Promotion: Where do the non-producing electronic music fans hang out?

[Barfunkel]

This always bugged me: There's tons of forums dedicated to electronic music production, but where are all the non-producing electronic music fans, who probably outnumber us by a very big number? Where do the club-goers hang out, online? Where do the non-producing DJ's (who are probably our main customers) hang out? Where do the label heads hang out?

Simply, where to do the real promotion work, instead of just asking for technical tips or opinions of fellow producers on sites like this one? Do such sites even exist, where everyone's not just trying to promote their own thang (*cough* Soundcloud! *cough*), but are there to just discover new music, producer's and labels.

[offki]

Take a look on my soundcloud for the answers .. :P

I don't think they do. I have never heard any DJ make a comment about a forum they use. I've been Dj'ing for about 13 years and I have never thought to look for a forum. Not really a lot to discuss I guess, apart from what mixes with what and that's the stuff you keep to yourself, and maybe what gear etc, but it's pretty limited.

You need to be pro-active and contact labels yourself. Label heads generally aren't scouring forums etc for good producers, the good stuff always floats to the top by whatever method, word of mouth etc etc.

Think of adding local promoters/producers to your facebook? It's not called social networking for nothing. Don't just bang every tune you make on though, because if a person takes the time to listen once and it's not up to scratch they probably won't listen again.

I can't speak globaly but in my country the average clubber has facebook and hotmail.

You do the real promotion work outside your studio, in clubs.

[hazabikit]

I know some DJs who hang out at livepa.org...

[gremlin moon]

Pitchfork
Sputnik Music
The "hipster network" -- sorry though I'm not a member. . .

[dhollmusik]

Techno.de - Forum - Diskussionen aus der Techno & elektronischen Musikszene im Technoforum

forum · goabase

IsraTrance Forum - Trance Forming Culture

[offki]

I may be wrong but I think the OP was after professional working DJ's, I honestly see little value in trying to convince bedroom dj's to like your tunes, what is the ultimate perfect result, that they will play it in their bedroom? Getting the support of established DJ's will ensure that bedroom DJ's play it/buy it, doesn't really work the other way round, at least not normally. Maybe I wrong, but I'm just saying how it works here.

I have no idea of the club scene in Helsinki, butf one sure fire way to get your music played in clubs is play it yourself.

sorry to sound negative. You need to think big, because other people are.

[msl]

RA, r.fm, blogs, facebook, and the real world ie clubs.

The only way your getting into big name dj's record boxes is through proper promo companies or personal connections. Its all about who you know.

.

[wax808]

I had a guy pop into our Turntable.fm room last night and comment on some of my original tracks I was working on. He has a music blog and is one of those non-producer types who is in love with indie-electronic music.

It's still in it's infancy, but I've been able to share my music in the past few days with lots of people. Everyone on there is still really polite and nice, the beta-testers and early adopter thing I guess. I'll enjoy it while it lasts, which I expect it wont in it's current form.

Keep in mind the beta is geo-locked to the US, you'll need a proxy or VPN or something if you want in before the official launch.

[Barfunkel]

Originally Posted by offki

I may be wrong but I think the OP was after professional working DJ's,

Although I included them, I wasn't limiting myself just to them. I was talking basically about everyone who is NOT on GS and similar, production-oriented forums. DJ's, club-goers, normal people. I mean, if someone is into electronic music, the chances are he/she's visits a site, a forum, a blog or whatever, some kind of a medium where he/she finds new music.

Or maybe I'm just giving people too much credit and the only people interested in discovering new electronic music are fellow producers.

[wax808]

I'm not sure what Helsinki is like, but sometimes I wish I didn't live in the USA because it's so damn tough to stand out from the crowd of DJ's and musicians.

I've got a buddy who lives in Seoul, we were talking about how much smaller the scene is there. You can become star so much easier because everyone is in one particular spot rather than scattered between massive metropolitan cities.

I am in a relatively small town though too. I've enjoyed the feeling of being a big fish in a little pond so to speak.

[offki]

Where I live is pretty rich musically, massive list of top producers from one small town (:S) Dave Clarke, Krafty Kutz, Adam F, Evil 9, High Rankin...

[ohmicide]

Facebook, SoundCloud and lately I've been told to put my music on Hypemachine because a lot of people find their electronic music off there

[dhollmusik]

Originally Posted by wax808

I am in a relatively small town though too. I've enjoyed the feeling of being a big fish in a little pond so to speak.

Where I live no one cares about being a big fish...so to speak.

[FUBAR]

I posted a track about 4 or 5 years ago on mp3unsigned.com and about every 3 months I get personal invites from the creators of new sites for artists and fans (most of them become stagnant after a year). If you wanted you could upload to at least 50 sites and watch your inbox start to get spammed.

