#indabasitetutorial

Signing Up: Let's Get Started!

Enter the site (https://www.indabamusic.com) and click "Sign Up"

Enter your basic information (Name, Email, Password, Social Security Number... just kidding!) in order to properly establish your new account. If you have a Facebook account, simply connect your new profile directly from Facebook and BOOM, done. NOTE: Please be sure to carefully read the Terms of Use so you know what you're agreeing to. Yeah, it sucks, but you need to.

Now your profile has been created, huzzah! Please be sure to draw your attention the box above your profile which states your profiles activation status.  Your account wont be active at first; in order to activate, head to your email where you should have received an message notifying you to activate your account. Open the email and click the button requesting you to activate your account.

If you do not receive an email or experience any difficulty in activating your account you can request that another be sent by using the following link: https://indabamusic.com/request_activation.  Enter your email address (the email that is linked to your Indaba account), click "send activation email" and check your inbox for the activation email. NOTE: Sometimes we are sent to the "Spam" folder (TEAR!) so check if you still do not see an email.

Creating Your Indaba Profile: Getting To Know You

Aside from your submissions, comments and chat room activity (more on that to come!) your profile is the best representation of what you are capable of bringing to Indaba Community. We encourage our users to create a profile picture, tell us and our community about yourself, where you are from, the type of music you listen to, your influences, all of which will be displayed on your profile page. Navigating Through Your Profile

To view your profile, at any given time on the site, click on the icon in the upper, right-hand corner of the your browser window next to your name.

If, over time, you wish to edit your profile, click on the same icon mentioned in the bullet above.  Next, click on the button underneath your profile picture which reads "Edit Profile" where you will be able to change any and all information on your profile. Don't forget to click save when you are finished.

Your Indaba Profile will be listed under two basic categories of membership: Basic and Pro.  These statuses of membership rely on your activity within the site which leads us to our next topic: Opportunities!

Opportunities: Make Music Everyday

If you don't know what we, at Indaba Music, do already, you might be wondering what makes this site so significant.  Indaba Music has been able to create an online community for musicians to find opportunities to make the music they want to create. These opportunities are unique in that you are able to have your submissions heard by not only the Indaba Community but also professional artists, producers and record labels.  Opportunities are offered by professional artists, record labels or upcoming events through Indaba that need submissions from Indaba Community for a variety of practical purposes such as: record releases, music for upcoming events, commercials, soundtracks, etc.

Each opportunity, in essence, is a contest open to all Indaba members to submit their creative materials based on the guidelines set up by the Artist, Label and Indaba. Opportunities usually fall under three basic categories: Original Content Contests, Mixing Contests, and Remix Contests.  Original Content Contest are a little more self-explanatory in that a user will be asked to submit their own original material.  Remix Contests are based on already existing material provided by the artist and/or label hosting the competition.  Mixing and Remix Competitions are specific to musical engineers and producers who are proficient in paid music producing software(Digital Audio Workstations called DAW's) such as Pro Tools, Logic, or Ableton, or free software such as Reaper, Fruity Loops or Garage Band if you have a Mac. Any of these recommended production softwares can be used to create your remix material and/or master your remix and original content.

Each Opportunity has its own means of prizing or compensation. Indaba has awarded such prizes as exclusive recording and production gear, signed paraphernalia issued by the label and/or artist, limited time pro membership on Indaba, and even cash! Winners are separated into three basic categories: Grand Prize Winner, which is decided by the judges picked from all submissions; Runner-Up Winners, also decided the judges picked from all submissions; and the Popular Vote Winners, which is decided by the judges chosen from the top ten most voted submissions.  Prizes and compensation vary for each competition and each individual category.

Viewing and Submitting for Opportunities

 If you look at your tool bar at the very top of your browser, you will see a link marked "Opportunities".  Once you have clicked that link you will be able to view all past and present opportunities we provide.

Each active opportunity is indicated by a blue button on the lower, right-hand corner of every opportunity page labeled "Enter".  If an opportunity is Submission Period, it means that we are currently accepting submissions.  Once the "Enter" button is removed we can no longer accept submissions.  NOTE: Similarly, once the submission period is over, you can no longer delete your submissions either due to the terms of service set up by the record label hosting each competition.

To see how long you have to submit your material, click on an opportunity listed and go click on the link thats says "Creative Breif". There will be Calender which states the Submissions Period, Voting Period, and when the winner will be announced.

