Canceled Beat This!, What The?

[Fade]

I think it should be lowered, however it's not the theme to blame, it's those that don't want to participate. Every year the December competition is a Xmas theme, and those were fine, it's the members today that don't feel like doing that theme. There's times where there's no theme and people complain that it's "too open" and say we should have more themes, now I'm hearing the opposite.

Look at the Battle That comp - each year it was a $5 or $10 signup fee and it was always a struggle to get people to signup. This year was the first time I took away the signup fee and what do you know - 32 entries, so much that I had to add a 5th round!

So it's not the theme, it's not the posts, it's that most people can't be bothered to participate. I've said it time and time again, I put LOTS of years into this site, and there's tons of stuff here for everyone to participate in, signup for, pay for, etc. It all comes down to the members and whether they want to get involved in the site. I know some people just want to stop by and check posts then leave, that's fine. But when people complain about themes or having to pay for something it just pisses me off.

There's producer pages, ill4life, radio, illmoviez, illskratch, illstars, competitions, battles, articles, blog, the list goes on and on. All I ask is that members get involved more because essentially it comes down to YOU making this site grow, there's nothing else I can do now. Just clicking the ads on the site every day would help bring in a nice chunk of change for the site as well as my own pocket!

So I ask, is it that hard to click an advertisement, upload a song for the radio show (that's a whole other mess actually lol), enter the Beat This, post more in the forum, on the blog, spread the word, buy a tshirt, eat a sandwich, kick a puppy, whatever, just do something!

 

[JustRipe]

i dont think its too many cuz u dont want every single person to enter and by the time u get 50 posts you should know more about what ur doing and ur beats should be more complex then basic.....but i dont think it should get cancelled cuz newer kids wont even get a chance at getting theyre music out there if theres no competition to push them and theyre skills

 

[2GooD Productions]

LMAO I was about to bring a dope beat up, throw some sleigh bells on that mugg an call it a day!!

Agreed Dac

Haha, I was gonna do the same thing. I have two tracks that are possible contenders, I started with sleigh bells and went from there. And I was gonna actually take part. My problem is that I always miss sign ups.
Also working 6 days a week really doesnt give me much time to make music anymore, but I am slowly getting back into, as I realise how much I enjoy making music.
Its not so much that Ive fallen off, I have become a bit disheartened by the whole industry, and that along with not having much time has killed my creativity a lot.
I think now that I have had a very long break from making music, the juices have started flowing as I realise how much love I really have for it.
But as long as Im in this job, the time problem isnt going to be solved any time soon.

And as for the person that said they dont have anything xmassy, the thing with constraints on a theme, is that it creates innovation to step out of your comfort zone, and the chances of learning something new or having a great realisation are dramatically increased.

newer kids wont even get a chance at getting theyre music out there if theres no competition to push them and theyre skills

I agree 100%.
There used to be a great competetive atmosphere here on the sampleflips, showcases and beat/battle that threads. It was that competetiveness that pushed me to try harder and harder till I actually got a B!, It took a very long time and I won a beat this against a very full and very hard competition, all I can say is that the satisfaction from winning that comp was an amazing confidence booster and gave me the realisation that the many years of hard work crafting my sound was really starting to pay off.

upload a song for the radio show (that's a whole other mess actually lol

LMAO, I have so many tracks I would like to put on the show but because my bookmark is the forum I rarely ever even see the front page and always forget about that.

 

[thedreampolice]

Fade you need to just pop a cold one, chill, and have some bacon!

 

[JustRipe]

I agree 100%.
There used to be a great competetive atmosphere here on the sampleflips, showcases and beat/battle that threads. It was that competetiveness that pushed me to try harder and harder till I actually got a B!, It took a very long time and I won a beat this against a very full and very hard competition, all I can say is that the satisfaction from winning that comp was an amazing confidence booster and gave me the realisation that the many years of hard work crafting my sound was really starting to pay off.

I need some of that motivation!

 

[dacalion]

I think it should be lowered, however it's not the theme to blame, it's those that don't want to participate. Every year the December competition is a Xmas theme, and those were fine, it's the members today that don't feel like doing that theme. There's times where there's no theme and people complain that it's "too open" and say we should have more themes, now I'm hearing the opposite.

Personally, I think the "theme" to "open" ratio is fine. There were times when I wished the theme was open because I had made a hot new beat but I never really complained, I just had to wait for an open theme. You definitely can't make everyone happy all the time so that shouldn't change. Like 2Good said...

the thing with constraints on a theme, is that it creates innovation to step out of your comfort zone, and the chances of learning something new or having a great realisation are dramatically increased.

