VibeDeck – Free Direct-to-Fan Ecommerce Platform

13 thoughts on “VibeDeck – Free Direct-to-Fan Ecommerce Platform”

1.  

   Visit https://www.vibedeck.com Is it immediately obvious what the site is about and who it is intended for? If yes, why? If not, why?

   In a way, it is not, if I had not read your description on StartUpLift, I may not have known that this site was a way for musicians to sell to their fans because your page says nothing about music, musicians, CDs, etc.

   Sign-up (email or facebook) and create your page (we call this a “deck”). Rate your work flow from 1 to 10 (1=very counter intuitive, 10=very intuitive). How can this process be improved?

   I like the first step: naming the artist. You can’t do anything until you do that. Then, once that is done, you reach a screen that looks pretty easy to do: click on the part of the album you want to work on next. I started with the header. I chose a picture and was told my picture need to be 950 pixels wide AFTER I chose one. I don’t happen to have any at this time, so I’ll pass on that one.
    
   Next, I added a picture for the front of the album. The program acted like it was accepting it, but denied it because I chose a picture that wasn’t exactly 350×350 pixels. So, I’d have to crop it to make it work. Makes sense that an artist would want it to fit the space exactly so that they’re CD would appear professionally made.
    
   Third, I clicked on the price to see if that’s how to change it. It worked. Very Simple. Likewise with the release title.
    
   I don’t have any recorded tracks at present on my computer, so I just added a sound bite. The uploading box appeared behind the “Add Track” box. I was grateful that I could move the “Add Track” box so that I could see the progress. After watching the pictures not work earlier, I wanted to see if it was downloading or not, especially since I wasn’t sure which formats would be accepted. I chose a *.wma file and it worked.
    
   I decided to see what my album looked like next, so I clicked on the “Preview” button. It took longer to appear than I thought it would, since I hadn’t cropped the square picture and banner and put them on the album.
    
   Next, I clicked on “settings” and found that it was very easy set up the paypal account.
    
   The only thing I wasn’t sure about was how to delete the album when I no longer want to sell it. However, I did see the release button. I figure that would be a good substitution for deleting. If I didn’t want to sell it any more because I had a new album or a better version of the album, but wanted to keep it around for a while just in case I wanted to sell it again later, I could turn the release button back on at that time.
    
   Overall, I’d give it an 8 because it was pretty simple to set up my album, even with the pictures being the wrong sizes. For my second album, that would be super easy to be prepared with the right pictures.
    

   What about the experience struck you as a distinguishable strength/advantage?

   The simplicity of the site, rather than clutter, made the site user friendly. I think anyone who is familiar with using a computer, the web, etc would have very few problems preparing an album with the format you have set up.

   What about the experience struck you as a distinguishable weakness/disadvantage?

   I would have preferred to know the dimensions for the pictures before I tried to upload them. However, I was happy to get them after I chose the wrong size picture so that I would know why it wasn’t working and what I needed to do to make the picture fit properly.

   ANY other feedback is most welcome! I really like this site because it offers people a chance to get started without all the money going to a recording label. Using a company, such as Paypal, to deal with payments is ideal. Most people prefer a 3rd party like that to keep track of all of the business in one place without giving up too much information. I wish you the best with your site.

    

2. Visit https://www.vibedeck.com Is it immediately obvious what the site is about and who it is intended for? If yes, why? If not, why?

   Not really, i take some time to figure out what is it about. Your ‘sell direct to fan’ keyword and the picture beside the keyword give a direction for me to thought of the site is about selling sound tracks from artist direct to the public. But it is not obvious. I suggest that you can change your keyword with something like ‘sell your collection tracks direct to fans’, which is more obvious. if u have a better keyword that will be more great. if you dont wish to change the keyword you can add a slide show on your picture, instead of only displaying one picture. In the slide shows, you can display a step by step how your site works with some short descriptions. 4-5 slides will be enough. This can make visitors easily understand about what your site about with the slide shows. I think that the site is intended for people who want to earn some money from selling latest songs to others, or artist who can directly create a page and sell their latest songs to others.

