One of the leading music production sites in the industry right now is Shadowville.com. They have been around since 2006 and they have a huge following. Artists and producers alike have access to a forum where information can be shared and people can just generally interact. This is a good feature as artists could potentially get in touch with the producers on the forum and this could enable them to have certain requests met. Another advantage of using Shadowville.com is simply the wide variety of beats and producers to choose from. The beats are of good quality and you are sure to find something to suit your needs. The website layout is professional and beats are available for preview right on the first page.
Despite the above, it has been found that artists looking to buy beats online and online consumers in general seem to value speed simplicity and ease of use. This where Shadowille.com could fall down a bit. The site design, though professional is a bit dark and cluttered. It has been shown that dark colours do not make customers feel comfortable. Additionally sifting through the multitude of beats for some may be a bit daunting. While a wide selection is great, that is not the best selling point for Shadowville.com. If you're an artist and you really want a huge selection you're probably going to head over to Soundclick.com first and foremost. Other negative for Shadowville.com include:
- High prices. The lowest lease price is $39.99
- Beats purchased under their "Performing" licence (which is $99) cannot be used for radio. This makes no sense because most artists want to be able to release a song to radio and be able to perform that same song live.
- Purchasing a normal lease only allows you 3 radio station rotations.
- The process of actually purchasing a beat is a bit long winded. There is information they require you to fill out even after you add the beat(s) to cart and go to checkout.
While Shadowville.com has industry standard beats, and great online community and a huge reputation, there are alternatives which do not have the same cons. One such site is StratCarter.com. Here you can sign up to the interactive and informative mailing list and get 7 beats free, access industry quality beats at prices sometimes as low as $9.99, download them instantly with very little hassle, correspond directly with the producer, and not have to deal with as many licensing restrictions.
So if you're asking yourself "how do I get signed?", well one thing you need for sure is great beats and Shadowville.com is a great site with a great reputation but here, you can get equal quality beats easier and with more affordability.
So if you're asking yourself "how do I get signed?", well one thing you need for sure is great beats and Shadowville.com is a great site with a great reputation but here, you can get equal quality beats easier and with more affordability.
