[S.T.C]

I know there's been a few posts about this outfit, plus the others ,similar to them..i just joined up ,myself.
Having had a tipsheet a couple of years ago , and a certain amount of industry interaction with some of the advertisers ,plus the T/S owner, i have a rough idea where i stand.

It's not like taxi ,no big upfront fee....but they require $10 per track diagnostics +$5-15 per submission +$5 for M/Xray.    So it could add up if you started confetti -ing  the site.

I'm just going to sit here for a while and see who comes to me,if anybody,..... i have spotted one or two interesting ads from publishers ,but keeping my powder dry for a while..

The truth is once you produce music ,that's not the end of it, and if you want the right attention ,it has to be paid for , which is good for them !

I think these sites are genuine, but it's mostly a forlorn hope , and you are at the mercy of a particular person , on a particular day and if they're not in the right mood ,your passed.

[Yodasdad]

Good luck with it.

I'd be interested to hear if anything fruitful comes from this.

Keep us posted.

Yodasdad

[S.T.C]

Yeah , i spent a bit of time reading reviews and the CEO has a couple of vids, going to great lengths to explain they are an industry filter ,not just a money making outfit.
TBH , i've paid my dues ,made a few unforced errors and paid for my education, that's why it's time to have another 'informed' dip into promotion , i will spend ,but at a time , that it will have the most potential to do good.

[Oldbutyet]

The best of luck to you STC and i hope those so call suits take interest, I mean that.

[S.T.C]

The best of luck to you STC and i hope those so call suits take interest, I mean that.

Cheers.

[Sing4me88]

This sounds like an interesting platform and I guess if engaged with strategically it might pull an ace or two out of the deck. I'm a bit uncertain based on your initial post though. Is this a pitch service where you see opportunities and you pitch to them on a case by case basis OR , and this is based on you saying you might just sit tight and see who comes to you (no bad approach at all), is it a platform where you can upload a catalogue of songs and if A&, artists etc think 'I like that' they hit you up for a collab or begin a discussion with you OR is it both. Either way I'm sure it'll prove a useful learning curve if nothing else.

[tone]

I'm not sure I understand the appeal of these sites. You pay to submit music which they reserve the right to pitch or not to the opportunity? In other words, the business model relies on huge numbers of hopefuls forking out for each piece they want to place...

Why not pitch direct to a publisher? If they take it on, there's no guarantee it will be placed, but at least it's part of a collection that receives daily attention from lots of different music supervisors/ tv producers etc. And you don't have to pay up front. If they think they can sell it, you're in, minus their 50% when they place it of course. Still seems like a safer deal to me.

[S.T.C]

You do pitch directly to producers , publishers  etc...but you pay around $5-15 + $5 for musicxray and $10 for their diagnostic tool....having read a few reviews ,this diagnostic thingy seems to be a big sticking point , although no doubt people are paying....

[S.T.C]

So , anyway i spent £15.50 on a submission ,it's to an L.A based outfit...headed by a guy who is well connected , worked on 2 of Beyonce's albums...blah.blah,blah

Says wait upto 45 days for a responce, 20 'fans' will get a listen and review...

I sent one of the more commercial tracks....see what they say?

[Sing4me88]

I've a natural distaste for these pay for pitching sites/services as it seems to be a shameless money spinner yet on the other hand it could be the best £15.50 you ever spend. I'm intrigued by the idea they survey 20 'fans' for a determination - I'm guessing A&R also have some say (?) and/or that these 'fans' might just also happen to be industry peeps too?

[The S]

Hmm...

STC,

See, we're all the same you know, we all react somewhat the same and we (on this forum) are not different than these possible music biz people you mention.

What I mean by this is this, if somebody walks up to me and say s/he's got a great song and I should've a listen, I will. If the song is not so good it will not be easy to persuade me to listen to song #2. But lets say I do and that one is not so good either, then I'm done. Money or no money. I am done. I would never invest my time, knowledge nor expertise in something I don't believe in, it's hard as it is even when you do believe.

And this is why you can't really buy your way in, because we all react this way, publishers and producers do too. No one, not your or me, or any music peeps will listen to your songs if the quality isn't there. That's what counts and a few dollars wasted here and there won't change that.

It is hard to get somebody to listen to your stuff, I know that. But sorry, IMO I believe anyone who wants you to pay to get in, especially when they can't even guarantee you will get in, because both you and I understand fully that that is impossible to guarantee, they're scamming you. They do. And I despise 'em for it from the bottom of my heart.

And honestly, if and when somebody truly love what you do, not to mention if they smell real money for their own pockets, they will not let you go, let alone rob you of any money. Not in the early stages. They'll save that for later.  

Believe in your self. Send your stuff to fn everyone that's out there. Google your brains out, it's all there. Never give up and just keep at it. With a bit of luck, your songs will find its way to one persons office, on a day they happen to be in a good mood, and that can change everything. No money spent.

But hey, if you prove me wrong and I hope you will, all power to you.

Of course, just my 0.2.

Cheers,

Peter

[S.T.C]

I've a natural distaste for these pay for pitching sites/services as it seems to be a shameless money spinner yet on the other hand it could be the best £15.50 you ever spend. I'm intrigued by the idea they survey 20 'fans' for a determination - I'm guessing A&R also have some say (?) and/or that these 'fans' might just also happen to be industry peeps too?

