can use to help ensure you have a successful remix project. Feel free to ask questions and post your own tips.
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ArtistServer Friday, Dec 14, 2007 8:14:43 AM
ArtistServer News and a new site: FreeMusicLicensing.com Hi all, it's been awhile since I've posted any news about ArtistServer, so here we go...1. As you can see, the forums have slowed down again over the holiday season. This seems to happen every year, and usually picks back up near the end of January. 2. We now host 7,600 mp3s! While we did not get to the 10,000 I was hoping for, we've definately grown this year and have attracted many new artists with great material. 3. WTF is with the Video section at ArtistServer? Well - unfortunately, the situation isn't looking good. I had signed up with VideoEgg to be a site that uses their video hosting services. They have this amazing upload tool that will convert video from files, your cam, even your digital video camera. I have it 'working' in the Admin area, I even added genres/categories, a comment and rating system, send to friend option, and a means to add the videos to your favorites... It's all done. So what's the problem? The problem, is that I've emailed VideoEgg 3 times now to two different email addresses to request an approval for the integration, and they haven't replied. The video section is 'done' - it's ready to go live - it would take me 2 minutes to turn it on for the public... but, if VideoEgg never replies, the video section can't open. I'm not sure what their deal is - maybe they changed their policies, maybe they are having troubles staying in business - who knows. I'm looking for alternate solutions, but so far, nothing out there works like Video Egg (free integration and video hosting). The only services I've found would have a fee, and since ArtistServer doesn't generate enough revenue to cover the audio streaming, I can't afford to add to that and cover the video hosting fees too. I'm going to try and contact them for another week or two, if nothing comes of it, I'll remove the "Video" button from the site's main menu. I'm sorry this hasn't worked out. 4. What about some good news? Yes! I always have some good news for you :) As you know, one of my main goals with ArtistServer is to help all of you gain more exposure. I want your music to be heard - I want people to email their friends and point them to your music - I want your music on peoples MP3 players - and... I want your music to be used in places where commercial music has traditionally been used. What I'm getting at hear, is that there's a LOT of music that is licensed for all kinds of productions, including: company demos, commercials, personal videos, wedding videos, presentations, films/videos, flash websites, and more. Ever since the Creative Commons Licensing options were released on the world, we've had a set of license options which actually 'define' how a piece of work can be used. If you had not noticed, we use Creative Commons Licensing on the music and the photos here at ArtistServer (but you can pick the vague 'copyright' option still). Each of these different license options defines a different type of 'use scenario' - for example - one of them allows for use if you give credit, but you can't use the work in a commercial manner. Another license requires credit, but does allow commercial uses, etc. So, now we have this big catalog of music - and there's this big population of people who want to use music in their productions - the goal, is to bring both parties together so they can mutally benefit. We could expect that population to find us by searching at ArtstiServer, and they can, but I'm about to make things MUCH easier for these people... I'm launching a site designed specifically for people who are looking for Creative Commons/Free music to use in their productions. The site is about 2/3 done and is in 'beta' - you can browse to it here: http://www.freemusiclicensing.com/ This is my first site coded/designed in Flex, so it's been a bit of a learning experience :) The site is not complete - the popup artist info dialog isn't working yet, and the side panel information needs to be added. BUT - the search, streaming and downloading work. Once the site is done, I'll work a bit on the promotion of the site and see if we can get some press. I'm not sure when the site will be 100% done, as I'm having to learn a new language to code the site, but I hope to have it completed next month. This opportunity is open to everyone - but I hope that if you appreciate this, that you'll consider upgrading your account - we NEED PAYING MEMBERS! ;) Certainly, the music here is worth money - and it is your choice to make your music available for free use or not. If you are concerned about your music - sign into the site and check your songs and see what license you've selected. When you edit a song, the license 'wizard' is at the bottom of the screen. Don't be afraid of giving your music away - each song you release becomes an agent working for you - promoting you and your music. If you don't believe this, we can look at it from another angle - several artists from our own community are/were featured on the "Making of the Matrix" DVD - which sold quite a few copies... and each artist was paid something insanely low, like $100 - in the end, what has more value, the exposure, or the $100? Just think if you were one of those artists - and you had decided you wouldn't take less than $250 - you would have missed out on all that exposure. By all means - each deal stands on it's own, and if you 'can' get paid, perfect! If you can't make much but can get exposure... see the value in the exposure. In closing, I just wanted to say Happy Holidays to all of you, to say thank you to all those who have been with us all these years, and to say welcome to those who have recently started using the site. Thank you for being a part of this, and Happy New Years to everyone. :) - Gideon / ArtistServer Admin ========================================== For those wanting more info on Creative Commons licensing: http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/meet-the-licenses
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ArtistServer Tuesday, Jul 31, 2007 9:23:58 AM
