Okay, I’m not REALLY on TV, but a friend of mine created a commercial spot for my band. Eli Poulin, who performed with my band in Austin, TX back in July, created a super cool commercial to help promote our music in the iTunes Music Store! Excuse me, for I’m still a little giddy after watching it for the 50th time! Check it out!
Super Cool!
In other news, my band is back in the Top 10 on FameCast.com for the 3rd straight season, and we’re hoping to get enough support to make it back to Austin for the 2nd straight season. If you haven’t yet, cast your vote for us on the Pop Stage, so we can perform for you during a Live Webcast that you can watch right there on your computer. To find our voting page, click here. All you need to do is create a fanatic/vote account, or log in to your current account (if you’ve already created one). Once you’re all logged on, head back to our voting page and click on the “Vote” button while our video is playing. If you cast your vote once a day, we’ll be sure to make it back to Austin for another show!
Approaching the final leg of it’s Third Season, FameCast.com has been slowly becoming a player in online competitions for musicians, performers, dancers, filmmakers, and animation artists. It’s popularity has matched it’s rival-like site, MusicNation. The main difference between the two was the process of voting. MusicNation allowed artists and fans to vote for their favorite artists once per day during each competition’s season. FameCast, however, only allowed artists and fans to cast one vote per round for each contestant throughout a season.
This past October, FameCast changed its ways, and allowed its users to cast one vote per day for each artist they choose to vote for. Instantly, site traffic saw a major increase, and advertisers seemingly started to pop up all over the website. Once can only imagine the kind of Advertisment Revenue this has created for FameCast.
Daily Site Stats as of 11/2/07 for FameCast.com
Full stats can be found here
But just last night, the rankings had suddenly changed on one of FameCast’s ‘stages’, and a negative buzz is starting to fly around artists and fans on the site. Most of the buzz is coming from those who were directly affected by the loss of what FameCast calls “illegitimate votes”. Artists had dropped from a range of 10-17 ranks by around 6:00pm Eastern. Fans have start to bombard the forums looking for answers, and questioning FameCast’s own legitimacy. Part of FameCast’s current response states:
“…Please remember that if an Artist’s rank drops, this does not necessarily mean that the Artist has been falsifying votes, but that he or she may have received illegitimate votes from another source.”
In the end, is it completely fair for an artist to have no real control over their final ranking? Maybe not. But there are two questions I can think of that should be asked from both sides of the table. On the Fan/Artist side, will this issue be something that can be fixed in the future, thus eliminating the lack of trust this might create? On the side of FameCast, does the current “Audit Committee” method need to be changed, and is it going to directly affect the relationship between Site Traffic and Ad Revenue?
Personally, I’ve been involved in FameCast since its first Season. My band, Soundscape Soul performed in their Season 2 Finals. I’ve seen many positive results from our presence on the website. But we were one of the artists affected by the recent “Vote Audit” and therefore was taken out of the running on one stage, while having no options to fix the situation before it was done. We are still on another stage and planning on launching promotion campaigns for the next round, but I would rather see this current issue resolved and laid to rest.
What do you think about the recent “Vote Auditing” that just took place on FameCast? Do you think there’s a link between that and the need for Site Traffic? Will this affect that need? Sound off!
FameCast.com has thrown my band, Soundscape Soul, for a loop (and for the 3rd straight Season). Thanks to everybody’s support, we’ve kept up a #1 Ranking on the Pop Stage and have made it into the Top 10. On the Singer/Songwriter Stage, we had maintained a #3 Ranking. For some reason, we were knocked down to 20th while the voting was closed and therefore missed the cut into the Top 10 on that stage. FameCast has issued a response to the drop in rank by sending me this email:
“Hi Josh,
I apologize for the confusion regarding the drop; the Audit Committee had their work cut out for them. As always, votes deemed illegitimate were removed and the ranks changed accordingly. I assure you that your shift was the direct result of such action.
Thank you”
Please, if you have the time, visit this Forum on FameCast.com, login to or create your account, and post your feelings on what has happened and what you feel should be done to fix the “Vote Auditing” system. Your opinion matters, and can make a difference. You can also leave a comment here. If we can rack up enough comments here, I’ll go ahead and forward all of your suggestions and comments directly to FameCast.