You can pay for fan reviews ,for a cost of about £0.30 , 20 seem to be included when you submit a song. So far , 6 out of 7 have become 'fans' ,13 more are pending, you also get to see their email address , for a period of time..so i have sent them all a thank you , and a link to purchase.

A reasonable result would be a purchase or 2 .off setting the cost of the submission.
The important one though is the A&R outfit,...... on the one i've done, the first hurdle, is to be accepted for pitching , and(2nd hurdle) a payment  of $1000 plus, for a placement.

Also ,you do get your work submitted to Pro's, and they take a look,even if it's a short listen ,it's still something.

[S.T.C]

Hmm...

STC,

See, we're all the same you know, we all react somewhat the same and we (on this forum) are not different than these possible music biz people you mention.

What I mean by this is this, if somebody walks up to me and say s/he's got a great song and I should've a listen, I will. If the song is not so good it will not be easy to persuade me to listen to song #2. But lets say I do and that one is not so good either, then I'm done. Money or no money. I am done. I would never invest my time, knowledge nor expertise in something I don't believe in, it's hard as it is even when you do believe.

And this is why you can't really buy your way in, because we all react this way, publishers and producers do too. No one, not your or me, or any music peeps will listen to your songs if the quality isn't there. That's what counts and a few dollars wasted here and there won't change that.

It is hard to get somebody to listen to your stuff, I know that. But sorry, IMO I believe anyone who wants you to pay to get in, especially when they can't even guarantee you will get in, because both you and I understand fully that that is impossible to guarantee, they're scamming you. They do. And I despise 'em for it from the bottom of my heart.

And honestly, if and when somebody truly love what you do, not to mention if they smell real money for their own pockets, they will not let you go, let alone rob you of any money. Not in the early stages. They'll save that for later.  

Believe in your self. Send your stuff to fn everyone that's out there. Google your brains out, it's all there. Never give up and just keep at it. With a bit of luck, your songs will find its way to one persons office, on a day they happen to be in a good mood, and that can change everything. No money spent.

But hey, if you prove me wrong and I hope you will, all power to you.

Of course, just my 0.2.

Cheers,

Peter

Well first , you haven't' heard the track i submitted,......second , i'm risking 3 pints of beer,   .... third these sites are not scammers ,although  the material needs to be very good, to get their attention .... BUT all this might be erroneous reasoning on my part.

[The S]

Well first , you haven't' heard the track i submitted,......second , i'm risking 3 pints of beer,   .... third these sites are not scammers ,although  the material needs to be very good, to get their attention .... BUT all this might be erroneous reasoning on my part.

1) I have not.
2) True, that's all you're risking. For now.
3)

and(2nd hurdle) a payment  of $1000 plus, for a placement.

Not scammers? You sure?

4) That's my point, you don't have to pay for that, to get anyone's attention the material ALWAYS needs to be good.
5) I'm afraid it is and I'm just trying to help out.

But I get it, there's nothing wrong in checking out various platforms like that, it can even be a bit of fun and even inspirational, I do get that. I just urge you to tread lightly and be careful, because I'm afraid the only interest they've got is your money. Just saying.

Peter

[Boydie]

I do not have a problem with "paid for pitching" services as long as the person paying has their eyes wide open and has the money to invest

STC ticks both boxes so go for it

Even if you just get some good feedback from the industry then that is well worth a few pints

The only time these things become a problem is if the company does not have the "credentials" they advertise (and it sounds like STC has checked 'em out) or the money they demand is excessive

I sent one of the more commercial tracks....see what they say?

I must admit there are a few alarm bells ringing about the $1,000 placement fee - I could see some industry types (especially in an industry that is not as rich as it was) getting together and "manufacturing" a "placement" or having a song "on hold" by a major artist

Would this count as a "placement" and would you have to pay the fee if the song was not "cut" (recorded & released)?

A fairer way (and the normal reputable publisher approach) would be a % share of royalties

However, you seem savvy enough to me to not get swept away and commit £££ but also open enough to "take a chance" with calculated risks, which is a good balance to be going in with

My only warning would be....

If the next contact from them is along the lines of...

"we love the track and the reviews are great, we just need to get it re-recorded / produced by ##insert impressive producer name## and we think ##insert even more impressive artist name## would then consider it - you just need to pay ##insert amount that seems reasonable for big names but is still a big amount## and we will take care of everything

...I would run a mile

I am sure they can word it in such a way as they are not technically lying (they may actually used the named producer and have a way of getting someone in the artist's camp to listen to it) BUT if they felt the song was a hit they would not charge up front for these services

It is a completely different matter if they give you feedback saying "the production needs to more modern and we offer xyz services that may help" - it is the implied links to artists/labels and trying to sweep you up in a "spend with us and you will have a hit" stuff that would ring alarm bells

I am sure you are aware of all of this but it never hurts to have a reminder of these types of approaches on these types of threads for warnings to others

I really wish you well with it and would love to hear the track and get more info on this service for my own research if you fancy pinging me a PM

Good luck