Forum Moderators: phranque
I am in the process of creating a web site for musicians and bands. What I would like to do, is create something along the same lines of IUMA or MP3.com but at a much smaller more personable scale. I am looking for means of hosting the bands MP3’s inexpensively. I do not want to charge bands for this. Instead I would like to advertise for related products using some of the affiliate programs out there. I would like to keep the site as free as possible for the musicians. So, does anyone know of a good way or a means of doing this?
The one thing I feel it's important to take into account in this project is the bandwidth that you will have available to you on your hosting option.
Even a few mp3's on your site can add a huge overhead to the amount of data going through your site's bandwidth - and if you go over your allowed amount, many ISP's will either charge you for the extra or shut your site off until the next months allowance kicks in.
One to bear in mind! Best of luck with the venture.
Another major issue with websites who offer music downloads is copyright infringement and publishing rights. I went through this 3 years ago and decided it wasn't worth the legal fees - it never ends. Be prepared to be accountable with solid documentation to prove ownership and publishing rights for each and every tune you publish on the net. The RIAA, Harry Foxx Agency, ASCAP, BMI et al are now crawling the web and coming down hard on what they feel should be under their control.
The cheapest solution I have found is mp3.coms hosting. You can also find hosts that give you loads of bandwidth, but most have a clause in their contract about disallowing MP3s. So you are really at the mercy of places that host that stuff specifically which are not the cheapest.
Another problem you will find is that indie bands don't do a very good job of shrinking their files. You will get 5meg MP3s all over your server. Plus they won't let you change the quality. I always here an earful of Garageband making the MP3s sound like trash. That is expensive.
Like keyplyr said you will have to listen to every file available for download to insure there are no copyright infringments. It is quite a daunting task. You will also run into bands that don't like ads on their pages. They put up with it from the big boys but smaller players don't.
In the long run you will find that hosting MP3s is a money losing propisition. There is not much money in this industry, just so you know. MP3, Garageband, IUMA, and the like don't make any money really. You do it for the love of the music. Bands are a pain, labels are even worse. The up side is you can easily get volunteers to help you write content and maintain the site. Labor is practically free. Since everything in the industry is basically barter system, you can trade freebies from bands and labels for any work needed.
I don't want to discourage you. The industry is fun and rewarding. I don't see any other site out there as compitetion. It helps the bands and thats why I do it. I wish you much luck. If you need any help let me know.
I completly hear what your saying. Your doing it for the love of music. That's why Im doing it. I'd also like to learn As much as I can about Web Design and Programming so that One day I could perhaps make money at it. What better way to learn than working on a topic that you love right? I understand that I won't make any money on the concept, but to learn to implement the concept can have its rewards....
Thanks for your knowledge
Stidd
