Making noise on the Internet can be tough for emerging artists. With so many acts having substantial online footprints, it can be difficult to get by on merit.
That's where Ourstage comes in. Since its founding in 2007, it's served as an online community where artists can rise above their peers based on one key element: the quality of their songs.\
“Ourstage is a music discovery website," says the site's Director of Community and Content, Kristin Bredimus. “Emerging artists are invited to upload original music that a very passionate community of independent music lovers then sort."
The initial idea behind the organization was to allow listeners to sort web-based content based on which songs they thought stood out.
“We wanted to really empower the music listener to be the pacemaker," says Bredimus. “The idea is that music lovers rank the songs in order of their preferences. Essentially, all of the gems rise to the surface and the less desirable music falls to the bottom of the pile."
The site is built around Ourstage's unique, cheat-proof technology. Contests are manually monitored, and each user can only vote once in each competition.
Artists can't stuff the virtual ballot box by telling their buddies to vote for their song again and again. Those who make it to the top do so on merit.
“By analyzing consumer preferences we start to get a real authentic view of what's quality music on the site," says Bredimus. “The technology was built to illuminate talent. It's not a popularity contest."
Instead, it's an arena for heated competition. Thanks to a devoted base of users, as many as 13 “battles" between songs happen per second. And the community is only growing.
This integrity of Ourstage's technology, along with the eagerness with which it's been embraced, has created a unique opportunity for bands and brands alike.
Tom Silverman of New Music Seminar discovered one of his acts, electro-poppers Plushgun, via the success their songs were achieving on Ourstage.
“It's a filter we can use to find out what songs are the best based on crowd sourcing," says Silverman. “One of our goals is to help artists break through the glut of new acts coming out, so we wanted to utilize Ourstage's filter to find great artists and help give them more exposure."
Though the site was initially created with the music consumer in mind, there are considerable benefits for artists as well. Ourstage runs monthly competitions where acts can win up to $1,000 or unique opportunities.
Winners of one current competition will be gaining the privilege of opening for N*E*R*D. Ourstage is also about to launch a promotion with Jane's Addiction, giving one lucky artist the chance to record with the LA rockers.
New Music Seminar is one of several partners that Ourstage has aligned itself with since 2007. Creating these alliances allows the site to offer unique experiences to artists. Other partners include guitar manufacturer Ernie Ball and, most significantly, MTV Networks.
“Part of our strategic plan is to align ourselves with partners who can give artists opportunities," says Bredimus. “Sometimes we go out and seek those partnerships. Other times they come to us because they want to run a promotion and they know that there's integrity to the competitions we run."
Creating partnerships is crucial to maintaining Ourstage's community, allowing the organization to do what few others can.
“What we're looking to do as a company is trying to bring entertainment to the masses," says Bredimus. “In order to do that we need to attract quality artists, and in order to attract quality artists we need to bring real life opportunities that they can't get anywhere else on the web."
In addition to allying themselves with some of the biggest companies in the music business, Ourstage's advisors have considerable experience in the industry, hopefully ensuring the organization's longevity.
The Ourstage platform isn't perfect for companies seeking fuller partnerships; “it's rating the song and not the artist," explains Silverman.
“The song can be great but the artist could suck. People will vote for the song but it might not have any bearing on the artists themselves. The artist may not be a star."
Nevertheless, Ourstage's partners are enthusiastic about its power as a tool for musicians, fans and record companies. Artists benefit from the exposure to new fans and the chance to showcase their talent based on the merit of their music.
At the other end of the spectrum, talent-spotters can utilize a dedicated online community to sift through the jungle of online music, using Ourstage's competitions to pick up on music that's already proved its popularity. So how come your music's not up there?
That's where Ourstage comes in. Since its founding in 2007, it's served as an online community where artists can rise above their peers based on one key element: the quality of their songs.\
“Ourstage is a music discovery website," says the site's Director of Community and Content, Kristin Bredimus. “Emerging artists are invited to upload original music that a very passionate community of independent music lovers then sort."
The initial idea behind the organization was to allow listeners to sort web-based content based on which songs they thought stood out.
“We wanted to really empower the music listener to be the pacemaker," says Bredimus. “The idea is that music lovers rank the songs in order of their preferences. Essentially, all of the gems rise to the surface and the less desirable music falls to the bottom of the pile."
The site is built around Ourstage's unique, cheat-proof technology. Contests are manually monitored, and each user can only vote once in each competition.
Artists can't stuff the virtual ballot box by telling their buddies to vote for their song again and again. Those who make it to the top do so on merit.
“By analyzing consumer preferences we start to get a real authentic view of what's quality music on the site," says Bredimus. “The technology was built to illuminate talent. It's not a popularity contest."
Instead, it's an arena for heated competition. Thanks to a devoted base of users, as many as 13 “battles" between songs happen per second. And the community is only growing.
This integrity of Ourstage's technology, along with the eagerness with which it's been embraced, has created a unique opportunity for bands and brands alike.
Tom Silverman of New Music Seminar discovered one of his acts, electro-poppers Plushgun, via the success their songs were achieving on Ourstage.
“It's a filter we can use to find out what songs are the best based on crowd sourcing," says Silverman. “One of our goals is to help artists break through the glut of new acts coming out, so we wanted to utilize Ourstage's filter to find great artists and help give them more exposure."
Though the site was initially created with the music consumer in mind, there are considerable benefits for artists as well. Ourstage runs monthly competitions where acts can win up to $1,000 or unique opportunities.
Winners of one current competition will be gaining the privilege of opening for N*E*R*D. Ourstage is also about to launch a promotion with Jane's Addiction, giving one lucky artist the chance to record with the LA rockers.
New Music Seminar is one of several partners that Ourstage has aligned itself with since 2007. Creating these alliances allows the site to offer unique experiences to artists. Other partners include guitar manufacturer Ernie Ball and, most significantly, MTV Networks.
“Part of our strategic plan is to align ourselves with partners who can give artists opportunities," says Bredimus. “Sometimes we go out and seek those partnerships. Other times they come to us because they want to run a promotion and they know that there's integrity to the competitions we run."
Creating partnerships is crucial to maintaining Ourstage's community, allowing the organization to do what few others can.
“What we're looking to do as a company is trying to bring entertainment to the masses," says Bredimus. “In order to do that we need to attract quality artists, and in order to attract quality artists we need to bring real life opportunities that they can't get anywhere else on the web."
In addition to allying themselves with some of the biggest companies in the music business, Ourstage's advisors have considerable experience in the industry, hopefully ensuring the organization's longevity.
The Ourstage platform isn't perfect for companies seeking fuller partnerships; “it's rating the song and not the artist," explains Silverman.
“The song can be great but the artist could suck. People will vote for the song but it might not have any bearing on the artists themselves. The artist may not be a star."
Nevertheless, Ourstage's partners are enthusiastic about its power as a tool for musicians, fans and record companies. Artists benefit from the exposure to new fans and the chance to showcase their talent based on the merit of their music.
At the other end of the spectrum, talent-spotters can utilize a dedicated online community to sift through the jungle of online music, using Ourstage's competitions to pick up on music that's already proved its popularity. So how come your music's not up there?
