Friday, February 7, 2020

Music Websites for Creative Commons and Free Music producers



UPDATED FEBRUARY 2020!!

In the last years we have seen a lot of new platforms for music, for earn money and reach a lot of listeners. But what happens when your music is too weird or to complex for "too much" people?

I talk of genres like sound collage, drone, dark ambient or a mixture of experimental and unrated genres.

Really do you need all those webs like Apple music, Tidal, Spotify, Itunes, Google play, etc? Do you think that you can find the true listeners for your music there? In a place that the most listened genres are pop, reggaeton, trap, dubstep, latin ballads and all kind of massive easy listening commercial stuff? If you think that the answer is yes, well i respect you. But maybe you must consider change your music style or your sound to the previously mentioned...

In the last time i saw too many experimental artists, trying to show a surrealistic image of themselves like celebrities or like hollywood stars...but is that the real path of the non commercial musician?
buying bots in facebook or in soundcloud for create that illusion of popularity...?

If you make music for dozens or maybe for hundred persons, why do you espect reach thousands or millions? We don't talk about conformism, we think that is something about be consequent with your own essence and with your own kind of music.

The true is that it doesn't matters where you upload your work, the important is share it in different websites, make collaborations with other artists, appear on v/a compilations, release your works in non commercial free music netlabels, show yourself in the social networks, have presence as artist and know and share feelings and mix your sound with similar producers to you.

You can't just upload your tracks and stay quiet, waiting that thousands of people turn from one day to the other into your fans. You have to use a lot of time on share and spread your work in multiple websites, forums, even in art pages. In a world full of superficiality you must have a powerful image or a striking female, male model, or the collaboration of friend illustrators or digital artists for your cover artworks. You need be authentic, and try to don't be a copy or a clone to none famous artist.

And if you need or if you want money working in non massive or in strange genres, really you are on the wrong side. Change your genre to something more easy listening and pop, you are loosing your time.



Anyway, the important thing of this post is show you alternatives for upload your music. These are some good alternatives for "non-massive music" for reach persons that maybe walk in a similar way  to you. And for allow people to free download your work and appreciate it as art and not like a product, not like a pair of shoes.

Below you have some alternatives for upload your music, but remember that you must share it in facebook groups, in forums about your genre. make collaborations with others, begin to spread your vision and mark presence in your genre. Also you can create a concept that highlight your work.

Well, from our point of view, here you have some alternatives and the better websites with less obstacles and limitations for creative commons and free music producers.

We consider points like: formats admitted, stability of the website, his presence in the web and the seatch engines and his limits of download and upload. We not consider number of users for the obviously reason previously mentioned.

We don't mention sites like Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Reverbnation or Orfium due to they have too much limitations, Ads, and also for their notorious commercial direction.



Rate: 9/10 

 Formats admitted: Most audio formats:
Flac, wav, mp3, ogg, etc.

Allow Music: Originals, Public Domain, Remixes, Bootlegs, Dj Mixes, Podcast, Video, etc.

Stability of the website: Good

 Website interface: Low. looks like a blog // For Desktop / Mobile use 

Presence in the web, search engines: Excellent

Download limits: No Limits

Upload limits: 2.0 GB per file.

Files are downloadable in: Exactly the same uploaded format
and apart create mirrors in other formats like ogg, torrent, mp3

Interaction with users:  Allow comments in albums, reviews.

Search Options: Medium. As a website of multiple video, photo and other files
you can search by genre selecting audio files, but is a little complicated.
Other good option is join to the netlabel collection for find latest releases on non-profit netlabels.

Pros:  - Your files remain in the web forever.
- - You can organize your full albums, allow album downloads in compressed files.
Excellent quality of sound. Multiple options. 
allow upload adult content for cover artworks (for noise and hardcore genres)

Cons: - some people don't know how download the files.
- you will have visits, but you don't know the number of people who download the files
- you can't create an artist profile, only collections.
don't have an app for cell phone.







