What's next?

Ok, so what ideas do these OMD's have to solve this? Solve what? Oh, yeah, I remember..

When you are new to an OMD website, and you disapear from the latest uploads list, you effectively slip over the potential listeners horizon, on a typical OMD site. Out of sight, out of hearing. So what can you do about this? Actually, not a lot, except upload some more music. Well, the OMD's have an answer...

'Friends'. That's their answer. You need to make some 'Friends'. So, ever helpful, the OMD provides you the facility to make contact with other Artists on the site, usually recommending you visit the pages of Artists similar to yourself, leaving your calling card, a 'Friend request', and a comment or two. The other similar Artists you visit may already have some 'friends', and they probably beaver away during the lonely hours of night, just as you might, making more. The OMD advice is that by making 'friends' you are promoting yourself across the site, and generating interest in you and your music.

Ok, that seems like a good idea. Anything else? Well, yes, join the Forum. Forum? Yup, Forum. OMD's like forums. If you join 'the Forum', the OMD will cheerfully tell you, you can discuss all sorts of things to do with music, make more friends, and promote you and your music. Ok, fair enough, another good idea... and the Website Chat, well, ok, that's self explanatory....Ok, you do those things.

Alright. So let's look at these facilities, one at a time, and see what they have to offer...

'Friends'....Genuine friends are few and far between on these websites, and, though, occasionally, you will find someone who is really interested in you and your music, and with whom you might strike up some sort of mutually supportive relationship, by far the majority of people will add you to their list, simply to wear your name, like a badge of approval, in the list of other 'friends' on their Artist Band page. Often, they will never have heard your songs, and won't be interested enough to bother listening. Whether they say they like your sound and material, or not, you can be sure that most of these folks won't have bothered to listen. Sometimes, they don't even bother to reply.... remember, on an OMD website, other Artists are your competition, and they are much more interested in promoting themselves than they are in promoting you...they are usually so busy doing that, that they don't have time to listen to your music...

'The Forum'.... You join the forum, and you get lots of friendly, welcoming noises, usually from the most opinionated and frequent posters...most don't look at your Band page, and don't listen to your music, whatever they say. If they do take a look, or a listen, don't expect a second visit... Forums are commonly cliquey little places, which often seem to be dominated by, and run, for the benefit of a vociferous few, who seem to regard it as their own special little province. There, they can support each other in maintaining their little empire..The Forum is the perfect 'comfort zone' for the barely motivated and hardly creative...

'OMD website Chat'... The place to be if you want to descend into complete zero productivity. Like the 'Forum', you can distract yourself from the issues you should be dealing with, to your heart's content...

Now, I'm not saying that all these facilties, if used creatively, aren't of value or benefit...they can be used very effectively, if approached in the right way...that right way, however, is another discussion, for another day...

Most Independent Artists will use these facilities and progress a little, pick up a few plays, get heard a little more, and maybe create a slightly more prominent profile on the OMD website. Generally, though, achieving all that takes time and draws the Artist ever more into the website....

So, what are the 'Friends', 'Forum' and Chat room all about?

In a word....HITS..... Unfortunately, not Chart hits, but Website hits....

OMD's sure like to look after us though, don't they?