Comments on: The Dirty Word at Folk Alliance 2010: Sonicbids http://davecool.ca/2010/03/the-dirty-word-at-folk-alliance-2010-sonicbids/ Marketing Plan Junkie, Sometimes Documentary Filmmaker, Friend of the Indie Artist Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:47:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Steve MacDonald http://davecool.ca/2010/03/the-dirty-word-at-folk-alliance-2010-sonicbids/comment-page-1/#comment-329 Steve MacDonald Sat, 06 Nov 2010 14:16:20 +0000 http://davecool.ca/?p=298#comment-329 I was a former Sonicbids customer and me and my band members are not happy. I also feel Sonicbids is a total scam. In the age of Reverbnation & MySpace where I can create an EPK anyways for free, who needs Sonicbids? So what they get $4.5 million in funding. What's in it for me? Another total scam. Middlemen & gatekeepers? Please...... now way!!!!!! Sonicbids is none of that, what a joke Sonicbids is. Yes, I was also at Folk Alliance, the musicians really hate Sonicbids like Poison. Sonicbids is only in it for themselves and for the money. They don't impress me with SXSW, which is another scam. If you want to perform in great conferences, you need to know the people and network, joining Sonicbids will not do you any good at all. Panos is only thinking of money all the time and not us musicians. I was a former Sonicbids customer and me and my band members are not happy. I also feel Sonicbids is a total scam. In the age of Reverbnation & MySpace where I can create an EPK anyways for free, who needs Sonicbids? So what they get $4.5 million in funding. What’s in it for me? Another total scam. Middlemen & gatekeepers? Please…… now way!!!!!! Sonicbids is none of that, what a joke Sonicbids is. Yes, I was also at Folk Alliance, the musicians really hate Sonicbids like Poison. Sonicbids is only in it for themselves and for the money. They don’t impress me with SXSW, which is another scam. If you want to perform in great conferences, you need to know the people and network, joining Sonicbids will not do you any good at all. Panos is only thinking of money all the time and not us musicians.

]]> By: Bill Kahler http://davecool.ca/2010/03/the-dirty-word-at-folk-alliance-2010-sonicbids/comment-page-1/#comment-52 Bill Kahler Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:08:14 +0000 http://davecool.ca/?p=298#comment-52 A couple things bother me about Sonicbids.The membership renewal without prior notification is the main reason I dropped them. I realize there is the "fine print on the contract" and so on but the first notice I had of renewal was on my credit card statement and I did not appreciate feeling like the fee was "sneaked past me." Secondly, many of the venues you have to pay to submit to are a total waste of time. I have played many of the places listed and it was easy to book dates there with a phone call. Paying to submit to a place that does not pay anything makes no sense to me. Who makes money on these listings? The venue and Sonic Bids. Might be too strong to call it a scam. . . might not. It is obvious that there is a bigger advantage to Sonicbids and many of the venues than there is for a musician or performer. In someways this is similar to Taxi, whose main goal is to sign up members, not to do the thing they sell. A couple things bother me about Sonicbids.The membership renewal without prior notification is the main reason I dropped them. I realize there is the “fine print on the contract” and so on but the first notice I had of renewal was on my credit card statement and I did not appreciate feeling like the fee was “sneaked past me.”

Secondly, many of the venues you have to pay to submit to are a total waste of time. I have played many of the places listed and it was easy to book dates there with a phone call. Paying to submit to a place that does not pay anything makes no sense to me. Who makes money on these listings? The venue and Sonic Bids.

Might be too strong to call it a scam. . . might not. It is obvious that there is a bigger advantage to Sonicbids and many of the venues than there is for a musician or performer. In someways this is similar to Taxi, whose main goal is to sign up members, not to do the thing they sell.

