Misc.

I don't have a premier account and don't plan on getting one anytime soon, but my problem is there is a musician I would really like to contact (sessman) if anyone can contact him and ask him to get back to me or post an email address is greatly appreciate it

Dude! The guy joined in 2012 (with just '1 year of experience' back then), has no music, videos or photos shown on his profile, has no equipment, and hasn't been active to even check his profile .... Move on!

I'm in the same boat. Can someone ask Jersey Mr Pat to read Just An Expression's page and if he's interested to contact me? Thanks in advance.

What a disappointing policy for this site not to allow basic contact for free. This went from being potentially one of my favorite sites to being useless to me.

I can understand adding premium features for a fee, but not allowing basic contact will only damage the sites popularity and usefulness for thee average musician, who struggles to make any money in this industry as it is.

That's my two cents on the topic. - Jstn

I'm in the same boat. Can someone ask Jersey Mr Pat to read Just An Expression's page and if he's interested to contact me? Thanks in advance.

What a disappointing policy for this site not to allow basic contact for free. This went from being potentially one of my favorite sites to being useless to me.

I can understand adding premium features for a fee, but not allowing basic contact will only damage the sites popularity and usefulness for thee average musician, who struggles to make any money in this industry as it is.

That's my two cents on the topic. - Jstn

Very few people go for the premium option, so they must limit free use to make any money at all here. Sorry, I searched but found no profile for 'Jersey Mr Pat'.

I would never pay for this service, but you guys sound like whiny bitches. What else do you demand for free? Electricity from the utility company? Beer from the liquor store? Popcorn at the movie theater? This company has to keep the damn lights on, and how exactly do you expect them to do it? Is Bernie Sanders gonna snap his magic fingers and have a pile of cash from "the 1%" fall out of the sky? Go back to high school economics class. Get off the internet, with your crybaby antics.

schmedidiah - Out of respect for the moderators here, I won't get into an argument with you over your "personal" comment.

Suffice it to say that in my mind neither of us was whining, but rather Mike and I were discussing the business model used by this website. Mike's point was a good one, however, I am not sure I agree that it is the only way they can make money.

Back in the day, most musicians I knew hooked up through The Recycler, which provides free ads for that purpose and others, and has stayed in business for many, many years. My thought is that free contacts and a set of attractive features for those who decide to pay might be jst as successful economically (maybe even more so) due to the increased traffic.

The current system is sure to turn a lot of people away, as it's simply an exercise in frustration for those attracted to the site who can't afford the (approx) $100 - $180 required.

You see, no one here thinks the site should operate at a loss and everything should be free. It's jst about the approach they are currently using.

But don't worry about misreading the economic points Mike and I were making. You'll have 8 years to get caught up.

Now Mike (assuming you are also reading this), I must admit that I have been so impressed so far with the general quality of the music I am listening to here (including your excellent tunes), that I am considering signing up for a Premier account, for a few months at least, while I put my band back together.

We'll chat more perhaps soon on youtube or Reverbnation, if that's OK with you.

Again, really liked your music. Oh yeah, one more thing. The "Pat" I seek is on my "music list" You could simply click on his avatar to connect. Thanks again for that.

Good. Let's see if the OP can get it together.

Is it a good business model? Only the owners could say. I don't think that relying on ad clicks can bring much money in, because the percentage of people who do click on the links is pathetically small - everywhere. But its 'free money' - no work required.
Other sites - like reverbnation - bombard you with tons of emails to 'submit to ____', which you can only do if you become a premium member there. I tried their free 1-month try-out (I think they offer two months now) and didn't see any results.
These are all places that can be used to host music, profiles, gig listings, the differences may be obvious or miniscule. I signed up with a bunch of other sites a few years ago, and have seen little/no action from them compared to here and RN.
How well any of these function is really a result of the users - how much info you put into your profile, how much you use the site to look for others, etc.
The one thing I use all of these sites for - preauditioning other prospective band members. If the person who contacts me (or vice-versa) has little online presence, no music (audio and/or video) available, then most likely he will not be up to the level of competence I'm looking for. I wasted too much time in the last few years giving people a chance to 'prove themselves'. I expect no less from someone checking me out - they can listen to my recordings, see my live performances on youtube and see if I'm up to THEIR level.