I came across http://doughnutmag.com when I was looking for music review sites for my new EP, CEDAR. I was instantly sucked in by the opportunity to discover new music, read opinions on what other musicians think of new music as well as fresh look on tutorials across the music business gambit. http://doughnutmag.com/tutorials/
As I release an EP after being out of the recording game for a few years, I made a mad dash to make sure I uploaded the songs to www.reverbnation.com/davetamkin, www.davetamkin.bandcamp.com and www.soundcloud.davetamkin.com . I’ve been familiar with all three throughout their development but never really took the time to weight the positives and negatives of each.
The Doughnut did however, and it’s a great article for all musicians.
PROS AND CONS OF BANDCAMP
Read The Dougnut’s full list in the whole article here:
http://doughnutmag.com/tutorials/guides/bandcamp-vs-reverbnation-vs-soundcloud-part-one/
ADVANTAGES OF BANDCAMP:
- Bandcamp allows you to use your own domain name, or set up your Bandcamp page as a sub-domain of your current website (e.g. music.doughnutmag.com).
- The interface is generally quite clean (not clinical), and allows for some basic customization.
- Sell your music via the platform, give it away for free or focus on streaming.
- No hit counter for fans, but this is arguably a good thing.
- The Facebook integration isn’t too great looking, but it’s about the music anyway, right?
- No listings for gigs and upcoming shows.
DISADVANTAGES OF BANDCAMP:
- No hit counter for fans, but this is arguably a good thing.
- The Facebook integration isn’t too great looking, but it’s about the music anyway, right?
- No listings for gigs and upcoming shows.
PROS AND CONS OF REVERBNATION
Read The Dougnut’s full list in the whole article here:
http://doughnutmag.com/tutorials/guides/bandcamp-vs-reverbnation-vs-soundcloud-part-two/
ADVANTAGES OF REVERBNATION
- It’s free, but with a premium account you can also use the platform for digital distribution (i.e. getting your music onto Amazon, iTunes, Rhapsody etc.)
- Like Bandcamp, you can embed your profile into your Facebook, making it easier for fans to discover your tunes.
- ReverbNation allows for the embedding of YouTube videos. Great for creating an audio-visual portfolio.
DISADVANTAGES OF REVERBNATION
- The fee is annual ($34.95 per year) for digital distribution (getting your music into iTunes etc.). This isn’t a negative for this comparison series necessarily, but for the record; it’s not the cheapest option out there.
- If you have tracks on your profile that you want to distribute you need to re-upload them – Once again, not a problem if you’re simply looking for a hosting of your music.
- You have to choose a genre at signup, the horror! Okay, this can be changed later, but allow me to nitpick.
PROS AND CONS OF SOUNDCLOUD
Read The Dougnut’s full list in the whole article here:
http://doughnutmag.com/tutorials/guides/bandcamp-vs-reverbnation-vs-soundcloud-part-three/
BENEFITS OF SOUNDCLOUD
- A clean interface. In fact, SoundCloud is as pretty as hell.
- Great wave form visibility. Personally, I like to see what I’m listening to (if that makes sense).
- Not only does it allow embedding but it provides a load of options for the publisher (HTML5, Flash etc).
DISADVANTAGES OF SOUNDCLOUD
- No gig listings.
- Doesn’t allow as much visual personalization as, say, BandCamp. Not even a background image.
- Users are not able to follow or comment without a SoundCloud account, (which most fans don’t have).