]]> By: davecool http://davecool.ca/2010/03/the-dirty-word-at-folk-alliance-2010-sonicbids/comment-page-1/#comment-11 davecool Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:35:01 +0000 http://davecool.ca/?p=298#comment-11 Thanks for reading the blog post, appreciate it. Too bad you guys weren't there for the member dinner, it was a good time! I kind of agree with you re: Supersonic membership, not my favorite thing about Sonicbids, but I am hoping they will make adjustments to their membership structure in the near future. As for places/promoters not getting/reviewing your submissions, I went on the Sonicbids site and found this info in their Support Center: *** Information Center Artist Information Center > Gig & Submission FAQs > => It doesn't look like a promoter even reviewed my EPK. What gives? That's a fair concern, but rest assured. All promoters using the Submission Tracker are contractually obligated to review each and every submission. In fact, promoters using the Submission Tracker can't even send you a status message without first opening up your EPK. Also, if you made a song submission, they have to first play your song before sending you a status. (Note: if the gig does not require a song for submission, the promoter is technically not required to listen to a song, but must view the EPK.) When the promoter sends you your status update, you can view your selection status within the "My Submissions" widget of your account. (You will receive an email when the status is updated). When you click on the status of your submission in your account, a window will pop up and let you know the date that the promoter first reviewed your EPK: The way our system is set up, promoters must view your EPK in order to send you a "Selected," "Interested" or "Not Selected" message. In the event that one of your submissions is overdue for a Submission Tracker update you can withdraw the submission for a full refund to site credit. *** So it looks like if a promoter doesn't update your status, you can withdraw the submission and get site credit. Might be worth watching out for... Cheers, DC Thanks for reading the blog post, appreciate it. Too bad you guys weren’t there for the member dinner, it was a good time!

I kind of agree with you re: Supersonic membership, not my favorite thing about Sonicbids, but I am hoping they will make adjustments to their membership structure in the near future.

As for places/promoters not getting/reviewing your submissions, I went on the Sonicbids site and found this info in their Support Center:

***

Information Center
Artist Information Center > Gig & Submission FAQs >

=> It doesn’t look like a promoter even reviewed my EPK. What gives?

That’s a fair concern, but rest assured. All promoters using the Submission Tracker are contractually obligated to review each and every submission. In fact, promoters using the Submission Tracker can’t even send you a status message without first opening up your EPK. Also, if you made a song submission, they have to first play your song before sending you a status. (Note: if the gig does not require a song for submission, the promoter is technically not required to listen to a song, but must view the EPK.)

When the promoter sends you your status update, you can view your selection status within the “My Submissions” widget of your account. (You will receive an email when the status is updated). When you click on the status of your submission in your account, a window will pop up and let you know the date that the promoter first reviewed your EPK:

The way our system is set up, promoters must view your EPK in order to send you a “Selected,” “Interested” or “Not Selected” message. In the event that one of your submissions is overdue for a Submission Tracker update you can withdraw the submission for a full refund to site credit.

***

So it looks like if a promoter doesn’t update your status, you can withdraw the submission and get site credit. Might be worth watching out for…

Cheers,

DC

]]> By: The Northwoods http://davecool.ca/2010/03/the-dirty-word-at-folk-alliance-2010-sonicbids/comment-page-1/#comment-10 The Northwoods Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:42:33 +0000 http://davecool.ca/?p=298#comment-10 Interesting little post... We didn't get to make the member dinner in Memphis @ Folk Alliance, but I'm glad people voiced their opinions. We really like Sonicbids. We get quite a large number of hits on our EPK, BUT... Never really get accepted to anything we apply to. We have paid for a Supersonic membership for about 2 years and lately it just feels like we're throwing money away. I sometimes wonder if the places we apply to are even getting our submissions. Who knows. We just paid for another year of it so we'll see what comes. Interesting little post… We didn’t get to make the member dinner in Memphis @ Folk Alliance, but I’m glad people voiced their opinions. We really like Sonicbids. We get quite a large number of hits on our EPK, BUT… Never really get accepted to anything we apply to. We have paid for a Supersonic membership for about 2 years and lately it just feels like we’re throwing money away. I sometimes wonder if the places we apply to are even getting our submissions. Who knows. We just paid for another year of it so we’ll see what comes.

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