   Sign-up (email or facebook) and create your page (we call this a “deck”). Rate your work flow from 1 to 10 (1=very counter intuitive, 10=very intuitive). How can this process be improved?

   5. Five the registeration process is easy, no problem. Then i start with entering the artists name. After that i get into a page which allow me to design the page. First i want to talk about the insert image for the header part. i choose an image after i click open the image, the choose a file box still appear and asking me to choose a file when i already chosen. Until i close the box then i saw the loading of the uploading the file image process. You should display the uploading process after i choose a image instead of still showing the choose a file box. this can make some confuses. And after the upload finish, i cant see any image in the header area. I think it is because of the sizes of my image is not fit same with the add artwork area. i suggest that you should auto fitting the image for people as they cant really always get a image which same size with your requirement. Unless you want them resize themself using other software as this will make the process more difficult. Inserting background and also add tracks also have the same problem which the box asking for choose file displayed after i have already chosen a file. I suggest that you can allow members to create their own layout which is more flexible for them. Example they can arrange the place for the artworks the size of the artwork, the description place they can put under the artwork if they want. make it more flexible. You can also show a pop up with simple step by step instruction which telling beginners what to do and if they dont need an instruction they can skip it. This is for a better service. 
   

   What about the experience struck you as a distinguishable strength/advantage?

   The feature that you provide which allow people to direct sell it to fans is a great service. I like it as it make people more easier and convenience for people to sell their tracks to others. I like that your home page is simple which i feel comfortable when viewing it. It’s not complicated. i like that you already create the basic page for people and they just have to insert the information which is very convenience and comfort. 
   

   What about the experience struck you as a distinguishable weakness/disadvantage?

   The weaknesses is about the choose file box that i mention above. And i wondering how people going to see my page? i been looking for this in your website but i cant find any info about it. I also would like to know how many people will see my page? isit shared in the facebook twitter? Or people will found it by searching from your site? You should state all these in your home page so that people will have confidence on your site. When i click on your preview, i dont see anything beside the artist name that i typed it in the beginning. I dont know is my computer problem or is your site problem. 
   

   ANY other feedback is most welcome!

   For a web site like this, i suggest that you list what benefits will we get when we join your site, and al why we should join. List all these in the homepage as this will change people mind and get good respond from them. I think that this is a very good business and potential site which is very convenience for people to sell their new released songs. and it’s members get 100% of their sales. Which not much site have this kind of offer. Good luck!

3. Is it immediately obvious what the site is about and who it is intended for? If yes, why? If not, why?
   No, because the only place it comes close to mentioning music is when the visitor scrolls down and sees a note captured on a screen shot under the heading “Super easy to use.” The copy under this heading also mentions the word “artist.” Other than that, it’s not readily apparent that this site is for musicians. But that could be fixed easily. Just change your headline, “Sell Direct-to-Fan,” to “Sell Music Direct-to-Fan.” Since people are visual, you might also add some images. Some examples: people listening happily to their iPods, the silhouette of a band playing, musical notes floating by.
    
   Sign-up (email or facebook) and create your page (we call this a “deck”). Rate your work flow from 1 to 10 (1=very counter intuitive, 10=very intuitive). How can this process be improved?
   Things got off to a good start. I had no problem confirming my new account or adding a band name. But when I got to the second page, I was a little confused because the black on black made it hard to see. Despite the background, it wasn’t hard to figure out how to name my album, set my price, and upload a test track. However, the track took awhile to upload, and when I tried to play it back, I got just static and hissing.
    
   At this point, I needed to read your support page to find out what was wrong, and I was disappointed that I couldn’t access that from my dashboard; I had to go back to the home page. And then once I got back there, the “Support” tab in your navbar didn’t work. It gave me one of those “page not found” messages. Luckily, I thought to see if the small “Get some help” link at the bottom worked, and it did. Unfortunately, I discovered that you don’t have a true help page with standard questions and answers or a user guide, only a forum where users can ask questions. I typed in my question, and no one seemed to have addressed it yet, so I tried to add it, only to be asked to sign in again. How come going back to the home page automatically signed me out? I didn’t like that.
    