If you are looking to enter a Mizing and/or Remix Contest, you will want to download the material provided by the host.  To do so, open an opportunity and in the center of your screen you will see all the individual stems needed to create your remix.  You can choose to download them separately or download all of them buy clicking the "Download All Stems" button underneath the individual stems.  Once you have downloaded the stems you need the fun begins, feel free to let your imagination run wild, give us all you got!! NOTE: The Remix Competitions require you only use the stems provided by the host or original stems, sound bites, recordings etc.  Any pre-existing, copyrighted material utilized in your remix, will result in an immediate disqualification of your submission from the contest.

Once you are done, feel free to submit to the contest by entering an opportunity and clicking on the Blue Button marked "Enter the Opportunity - To Download Stems and Submit" in the upper, left-hand corner of your screen.  Then, you will read and agree to the terms of service set up by the label, the artist and Indaba.  Once you have done so you can go back to where that button was originally, where it will be marked "Submit Your Track".  NOTE:  At any point during the submission period, if you decided you would like to continue editing your submission, you may delete your current submission and re-submit your new-and-improved material. However, you will lose your Comments and Listens from your previous submission.

Listening Party: Becoming One Of The Family

With your first submission secure in the Indaba Archive, you are one step close to become part of the Indaba Community.  However, another central facet of our site is the ability to connect, share, and chat with other users.  Connecting the other users gives you the ability to have to have your material heard, critiqued and spread throughout the Indaba Community.  These types of abilities come in handy when, trying to make new friends on the Indaba site, improving your previous submissions and having your submissions voted for the Popular Vote Category of any given Opportunity.

The easiest way to the connect with users is through the Listening Party, which allows users to have there submissions heard through the process of a lottery.  When your submission drawn from the lottery, other users of the ability to comment on sections that they like which will show up other listen to your submission, talk about your track with you on our chat log, and vote for your track if they like what they are hearing.  Its a great way to connect with not only Indaba Users but also the Indaba Team! We pride ourselves in remaining particularly active with our users, giving our own input, answering any questions and policing the chat rooms for those with less-than constructive comments.

Navigating Your Way Around the Listening Party

First thing you need to enter a submission into the Listening Party is your submission! You must make sure that what you are trying to enter into the Listening Party is a submission to an Indaba Contest.  A track can only be entered into the Listening Party seven days after the contest launches. A track can, also, only be submitted based on the opportunities that are list in the side bar on the right-hand side of the Listening Party.

To enter your submission you will most likely see a Green Button in the center, Right-hand of your screen marked "Next Lottery" with an allotted time left until the next lottery.  Once the count down is up a new button will appear with a 30 second count marked "Click to Enter" where you will be able to enter your submission for the next lottery.  Although there is no guarantee to be chosen, stay hopeful, there are a finite number of submissions in the lottery at one time so your odds of being chosen aren't as bad as you may think.

While you wait for your submission to be selected, voting is an important way to be active within the community.  If, during your time in the listening party, you hear a submission you like, you can vote for it making it a more likely candidate to win the Popular Vote for that particular competition.  To vote, click the blue button next the green "Next Lottery" button marked "Vote".  To retract your vote, click the button again to withdraw it.

Another important feature on the Listening Party is the chat log.  You are able to talk to other users by clicking the dimly written words "Type here to chat..." in the text box, typing what you would like to say, and clicking enter.  NOTE: Having the chat log does not invite you to say anything you like such as harsh language, hateful comments, and spam.

Lastly, you have the ability to comment on other users tracks on the listening party.  To do so, click the dim, white bar on the player at the bottom of your screen while a track is being played.  Select the section you like to comment on, click on it and submit your comment; keep it constructive and clean.

Welcome to Indaba: Consider Yourself At Home!

Congratulations! You are now ready to go out and explore the exciting world of Indaba Music.  Remember to stay active and submit often and you will be just fine.   Indaba is a loving and creative environment where you can feel free to be as expressive as you'd like.

If you have any more questions or concerns about the site go to just click on the feedback link on the upper, right-hand side of your screen underneath you name and icon.

Voting can be a fun way to promote your music and encourage your friends, family and fans to interact with your latest creation. “Vote for me, Mom!” But we’ve also heard from many of you that you are more interested in what other community members think of your submission. As a first step towards making musicians’ feedback a more central part of the Indaba experience, we now enable you to see how many of your votes are coming from other community members.

When you look at vote counts underneath your submission, you’ll see two numbers separated by a slash. The first number (in blue) is your Indaba vote.  This is how many actual Indaba members have voted for your submission. The second number (in gray) is the Popular vote.  This number takes into account both Indaba community votes and votes from your friends and non-Indaba members.

      You can also now sort all submissions by Indaba Vote: