30 Alpha Invites To Artist Organizer Bandize
UPDATE 2/23/09: Alpha invites are closed the info for the first 30+ who replied will be going out in a few days. And watch the Bandize site to get your own invites.
EXCLUSIVE: Still in pre-beta, Bandize.com is a web application that provides musicians with important tools to self-manage and organize their band. Among the suite of tools included are musician-specific accounting, touring booking and organization, contact, task and merchandise management.
Time is fast becoming a huge issue for indie musicians now charged with their own marketing along with making music and running their band. Bandize comes to the rescue with social-network syncing that enables single entry of tour dates to Bandize and then ships them out to Myspace, PureVolume and other sites.
The Greatest Organisational Challenges as an artist have generally been balancing the creative with the business & networking necessary to effectively building an audience. You need to spend every waking hour writing if you want to be up there, yet you also need to build a following, talk to those who like your music, talk to those who are not aware of your music & get them to listen to it, contact bookers & promoters to get gigs to both develop a live presence & to become well known enough to have them chase you. Time is the biggest challenge for those who are both creative & the driving force in a band, or one of them, as you have to effectively manage a band in its entirety & be the tortured artist, two stereotypes that are typically at odds with each other…
The general shift in attention away from physical media on to webbased media has dramatically increased publicity and opportunities for unsigned artists on limited budgets. However i don’t think the job of management and pr has got any simpler need as you now need to fill the additional roles of IT manager and web developer. 10, 20 , 30 websites all pulling in fans from unique cultures and groups all requiring a separate brand or image, all requiring new content and interaction. I would say the structure of the music business has changed more in the last 5 years then it has in the 50 years before that. I think more then ever you get back what you put in, competition is greater, your team matters more then ever
I work with 25+ indie artists doing marketing, distribution and general “management”. Being an indie label type ran by just me any tools available to help manage these artists so they can focus on making great music would be awesome. Would love a chance to see if Bandize.com could help get me organized!
Thanks!
Jason Bradford
http://www.toneboxdigital.com
Greatest organizational challenge…. Keeping it all together. The past 3 years I have tried to rotate weekly between a variety of tasks. Making/Mastering/Mentoring Music and Musicians, Promotions & Networking, and the mechanics of keeping the train on the rails financially.
Add to that keeping the money coming in through web development projects… No small feat! Last year also included a small tour in Europe.
This year I’ve realized it’s about organizing, it’s about engaging with promoters, other artists, and most importantly: with motivated fans.
I thought having a website, being part of the social media scene, and regularly creating new content and content streams was valuable. But that’s all out there… the backroom stuff still needs to get done.
GoogleDocs has done the trick in some situations. Lots of calendar alerts has also helped. But I’m realizing that it’s all got to tie into something bigger, and the web products and services I’ve seen just aren’t my style. Maybe it’s cause I’m a developer… I want something laser focused.
Time has become the biggest challenge in regards managing the myriad of responsibilities a band/business has to deal with, even at a small scale (sans management, etc). Some of the issues I’ve run into is trying to handle all of the social networking. There’s just too many of them to effectively utilize them all.
Seth Godin once wrote in his blog that he feels it’s better to be 100% dedicated to one mode of communication and use it effectively, than to be associated with 10 of them, but not really keep them all flowing and updated. I agree. But sometimes you need to stretch a bit.
Balancing the business of marketing, building a fan base, finance – and still finding the time to CREATE!
Greatest challenge as a band manager has to be getting everyone to the same place at the right time. Especially when the band are on tour, making sure the band are there for load in and sound check and then making sure there all back at the venue later to do press.
I’d say the biggest challenge for our band is trying to balance our desire to write and play with the sheer volume of time it takes to do what often feels like busy work. With social networks, booking shows, trying to create marketing material, etc., it feels like we’re so often focusing on “the business” and not on the music.