Rate: 6/10

 Formats admitted:
wav, flac, aiff

Allow Music: Only originals

Stability of the website: Excellent

Presence in the web, search engines: Excellent

 Website interface:  Excellent very good design. // For Desktop / Mobile Use

Download limits: No Limits

Upload limits:  480 MG per file.

Files are downloadable in: mp3 180 kbps

Interaction with users:  Allow comments in albums, follow, reviews.

Search Options:  Low. The website only highlight most played artists.

Pros:  - You inmediatly will have instantly some listeners
- You can organize your full albums, allow album downloads in compressed files.
- you can create an artist profile with links to external webs.
Have Creative Commons Options.

Cons: - the albums and the tracks will be download in medium mp3 quality.
 - the website is more oriented to popular music.
- ask too much steps for upload a full album ( you must choose, song mood, speed and a lot of  others options for finally finish the upload)




https://hearthis.at/

Rate: 8/10

Formats admitted in free account: mp3
wav, aiff, flac (only for pro users)

Allow Music: Originals, Dj Sets, Podcasts, Remixes of music without copyright.

Stability of the website: Excellent

Presence in the web, search engines: Excellent

 Website interface:  Excellent very good design. // For Desktop / Mobile Use

Download limits: 100 download per track

Upload limits:  500 MB per week 

Files are downloadable in: mp3 in the same uploaded quality

Interaction with users:  - Allow comments in the time line of the tracks
even emoticons, reactions.
- allow message between users
- allow follow, reposts, give likes without limit.
- you can create events
- you can stream live performances

Search Options: Very Good, you can search by genre, length, latest tracks added

Pros:  - very similar to soundcloud with less upload limits.
- you can follow users without limits (mostly of time you will receive follobacks)
- a very good interaction with other artists and their music
you can create an artist profile with links to external webs.
Have Creative Commons Options.
You can create Events of new releases or announce your shows.

Cons: - the files only can be download it individually.
- the download limit. Have some publicity of the pro users.





IS A SITE DESIGNED FOR UPLOAD SOUNDS SO WE CAN'T RATE 
IT AS A COMMON MUSIC WEBSITE.

Rate: 6/10

Formats admitted: mp3, wav, flac, aiff

Allow Music: Only Sounds, created by the uploader.
(short drones, ambient excerpts, noises, monotonous beats, acapellas
experimental music with voices but don't allow melodic songs.

Stability of the website: Excellent

Presence in the web, search engines: Excellent

Website interface:  Low, looks very simple, like a blog. // Only for Desktop Use

Download limits: No limits

Upload limits:  1 GB per file. (All sounds are moderated by the owner of the website)

Files are downloadable in: exactly the same uploaded format

Interaction with users:  allow  comments, send messages to other users.

Search Options: Good, you can search by genre, mood, etc.

Pros:  Is very popular so real people will use and will download your sounds.
Have Creative Commons Options. Allow create an "user" profile. Very good sound quality.
Allow download packs.

Cons: 
have few profile options. 
The design is a little old fashioned.
You must log in each time that you visit the website.






Rate: 6/10

Formats admitted: mp3, wav, flac

Allow Music: Only originals

Stability of the website: Good

Presence in the web, search engines: Medium

Website interface:  Good, Nice, Is easy to use. // Only for Desktop Use

Download limits: No limits

Upload limits:  9,77 GB Of Space

Files are downloadable in: exactly the same uploaded format

Interaction with users:  allow likes, send messages to other users like soundcloud.

Search Options:  Good, you can search by genre.

Pros:  looks very friendly, good design, very high upload speed.
have a lot of free space for uploads.  Have Creative Commons Options.

Cons: - don't exist a repost option.
the files only can be download it individually.
have few profile options. Just few external links can be added.
you can't order the tracks on the playlists.
You must log in each time that you visit the website.





Rate: 4/10

Formats admitted: mp3, wav, flac

Allow Music: All, bootlegs, dj mixes, everything, even copyrighted material

Stability of the website: Good but take some time in Load the web.

