FameCast: Traffic and Auditing

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!

ExplainCast – Voice Your Opinion

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 – “Her Song”

Digg This Story: Soundscape Soul on FameCast.com (The Top 25)

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!

Singer/Songwriter Stage | Pop Stage | Digg Story

FameCast – Part 4 – Bringing It Home

I have returned from Austin, TX a new man with a new life. Why? Here’s why…

I’ve moved into a new apartment with my girlfriend and am finally living on my own. I played the show I’ve been wanting to play in a long time in Austin, TX with Matt. And I’ve got a renewed sense of hope in my life. But that’s for a future post. This post is all about Austin, the show that was, and the prize I hope to claim with Matt.

July 30th

I flew from Long Island’s MacArthur Airport to Chicago’s Midway Airport. In Chicago, I met up with Matt and we flew to Austin together, finally getting to our hotel at around midnight (Central Time). Exhausted, we wasted no time in getting some sleep.

July 31st

Matt and I tracked around Austin looking for some eats, and we found a Whole Foods about 15 blocks away from the hotel. It was NOT fun, but the walk with Matt was definitely fun. I had never experienced Texas heat before, and I might not want to experience that again for a long while. Lets just say, I had to change my shirt the second we got back to our hotel room! At 3:30pm, we left for the East Side Stages with fellow competing artists Eli Poulin, Natalie Gelman, and Billy Redfield. We met the final artist, Colin Orthmann, when we arrived at the studio. At the studio, we were fed, had a short soundcheck, and hung out with the other artists until around 7:45pm, when we had to get on stage to open the show!

We opened the show at 8:00pm, and played 3 songs; Alone, Flightless Wings, and a cover of Al Green’s ‘Lets Stay Together’. After we were done, we had a nice interview with the hostess of the event, and went back into the crowd to watch the other artists perform. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel with everyone and hung out until about 2am before we got some sleep for the long day of travel ahead of us.

August 1st

This was a day of travel… a LOT of travel… Eli, Natalie, Matt, and myself all flew to Baltimore together, and split up. From Baltimore, I flew back to Long Island and headed home from there.

The FameCast experience was amazing. The Staff was extremely helpful and receptive to us. We couldn’t be more grateful to all of our fans for voting and sending us to Austin! But now, we need the support one last time. Votes will decide the overall winner by Tuesday, August 7th at 12pm Eastern. It’s up to you, the reader or fan, to vote for us and spread the word to all of your friends and family.

Here’s how you can help:

1) Register for a free FameCast Fan Account by clicking here or log on to your account by clicking here.
2) Once logged in, scroll your mouse over “Stages” at the top of the any FameCast page and click on the “Singer/Songwriter” stage
3) On the next page, click on “Soundscape Soul” on the right-hand list of artists to watch our webcast.
4) As our video is playing, click on the “Vote for this Artist” icon below the video to cast your vote.

With your help, I believe we have a good chance to win the grand prize of $10,000 and National Exposure! Be well, everyone, and vote your hearts out!

Enjoy some Zen while you vote!

FameCast – Part 3 – The Journey

The Journey is continuing. Our fans, friends, and family have voted us into the Top 5 Singer/Songwriters on FameCast.com and we’ve earned the trip to Austin, TX. Matt and I are excited beyond belief, and we’re getting everything ready for a promotional storm before we head down! We’ll be sending out a big newsletter once we get down to the hotel in Austin, so be on the look out if you’re on our Mailing List. If you’re not on the list, you can join easily by Clicking Here. You’ll be taken to our page over at ReverbNation to confirm your subscription, but don’t worry, we only use ReverbNation for our Mailing List.

We’re due to fly in to Austin on Monday, July 30th, with the show to be taped live on July 31st at 9:00pm Eastern. You can watch the show live by Clicking Here, which will take you to the Singer/Songwriter LiveStage. We’ve also decided on our setlist:

Code Red, Flightless Wings, and Lets Stay Together (or) Her Song
(Click on each song to check out a Live Performance of each song)

Want a banner to promote the competition? Why not use this sweet little piece of promotional artwork?

We’re excited to meet the entire FameCast staff, and the other 4 artists who were voted into the Top 5! Keep checking back on my FameCast Page for more updates, and feel free to leave comments and feedback on what you think about our trip to Austin, our music, or anything band related.

Until then, how about some Zen? Can you sense it? Can you feel it? Something big is about to happen between Peter and his arch nemesis…

CHICKEN FIGHT!!!

Hershey said to Brooklyn that Austin said…

What a weekend! What a week! I’ve been away since Friday, so I’m definitely due for a meaningful post. In the spirit of “meaningful posts”, here is a recap of my past weekend, and a preview of my current day and the week to come, including an always hilarious ‘Moment of Zen’ to finish it off!

