ReverbNation…watch those widgets
ReverbNation is arguably the most popular, free* online marketing platform and networking site for music artists… musicians, bands, singer-songwriters, etc., and venues. I’ve been singing their praises for some time, but recently hit a couple of snags that chilled my enthusiasm, especially for ReverbNation’s widgets. Even so, ReverbNation has a lot to offer, but use with caution. Read on to see why….
First Snag: An issue arose where an artist was showing up as ‘on the bill’ for a performance at a particular venue on a particular night when in fact she was appearing elsewhere that night. Originally, she was on the bill for this venue, but both venue and artist had changed the date (in ReverbNation) when the show was postponed.
Oddly, the correct date was showing up on most but not all ReverbNation widgets. This glitch could cause a problem if the artist’s fans see the incorrect widget info and show up at the wrong venue!
ReverbNation’s email support was speedy and the rep was earnest… but unable to resolve the issue. The artist’s (my client’s) troubles have been turned over to RN development staff for now. So far I have not heard back from them.
Second Snag: I recently purchased an iPod Touch. One of the first things I noticed was that the ReverbNation widgets, with which I’ve been so enamored, are inaccessible on my iPod. Meaning, of course, that my nifty ReverbNation “Shows” widget, that gives the Google Map link and directions to a show, cannot be accessed by a fan on the road trying to get to the show! Eeek! This made me pretty unhappy.
ReverbNation widgets use the universally popular Flash technology, and therein lies the problem.
As you likely know, Apple does not currently make Flash available on their mobile devices, and insists they don’t intend to. Flash has been promised by makers of some non-Apple mobile devices, but results so far are not completely satisfactory.)Whether Apple stick to their guns on this, and how the availability of Flash on other mobile devices shakes out in the long run, remains to be seen, but meanwhile, I don’t like that parts of my or my clients’ web sites are inaccessible on mobile devices.
The Result is that I have removed the ReverbNation show widget from my own music web site, my Facebook page, my MySpace page, and everywhere I had used it. And, I am recommending that others do the same.
I still have my ReverbNation artist page up and active, and will continue to use it for now. It’s still a great way to connect with other artists. And the price of their email marketing service–-FREE for up to 500 subscribers–-cannot be beat.
That said, I’ve replaced my RN Shows widget with a really handy WordPress plugin called Gigs Calendar… that, just like the RN widget, has a Google map link. Only this one is accessible from any mobile device! You can see it at work on my site here. I will write more about this and other musician-useful plugins in my next bit of bloggery… stay tuned.
* ReverbNation does offer some “Pro” product upgrades for a small monthly fee but all of their basic offerings are free. They even have a revenue sharing system whereby artists earn small amounts of money as RN makes a profit. So far, I have made $1.60.
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Thanks for the tips reg reverbNation.
I have a wordpress site, various social media profiles, an email marketing service, and various other elements in place which, in theory, should allow me to do everything that ReverbNation offers through a cookie cutter, DIY model. I distribute to an email list, post gigs, find gigs, network, etc… but was trying to figure out if using RN would actually give me an advantage over what I currently use. I even have 23,00 plus fans on RN (not sure how since I’ve barely maintained the profile!), but am still unsure whether or not to “take the plunge”, Maybe I’d save a little on the monthly cost of my web store, email marketing service, etc…but should I be able to do everything more, or less, elegantly and/or effectively, albeit spending an extra $40 per month or so, not to mention tripping over myself trying to figure out how to do everything without the DIY manual? One reason this came up is because I continue to be #3 in my city and niche on the RN “chart position”, and I thought, well maybe a little investment in this profile would take me to #1, and that might be worth something…! thanks again for your advice- your work looks really beautiful.