Posted: 20 September 2005 at 12:20pm | IP Logged

Anyone who browses the New MP3 section of the message board on a regular basis will quickly work out that some artists seem to have a lot of comments on their tracks whilst others only manage very few if any.

Particularly for newbies to this site this can seem puzzling to the point of downright esoteric so I thought I would put together a few tips for those who seriously want to get comments on their tracks.

1. Go out and comment on other people’s work. This is the single most effective weapon in your armoury. Try and choose people who have also recently posted to the "New MP3s" message board as the chances are that they are sitting, watching the posts to see if someone has commented on their track. There is no greater motivation to comment on someone’s music than the fact that they have just commented on yours (if only to see how much credence to give to their thoughts). Don’t worry too much about what they might think of your comments. Put yourself in their shoes. When you post up a new track aren’t you grateful for someone commenting, whoever they are? If you are not too confident in your own ability to give feedback, try and choose a genre or genres in which you feel most comfortable.
2. Make it clear as to what stage the work is at. There is the world of difference between commenting on a “work in progress” compared to a fully formed track that is ready to be unleashed onto an unsuspecting public, and the comments will reflect that. You will find people will be supportive and helpful in relation to a work in progress but more critical if the work is “complete”.
3. Be polite in asking for comments. Bear in mind that this is largely a British and European based site (albeit with a strong transatlantic element) and they react better to a request than a demand! Approaches like “Yo peeps, check out my latest work – it’s the dog’s” are likely to be largely ignored while something on the lines of “I’ve been working on this track for some while and have got to a point when some external feedback would really help me to complete it” is likely to be well received.
4. Always add a link to your track in your post. Don’t rely on people clicking on your banner or, even worse, going off to the “Latest Tracks” section of the Home Page, because they won’t.
5. Accept whatever comments are offered gracefully. Don’t react badly to negative comments as it will put others off commenting at all.
6. Don’t repeatedly award yourself “10”s. If I arrive at a track and see it has got six “10”s but no comments I will almost always go and listen to someone else. If you need to give yourself top marks to get noticed there is something wrong!
7. Finally, contribute to the other message boards. This is a very friendly community and you will soon find yourself feeling at home and welcome from the other users.

Posted: 20 September 2005 at 12:40pm | IP Logged

Thank you.

My first ever sticky!

Posted: 20 September 2005 at 1:42pm | IP Logged

friggin' bunch o' suckups ! 

Posted: 20 September 2005 at 4:01pm | IP Logged

I ain't sayin' a word. I'm gonna keep my head down and stay schtum.