In my experience, sharing information across various social media platforms has been the most time-consuming and “prone to error” part of managing the band. Making sure we have our shows posted (and correctly!) on Myspace, Facebook, Revernation, Virb, etc., not to mention all the other stuff that goes on there takes a tremendous amount of time. And energy. I get worn out from that, and the fatigue can take a toll on the performance side of the band.
Throw in the fact that we’re in a band to play music first (while we’re all trying to figure out how to be internet marketers/managers/booking agents/salesmen) and it can be a hot mess.
For our band, the biggest challenge is distributing the workload. As a group of 19 and 20 year olds that have been playing together for six years, often times one of us will feel like he has been hit with the responsibility of handling all of the business matters for the band. The ability to assign certain aspects of our work to different band members is obviously key so that one person doesn’t overload. But when one person knows more about the business and asks others to pitch in, they often don’t do things the way that one individual might like.
So dividing up the workload, getting things done, and making sure we’re all on the same page. For a young band, those are some of the biggest challenges we face.
I’m always trying to find ways to keep up with the things I know I should be doing, if anything so I can kcik my own butt when I don’t do them. Obviously, cutting down the time that I spend on business stuff will allow me to spend more time working on my songwriting, vocals, and guitar playing. I’m also interested in seeing how to service compares with Music Arsenal and Artist Data.
The greatest challenge I have is still getting fellow bandmembers to recognise the importance of participating in web based activities, getting mailing list sign ups, doing the Myspacing and Twittering etc and turning up for photoshoots.
Our business has been transformed by the WWW but musicians are still finding it difficult to do anything outside of turning up for rehearsals or gigs and song writing.
Finding time to personally respond to fans, reach out to other artists, be an IT manager, write, pay musicians, engineer great records, and wait for bi annual checks from EMI.
There is also a bit of scumbag dodging which really sucks cause then you must call your lawyer, who costs….thank god for eBay.
brendan b brown
wheatus.com
One of the biggest challenges I face as the band’s manager is getting the band members to understand the importance of moving quickly when it comes to creating (and approving) online content. They struggle to realise that lots of people (unlike them) spend hours in front of their computers, and therefore don’t want to wait the 3 or 4 days it can take a band member to approve a few live photos to see the content – they want it within hours of the event happening, not days later!
The other biggie is keeping all of our online presences up to date – it’s a real drag having to enter the same data into multiple sites!
The amount of information that a band has is relatively small. It is a pretty simple story to tell. However, telling that story over and over again across multiple online platforms becomes quite a chore. When something changes, 10-15 different online venues need to be updated, each with their own requirements. Multiply that by 10-15 artists for each website and you have a true logistical nightmare. The time spent simply updating various artist bios, shows, updates, currently working on, tweets, etc is mind numbing. Time is the greatest challenge that I face working independent management/artist development. Bandize – genius! I can’t wait.
Agreeing with Vergel’s comment above…Google Docs has turned into a fantastic way to organize and communicate information between the member of the indie rock band I play in here in southern, CA. We use the collaborative, wiki-style docs to share info on just about everything we do. Most recently developing lists of bands and venues across the county, then transferring all that to a Google map and constructing our own personal touring road map.
Agreeing with many of these others comments as well, time is our most valuable commodity…looking forward to giving bandzine a try!
As an independent MC(CEO)/Brand Manager, marketing Manager/ Road Manager any instrument that will allow me to worry about things less is a great tool. The days of Internet has allowed for an easier entry into a realm of entertainment that I have long adored yet it has not made it any easier to get things done, it makes it easier to execute but no so easy to get it all done.
Help is always needed and anything that could make all the widgets that I learn on a daily basis easier, I am all for it, putting information in Myspace, Bebo, Facebook, Blogger, WordPress, not to mention the blogs, oh the blogs, Bandize please deliver on your promise and you may have a client for life
Being at university at the same time as managing a band, it’s all too easy for communication and records to get lost in the shuffle. Something with the features of Bandize is what I’ve needed for a long time.
I’m in the same boat as Ben: a full-time student and a full-time manager. My greatest organizational challenge as a manager right now is keeping track of ALL the different aspects of my artist’s career: recording sessions, shows, and all the press/promotion related with it. Right now, it’s all written on the wall on an at-a-glance calendar…. Bandize would help a lot!