What’s done is done, and our focus returns to the competition. Despite being knocked out of the Singer/Songwriter Stage, we’re still alive on the Pop Stage, and that’s where we’ll need your support the most! Our submission into the Pop Stage (since this new round must feature a new video) is a clip of us performing the first song we had ever written: “Her Song”. We performed this song at the Triad Theater in New York City back in March of 2006. I hope you all enjoy it, and can head over to FameCast.com to vote for the video. Voting will begin on Tuesday, November 6th at 9:00pm Eastern and last until Tuesday, November 20th at 12:00pm Eastern. Thanks again everyone, and enjoy this clip!
Soundscape Soul is getting closer to making it back to Austin, TX for the second straight season in FameCast.com’s Fenom Competition! With your daily votes, they could also be making site history, being the first artist/performer in the site’s history to be voted into 3 consecutive Top 5 appearances.
Please click below and Digg this story. Remember to vote for Soundscape Soul on both Pop and Singer/Songwriter Stages!
I suppose the title of this post should create a positive buzz, but I’m not feeling too impressed at the moment. Let’s start (where things usually start) at the beginning.
Matt Aronson and I (Soundscape Soul) joined a website called FameCast. This website offers a chance to perform live in Austin, TX for the eventual chance of a $10,000 prize (along with national exposure) to the artist who draws the most votes by signing up for a “Fan Account”, and then clicking on the “Vote” button next to the artist’s video. (Sounds like a cool idea, huh?) When we joined the Pop Stage, we barely got through the open round. Round two saw us receive double the votes from the previous Round. When we made it into the Top 25, that’s when we knew that we had some serious work to do. Matt and I went beserk and sent out emails, myspace messages, bulletins, and promoted the competition on every music website we are on. The result was amazing. We were voted into the Top 10! (Still Sound pretty cool?). The Top 10 voting began, and we ran out of the gates with another week-long promoting and marketing run. In the end, it paid off. We made it into the Top 5, but had to withdraw from the competition. Matt and I didn’t realize that the date of the Live Show fell during Passover, so we couldn’t perform. But after watching the Top 5 Pop Stage Webcast, and reading about some of the experiences of artists on the Pop Stage, I truly believe that our decision to stick with our beliefs was the right decision.
We’ve decided to enter ourselves onto a more “appropriate” stage for Season 2 (which starts on May 2nd), the Singer/Songwriter Stage. Why is this more appropriate? Because things got a little ugly after we withdrew from the Pop Stage…
[ Before you continue, please read “This Blog“. The following “rant” is a response to the contents in that blog ]
As a musician, songwriter, and artist… I feel that I have automatically become a role model for not only aspiring musicians, songwriters, and artists… but for any human being in this world. As a community, no matter how popular or famous an artist may be, we are role models to the world. We have been given a gift; the gift of Music. Aren’t gifts meant to be “given”? If there is one thing in this world that everyone can relate to, it is Music… whether it be a classical symphony, a heavy metal rock ballad, or even a simple drum beat against some pots and pans. When we (the world) creates music, it stimulates us in ways that goes beyond words.
When Music is brought into the “Competition” realm, it no longer becomes a means for communication, peace, or expression. It becomes… how you say… a Weapon of Mass Popularity, and even a form of violent behavior that should never be unleashed on any human being in this world.
So after all of that ranting, here comes my words of advice for anyone in “Music” Competitions. It also goes for anyone who is going for their music dreams.
[ Note: “Music Competition” = Music Industry ]
Your music is not for everyone. My music is not for everyone. The world’s music is not for everyone. Some people will tell you they don’t like your music. Some people will really tell you they don’t like your music. Some people will go to great lengths to express their negative opinions towards your music by causing you emotional strife.
My real advice would be this…
Music is a gift, not a toy. Convince people that it’s a toy, and you’re bound to ruin somebody’s gift. Never forget how it made you feel to successfully play your first chord on a guitar, pluck your first bass line, play your first piano, belt your first melody, or beat your first drum. Felt good, didn’t it? Sure, anything can be turned into a business… even Music. But never forget your own beliefs when you enter such a business. Surround yourself with friends and fans who believe slander and humiliation will get you far, and you’ve already gone bankrupt.
FameCast is a wonderful opportunity for all artists. It gives you the chance at exposure regardless of how far you make it in the competition. However, with every competition comes rivalry and negativity. Anyone can “dish it”… but can you “take it”?
Maybe it’s time we all went back to the Elementary School Glee Club… or the High School Marching Band… Good times… Good times…
FameCast, Season 2, here we come!… but not before my Daily Moment of Zen! Peter Griffin, you’re the next American Idol!
Somebody call Don Imus… XM is knocking on his door… or maybe it’s Sirius… I think his Fries are done.
J Soul 
The Webestrian’s Opinion