Welcome to Unsigned Artists!
If music is your life, you've come to the right place.
The questions are broken down by sections, so this should help you locate the answers better. Use the list on the side to easily find what questions you're looking for.
About the Site
What is UnsignedArtists.com?
UnsignedArtists.com is an online community of accomplished musicians and emerging new artists. We all share a love of music and the desire to make the independent music community stronger. Our mission is to provide the tools and information necessary for musicans to quit their day jobs and live off their trade. We are not just another web community or online music store, UnsignedArtists.com empowers, connects and nurtures its users through patented social networking tools and original content created for artists by artists. UnsignedArtists.com also builds a unique relationship with its users by engaging them in real world settings at music venues across the country and around the world.
What can I do here?
If you're an artist, you can:
- Learn more about the business side of your craft
- Upload your music and profile info
- Add your upcoming shows to our event calendar
- Connect with other artists and play shows with them, in your city or elsewhere
- Share your story with the world
If you're a fan, you can:
- Find new artists
- Listen to music
- See what shows are going on in your area
- Share your musical tastes and experiences with the world
Who runs it?
UnsignedArtists.com is an independent organization based in central Massachusetts. Our partners are a diverse collection of recording studio managers, music industry insiders, unsigned artists, and some signed artists, all of whom are dedicated to giving back to the independent music community. Among these are legendary music producer, Michael Lloyd of Beverly Hills California, Bonnie Milner of world renowned Long View Farm Studios located in North Brookfield Massachusetts, Steve Adelman, ownder and operator of the world famous West LA Music and Shakim Compere, and CEO of Flavor Unit Entertainment located in New Jersey.
The site was designed and developed by One Pica, Inc., a strategy & experience firm in Boston.
Why don't you have [fill in the blank]?
Because you haven't told us about it yet! Let us know what we're missing and contact us here.
How can I get in touch with you?
You can send us an email. A member of our team will get back to you shortly.
Reading Content
What is The Buzz?
The Buzz is what's being talked about, shared, and rated. It's where you'll find music reviews, photos, video and audio files. Everything you want to know about music close to you. All of this content will be coming straight to you from two sources; The Pick and The Crowd.
What are The Pick and The Crowd?
The Pick is a group of featured contributors from the music industry.
The Crowd is you, our beloved fans. Your opinion matters to this community. So write an article on your experience at last night's show. Comment on someone else's review with your own thoughts. Or simply post all the pictures, audio and video clips from last weekend's music festival. Just upload it to The Buzz and share it with the UA community.
What are tags?
Tags are the descriptors you use to filter through all the content that has been uploaded to the site. So choose wisely, otherwise your sweet pics might end up tagged to something well...not so sweet.
What parts of content get searched?
Looking for content tagged "punk"? How about all Artists in "Boston". Or maybe you're looking for Events in your area? You are in luck, the Unsigned Artist search engine crawls the site every hour, ensuring your searches return the latest content. Tags, Genres, Artists, The Buzz, Events, Venues, and even Fans are indexed for your use.
How can I search most effectively?
Make sure to specify the type of item you are searching for from the drop down list before you hit the search button.
Signing Up
Can I use the site without registering?
Yes you can browse the site, view profiles, search for events, listen to music, etc. without filling in any forms.
Does it cost money to register?
Registration is free for everyone.
Where is Artist/Group registration?
These registration steps are located on your My Stuff tool bar on the left side of the browser under the My Pages section. After you register your fan profile, musicians can also register as an artist, a band or both.
My Fan Account
How do I manage my profile?
You can manage mostly anything that relates to your personal information from the side bar that appears and hides on the left side of the browser window. There is an edit function displayed next to the link to your fan profile which should take care of the rest.
What are playlists?
This is your favorite music your upload to the site or the latest music that an artist or band uploads. It lists your recent tunes or your latest album.
What's the difference between Friends, Fans and Favorite Artists?
In order to become a friend of another Fan, one must 'approve' the friendship. Fans can become friends with other fans, and fans can list themselves as supporters for artists/bands without approval.
Can I change my real name, username, birth date or gender?