   Anyway, what I tried to upload was a WMA file. Maybe you don’t accept WMA files. I decided to log back in and try to upload an MP3 instead. But–get this–when I tried to log back in, I got an error message that the email address I entered “wasn’t found.” I tried it again, being very careful of my spelling. Same problem. At this point, I was totally frustrated.
    
   Is creating a page intuitive? Mostly, yeah. I’d give you about an 8/10 for that. But the process is riddled with all kinds of errors. I’d say that right now it doesn’t work, and there’s no way to get it to work because you don’t have a user guide, so 1/10 there.
    
   Here’s what I think could be better:
    
   1. Track upload needs to actually work. And it should be faster.
   2. There should be a true help page or user guide with standard questions and answers, not just user-submitted questions. There are basic things all users need to know, such as which file formats you accept. This help page should be accessible right from the dashboard. No one should have to sign out and sign back in to get to it.
   3. A selection of backgrounds would be nice–even just some other solid colors.
   4. Other methods of payment could be added for those who don’t use PayPal (i.e., direct deposit to bank account, check via mail, etc.).
   5. It would be cool if you had an option for the user to include more info, such as a bio, reviews of his/her music, and/or upcoming show dates.
   6. It would also be cool if you allowed for listeners to leave comments on the music and/or band.
   7. Eliminate any glitches like difficulties recognizing member emails during log-in.
    
   What about the experience struck you as a distinguishable strength/advantage?
   At this point, I wouldn’t say any part of my user experience with this was an advantage because I couldn’t get it to work. However, the concept itself is FANTASTIC. I can’t emphasize that enough. I’m not a pro musician, so maybe I’m just not aware of these things, but I’ve never seen a site like this. I’m not aware of any web destination that allows musicians to sell their music online without taking a cut. This could revolutionize the music business. What a wonderful way to put power in the hands of the people! It makes me want to go record something, create a real account, and post it up there. Seriously. There’s everything to gain and nothing to lose! What a winning proposition!
    
   What about the experience struck you as a distinguishable weakness/disadvantage?
   There’s nothing about the site concept that’s a disadvantage. But, as I said, I had problems using it from a technical standpoint. You can read about those problems above, so I won’t repeat them here.
    
   ANY other feedback is most welcome!
   Again, the site concept is TERRIFIC. But the site itself is full of glitches and feels incomplete. For example, here’s another one I just noticed now. I’m on the support forum page, and clicking your logo doesn’t take me back to the home page; it just refreshes.
    
   Your site really needs some more informational pages–an about page, a contact page, a true help page. I notice you have a blog, but it’s not yet up and running. As people start to join your site, I’d also suggest that you include a search feature to help users find specific artists as well as browse artists in categories that interest them.
    
   My final verdict: This could be HUGE, but you need to get the site truly ready before you launch.
    
    
    
    

4. Visit https://www.vibedeck.com Is it immediately obvious what the site is about and who it is intended for? If yes, why? If not, why?
   No, I can see that the site offers the ability to sell something directly to fans but it is not obvious, at least to me, exactly what that is. I am assuming it is music due to the fact that I see a music note on the first box on the left above the ‘super easy to use’ text. I think that the the tag line text should state more clearly what it is that someone would be selling(or buying) such as – Sell music directly to fans. I would also say that adding a music note to the Vibedeck text would help make it obvious without words as to what this site is related to. If I had seen a music note then it would have been easier for me to tell without reading anything exactly what this site has to do with.
   
