Have you uploaded your songs to torrents? by LyinDan on The Pipeline at IndieMusicPeople

Have you uploaded your songs to torrents?
If not, why not?

You're not making anything anyhow. Why don't you put your catalog up on torrent sites?

It is actually a decent form of advertising. You can upload a package of your songs accompanied by a readme which is basically a plead for legit downloads. And an explanation of the Indie Songster plight. SOME will respond by visiting your commercial sites. Prolly more than already are.

It's advertising. If you can upload to torrents in a way that will attract people who never heard of you, you will be heard. X% of those who download and listen to you will visit you legit sites (not that torrents are not legit, if it's YOU who uploads your own stuff. That's completely legit.

It's a question of what your purposes are in producing music. Do you want to make a million? Good luck. Could happen. Very unlikely, though.

Do you just want to get listened to? Uploading a torrent (or many) is an avenue for that. You WILL get new listeners. If you include files that expand on your situation, including links to your "legit" sites, you WILL get new visitors to those sites. X%.

I would suggest, and there are, I'm sure, some here will argue this, that you might want to upload to some torrent sites at least some of your catalog. If you believe in yourself, and you believe that your music is attractive to listen to, then you should expand your listenership by "advertising" your free torrent.

There are literally MILLIONS of people downloading music torrents. Most of course, of the big stars in the music biz, but MUCHO dling ANY attractive music torrent. Be creative in you torrent titles, and you can benefit. Much more than by participating in fraudulent self-publishing "legit" music sites.

Questions?

Add Comment

Father Time

5/4/2016 4:13:58 PM

yes tell us exactly how we would do this. I know absolutely nothing about torrents.

Add Comment

LyinDan

5/4/2016 4:25:42 PM

I'll prepare a how-to. I'm going to upload everything I have online (such as it is) to torrentsites, with some suggestive reasons to visit my site here, (which is the exclusive site for my tunes, as far as I know.

Stand by.

Others who know something about this, or view my suggestion as diabolic, are free to comment.

Add Comment

SILVERWOODSTUDIO

5/4/2016 4:29:51 PM

interesting Dan---never heard of this b4---but sounds like free promotion!

Add Comment

LyinDan

5/4/2016 4:36:23 PM

First off, download a torrent client. That's a program that enables you to download/upload torrents. I suggest Deluge. This is what I term an "innocent" program that doesn't try to mess with you in any way (nefariously), as far as I have been able to determine(and I have investigated).

Add Comment

LyinDan

5/4/2016 4:53:07 PM ---- Updated 5/4/2016 5:02:55 PM

A word about torrents in general, if your're completely unaware.

Basically, torrents are web protocol that enables webusers to share files of any kind over the internet. Sharing is the basis. What happens when you "download" a torrent is, your machine shares pieces of that file over the internet which anyone else who is downloading that file on the internet via torrents. You're saying, internet wide, Hey, I've got "x" file, come grab any piece of it. Obviously, this is a source of abuse. You could have Beyonce's "Lemonade" and let anyone on the internet have it, too. Clearly, illegal.

However, you are also open to share files YOU have created with anyone else on the internet. Torrents, are in fact, a cooperative means of spreading anything you want internetwide. If it's your stuff, there is nothing whatsoever unethical or illegal about using torrents to disseminate it.

Torrentsites, which are not in themselves illegal or unethical, provide a means of spreading your music

Note: It is inadvisable to download music or movies which are not shared by their copyright owners via torrents. MPAA and RIAA, the protectors of corporate copyrighted music and movies will fuck you up the ass. This is because when you share a torrent, you also share your identifiable IP address, and thus, are traceable by copyright owners.It can cost you thousands of dollars. Don't. At least, if you do, know how to make yourself invisible. Nuff said.

Add Comment

LyinDan

5/4/2016 4:56:25 PM

Deluge download site, sorry can't successfully edit above post.

deluge

Add Comment

LyinDan

5/4/2016 5:04:24 PM

Specifics in a bit. Gotta eat now.

Add Comment

LyinDan

5/4/2016 8:20:49 PM

More soon. I just found out Jon Snow is alive!

Add Comment

Two Silo Complex

5/5/2016 9:15:15 AM

Personally I use torrentz.eu and I use utorrent client. It works well.
I never shared anything so we will have to wait for Dan to explain that part to us.

I guess my question is basically a user finds a torrent because they are looking for it. What suggestions do you have that would bring people to search for the torrent your sharing?