July 21st – Hershey, PA

Maya and I went to Hershey, PA for the concert I’ve been waiting for all summer! John Mayer was playing Hershey Park Stadium with Ben Folds and James Morrison! I had never heard Morrison’s music before the show, but I’m slowly becoming a fan. He reminds me of a young Mayer… catchy hooks and some cool lyrics. But when he left the stage, the real fun was about to begin.

Ben Folds took the stage, and I was left speechless. Aside from singing along with him, I didn’t say another word while I watched his incredible piano skills. At one point, he was playing with his knees! And at the end of his set, he threw his stool at the piano, which incredibly hit the keys at enough of a perfect angle to play a perfect final chord!

John Mayer finally took the stage, and… well… wow! Although I thought his production was a little ‘much’, to say the least, he blew me away once again! Of course, he started out with his more ‘lady-friendly’ tunes like ‘Why Georgia’ and ‘Neon’, but once he got through the Pop phase of the show, the real show began! He broke out into an incredible performance of ‘Slow Dancing in a Burning Room’ that went all the way to the end of his set with ‘Gravity’. I had never seen him solo the way I saw at this show. when he came out for his encore, he played an acoustic version of ‘Your Body is a Wonderland’, and finished off the entire show with ‘I Don’t Need No Doctor”. All in all, the entire show was incredible!

July 23rd – Brooklyn, NY

Today’s the day we sign our lease for our new apartment! w00t!

July 31st – Austin, TX

Does that say Austin, TX? That’s right, it does! Why? Because I won a trip to Austin, TX with my bandmate and amazing friend Matt Aronson to perform live on FameCast.com! It’s going to be such a hectic and awesome day! I’ll be flying down from New York at 8:00am and arriving in Austin around 1:20pm, performing that night with the show starting at 9:00pm eastern, and flying back the very next day! If you’re interested in helping us win the competition, check out my dedicated FameCast page to check out our progress.

Well, doesn’t that sound like an awesome past weekend and an awesome week to come? No? Wait… I know what’s missing! Care for some Zen?

Isn’t Texas great?

My Past Week, Family Feud Style!

Survey says: I’m going to Austin, TX! Don’t believe me? Click Here! See ‘Soundscape Soul’? See the cool dude singing? That’s Me! Our fans have voted us as one of the Top 5 Singer/Songwriters on FameCast, which earns us a trip to Austin, TX to perform in a Finals show to be webcasted live on the website! The show is on July 31st and starts at 9:00pm. If you live near Austin, you can get tickets to the show by Clicking Here and reserving VIP tickets!

Watch, Vote, Promote!

Survey says: I’m waiting to hear back about the status of my application… for… an… Apartment in Brooklyn!!! That’s right! My own apartment! Well, an apartment with my girlfriend! Who’s psyched? I’m psyched! I just hope we get it. Cross your fingers!

We might be movin’ on up!

Survey says: The Global New York Mets Facebook Day at Shea Stadium was a massive success! 50 of us from that Facebook group got all met up at Shea for a game between the Mets and Reds. We tailgated before the game in the Gate A Parking Lot, and watched the Mets sneak out a big win against Cincinnati! Way to go Global! The game rocked!

Who’s that cool cat in a Cyclones jersey?

Survey Says: It’s time for for a Double-Dose of Zen… Family Feud and Chuck Norris Style!

You have 3 seconds…

That’s right… another fist…

FameCast – Part 2 – Getting Closer

Way back in the day, I posted a Part 1 to this “FameCast” topic, and now its time for Part 2.

Last night, we were announced as a Top 10 Artist on FameCast’s “Singer/Songwriter” stage. What does that mean? It means that our fans (and you, if you choose to) need to vote for us again. If we were to finish in the Top 5 (in total votes) by July 17th, we would earn the following opportunity:

– Free Roundtrip Airfare to Austin, TX
– Free One-Night Hotel Stay
– Perform Live at Stubbs in Austin, TX during a Live Webcasted Finals Show

Sounds pretty sweet, huh? We’re pushing emails, bulletins, messages, phone calls, and flyers out of the door to rack up those votes. The cool thing about this competition is that it broadens your “business-sense”. Aside from being a musician, you have to become a promote. Nobody is going to vote for you if they don’t know you exist, right? I think we’ve been doing a pretty good job of promoting the competition. Here’s a list of places you can find “Soundscape Soul”. It’s a pretty big list:

iTunes, Myspace, MusicFreedom, YouTube, PureVolume, Artistopia, Facebook, MyTracks, SonicBids, RocketRadio, American Idol Underground, FameCast

I told you it was a big list! So that’s what we have to do.. Promote until our fingers cramp and our bodies hurt. Finger’s cramping? Check… Body hurting? Check… Look’s like we’re off to a good start…

If you have the time to vote for us, and get us one vote closer to Austin, here’s how you can help:

1) Create a Fan Account by ‘Clicking Here‘
2) Verify your email address after you register.
3) Click Here to find the Singer/Songwriter stage
4) Scroll through the Top 10 Artists to find Soundscape Soul, and click on our photo.
5) Once our video is playing, click on the “Vote for this Artist” icon below the video.