Get your own site, and direct people to it with social networking. Google is your friend here because every major city has a "night life forum" with different genres (I got my first gig through one of them). If you have mastered tracks (with demo's available to download) on your own personal website and it looks the bizz people spend more time on you, I call it leverage just like the banks.

If you look good, sound good and your site is easy to use and creative then just add a facebook account with your artist name and get your freak on. Get active and let people know who you are and what you sound like and remember that kids today listen to everything and anything.

After that hook up with some indie labels

Good luck

[wax808]

Originally Posted by dhollmusik

Where I live no one cares about being a big fish...so to speak.

Thats awesome!!!!

How did your community find a way to defy the laws of Human Nature? Sounds rad.

[atma]

Soulseek.

[Simonator]

Originally Posted by wax808

Thats awesome!!!!

How did your community find a way to defy the laws of Human Nature? Sounds rad.

Everyone in Berlin became so cool that they are above such trivial thought.

[Simonator]

Originally Posted by Barfunkel

where are all the non-producing electronic music fans

There are none left.

My grandmother was the last one, but she just got Ableton Live Suite last Wednesday & is now producing minimal techno too.

grandmother's Dropbox on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

[wax808]

Originally Posted by Simonator

Everyone in Berlin became so cool that they are above such trivial thought.

Heh, I was thinking about this the other day. My wife is a Yoga instructor, and they constantly have these little power struggles with each other and hilarious drama with rich old ladies. I'm sure the same thing happens in Bhuddist monasteries. My point is: Even if you are completely immersed in a culture of people who preach selflessness and non-judgement, you can only fight human nature so much.

Anyways, back on topic.... sorry.



Simonator makes an interesting point when he says "There are none left". I think it's going that direction. It's really a beautiful thing if you think about it. And will only make more interesting music. Everyone with a computer or iPhone has the tools to make an entire album now.

I always think it's amazing that daily I hear a new Electronic Artist who I've never heard of. There's room for all of us. I love it.

[login]

Genre specific forums, like forum.isratrance.com, dj forums like djforums.com.

Also forums like Bluelight have dedicated sections for electronic music.

[Franc]

Originally Posted by wax808

I'm not sure what Helsinki is like, but sometimes I wish I didn't live in the USA because it's so damn tough to stand out from the crowd of DJ's and musicians.

I've got a buddy who lives in Seoul, we were talking about how much smaller the scene is there. You can become star so much easier because everyone is in one particular spot rather than scattered between massive metropolitan cities.

I am in a relatively small town though too. I've enjoyed the feeling of being a big fish in a little pond so to speak.

There is a post on here from a kid from Korea going to school in Seattle trying to break into DJ stuff and music production. He wants to stay in the USA versus going back to Korea.

Try buying hipster clothes and try new beats to stand out.

[formlabs]

A lot of non-producing electronic music fans I know are architects, graphic designers, industrial designers, programmers, etc... Last.fm, Pandora, etc are often running on their computers at work all day.

Also look for design based-blogs and other places for sophisticated geeks with style.

[Franc]

Originally Posted by Simonator

There are none left.

My grandmother was the last one, but she just got Ableton Live Suite last Wednesday & is now producing minimal techno too.

grandmother's Dropbox on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

Her beats are phat. Word.

[msl]

Originally Posted by Simonator

My grandmother was the last one, but she just got Ableton Live Suite last Wednesday & is now producing minimal techno too.

I knew you were responsible for this Simonator, I just knew it.

[ksandvik]

Turntable.fm might turn into one of those cool new channels. Soundcloud is nice but me thinks too geeky for the consumers. Now, Soundcloud and Facebook could add a similar service to their web application suite...

[Tarkovsky]

Clubs.

[Mans]

Originally Posted by Tarkovsky

Clubs.

You can go clubbing online now? Wow what crazy times we live in!

[bensaddiction]

A lot of the bedroom & lower club level djs I know just take their ques from Beatport. They're not buying from beatport though... just following orders

[offki]

Originally Posted by Mans

You can go clubbing online now? Wow what crazy times we live in!

No you can't, that's the point.

[artech909]

Average clubbers (average people with day job) don't have their own community in the internet so don't search special forum or something.
They use social networks like a Facebook, Twitter and so on... for chating with their friends, also they watch YouTube if some freind gave em some link with an interesting & trendy stuff.
Advanced clubbers geek around some popular dj's & music portals usually.
Also don't forget popular radio stations with club music all the clubbers i know listen some of these stations and weekly radio shows. (like ASOT from Armin Van Buuren for example)