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Is Bandmix as useless as it seems?
- Thread starter MJ_Sotti
- Start date
I just got into a fantastic band via Bandmix. I had a few really good auditions too. Before that, nothing for a year.
How hard are you working it? Did you just put up a profile or are you contacting people? Finding a band, or band members is a lot of work. You have to check Bandmix, Craigslist, open mics, network with friends, etc.
It’s been great for me. My current classic rock band found me there eight months ago. In the last few years I’ve received a dozen or so offers from bands and projects I would not have received otherwise.
I actually found a decent band through there, but it took a bit. If I did get a reply from someone it was something like "Oh, I forgot we had a thing posted on Bandmix. Thanks for the reminder to update it."
I use Bandmix, but you have to sort through a lot of hay to find the needles. I especially love profiles like this:
Really, you want a trombone, Ukulele, flute, harp, etc., etc., etc.??? And no mention of what they actually are looking for.
Yeah - the 'Looking For' section comes pre-populated with -everything- checked and some never notice...
Just had a drummer reach out to me from band mix. I'll let you know how it goes.
The think I don't like about it (at least the free version) is you can filter on someone who only plays one instrument. E.g. I search for "drummer" and the results are all these people holding a guitar and drums is one of 12 instruments they supposedly play and they are always listed as "beginner"
The think I don't like about it (at least the free version) is you can filter on someone who only plays one instrument. E.g. I search for "drummer" and the results are all these people holding a guitar and drums is one of 12 instruments they supposedly play and they are always listed as "beginner"
YES! THIS!I use Bandmix, but you have to sort through a lot of hay to find the needles. I especially love profiles like this:
View attachment 4528778
Really, you want a trombone, Ukulele, flute, harp, etc., etc., etc.??? And no mention of what they actually are looking for.
I use Bandmix, but you have to sort through a lot of hay to find the needles. I especially love profiles like this:
View attachment 4528778
Really, you want a trombone, Ukulele, flute, harp, etc., etc., etc.??? And no mention of what they actually are looking for.
This! I can't count the number of times I've seen profiles like that on Bandmix. The other one that drives me nuts are spam emails from Bandmix listing new musicians or bands that might be of interest. You see an artist with "BAND - seeking: Bass Guitar". Then you click on it.... 9 times out of 10, they are actually looking for a vocalist, or a guitar player or they ARE a bass player. Sigh......
It technically works but I kind of hate it. I have made a few contacts on there but it's truly an awful service. The UI is ancient and confusing. The separation between bands and individuals makes little sense. It only survives because there's nothing better (or at least better AND well-known enough for there to be lots of people on it) at this time. The only alternatives I can think of are CL and Facebook groups (also a mess of a paradigm).
And frankly, it makes me question the professionalism of people that don’t bother to proofread their own profile.
Honestly, I've had more success with CL for linking up with other musicians than with BandMix.
I agree you get a lot more action, but there's so much chaff to sift through.
IMO, and maybe I am alone in this, if someone contacts me through BandMix I know that in their own minds, perhaps, they're serious about it. Basement-dwelling timewasters don't or won't invest in the paid subscription.
^^ Yep, YMMV but as I said, I've had a lot more "success" (not just action) through CL than BandMix...just my experience in my town.
I have to disagree there. I've met as many inept musicians on bandmix as I have on craigslist. If there was a good alternative, we'd all use it, but if you use craigslist, bandmix, open mics and networking COMBINED with a good screening process, you'll find what you want eventually.
That might quite literally be one of the bands I'm in now. It was a perfect fit for me and helped me to get up to speed on bass. Plus, it led to two other bands, one of them gigged all through the shutdown. So, thanks for turning them down.
And I found them on Bandmix.
Gonna bit the bullet and make a new Bandmix profile, see if it does any good. Craigslist has a lot of ads for my area but nothing that appeals to me.
That's a universal problem, not a Bandmix problem. Keyboard players are hard to come by, good ones are really rare, and keys players who will do what you ask them to do (learn signature parts, use appropriate synth patches, play horn parts) are unobtainium.
I am not sure why, but I guess the emphasis on guitar based music that started in the 90's has taken a lot of would-be keyboardists in a different direction. It requires a lot of study and practice to play piano or organ well.
In this town there are maybe four players who get all the work. They name their price, they're good at what they do, and I still fired one of them because she wouldn't learn signature parts in a Steely Dan song.*
*I just hired her to play a blues gig which she's really good at, so we're good.
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