How to Become a SoundCloud Superstar, One Fake Fan at a Time

[StratosFear]

Ok. I don't speak from experience, but I do know people who have done this.

Contrary to what everyone is saying in this thread: IT DOES HELP THEM.

It helps them because their main goal is to play shows. They don't produce originals too much, so what they put up are mixes and popular remixes. So they bought some fans and some plays+comments.

Now, when a promoter or club manager goes to look at their pages, they see a LOT of plays and a fairly large number of comments. This bodes very well for the club. The managers don't really care so much if it was faked. Because the fake plays and followers generate real plays and followers, this gets them a real fanbase later on, and then those people will go to shows, etc.

It depends on what you're look for. Sure, if you're a bedroom producer who produces grime, you're probably not going to end up playing out too much (but that doesn't matter as much yet, right?). But if you're another EDM producer/DJ trying to get somewhere in an oversatured market, it sure gives you an extra little push for those gullible promoters.

[subfect]

Can be a good thing in a way for up and coming producers.
Why not spend a bit of money on something that could possibly gain you more notoriety for something you love.
IMO of course

Or you could invest a bit of time and work on making better music.

If only it were that simple.

[subfect]

Ok. I don't speak from experience, but I do know people who have done this.

Contrary to what everyone is saying in this thread: IT DOES HELP THEM.

It helps them because their main goal is to play shows. They don't produce originals too much, so what they put up are mixes and popular remixes. So they bought some fans and some plays+comments.

Now, when a promoter or club manager goes to look at their pages, they see a LOT of plays and a fairly large number of comments. This bodes very well for the club. The managers don't really care so much if it was faked. Because the fake plays and followers generate real plays and followers, this gets them a real fanbase later on, and then those people will go to shows, etc.

It depends on what you're look for. Sure, if you're a bedroom producer who produces grime, you're probably not going to end up playing out too much (but that doesn't matter as much yet, right?). But if you're another EDM producer/DJ trying to get somewhere in an oversatured market, it sure gives you an extra little push for those gullible promoters.

Just because you can rob people, doesn't mean you should. These kinds of plays are questions of morality - and which side you sit on is dependent on how greedy you are.

[wub]

As per the comments, it's this guy;

http://soundcloud.com/dopesolution

Spot the 'odd song out' and tell me again how buying comments is a good thing?

[Gravehill]

Can be a good thing in a way for up and coming producers.
Why not spend a bit of money on something that could possibly gain you more notoriety for something you love.
IMO of course

Or you could invest a bit of time and work on making better music.

Because you can only choose one or the other?

Pretty much any serious musician is going to spend money on some sort of advertising/marketing at some point.

[wub]

Pretty much any serious musician is going to spend money on some sort of advertising/marketing at some point.

Advertising & marketing =/= buying followers, likes & plays

[Gravehill]

Pretty much any serious musician is going to spend money on some sort of advertising/marketing at some point.

Advertising & marketing =/= buying followers, likes & plays

erm no? since when? i do think its a bad idea because its risky but if you dont care about getting caught its by far the best thing you can do for your music in terms of results vs money spent

[Gravehill]

the entire point of good marketing is to make other people feel like they dont fit in unless they buy into your product. its shady as hell but it works

[wub]

the entire point of good marketing is to make other people feel like they dont fit in unless they buy into your product. its shady as hell but it works

If I was marketing a movie, I wouldn't pay fake people to go and 'watch' it in order to entice others to do likewise.

[Taiken]

crazy...
how can someone life with this "lie" as producer, musician, dj or whatever he is...
i mean if someone ask you about your "success", do you lie them straight in the face? "yeah, i'm just a wicked producer and stuff, you know?"

[Gravehill]

the entire point of good marketing is to make other people feel like they dont fit in unless they buy into your product. its shady as hell but it works

If I was marketing a movie, I wouldn't pay fake people to go and 'watch' it in order to entice others to do likewise.

No of course not but you would definitely pay fake reviewers to publish good reviews and pay people to create a buzz around it and make it seem like its the biggest thing going. People are definitely much more likely to listen to the music of someone who has 50 000 followers on soundcloud rather than 30. But again, I dont condone it and I would never do it personally

[wub]

If I was marketing a movie, I wouldn't pay fake people to go and 'watch' it in order to entice others to do likewise.

No of course not but you would definitely pay fake reviewers to publish good reviews and pay people to create a buzz around it and make it seem like its the biggest thing going.

Yeah...no. I'd prefer my work to stand on it's own merits and would market it accordingly. Paying people to (in effect) lie about how great it is just smacks of pathetic desperation.

[Gravehill]

If I was marketing a movie, I wouldn't pay fake people to go and 'watch' it in order to entice others to do likewise.

No of course not but you would definitely pay fake reviewers to publish good reviews and pay people to create a buzz around it and make it seem like its the biggest thing going.

Yeah...no. I'd prefer my work to stand on it's own merits and would market it accordingly. Paying people to (in effect) lie about how great it is just smacks of pathetic desperation.