Presence in the web, search engines: Low

Website interface:  bad, looks like a retro videogame web // For Desktop / Mobile Use

Download limits: No limits

Upload limits:  No limits 

Files are downloadable in: exactly the same uploaded 

Interaction with users:  allow likes, reposts like soundcloud.

Search Options:   Good, you can search by genre.

Pros:  - no upload or download limits
- you can create an artist profile with links to external webs.
Good profile options. The website 

Cons: - the files only can be download it individually.
the site looks a little old fashioned.
Don't have creative commons options.
You can't send messages to other users
Take some time to load.


 




Rate: 6/10

Formats admitted: mp3

Allow Music: Only originals, Remixes, Podcasts, Dj Mixes

Stability of the website: Good but take some time in Load the web.

Presence in the web, search engines: Good

Website interface:  Medium, looks like a retro videogame web /// Only for Desktop Use

Download limits: No limits

Upload limits:  No limits (only mp3)

Files are downloadable in: exactly the same uploaded mp3 format

Interaction with users:  allow likes, reposts like soundcloud.

Search Options:  Good, you can search by genre. Also you can search draws
and photography.

Pros:  - no upload or download limits (mp3 format)
- you can create an artist profile with links to external webs.

Cons: - the files only can be download it individually.
the site looks a little old fashioned.
Don't have creative commons options.
Take some time in Login.





Rate: 4/10

Formats admitted: mp3, aiff, wav, ogg, m4a

Allow Music: Only originals

Stability of the website: Good

Presence in the web, search engines: Good

 Website interface: Medium, looks like blog or a clone of soundcloud /For Desktop/Mobile Use

Download limits: the website don't allow free downloads 
but anyway you can include external links on description
or replace the buy link for your free compressed file.

Upload limits:  50 MG per file

Files are downloadable in: -

Interaction with users:  allow likes, follow, reposts like soundlcoud.

Search Options: Good, you can search by genre.

Pros:  - few upload limits
- you can have all your albums there and include your links
- you can create an artist profile with links to external webs.

Cons: - no allow downloads
- the site looks a little old fashioned
- have some ads. Too much commercial direction.



INACTIVE FOR UPLOADS.

******IN 2020 STILLS NOT ACTIVE FOR UPLOAD MUSIC***

Formats admitted: mp3 with a maximum of 8 mb per file
you only can upload music to the web filling a submission form.

Allow Music: Only originals, authorized remixes

Stability of the website: Medium

 Website interface: Regular, looks like old fashioned // For Desktop / Mobile Use

Presence in the web, search engines: Excellent

Download limits: No

Upload limits:  8 mb per file

Files are downloadable in: in mp3 320 kbps, 256 kbps,
depends your mp3 files.
Interaction with users:  Allow comments in albums, follow, reviews.

Search Options:  Medium, you can search by genre but is a little complicated and confused.

Pros: Your music can be download for video use.
- you can create an artist profile with links to external webs.
- you will have a lot of instantly plays and downloads by the community.
You can organize your full albums, allow album downloads in compressed file

Cons: 
- ask permission with a submission form for upload music
- medium quality of sound
- the web don't have an optimum stability, sometimes is offline.

The website change like 3 times of owner, so now works with a lot of bugs
and broken links. Is not clear when will be available for upload music again.
Meantime is a place for find creative commons music.




https://fanburst.com/
(OFFLINE / Closed in 2019)

Rate: 5/10

Formats admitted: mp3, wav

Stability of the website: Bad

Presence in the web, search engines: Medium

 Website interface:  Good, friendly design

Download limits: No limits

Upload limits:  No limits

Files are downloadable in: exactly the same uploaded format

Interaction with users:  low level, give likes and reposts in tracks.

Pros:  - no upload or download limits

Cons: - the files only can be download it individually.
- have a option of create compressed file for albums, but don't works well
- poor interaction with the other users
- a lot of shutdowns per month 
- poor artits profile options, few options in general