Two Silo Complex,
Ken

Add Comment

LyinDan

5/5/2016 11:50:21 AM

Many top torrentsites have browsing sections where you can see the newest torrents in whatever category you want. It's fascinating to just to browse, and you have a very large audience doing just that. For instance, the top two sites, thepiratebay.se, or kat.cr. Lots of dedicated music torrentsites, too. You'll get seen, not as easily as a dedicated music site like this one (which is basically where you want to turn your discoverers to when you get noticed), but the traffic is enormous. You'll be seen right along with the most popular stars out there, and some people will be curious. Especially if your artist name or song title are attractive. You're also likely to turn up in searches for similar artist names or song titles.

More on how to do it later.

Add Comment

5/5/2016 2:07:53 PM

I've uploaded songs while experiencing 'tourettes', but I don't think that's the same.
Anyway, I'm actually pretty much one place. Here.

Indie Music People.com. Home of American Lesley Jane and BEATLESEX.

But by all means, you youngsters with the energy for releasing stuff in all
those places, go for it. I ain't tell you not to. Just sayin' I'll never do that.
Go for it. Don't let an old Rock N Roller like me talk you out of it.

Add Comment

LyinDan

5/5/2016 7:55:39 PM ---- Updated 5/5/2016 8:17:49 PM

Putting your music up with torrents is not for everyone. There are upsides and downsides.

Some downsides.

If you upload a torrent of your song, be prepared for it to be available to downloaders FOREVER. If it's a tune people find worthwhile, it's likely to spread to other torrents and you will have no control over it in any way. You cannot take it down. (Well, you can remove your torrent from whatever tracker you yourself uploaded it to. Or if you find it uploaded somewhere else by somebody else, you can file a DMCA. Some (like kat.cr, "Kickass Torrents") will honor DMCA takedown requests by copyright owners, the greatest number will not.) However. This happens anyway to any popular music. If you become popular, this is just something you will have to put up with. Still, this is actually a sign of success. People like you, they really like you. If that's the case, you will have the opportunity to profit from your music in other arenas. And if you have many torrent downloads, that can help you get recognized elsewhere.

To start your torrent, you have to SEED it. This means you have to have a computer running fairly constantly, uploading your music. When you download a torrent, the music file comes from some individual's computer, not from a website, not even the torrentsite you uploaded the torrent to. That's because the torrent file you upload is only a pointer that points downloaders to your machine and that of others who have downloaded your music file and are seeding it. If the torrent file is new, there's only one place people can find your music, and that's from your machine. If you have other people willing to leave your music on their machine and sharing it, the torrent wil be shared by snagging a piece from you, a piece from some other guy, another piece from somebody else, until it's all stitched together and whole. As an unknown, it's likely that the great majority of downloads will come from you wholely. So, you will use some of your internet bandwidth to get your song out there. It's unlikely to tax your machine or your bandwidth, though, unless your Beyonce.

Lesley, btw, you have an advantage for recognition with the name BEATLESEX. That's a magnet, for sure. And torrentsites are not a competition for places like IMP. All there is on a torrentsite is a big list of torrents with some meager info.

Add Comment

LyinDan

5/5/2016 8:14:46 PM

Some upsides.

More exposure for your tunes. Most of you think more exposure is better. A wider audience that you have an opportunity to get to visit here.

You can upload folders as your torrent (very common practice). Inside the folder, you share your music file, and whatever other files you'd like - pics, documents, biography, links to your sites like "IndieMusicPeople.com" or your music page here. Those who follow your link, and they are likely to, if they like what they hear, will find your public front and the ability to buy if they want. You can incentivize a purchase by offering a better quality (high bitrate) file here, and only sharing a 128 quality by torrent, for instance. And of course by offering the new DMD IMP makes possible.

Add Comment

LyinDan

5/6/2016 3:15:41 PM

To be frank, anyone can go to the sites I've pointed out and just find the FAQs to know how to upload torrents there. Should I have to do a step by step? They already exist on the torrentsites themselves. I suppose I will, and I can certainly point out some no-nos, but I'm going to do an experiment and all you followers can just...follow.

Let's just see how much response comes from an actual torrent posting or two. Or three. Done what I think is the right way. I'll let you know what's going on, I'll let you know when and what I upload, and I'll quote my stats response. That should be informative. And reflected in my chart positions, which are available to all. If I can get response, the more so should you, if you have worthy offerings, right? Keep in mind, response most often depends on how your offering is phrased.