   Sign-up (email or facebook) and create your page (we call this a “deck”). Rate your work flow from 1 to 10 (1=very counter intuitive, 10=very intuitive). How can this process be improved? The process of signing up was very straightforward and easy. I encountered no problems. Now, I am not able to give a really in depth review of how easy or hard it was to edit the artist page since I have not been able to sign back into my account as I state below. I did however  have no problems adding the album name, editing the price and copyright info. That was all that I messed with before logging out. I had intended on logging back in to mess around more with the features but unfortuntaley was not able to.
   
   What about the experience struck you as a distinguishable strength/advantage? A big advantage is that it is completely free and you get to keep 100% of what you make. I like the black background with the white text, it gives the artist page a professional yet edgy look. I do think however everyone might not want a black background depending on the particular art they want displayed, so giving an option of either white or black background would be a good feature to offer, giving the artist the ability to choose is always a feature that would be appreciated.

   What about the experience struck you as a distinguishable weakness/disadvantage? Upon signing up and clicking on the email link I was signed right into my account however when I signed out and tried to login in again I wasn’t able to sign back in. After clicking Log In it would start processing and then just stop.
   
   ANY other feedback is most welcome!
   The three boxes at the bottom – the first box that says ‘Super easy to use’ there is a small typo where the ‘a’ should be ‘an’.

   Create a professional looking artist page in seconds with an edit-in-place interface.

   Those three boxes are all linked to the Log in page. I was expecting to be taken to a page with more info about that particular topic or at least to a information page but I found it odd that clicking them took me to the Log in page. I don’t know that they need to be linked at all unless it is to an informational page.

   I think maybe underneath the ‘Get started now’ button there could be another button for ‘Sign in’ or ‘Log in’, instead of only a small Sign in text link at the top.

   The Blog link at the top of the page when I clicked it was taken to a Vibedeck page that stated Not Found. When I clicked on the Support link at the top I was taken to a cannot find server page.

   I think that the site could really use a FAQ page that could answer any questions to some possible problems a user might encounter.

   This is a very interesting and unique site! Once this site gets going, after tweaking the website a bit more before launching, it has the real possibility of being very succesful!

5. Visit https://www.vibedeck.com Is it immediately obvious what the site is about and who it is intended for? If yes, why? If not, why?
   

   Vibedeck appears to be about Selling something directly to fans (Ecommerce). I wish you could simply it some. For example, I don’t understand why you could not sell directly to fans before (what are the obstacles), and if your site is the first to do this, specify it. Good point listing that it is easy to use and 100% free.

   Sign-up (email or facebook) and create your page (we call this a “deck”). Rate your work flow from 1 to 10 (1=very counter intuitive, 10=very intuitive). How can this process be improved?
   

   Sign up process was simple. Intuitive = 10

   What about the experience struck you as a distinguishable strength/advantage?
   Wish I had more of an explanation BEFORE going through the sign up process. Simple, easy to use.

   What about the experience struck you as a distinguishable weakness/disadvantage?

   I don’t know how to use your service. No FAQ and don’t know how to use your site if I am not adding a Artist/Band name.

   ANY other feedback is most welcome!
   

   If I don’t actually go through the sign up process, I would like to see more selling points about your service (other than stating it is “good” or “easy to use”) Specific reasons why someone needs your service to encourage people to go through the sign-up process.

6. Sorry to add this in after the fact, but another thing that just occurred to me is that right now your home page is only geared toward musicians. You’re forgetting the other half of the equation, which is music fans, the very people who are hopefully going to buy this music.
    
   I think you need to redesign your home page with maybe a split screen that says “For Musicians” on one side and “For Music Fans” on the other and then lists the selling points for each market under the appropriate head. I like your current selling points for musicians, and selling points for fans could be something like:
    
   –Listen free
   –Discover new artists
   –Support the music you love–buy direct from the artist
    
   If there are other advantages for the listener, you’d want to add them, of course.
    

