Slapsshot here and I guess I should start off with a confession to make.....I've posted up songs from my band(Exact) that we recorded in 1984. We made a demo tape back then that I had not had or heard since, and thought that since this format of posting songs on the internet did not exist in the stoneage era of my band, I decided more for fun than anything else to see the reaction of my "peers". I did not see any parameters saying it had to be new, modern material or anything. I know its 2006......... It's refreshing to see that not much has changed with the attitudes or mindsets of musicians........Now before I upset everybody here, I should say that the majority of the critics here have the "you suck" thing going all the time. Their stuff is undiscovered, unappreciated musical virtuosity while everyone else is creating crap.........This is the majority and not all......We were a working, professional band in the '80s and the same attitutes prevailed back then, to the determent of everybody..........I did not realize I was entering the realm of musical genius when posting dated material on a free web-site with elitist know-it-alls, has beens or never weres........The condescending, smug remarks people make and post as comments are just that - people tend to speak freely in an anonymous crowd not putting a name to what they think they believe in because of fear of reprisal.............Some of the musicians here take themselves and music far too seriously - these artists are no longer artists but "artistes" who forget that music can be a fun thing without all the pretension..........Well, I'm sure I'll get blasted for this too, but really guys, lighten up. After all, everybody is in the same boat here - a free website to post up music that nobody pays for.
AW set us losers up as anons brother, I wanted to go live! Also, I just looked through every comment to your songs, and they were mostly right on. Had "Exact" plugged into the right decade, hairband thing, and not a one "you suck."
All I can say is....WELCOME TO THE CLUB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For the record, we here running AW love your stuff. We too don't like the idiots with nothing better to say than "you suck" but, as you pointed out, these people always have been and always will be. There's no getting around that entirely in this particular format I am afraid.
But, your stuff rocks now, and I am sure it rocked in '84. We'd love to hear more of your stuff.
Ever since the site went to a "for free" format, the critics have been anything but constructive. I doubt very much that these "judges" can even play an instrument.
I should have been more clear in my rant........I was not refering to reactions to my material alone, I meant in general with other's songs as well.......I have read comments to other songs and the tone of those comments is not exclusive to my stuff only. I am not, by any stretch, trying to put Exact on a pedestal....we've had our day.
Ever since the site went to a "for free" format, the critics have been anything but constructive. I doubt very much that these "judges" can even play an instrument.
tbarry,
I think you are confusing "judges" with those leaving comments on your songs. The judges comments appear in bold, the comments for everyone else are in normal font. For the most part, the comments you see are from everyone else.
That said, the judges are involved in the selection of the weekly contest winner, and I assure you they can play at least one instrument.
The AW judges are OBVIOUSLY real musicians. Can't you tell? Slackers all I tell you. You have my personal certified guarantee that at least half of them are on some sort of head med, prescribed or otherwise.
I myself am substituting beer today. You'll have to excuse me!
It's no wonder things get out of hand sometimes. Look above. You give people a free site and they still whine. Boot em all I say and start with some fresh meat. Let me have it boys and girls, I know you have it in you.
Well lemmesee here Johnny- Weekly Contest, Last winner was for the week ending 6/23. It's 7/6. In my unique approach to mathematics, that's thirteen days. Gee, seems like SLACKER to me. It's not like it couldn't be done, i mean damn. Couple emails, ten minutes, "hey this chick recorded this stuff at my studio" or"this guy is my bass players sisters boyfriend"and BAM! Weekly winner. But no. Let's just skip a week because so and so can't get any percoset from the pain managment doctor, and what'shisface won't check his email until Mars aligns with Uranus or whatever the weekly excuse is. I'm giving this site a month more. If they don't improve their management of it and release the "new version" I'm scratching it off. CA
The last two weeks have been trying for the AW staff, and that's all I intend to say. It has resulted in some shoddy Weekly Winner postings, but I am working on posting the one that is due now. I stopped to answer you in this post. I will now resume.