That sums it up.

It all comes down to the members and whether they want to get involved in the site.

This is where I think we need to focus our attention. Not so much the B! but the entire site. Looking at the list of options that we have, I can't understand why members aren't more involved. Even still, that allows the newbies to step up but with the exception of a few, thats not happening either. So far, 420Beatz is the only one who is speaking up. Man idk?

Nevertheless, I got this "never say die" attitude so I'm gonna continue to bang out beats, participate, and do my part in whatever...The beat goes on...

 

[Swift]

This site is a goldmine though,other sites simply can't compare.i was going to sign up but i forgot to and i have been sleeping on the sample flip threads too unfortunately but that doesn't mean i stopped caring about ill though.i remember last christmas i sampled a bunch of christmas carols but i had no outlet to show people on a level like on here.i hope more people join and participate.

all you guest cats just join already.

 

[OnQ]

Fade here are my two cents... or six.


I know that when I first joined here a couple years ago, the reason I actually registered and actively participated was the showcase. I'd used other sites for resources and information, but nothing else had a constant opportunity to get almost instant feedback on my beats. And at the time, feedback was what I needed most, by far. Don't get me wrong, everything available on this site has since become incredibly valuable to me (I spent hours reading about how to record vocals, how to mix better, what equipment to buy, etc.), but the showcase was what started it all for me.

Because of this, at least in my mind, the Audio Lounge section should be moved to the top of the forum page, or at least right below the general section. I think just about everyone here would agree that the main point of this site is to become better producers/beat-makers/musicians etc., and the Audio Lounge is where that primarily happens IMO. The simple move would just make the Showcase, Beat This!, Sample Flip the FIRST threads people see when they get here. I think that might make a huge difference.

A second thing, probably a fair bit more complicated, that also involves the showcase. Recently you changed the format of the Beat This! submission so the beats are all hosted right there on a single page, which is dope as hell. It really made my entering/judging the comp that much more enjoyable. Let's face it, alot of cats (I'm not speaking to anyone in particular, I'm even somewhat guilty of this myself) are a bit lazy when it comes to the internet. If you have to click a link, navigate through a couple pop-ups, wait 60 seconds at a fileshare website, and then wait another 90 seconds for a beat to download, there's a FAR lesser chance that said beat will be listened to and commented on. If the format adopted for the Beat This!, as in the onsite file hosting, could be used for the showcase, again, this could be hugely beneficial. I don't know anything about web hosting or all of that, so this might not be possible from a effort standpoint or a financial standpoint, but if it were, such a change could be sick.

Finally, you point out that a bunch of people are leaving for Facebook. I think the allure of Facebook is the instantaneous, accessible feedback that is possible with Facebook. When I post a beat on fb, I get comments and "likes" directly under my link, I don't have to go searching through my entire wall or whatever to see what people say about my beat. What if, again for the showcase, as well as for the sample flip and to a lesser extent the contests, each beat submitted showed up in a single post and then rather than people posting their comments in the normal forum style as we do now, people could "comment" directly on a beat and that comment would be seen right below the beat. This would be especially ill if the previous idea of mine was used, but it could definitely still work if not.

It could be something like this, say I submit a beat "Ill", Dac submits a beat "Fire" and DP submits a beat "Bacon" (lol). and we all comment on each others beats. It could look like this.



OnQ - "Ill" Submitted Dec. 12th 5:45 PM

Comments:
Dacalion - Q this beat is Ill! ............
thedreampolice - OnQ you need more bass, and more bacon! .......

Dacalion - "Fire" Submitted Dec. 12th 8:34 PM

Comments:
thedreampolice - Dacalion dope shit........
OnQ - Dacalion this is Fire.......

thedreampolice - "Bacon" Submitted Dec. 13th 11:24 AM

Comments:
OnQ - DP this is salty as a mofo.....
Dacalion - Yeah cut down on the salt man.



Sorry DP, couldn't resist with that picture.

Anywho, bottom line is this isn't facebook. But you could potentially adopt some of the subtle details that makes facebook so successful.

Just by six cents.

BTW Fade, you've created some amazing shit here man. Keep it up.

 

[Fade]

OnQ, I agree 100% with you.

What you're describing though is more of a blog style, which is outside the scope of this forum. The forum is what it is, the style you're referring to is actually on illstars.com on each member's page. For it to happen on here, it would require people to upload their beat and then everyone comment on it, but it wouldn't be in the forum, it would have to be set up on a separate page. So I think if you want to keep posting in the Showcase, it would have to stay the same but ya, moving it towards the top is an option.