7. Visit https://www.vibedeck.com Is it immediately obvious what the site is about and who it is intended for? If yes, why? If not, why? When I first open your website, upon landing on the homepage, I am a little lost as to what the site is about.  The only clue I have that it pertains to music, is the picture on the right side of the page.  As I scroll to the bottom of the page, again, I see the picture of a music note above the Super Easy to Use box.  As I look around your homepage, I am getting a feeling that the website has something to do with me (as a musician perhaps) selling music to a fan (or customer), I can only make an assumption.  If I were to unintentionally land on this website, I would not immediately know what the site is about, only via assumption.
    
   Sign-up (email or facebook) and create your page (we call this a “deck”). Rate your work flow from 1 to 10 (1=very counter intuitive, 10=very intuitive). How can this process be improved? Upon signing up, I am ask to create my band name, which is easy.  I am immediately taken to a page that kind of looks to be a backdoor into a website builder.    It’s a very easy, non technical layout building page that looks to be similar to every other website type builder that I have used in the past.  I would rate that to be about an 8, simply because I am familiar with this style of layout.  The tabs at the top are simple and easy to use and find.  However, I would still like to see instructions pertaining to the basic building located easily within my view.
    
   What about the experience struck you as a distinguishable strength/advantage? I think it’s very easy and quick.  Again, because I have used this type of structure before, I feel it to be without complication.
    
   What about the experience struck you as a distinguishable weakness/disadvantage? On the other hand of what I have mentioned above, for the person that has no experience in this type of format, I would like to see instructions made available immediately upon landing on this building page.
    
   ANY other feedback is most welcome! I started playing around with the building structure of the page.  When I tried to upload a background image from my computer, it would not upload the image.  It bounced back to the main page.   Again, I tried to upload a Header Image and it would not upload that either.  I am not sure if this is because the website is not operating at full potential yet, or if it is a flaw.   Typing of the Track Titles were without complication.    I tried to Add a Track and Add Artwork in this builder, but neither one would work for me.  Again, not sure if this is due to a flaw.   I tried to click on the buttons at the bottom of the screen, including the Terms page, but the website was immediately shut down.  I could not proceed.
    
   Overall, it looks like it might be a fun website once it is up and running, but at the present, there are numerous items to be addressed.
    

8. Visit https://www.vibedeck.com Is it immediately obvious what the site is about and who it is intended for? If yes, why? If not, why?
   It was not immediatly easy to tell what you website was about. I had to pull a few things together to understand that you site was about music. Your sites name is helpful and the fact that you say you sell directly to fans. It was hard to tell if that was music cover if you put it all together you could figure it out.
   Sign-up (email or facebook) and create your page (we call this a “deck”). Rate your work flow from 1 to 10 (1=very counter intuitive, 10=very intuitive). How can this process be improved?
   I found that signing up was very easy and I like that you allow people more than one way to sign up using facebook. I tried to login not using facebook and I was not able to do so. Is it not possible to sign up both ways? After signing up it was not obvious that I was about to start creating my deck. I would have like to see some type of prompt or step-by-step directions. I don’t know if it was just me but I tried several times to load a header image was unable to do so. It would have been nice to be able to add color in addition to adding a picture for a background. It seems a little uninviting to start off with such a dark back ground. Again I don’t if it was just me but I was unable to do anything other than adding the initial title name. I would have to rate my experience a 2. Your steps seem easy enough but I was unable to complete them.
   What about the experience struck you as a distinguishable strength/advantage?
   Not being able to complete my deck leaves me feeling as though I can’t properly answer this question. I like that you allow people to sell their music in a way that will totatlly benefit them being that you have no charges.
   What about the experience struck you as a distinguishable weakness/disadvantage?
   There doesn’t seems to be any instructions with website. As I stated before the steps seem easy enough but no website should leave off how to use its website.
   ANY other feedback is most welcome!
   Okay so I waited and waited after I saw the uploading box still nothing happened. You have a great idea that needs to be taken revamped and made absolutly user friendly.

9. $5 awarded to bobbinbeck.

10. $5 awarded to tzales13.

11. $5 awarded to zeke2100.

12. $5 awarded to tthau2010.

13. $5 awarded to greatfeedback4u.

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