That's some hot, bitter coffee. Why don't you sue them for not making one of your songs the weekly winner? If they're picking songs based on connections they might as well also pick songs based on whining, what's the difference? Either way it would be a poor choice. Oops, sorry, I guess that means your song would be a poor choice. I shouldn't say things like that when you're already hot and bitter that you haven't won. My mistake.
Well lemmesee here Johnny- Weekly Contest, Last winner was for the week ending 6/23. It's 7/6. In my unique approach to mathematics, that's thirteen days. Gee, seems like SLACKER to me. It's not like it couldn't be done, i mean damn. Couple emails, ten minutes, "hey this chick recorded this stuff at my studio" or"this guy is my bass players sisters boyfriend"and BAM! Weekly winner. But no. Let's just skip a week because so and so can't get any percoset from the pain managment doctor, and what'shisface won't check his email until Mars aligns with Uranus or whatever the weekly excuse is. I'm giving this site a month more. If they don't improve their management of it and release the "new version" I'm scratching it off. CA
Pretty high expectations from someone who pays zero dollars to use the site.
And by the way, your unique approach to mathematics is, in fact unique, but also wrong. The Weekly Winner ending on 6/23 was posted on 6/26. That Weekly Winner was replaced by a Weekly Winner ending on 6/30. The 6/30 Weekly Winner should have been posted on 7/3, but as you pointed out, was replaced on 7/6. So...we were only 3 days, not 13 days behind.
Help me to understand something here. Let's start with "getting what you pay for." Why is it that this seems to be the verse for the post of the day? When I think about getting what you pay for, and I don't pay anything financially...I think of getting a sub-standard product, crap even.
Is this the plan for AW? Is this the direction you guys have been headed in all along?
You get what you pay for? I know that many here have given up large chunks of thier life to develop better musical ability....so it AIN'T free to me.
I'm with CA on this. You guys at AW don't have to do or fix nothing for me personally...but BE THERE! Consistantly there.
And how about a new brow-beating tune rather then "you get what you pay for."
I've seen it all before. I am me and therefore the world owes me and if I don't get what I want I will take my ball and bat and I will go home and you won't be able to play with me ever again. So there. Take that. Go ahead. The playing field will still be here for those who know what appreciation really means. Have a safe trip now, and be careful you don't step in any of that stuff you've been dropping along the way.
I know that many here have given up large chunks of thier life to develop better musical ability....so it AIN'T free to me.
You spent those chunks of time to pay for your use of Artist Weekly? How kind of you! Personally I had no idea that the time I spend writing songs and trying to improve was in fact payment for the use of this site. I'm gonna have to rethink everything now. If I decide I don't want to pay then I'll have to quit writing songs. This is quite a dilemma....
fair enough, It's your site sort of, it's free, so I should lower my expectations to songramp level or just go there instead. I remember a post from 820 a couple weeks ago (hey there's another one in this thread also) apologizing for posting the weekly winner so late, and promising not to do it so late again, so OOPS! I drew from that that the weekly winner would be posted at the end of the week it won, not thirteen days later. You know, like it was a few months ago. I stand on thirteen days.
While you point out that the site is "zero dollars" for the user, a lot of people beyond your immediate circle are participating in it, logging time with it every day, uploading their work to it writing songs BECAUSE of it, aspiring to be heard on it, referring friends and family to it...
I seriously can't believe what I am hearing here. You guys are making out like your songwriting is dependant on a website and revolves around it! Yeah I know, users can make or break a site, but that has nothing to do with your personal songwriting ambitions. Sounds like your life is short of inspiration and a lot of other things too. I think I should wish you luck with your songwriting, because with this attitude you will need it. Wow again and again.
No, Johnny, you misconstrue what I say. I've been fooling with this site since January, one of the first users, and I've seen the interest level of the administrators drop off considerably. If they don't care about it, who will, YOU?
By the way I've been writing songs to a fashion for over 25 years, and it's not dependent upon AW. If you can't understand that having a forum spurs creativity, you are the one in need of help.