That’s all it takes. If you still have a spare minute or two after you’re done, why not spend some “Zen”-tastic time with my pal Quagmire!

Who’s got your nose?

The Austin 10

That was Soundscape Soul playing live at the Triad Theater in New York City back in January of 2006. Recognize one of the members? That was me singing. My dear friend Matt is on the guitar and singing as well. We formed Soundscape Soul back in the winter of 2004. 1 Album and 1 Single later, we’re still at it, and going strong!

But this year, we’re involved in a competition that could propel us to a level that we have yet to reach. FameCast.com is giving artists and performers the opportunity to perform on live webcast in Austin, TX for a shot at $10,000 and National Exposure. What kind of exposure, you ask? Melissa Suzanne (Season One R&B Winner) has already earned a spot on a Sony/BMG compilation only months after winning the title of FameCast R&B Fenom.

How does FameCast work? It’s very simple. As an artist, we upload a performance or music video to a “stage” we feel is appropriate for us. This season, we chose the “Singer/Songwriter” stage. Once we upload our video to the stage we choose, friends and fans can register for a Fan Account, find our video, and give us a vote. The top vote-getters in each round (of 100, 50, 25, 10, and 5) move on to the next rounds and an overall winner is eventually voted through after the live webcast.

So.. did you enjoy our performance of “Flightless Wings”? It’s a popular song amongst the Soundscape fans. If you really dug it, then we need your support in helping us reach that stage in Austin, TX. It takes less than 5 minutes to do, and all it requires is an email address. Here’s how you can help send us to Austin, TX.

1) Create a Fan Account by ‘Clicking Here‘
2) Verify your email address after you register.
3) Find our video on the current stage (Top 25) by ‘Clicking Here‘
4) Scroll through the Top 25 Artists to find Soundscape Soul, and click on our photo.
5) Once our video is playing, click on the “Vote for this Artist” icon below the video.

That was easy! This current round ends on July 3rd at Noon Eastern, and only the Top 10 artists move on to the next round. If you have the time, spread the word to your friends, family, and even coworkers… but only if you have the time, and you really dug the video.

Here’s to Austin! (and my Daily Moment of Zen… enjoy!)

Lean… um… that way!

FameCast – Part 1 – Starting Over

A while back, I spent a lot of energy promoting an online competition that my band was in (FameCast). In each round, fans can vote for their favorite artists, and the top artists in each round keep moving on, until there is a Top 5. Those 5 artists get flown to Austin, TX to perform in the FameCast Fenom Finals. The show is webcasted live, and once the show is over, fans go back online and vote for the overall winner. That winner receives $10,000 and National Exposure.

Flashback: Last season, we made it all the way to the Top 5 Round on FameCast’s Pop stage. However, a conflict between the date of the show and the Jewish holiday of Passover made it impossible to go. After spending all of my energy, and the energy of our fans, we were left with no choice to withdraw, as FameCast was unable to come to a compromise between the timing of the holiday and the show.

Flash Forward: Season 2 of the FameCast Fenom competition started last night for us, on the brand new “Singer/Songwriter” stage, which seems to be much better suited for our music. This season, I’m not sure how much more energy I can put into promoting the competition. From now until our ending point of this online version of American Idol, I’ll be documenting our efforts into making it back to Austin, and our own experiences with the fans and artists at FameCast to give you an inside track on what kind of mentality lies behind this kind of competition.

The round we are in right now is the “Open Submission” round, which ends on Tuesday, June 5th at 12pm Eastern. Voting in this round determines the Top 50 artists to move on in the competition.

It’s gonna be a bumpy ride…

If you’d like to vote, whether you enjoy our submitted video, you want to fuel our efforts, or would like to continue this blog series, here’s how you can vote:

1) Create a Fan by going to: http://www.famecast.com/registerfan.php
2) Verify your email address after you register.
3) Head to our current Voting Page to: http://www.soundscapesoul.com/famecast1
4) Click on the “Vote For This Artist” icon on the left side of the voting page, next to our video.

Voting Tip: Every email address you use is worth 1 vote. If you have more than 1 email address, use them to make fan accounts if you’d like to submit more than 1 vote. (This is something we shyd away from last season, but it seemed to be somewhat of a normal practice among the marketing strategies of artists on the website.)

How does one appropriately end this first installment of the FameCast series? With a Daily Moment oz Zen, of course!