IndieByChoice – Independent Music, Videos and Fans

3 thoughts on “IndieByChoice – Independent Music, Videos and Fans”

1. What do you think the site is about?
   I think the site is geared towards talented artists who need exposure and towards an audience who is looking for new independent artists. It’s great for people who want to try something new and get away from the mainstream.
    
   What do you find bothersome? What do you like?
   I think the site is great and very professional.  It’s easy to navigate and so many topics are covered.  I think it’s a great site for artists and listeners alike.  I like that there is info for people who might be considering a career in music. Very informative!
   Ok, on the problems…
   1) I think it would be great to be able to select music genres on the home page.
   2) A couple of the “latest listener” images on the side of the page were a somewhat distracting, and, in my opinion, it takes away from the integrity of this great site. However, I realize that there’s probably not much you could do about monitoring the images that are uploaded to the site.
   3) When I clicked on several of the genres on the Music page, I noticed that only hiphop/rap was displayed.  Perhaps there’s a problem with the filtering function on this particular page, or there is no music available for those genres.  I clicked on Latin, Country, Jazz, Alternative, R&B, and Pop, but I never got results for these specific genres. That would definitely be a turn off for someone looking for a specific genre. The function seemed to be working better on the Videos page.
   4)  I’m thinking that it should say “Featured Artists” at the top of the page instead of “Feature Artist” especially since there are several listed instead of just 1 artist.
   5) Are there any guidelines for video submission on the site? Here’s an example of a video that’s not really a music video: https://www.indiebychoice.com/indie-videos/video.aspx?v=1800. I thought the purpose of the site was to showcase the talent of an artist.  In this video a python feeding time is set to music.
   Are you encouraged to sign up? If not, why?
   Yes, I would be very interested in signing up and I have friends who are really into indie music so I will surely be forwarding them this site.  I see that some the of the genres of music that I’m interested in are not listed or there aren’t any submissions for them yet so that would be a slight deterrent for me.
    
   How do you think the site compares to other similar sites/competitors like reverbnation.com?
   I took a look at reverbnation to compare your site with theirs and I can honestly say that I like IndieByChoice much better. I like your set up and the tabs at the top of the page.  Everything that I want to know about is at the top.  I don’t have to do a lot of scrolling.  One thing that I do like about reverbnation is the fact that they have the “global scene” section.  As a lover of World Music that would appeal to me.  Independent artists in other countries need exposure, too!
   
   
   Please share any additional feedback/comments you may have.
   I think it would be cool to have a chat room where listeners could chat about their favorite artists or even chat with artists from time to time.  That would give listeners access to these musicians and give the artists a way to develop a strong fan base. 
   

2. Hey MoneyBags,

   Thanks for the review. It was very helpful as we are always working to improve the user experience while providing independent artist with a great place to share their music.

   We have corrected numbers 3 and 4. Thanks for pointing those out. Point number 1 along with the chat feature from your feedback is currently in the works.

   As for the video submission, artist are allowed to add any of their Youtube videos with the thought that it is related to their music. We are also in the process of adding tools for users to report offensive and non-related content. This will address the inappropriate photos as well.

   As I mentioned earlier your feedback was very helpful and please don’t hesitate to contact me (raimone@indiebychoice.com) if you have questions, issues or more feedback.

   Thanks,

   Raimone,
   http://www.indiebychoice.com/mone
   raimone@indiebychoice.com

3. What do you think the site is about?

   At first glance the website appears to be geared towards aspiring musicians who are looking for an opportunity to gain more exposure.

   What do you find bothersome? What do you like?

   I like that the website is clean and effectively uses screen real estate, granting it a more professional appearance. 

   On dislikes:

   -I felt that the Latest Listeners portion of the page was too large for what it is. It should focus more on the music and not those listening to it.

   -The color scheme despite having a nice clean appearance is on the overly bright side, I feel that after an extended period of time it could become something of an eyesore.

   -Guidelines on what constitutes a music video could be more heavily enforced. A few of the videos I watched  ended up having nothing to do with the intended subject matter.

   Are you encouraged to sign up? If not, why?

   Yes, it is a favorable looking website with a subject matter that appeals to me. It is something I would feel comfortable sharing with friends or family due to the overall quality. 

   How do you think the site compares to other similar sites/competitors like reverbnation.com?

   For one who aesthetically pleasing web design is a significant factor, I think it compares quite favorably. Reverbnation.com has a poor use of screen real estate that I find especially unpleasing to the eye. indiebychoice.com contrasts this by being clear, concise and just better looking.

   Please share any additional comments/feedback you may have:
   
   Perhaps you could add a forum or chat that would allow users to discuss the music on the website? I didn’t see anything matching that description, so I assumed there wasn’t anything or it just wasn’t easily found.

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