For me it would be nice to have an all in one workspace. Being the main coordinator of our bands business affairs, most of the work I do daily leaves me with so much info all over the place. Whether I’m at work, at home, or on the road, it would be nice to have something to replace my excel spread sheets, posted notes, word docs, self text messages, calendar notes, with a self contained workspace that I can set to my preferences. Anything to help me spend less time worrying if I remembered to do something would be warmly embraced. The future looks very bright can’t wait to see what Bandize has to offer.
Lain
The catch 22 of the new music business.
The new music business is not a record label.
The new music business is a large, evolving, distributed network of services and outlets.
We as bands and managers have more power than ever that empowers us to reach our fans with text, audio, video… wherever they are.
The catch 22 is that with the promise of all this power come a whole new set of challenges.
Staying on top of the ever-changing world of “The New Music Business” is an art form in itself.
So whereas before we were just musicians… now we are musicians, producers, videographers, bloggers, writers, social media mavens, twiterrers, distributers, annalists… etc.
Services like Bandize, Topspin, and Bandcamp are going to be the backbone of The New Music Business. I am excited to see how they will empower us, our fans, and our artforms.
My biggest challenge as a musician in a rock band is figuring out how to find the right suite of tools that will help me automate processes. I can use social media aggregators, collaboration tools, marketing/analytics tools but nothing that makes it easy all in one place. And there isn’t anything out there with some automated, customizable workflows to help me maximize efficiency of the process of setting up a tour. (Or if it’s out there I haven’t found it). Let’s see what you got Bandize!
Managing all of the social networks, websites and real world communities you must participate in is a big time-sync. It’s unrealistic to drive 2-5 seperate artist sites, even with twitter and rss feeds. Something has to go.
Why the f**k would anyone other than a Programmer/QA Tester want an ALPHA Invitation with all the bugs in it? This is an insidious contest that will only cause more trouble to the winners than it’s worth. Mark my words and wait for the BETA!
It looks like it can be interesting solution for musicians, who at the end will have more time to practise on instruments… 🙂
Hi Bruce!
Thanks for the opportunity to test Bandize in Alpha. As an artist manager, my greatest challenge is to successfully launch all marketing activities (i.e. Radio, Retail, Touring, Press and Internet promo) simultaneously.
Very curious about the app. It’s something I would use and recommend to many of my musician cohorts if it works as advertised.
One doesn’t entirely need a major label nowadays to reach a large audience, as we all know by now. Distributing your material is not a major issue for most musicians now, neither is recording (or, at least, it’s not as difficult to do as a small artist as it was 10 years ago).
The most difficult thing is – how do you get people to listen?
There is just so much music out there, and more and more is getting created. Consumers are also doing much more than they used to, so they have less time for just music.
As a starting artist, it’s essential to find a target audience and go for it.
But what we – the musician – need information about that audience… about how they live online… about what they are looking at… how they are interacting and sharing with each other online.
Syncing the social networks looks a great way to begin breaking down barriers between various areas in the entire web-world. And it would make life for a musician – whose primary concern should be his/her music – a lot simpler.
Oh, I know the answer to this one:
It’s because this is an important service. All products have to start somewhere. If Hypebot decided to write about this when it’s only in alpha stage, then that really says something.
Being part of an alpha is actually a great opportunity. At that point it’s not about working out bugs (Beta is usually for working out last minute bugs), but having an opportunity to actually influence the project functionality, and that’s a really neat incentive. It’s not for everybody, but it’s for early adopters and people who have been struggling with these issues for a long time who really want something new.
As a programmer and the manager of my band, I can appreciate the position Bandize is in. They want a varied group of bands using the site and providing feedback. But this is such a necessary tool in the current market, it will be great to help them move in the right direction. All the best, Bandize. I’m rooting for you.
I love the idea of this application, although in my 20 years of managing bands, especially latterly, I have been promised similar solutions and none have quite delivered.
