Suggestions for music reviews

[parablue74]

How about this..??? I've got an idea..
Why not have a track by track competition??? Local music original only..??
Like we state links here about original songs.. and everyone give feedbacks..
What they think, what they think could be improve..???
Not that all reviews are correct.. but exactly, at least we know how people feel about our own tracks and open our eyes to see ways we can improve...
What is there to lose except our pride...

 

[Li Xiao'an]

Hey that's a great idea, why don't you organize it and put it up here when it's ready? Might also be a good idea to have prizes that will attract good bands to participate, instead of bands just starting out, so that we will have a good idea of the caliber of the musicians that are already creating original music in Singapore?

Why don't you also put up your own original music and productions? I'm quite interested to hear your stuff. Start the ball rolling and all.

 

[wjl123]

There is this system implemented in the ultimate-guitar forums called Critique for Critique (C4C). For example if you have a song which u want feedback about, you can go to other threads tagged with C4C and give your critique about their song there and post a link to your song which you want to have some feedback on. The other party will be obliged to give their critique on your song.

As for competition wise, sevenstring.org forum do have a 1 "1-hour recording competition" where contestants will attempt to compose and record a song based upon a theme within the timespan or roughly an hour. We can probably borrow these concepts and use it here.

However 1 hour maybe too short for most of us, perhaps it could be a weekly or monthly event which will probably yield more interesting and polished entries.

 

[carboxymoron]

Good idea. We already have a decent open mic section, but would need proper organisation to turn it into a competition.

 

[parablue74]

Hey that's a great idea, why don't you organize it and put it up here when it's ready? Might also be a good idea to have prizes that will attract good bands to participate, instead of bands just starting out, so that we will have a good idea of the caliber of the musicians that are already creating original music in Singapore?

Why don't you also put up your own original music and productions? I'm quite interested to hear your stuff. Start the ball rolling and all.

My music is on my signature link, feel free to listen.

It's a competition, so there has to be a number of entrants.. I wasn't really thinking of putting it up on this thread.. rather, I was thinking whether we can propose to James to make it happen. Example, like a custom page created for this here.. where each week, there is one act/one song on review. It's not about whose song being better than others, but more about whose review being more substantial that others.
Each week, one or maybe 2 songs are placed on a custom page, everyone gets to give their reviews, and good reviews get more votes. Prizes are given each week to the best reviewer..
That way, people would regularly be involved with soft.com itself. Band more interested, and it all creates some type of hype around. Original songs only..

 

[Li Xiao'an]

Why don't you create the website/forum yourself? In this day and age it's not too complicated or expensive to run one . You can cover costs later with advertising and donations like SOFT does.

Also, how about finding sponsors for prizes? Prizes are a good idea, but they won't materialize out of thin air. Maybe you can offer free recording for the best band. I don't know how you plan to reward the best reviewer.

Of course, you should start the ball rolling by putting up your own music for review as well. It's one thing to have a myspace. Many bands here have a myspace. I also have one. But if you really want to start this initiative, you should put up your music in the forum or the new website you will create.

Many people have suggested similar things and nothing has come of them because they didn't take initiative. They just waited for someone to do it for them. I hope you are different from them.

 

[parablue74]

Different people will fit different roles... no one can single-handedly be everything..
Forming another website/forum won't be very effective.. the problem with most websites is the difficulty in getting people to come in, it's not about setting up the site. Soft has reap it's fruits after many many years of staying around, and all the involvement James have placed throughout. It did not materialize in a short time.
If this plan was to work, it has to tap on something like Soft that already has all the local musicians/acts present..and anyway, if this plan works, Soft would benefit from it, and so will the local market too..
Me putting my myspace link here will be no different from so many others starting threads with their own song links and asking for feedback.. moreover, this thread format isn't condusively created for the plan..
Any effort for this plan to work has to be a joint effort...

 

[centralcatchment]

Why dun you work with James on his 412 thing? Since he's already set up the 412, just add another section for reviews.

 

[Li Xiao'an]

Why dun you work with James on his 412 thing? Since he's already set up the 412, just add another section for reviews.

That's a good idea Calvin, why don't you ask James to let you have a hand in the 412 website?

I'm sure people will come and help you if they see you working hard and taking real initiative.

If you actually look like you're doing something, I will be the first to come and write a review for you, but not until I see some kind of concrete effort first. Without strong leadership, Singaporeans will not do anything.

 

[parablue74]

Seriously, I don't mind, will ask James soon, though website maintainence isn't a skill I'm good at. There were other things I'm involved with supporting local scene, just not in soft though , in the past, Kan Anthony events, and this year, AMG Jamfest. I try to help by giving guidance and suggestions as and when I can, but of cos, I still need to survive.

 

[carboxymoron]

Hmm. If there's anything related to web development that I can help, if there is some concrete plan, I am willing to volunteer my services.

I have my reservations about Music 412 though. Not to knock on James' efforts, but the site is seriously flawed and hard to use for both musicians and audience/public.

 

[parablue74]

Yeap, carboxymoron, you kinda have the same mentality as me. I dunno if you are full-time in the music/entertainment industry, but I am. And I can admit to you, it's 'hard balls' to survive. Time is of essence.. and contributing to the local music market, i believe, most music professionals, are willing to. But with each local events going around Singapore, etc.. most are voluntary. Yeap, we can all be volunteering everywhere till our hair grows white.. but we still need to feed our own families and to continue to survive doing music itself.
It's isolating and finding more concrete strong effective workable plans that I'm more interested in. Plans that will create more impact to the local industry, rather than just the normal original music events like Streetfest etc, which I find not entertaining enough to attract the laymen..thus not effective enough.
I admire James for creating a 412 music site, but I also have doubts.. on internet, it is global, there is so much competition out in the world. James has only one alternative, to limit the site to only locals, this is to create it's own identity, rather than challenging famous sites like Myspace, Tunecore, etc etc.. Limiting to locals can create a niche, but the end result would always be the same story, only musicians are checking out musicians.. the normal people are just totally unbothered..
My suggestions for 412=>
Make it different...
If it's just a local music site, it's boring.. and it sets itself in competition with other popular music sites around the world..
Add in the other sectors of local industry, add in the arts sector, design sector, journalism sector etc...
Form a conglomerate site, that joints music with arts..
That's where it starts to differ and formulate into something of itself..
Actually, it will start to walk in the direction of Big'O, but really, Big'O didn't do it right! Big'O was just a storybook, people read and go.. it wasn't interactive..!!!
If 412 music site can be a linkage site between collaboration projects between music and other industries, like arts, writers etc etc... then it sets itself up to something that is stronger to make more impact..

Most loyal music people just go ahead with a plan... I prefer to put up threads here, discuss with other music professionals, on different strategies to bring about more effective, impacting plans that won't consume too much but reach about a better success..