Add Links to Profiles on MySpace, Facebook, and More Add Links to Profiles on MySpace, Facebook, and MoreArtistServer has integrated the services of http://SocialNetwork.in, a profile aggregator, to display links to all your profiles in the side bar of your site. Just visit and join SocialNetwork.in (for free), then add links to your profiles at each social network and site you use, then return to ArtistServer, and add your SocialNetwork.in profile name to your profile in the My Account area. Once you are done, you will see all your profile links on your site.  To the right, is a screenshot of the "Profile Widget" from my site: http://www.artistserver.com/sonicwallpaper And here is a link to my profile at SocialNetwork.in: http://socialnetwork.in/index.cfm/member/gideonmarken - my SocialNetwork.in profile name is: gideonmarken Who or What is SocialNetwork.in? It's a site I launched in January of this year to serve as a "profile aggregator" - which means, it's a site which helps you pull together your many profiles on the Web. Currently, the site supports over 100 social networks, community sites, and other Web sites which provide a profile. If you'd like a site added to SocialNetwork.in, make sure it meets the basic criteria:
You do have the option of adding profiles and links to other people's profiles as "private" links, although these links will only be available to you on the SocialNetwork.in site. Oh... BTW... ArtistServer and IndieMobile now have 250 free Mp3/Realtone Ringtones available for download. All ringtones are provided by the artists at ArtistServer.com
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ArtistServer Thursday, Jul 19, 2007 8:02:57 AM
New Features and Solutions at ArtistServer While I haven't been posting to my blog, I have been jamming on a lot of work, took a week vacation in Kauai with my family, worked in the yard a lot, had a 5yr anniversary with my wife, and hammered out five updates to ArtistServer in the last two and a half months. Here's a summary of the last five site updates - I posted these on our forums, but I'm sure this is still news for most people: 1. 05/02/07 - New "Local" section on the siteIf you are signed into ArtistServer, and click on 'Local' from the main menu, you'll see a page which lists content and people from your local area. This is based on your setting in your profile. If you are not signed in, you'll see a listing of countries, along with a count of how many people we have in that country. Each page displays new photos, music, store items, and ringtones, plus a listing of recent visitors to the site that live in the currently selected region.
Country Listing: http://www.artistserver.com/local.cfm Later on, I'll improve this area so you'll also see listings of events for the selected region (most likely using the services and data from http://www.Eventful.com). Let me know if you have any suggestions or feedback. If your location is not correct - make sure you are signed in, then check your profile (under My Account) and see if your Country, State, and City are set correctly. Keep in mind that the Cities and non-us states are entered by the site members and artists - so there are many errors like: LA and L.A and l.a. when all of them should be: Los Angeles 2. 06/02/07 - Another Year, A Present For YouI have a present for all the artists on ArtistServer, your total song counts have been raised!
Why? Because we made it through another year! We have 2 anniversaries around here, one is the date it all started, and the other is the date we first went live. We first went live on 12/05/2001, and it all started back in May of 1999 with a post to the Electronic music forums at mp3.com. Ah the old days... The first stage of 'this' site was launched a year later (5/2000) as ElectronicBBoard.com. And another year later, on 05/22/2001, the beta site for ElectronicScene.com went live. There's a short timeline here: http://wiki.artistserver.com/index.cfm/History Thank you for all the music, memories, and friendship! 3. 07/09/07 - ArtistServer Now Offers ID3 Tag EditingDepending on what you use to encode your mp3s, you may or may not have your ID3 'tag' set in your mp3 file. An ID3 Tag is a set of information that is included in the mp3 file and is displayed by mp3 players by default. If no ID3 tag is present in the file, mp3 players usually attempt to figure out the artist name and song title from the filename. At ArtistServer, we've always served your songs to people with both your artist name and song title, but until today, we didn't have a means for you to edit the ID3 tag within the files. When I encode 'my' mp3 files, I usually open them in WinAmp and fill out the ID3 tag info, but I'm sure a lot of artists out there are not doing this, most likely because they are not aware of the ID3 tag nor how to set the information in the tag. No problem... we can help! When you view the listing of your songs from the "My Account" area of the site (this is where you'd go to upload or edit your songs), you'll now see a new option/button for "MP3 ID3 info" - click on the 'edit' button you see, and wait a few seconds for the server to complete the process. The server will take your artist name, song title, description, upload year, and genre, and write them directly to the mp3 file. Now when people download your mp3, all the important information is saved along with the file. For best results, do not stream your mp3 before or during the time you click on the edit button, as the process could fail. 4. 07/16/07 - PayPal for Classified/Store PaymentsArtistServer now supports "Paypal Accounts" - to enter your PayPal Account information - visit the My Account area, and edit your Profile. After entering your PayPal Account Email address (you'll need a PayPal account), you can then edit your store/classified items, and set them to be sold using PayPal. Site visitors will click on the cart/buy now button next to your store item, and be sent to PayPal along with the price, money type, and item title. PayPal handles the transaction, you receive an email that a payment and order has been made, then you send the purchased item. ArtistServer does not participate in the sale, nor take any percentage from your sale. As an attempt to keep 'spam bots' from extracting your email address from the PayPal buttons, I've added a script which converts your email address into ASCII special characters. 5. 07/17/07 - Tip Jar Option for ArtistsArtistServer now provides a "Tip Jar" option for all artists. To use this new feature, you will first need an account at PayPal, then follow the steps below:
1. Add your PayPal account email to your profile on ArtistServer (in the My Account area) Now when people visit your artist page, they'll see a "Tip Jar" button like this on the side of your page: 
All donations made to your Tip Jar go directly into YOUR PayPal account, not ours. ArtistServer does not collect money for you, nor does ArtistServer take any percent or fee from the donation - it's all for you!
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