Also, it's not just about illmuzik itself, or hip hop production, it's more or less everything. Even top hip hop sites don't get much attention anymore, it's just the way the internet is moving. IllMuzik had its high point years ago and now it's leveled off, so in order for it to spike again it requires members to make it blow up by doing lots of things like posting daily, making dope music that will change hip hop, telling everyone you know about Ill, and contributing any which way you can.

If anyone knows me they know that I'm constantly tweaking my sites, I'm never satisfied with the look or layout. I know that there's some things on here that need to be fixed, so that's why if you guys can keep the ideas flowing that will help me a lot. There's only so much I can do and sometimes my judgement is not spot on, so I need your help!

 

[UNORTHODOX]

There are alot of dope Ideas (very good! actually)..... and I dont want to be "that" guy but....

The inevitabilty is, the internet is falling in ALL circles. People are over facebook, twitter, and social networking in general. Its a time killer for the most part now.

What are the 2 things people want most? personal success, and to belong to a community. The internet isnt the best way to directly reach success anymore. Its basically a spam pot. A community is needed to reach goals now. But a community out side of the net, where people are spending money on/or about you. The net isnt what it was.

edit: guess I took too long with the post lol fade said the same. I can toss ideas and thoughts all day, I just dont want fade to think Im ungratefull or ignorant to the fact that most of the internet communities are leveled off promo-spots now.

 

[thedreampolice]

@OnQ LMAO, I think a bacon beat IS in order. and of course it would win every contest because....well its bacon!

 

[Low G]

I've always wanted to enter a beat this back in the day but I just don't have the time anymore. Hell, I've only just come back after pretty much a good 2 year hiatus. I learned beatmaking through the showcases and sample flips several years ago and even then I was seeing the trend and drop in popularity from when I first joined. I really don't think there's much that can be done about it. People will do what they do, follow trends, and only those who are dedicated and feel attached in some way will remain. I guess to most beatmaking is kind of like that old nintendo game you got really good at years ago and even tho you're amazing at it nobody cares anymore. I've got a single out right now and have 2 albums dropping this summer but I also still have a day job. I'd rather use my free time to work on my actual projects then enter a beat this at this point in time. Hope that gives a bit of perspective from one of the members on here at least. It has nothing to do with the site itself.

 

[Sucio]

Also with this site, the vets have gotten older and life kinda got in the way for a lot of us.

The vets were extremely active back in the day because we (not all, but including myself) were looking to improve and get feedback on our material as we were finding our niche in the music. Over time we've found that niche and really aren't looking for the feedback on the music as much, anymore.

I absolutely love this site. This is actually the ONLY online forum that I am active in.

I agree with Dox on this one...The internet forums have become an avenue to spam your material to hit goals, hits, listens, etc.



To stay on topic here, I had a sample I was going to flip for this competition, but as I stated earlier, life got in the way.. Plus I'm putting some old beats together for this dude in exchange for a Maschine. Double that with working a shitty shift, spending time with the fiance and dealing with a piece of shit car that's already giving me shit after 63,000 miles. I really didn't have the time. I will do my best to get more involved in the competitions in 2011....being the beast that I am...

 

[DJ Excellence]

Agreed! I suspect many former active members (from the 2003-2006 era) don't make music any more. I don't blame them, we all gotta eat and take care of our families. What's crazy is that we have tons of guests on the forums but very few seem to be interested in joining.

Also with this site, the vets have gotten older and life kinda got in the way for a lot of us.

The vets were extremely active back in the day because we (not all, but including myself) were looking to improve and get feedback on our material as we were finding our niche in the music. Over time we've found that niche and really aren't looking for the feedback on the music as much, anymore.

 

[Fade]

It's been like that for a while now where the vets have moved on and are doing other things now, so that's why it's time for the newbies to step up.

As for the "guests", it's not just people browsing, a lot of them are also search engines crawling the site like Google, Yahoo, etc.

 

[Precog]

I agree exactly with what Low G is saying. I learnt most of the shit I know from here when I was starting out, then honed my craft with the showcase, beat this etc. Now like a lot of others im trying to put some shit out and try and take this music thing a bit more seriously, leaving less time for the things i was doing before.

Maybe we should be looking more now at putting music out together as a collective or something, spending time on joint projects and stuff, i dunno, if everyones off trying make albums etc, maybe that would draw people back together.

I dont know why newer members arent all over the stuff here though, when i joined i remember counting my posts till i got to 50 haha, and the showcases used to always reach at least 3 pages. Maybe its just coinciding with whats happening to music, maybe people getting into the game now are just looking for sites where they can try and blow up, not learn and join in on a community