Yeah I agree, I just meant that is what tends to go on. Justin Bieber has like 14 million fake twitter followers or some crazy shit

[NinjaEdit]

Fraud A deception deliberately practiced in order to secure unfair or unlawful gain.

[Samuel_L_Damnson]

Yea its way more satisfying having like a few actual followers innit

[mr echo]

First off, I don't think it was fair to post the guys account... the guy who wrote the article made a deal with him to keep his identity secret in return for info - it should have stayed that way.

Regarding the morality of it. I can see both sides of the coin. On one side, the state of music is changing. It has been for over a decade now but IMO it is starting to peak now. The only real way to get your music heard (whether it is amazing or not) is to know someone who can make it happen, for example, an uncle who owns or is high up in a respected label. Unless you are in a situation where you know someone with the power to do you a favour then basically, you need to be very very lucky. It is getting harder and harder for new labels to get anywhere and unfortunately any decent, long running label aint even gonna listen to what you send. In fact, most respected labels nowadays rarely release music from seemingly random artists. Its always friends, friends of friends, artists already releasing on that label.... or..... someone who has already released on several other fairly respected labels. Granted there are exceptions as always but that is generally the state of music nowadays. IMO it's all down to the pirating scene really. I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing. But every man and his dog can acquire the means and information to make music today. So there is loads and loads and loads of it. And most people making music think that they are gonna be the next big thing and make millions and get all the girls etc etc. So people shove it down as many throats as they can. So when you make something good, no-one wants to hear. How do they know its any good?

Considering the way the music industry is, is it not understandable that someone would think that the image of them having thousands of plays would help them achieve what they want to achieve? Can you not see how someone might think that they have a better chance of being signed to a decent label if they appear to have thousands of plays?

The plan is clearly flawed. I mean, its obvious that the comments are not genuine. There are nowhere near as many followers as you would expect to see with that many plays. And all the other tunes have nowhere near as many plays. Its clear for anyone to see. Also we can see it has not worked due to there being hardly and followers and plays on other tunes.

Anyway, my point is that I can see why he did what he did. I don't think it is immoral. From my experiences so far, music nowadays is dog eat dog. I certainly wouldn't recommend someone else do what he did. But if he wants to try make something of his music the way he is doing it, let him try. I don't think it will work.

[wub]

First off, I don't think it was fair to post the guys account... the guy who wrote the article made a deal with him to keep his identity secret in return for info - it should have stayed that way.

It was taken from the comments section of the article.

[outdropt]

Got worried when i first read the title lol, good read.

[Gravehill]

First off, I don't think it was fair to post the guys account... the guy who wrote the article made a deal with him to keep his identity secret in return for info - it should have stayed that way.

Regarding the morality of it. I can see both sides of the coin. On one side, the state of music is changing. It has been for over a decade now but IMO it is starting to peak now. The only real way to get your music heard (whether it is amazing or not) is to know someone who can make it happen, for example, an uncle who owns or is high up in a respected label. Unless you are in a situation where you know someone with the power to do you a favour then basically, you need to be very very lucky. It is getting harder and harder for new labels to get anywhere and unfortunately any decent, long running label aint even gonna listen to what you send. In fact, most respected labels nowadays rarely release music from seemingly random artists. Its always friends, friends of friends, artists already releasing on that label.... or..... someone who has already released on several other fairly respected labels. Granted there are exceptions as always but that is generally the state of music nowadays. IMO it's all down to the pirating scene really. I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing. But every man and his dog can acquire the means and information to make music today. So there is loads and loads and loads of it. And most people making music think that they are gonna be the next big thing and make millions and get all the girls etc etc. So people shove it down as many throats as they can. So when you make something good, no-one wants to hear. How do they know its any good?

Considering the way the music industry is, is it not understandable that someone would think that the image of them having thousands of plays would help them achieve what they want to achieve? Can you not see how someone might think that they have a better chance of being signed to a decent label if they appear to have thousands of plays?

The plan is clearly flawed. I mean, its obvious that the comments are not genuine. There are nowhere near as many followers as you would expect to see with that many plays. And all the other tunes have nowhere near as many plays. Its clear for anyone to see. Also we can see it has not worked due to there being hardly and followers and plays on other tunes.

Anyway, my point is that I can see why he did what he did. I don't think it is immoral. From my experiences so far, music nowadays is dog eat dog. I certainly wouldn't recommend someone else do what he did. But if he wants to try make something of his music the way he is doing it, let him try. I don't think it will work.

There was a guy a couple years ago who had one of his tunes (a dubstep type thing) in a car commercial because he had thousands of fake fans so the car company thought he was a superstar. No one even knew who he was and the song wasn't even good

[Simulant]

As per the comments, it's this guy;

http://soundcloud.com/dopesolution

Spot the 'odd song out' and tell me again how buying comments is a good thing?

In all fairness, it's not a bad tune. But I don't think it's that good either, quite boring and forgettable. It definitely seems a bit desperate to pay for likes, but if it kickstarts a career then maybe it's worth doing? I'd say it's probably a good idea to at least have some above average tunes first tho.