In order to change any of this information, you will have to contact UnsignedArtists.com and put in for a request to change.
Can I delete my fan account?
Yes, this functionality is on its way. Hang tight!
My Artist Account(s)
How do I upload music?
Once you log in, you can easily upload music from your 'my stuff' sidebar on the left hand side of your browser window. Under your Artist Profile section there is an 'add music' button which will direct you to the music section of your profile.
What are playlists?
Every song you've added to the Music section is available to be part of a playlist.
How do I update my blog/latest news?
Once you are logged in as either an Artist/Band User, you can edit or add to your Blog through the edit side of your profile. This can be reached under the Artist/Band Profile sections on your 'my stuff' side bar on the left side of your browser window.
How do I add a show to the calendar?
After you log in, as an Artist/Band User your My Stuff side bar will have an 'add an event' button which will direct you to where you can add your show.
What's the deal with approving reviews?
Artists/Bands have the ability to approve or reject a review that a User can write and then tag to their Artist/Band Profile. This way the Artist/Band can control which reviews show up when a User searches for all content related to the Artist/Band. When a review is submitted, it will appear in your Artist/Band Profile Inbox under the Notification tab and this is where you can approve or reject the comments.
What's the difference between Friends, Fans and Favorite Artists?
In order to become a friend of another fan, one must 'approve' the friendship. Artist/Bands have both fans and friends listed, however only Artists/Bands can become friends with other Artists/Bands. Fans can become friends with other fans, and fans can list themselves as supporters for artists/bands without approval.
Can I have more than one artist account?
No, we prefer you stick to one Artist account, however if you are a member of several Bands or Groups you can list these under your Group Profile.
Can I delete my artist account?
Not yet, but you will be able to soon.
My Group Account(s)
How do I determine account admins?
At the time you set up your Group Profile is when you'll want to list and determine your account admins. Unfortunately, right now you can't edit your account admins after sign up, so try to make sure you're making the right choices.
Can I have more than one group account?
Yes, you can have as many Group accounts as you would like. Just use your Add a Group button on your sidebar to create another group.
What if somebody quits the group?
That'd be a bummer, but hopefully you'll be better off. Under the Edit section of your Group Profile, you have the ability to remove members if they decide to leave your group to sell out or sell coffee.
Can I delete my group account?
Not yet, we apologize for the inconvenience.
Submitting Content
What kinds of content can/should I submit?
You should be submitting anything and everything that sparks interest and adds to the benefit of the other Fans on the site. If you want to tell an Artist how great you think they are or if you want to offer advice on how to re-string a guitar, both are appreciated and wanted in the Buzz section.
How do I review a song/album/artist/show?
Under each Artist's Profile there is a link to submit Buzz content about the Artist to the site. Or you can upload or post from your own Fan Profile and add to the Buzz section as well. Just make sure your Tags are accurate so the site picks up on your review and it will appear in the Buzz section as a new review.
How do I get my review to show up on the artist's page?
After you submit a review, a notification will be sent to the Artist you tag to the review and this will allow them to chose whether or not they would like the review to show up in their Buzz section of their Artist page.
Resources
What is it?
The Resources section is where we've compiled our best articles for artists from the UA community, which we've sorted into relevant categories of musical practice. We'll give you professional advice on how to better manage your budget, your tour and your band.
When can you use it?
Right now! We'll be continually adding new articles to the different categories, so check them out.
Technical Problems/Bugs
Who do I tell if I find a bug in the site?
You tell us! We're here to help and apologize in advance for any bugs that might give you problems on the site. Please email us and let us know what's broken so we can fix it.
Can I call you for tech support?
Sorry, but we would really rather you just email us with any problems you may encounter.
Legal/Privacy
What do you do with my personal information?
We do not distribute any of your personal information to anybody. Promise. However all the personal information you upload to the site can be viewed by all Fans on the site. Procede with caution.
What about copyright violations?
We appreciate that you refrain from uploading anything to the site that may infringe on another's copyrights, especially another Artist.
If you feel at any time you may have stumbled across a copyright infringement while using the site, or feel your own copyrights have been violated, please send us a note at our feedback page so we can assist you in a timely manner.