To start, here are my stats right now. I don't think I've had a single download since April 9, right after my Facebook experiment. As of now, here's how I stand.

hello
Front Page
Signup
Login
Find Music
COMMUNITY
Stations
Info/Support
Extras!
24/7 Radio

Ranking artistname songname songid sumpoints
4172 LyinDan Not Afraid to Love You 42509 0
339 LyinDan Eat My Pickle 42508 57
523 LyinDan Ocean Of Love - BEATLESEX 96831 42
2947 LyinDan The Garden Song 61172 3
1309 LyinDan Ocean of Love 81644 20

Can't format it too well here, but you know.

So right now, my highest ranking tune at sitewide is "Eat My Pickle" at a rank of 339.

Let's see if we can legally improve that.

Add Comment

Steve White

5/6/2016 4:16:58 PM

I used to do torrent sites years ago but it was to get illegal software.

It was pretty dangerous as far as Trojans and viruses. Is that still a problem?

Steve

Add Comment

LyinDan

5/6/2016 4:35:46 PM ---- Updated 5/6/2016 4:38:28 PM

Steve

If you're dling legal torrents like I'm suggesting, your liability is pretty near zero.

If you're dling illegal torrents, and you know which ones they are, you are subject to getting fakes. Or virus/malware. But not often. That is, if you use "reputable" torrentsites, like what I've mentioned.

Torrents, themselves, are not dangerous. Some places you find them are.

Keep a good antiviruse going, of course. Same as you should anywhere.

And anyhow, I'm not discussing that. I'm talking getting legal music uploads out there.

Add Comment

Steve White

5/6/2016 6:51:06 PM

Well I thought it as a pretty relevant question on the subject but ok.

Steve

Add Comment

Two Silo Complex

5/6/2016 7:26:58 PM

Interesting information Thank you Dan,
Two Silo Complex,
Ken

Add Comment

Chris Hance

5/6/2016 11:27:46 PM

I had a spell where I uploaded torrents of most of my stuff, but I kind of lost interest about three years ago when some other stuff took priority,
It was pretty cool at the time though, and you can pinpoint the downloaders location by their IP address,
I had downloads from many different countries,
I agree that it's a great way to get new listeners.

I used the site "extratorrent", but It's now blocked by UK ISPs,

I might get back into it, :)

great topic LD and very informative, :)

Add Comment

LyinDan

5/7/2016 5:33:56 PM

Chris, good to hear from ya! Where ya been? Whatcha been doing?

Yep, good to hear some confirmation on the usefulness of torrents, too.

Steve, yeah, it was a pertinent subject. Lot of people are afraid of the torrent scene. My experience is that the danger is low, but present, if dling illegal stuff. To be honest, I do dl illegal stuff. I use torrents to check out various software to see if it's any good and if it's worth the price asked. Many are not. There are a great # of open source and free softwares that can do as well as some way overpriced commercial softwares. Including many free music softwares and, my other interest, many 3d world programs. I know how to protect myself when I torrent. You may not. And I will not tell you how.

The real danger for torrent downloaders themselves is in music and movie downloads. There is a real danger that you could be targeted by certain rabid lawyers hired by the RIAA and MPAA. This is because these IP's are protected to a great extent by law, due to the statutory damages clauses of those laws pertaining to them. If you're caught torrenting songs or movies from the big music companies-movie companies, you can be liable for multiple thousands of dollars, with little way of escape. Particularly virulent are pron companies. Don't torrent pron. Just don't. Those guys are like connected (Mafia) and they will fuck you up the ass in an instant.

If you're torrenting music uploaded by the copyright owner, you are in no danger whatsoever. Torrenting is just a way of distribution. In itself, there's nothing illegal, or unethical about it. It's just sharing. It's when you share things that are illegal to share (and torrenting involves sharing or distributing in a legal sense) that you can run afoul.

Add Comment

Chris Hance

5/8/2016 11:32:06 AM

Chris, good to hear from ya! Where ya been? Whatcha been doing?

Thanks :)

Still here, I was actually "back" before the relaunch, but you know how it is, low profile, under the radar existence, just taking it easy kind of... not sweating too much ha ha.

Yes, I had stations up here with my songs, and a link to the torrents in the html slots,
I cant remember which one, but one of my torrents got hacked/replaced somehow, and there was a redirect on to a HC pron movie instead of my stuff, gee, the wonders of the web... :)

Add Comment