I was out on the tubes today looking for some new tunes to listen to, and I came across Unsigned, a network of unsigned musical talent. It isn’t just twelve-year-olds sitting in front of their PC microphone singing along to Britney Spears … I can honestly say a lot of people on Unsigned are serious potential chart-toppers. So, let’s take a look around, shall we?
Unsigned is a music network aimed at leveling the chances for a band to be heard by enabling them to create their own mini-niche music Web site and upload tracks for listeners to enjoy. So far, over 2,000 bands have joined and growing everyday. The Web site also has numerous genres, such as Alternative, Electronica Artists, Country, Hip Hop, Rock, Techno and more. You will be able to find solo artists, trios, groups, and full bands via their intuitive navigation structure.
They are about to unveil their new listener section that is designed to be dynamic, enabling listeners to listen to all the new music they want to hear — exactly how they want to hear it. Currently, listeners can pre-register and are entered to win a one-year music magazine subscription. They also have many nifty upcoming features such as an online music player, professional Web page building tools, revenue sharing with unsigned artists and Music Classifieds.
What’s in it for you? For the aspiring music artist who wants a good place to start, Unsigned will be a major Web site you want to focus your efforts on. For listeners who crave fresh music and want to check out the other scene, unsigned will be a hot spot. Record Labels who are seeking fresh talent, Unsigned may be an undervalued tool, since it enables music professionals to evaluate their music and easily connect with the band directly.
I expect Unsigned to continue to grow but their biggest challenge is combating the MySpace Music. I believe they can do this by offering a lot of features artists’ want such as community forums and the ability to collect metrics off their music. I think for the listener section to really expand, they will need to integrate a 24/7 music streams that all users can access at no charge.