So, high hopes but some reservations.
I’ve managed acts for all that 20 years and across the globe and the greatest organisational challenge is without doubt that centred around the simple logistics of planning availability of a whole host of personnel (band and support) against commitments. That is assuming we have a successful band on our hands and have overcome that challenge!
It looks like the functionality and web access (I’m assuming multi user access is a given) will bring together all the diary and project management tools that are needed to keep a modern band in the right place at the right time.
Exciting stuff.
Ian
….it sounds promising….if anyone can direct me to investor relations at Bandize…the would probably be good for both of us…
Mitchell Fox…mitchell.fos@comcast.net
As a self managed artist the most challenging thing is getting the balance right between the creative and business sides. Keeping online presence up to date and in sync, organizing and promoting gigs and tours – the whole time trying to stand out from the masses of bands and artists accessible online is a challenge. Keeping an eye on all aspects of what it takes to effectively artist manage is supremely hard to do without without letting that eat into the creative/performing side of things -so Bandize – bring it on!
Working with artists with different needs, interests and goals… Keeping up with technology and social networks, while offering new approaches to this liquid industry, providing a strong base and foundation for artists, leaving creative room to grow…
http://www.homeskilletrecords.com
hello
this is shaftmusic from france
i manage differents artists from my label
i would be happy to use your system
best shaft
http://www.shaftmusic.fr
The biggest challenges for a manager are managing any number of “biggest” challenges, which vary from day to day.
One day you’re managing an artist’s frustrations with financial or creative issues, while attempting to reassure the band you are up to the battle of establishing a worthy act, while their demos and shows sink in a sea of ambivalence.
You’ve checked their expectations in an ever changing entertainment industry landscape reliant on factors beyond control like perceived future popularity or the whim’s of bitter booking agents.
You are now using some other band’s abandoned Fed Ex account with the label to get CDs and promo material shipped around because no one at the label is taking your calls, and refuses to support the act’s tour.
Finally, the ruse is up because there is apparently no Fed Ex office in this part of Estonia, and someone at the label’s accounting office has had to sign for a returned package no one remembers sending for an act no one remembers signing.
The next day, after you’ve convinced some corporate booking conglomerate your act is worthy, there you are wiping up vomit onstage, and discovering some lead singer’s predilection for chasing chinese food with heroin, then vomiting on the headliner’s girlfriend.
But at least they are passionate & present, while the bassist is living with his parents, experimenting with cheating on his girlfriend with a guy and not showing up for gigs on time.
The leadsinger has kicked heroin temporarily, but via some expensive treatments in Mexico…can you front him the cash to pay his child support this month?
At the radio station showcase, the band’s buddies piss off one of the On AIR PERSONALITIES and they are banned from the playlist…forever!
On the way to a later canceled gig, the band’s dog bites the members of the other band they are sharing the bus with, and must now rent a van.
The van is broken down and you have to rent an expensive replacement at the last minute to get them into a SXSW showcase… that gets moved to another venue that’s technically not even in Austin.
8 people show up at a gig in Sacramento while 800 show up in Germany. The only problem with being back in Germany is that the roadie OD’d there, and flying his body home is complicated and expensive.
Next you are trying to get these dysfunctional guys across another international border with all the paperwork in order while they are panhandling you for advances, and either tweaking, drunk, nodding out or feuding with each other and all the other bands they are touring with….
Sweet!
There is not a software app that will ever help this stuff…
is there?
All Stories True, Names Left Out To Protect The Guilty
signed –
festuca @ yahoo . com
I find it increasingly difficult to manage fan outreach (e-mail, blog, social networks), industry outreach (press, venues), and other project management — new album, Web site updates, etc. Myriad services exist to help but nothing that is comprehensive (many that purport to be).
Did these invitations get handed out already? I was really looking forward to trying it out…
None of you left your email addresses in the post as I requested :>(
So…. its taking me a lot longer to find each of you. If you postted about, please email me at bruce(at)skylineonline(dot)com