Everyone should check it out...

www.sonicbids.com

you don't have to pay but if you do you just get cooler stuff.

we haven't payed yet but we did all of this...

www.sonicbids.com/winterlock

The link says you are deactivated.

really... worked for me... i'll fix it

Works Now
www.sonicbids.com/winterlock

Hey If anyone wants to hear more new Hit by a bus material, you can hear it at www.sonicbids.com/hitbyabus

We gave it a shot for a few months, and have used it some, but we will be deleting ours really soon: http://www.sonicbids.com/romeogoestohell.

I'll tell you why: nobody has wanted it. Other than Hyperactive, every request we've gotten for a press kit is for a mailed, old-fashioned, real life, traditional kit. When asked, every single place that requested our kit has specifically said they don't want electronic kits (we just had a label send us a message today that said NO ELECTRONIC KITS in bold letters). So we've sent just as many of the mailed ones as we would have done, while the Sonicbids just kinda sits there. We've linked to it on our real site, but it doesn't give you stats on views or anything, so I don't know if anyone has gone there. That's a feature even crappy free sites like isound or friendster gives you. Stats, views. I want them.

The promoter drop box is cool and all, but none of those things in there are really quite right for us (or quite right for the price at least). It doesn't give stats on how many people have submitted to those drop boxes either, so it's like buying a lottery ticket. Are you competing with 200 bands for a slot on a compilation? Or 10,000? Because if so, I can't help but feel like my money would be going down a hole.

And I'm still a bit bitter that it didn't mention upfront that every submission costs additional money, most of them considerably more than the cost of mailing a traditional press kit (the bulk are 10 to 15$). I didn't find that out until I gave a credit card number. That's not cool (I want to use stronger language here, like unethical, but don't want to be accused of being negative ).

I'm sure this is the wave of the future, but I don't think it's time has come. I simply don't think it's worth the money. And I think a band is better served by getting a decent real web site rather than another cookie-cutter template site (even shitty Myspace is more customizible). Now, if you have everything else a band needs, have the money, and think you'll have success with it, then go for it. It's certainly a valid angle for some (say, if you have the press and videos and all the stuff that it does have options for). But I think everyone would have to agree that you are better off getting a kit to people who you know want it since they've asked for it. Why doesn't anyone else want to get the electronic submission? We'll resign up in few years when this is maybe more accepted. More money + lower odds = not my idea of a good deal.

Another thing: most of the submissions take a while to get a response. That's fine, so do traditional kits. But during that time you wait, you are still paying the fee to Sonicbids. If you think you will get a response, you have to stay on the hook. Submissions are non-refundable and if you junk your account then anything pending is just gone. Frustrating.

I think sonicbids has come in the most handy for us with getting into festivals and conferences. At sxsw we're probably going to have 4 shows at various different events. Although our manager sought out these things independantly first. So yeah I guess that if your going to use sinicbids then make sure you do your reaserch.