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Ektoplazm beginner's guide and crowdfunding campaign
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Basilisk
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
168
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2984
Posted : Jul 16, 2012 00:22
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I wrote a bunch about the history of the site and my motivations in "a beginner's guide to Ektoplazm", available here:
http://www.ektoplazm.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-ektoplazm
Isratrance veterans will want to give this a read. After all, Ektoplazm (in its present form) began as a response to debates we used to engage in around here, before Facebook came along.
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AumShantiAum
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
27
Posts :
911
Posted : Jul 16, 2012 16:43
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That was a nice read Basilisk, sorry to hear that your travels didn't work out. But its nice to know that you'll be working on ektoplazm  your website has really been very important , if not the most important for the Psy world and I'm glad its here to stay
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Boulevard
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
55
Posts :
2497
Posted : Jul 16, 2012 20:56
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Quote:
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On 2012-07-16 00:22, Basilisk wrote:
I wrote a bunch about the history of the site and my motivations in "a beginner's guide to Ektoplazm", available here:
http://www.ektoplazm.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-ektoplazm
Isratrance veterans will want to give this a read. After all, Ektoplazm (in its present form) began as a response to debates we used to engage in around here, before Facebook came along.
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It was indeed a very nice read. Good to know how the selection process works. The talent/ music on your site is really awesome. I have so many great tracks from the website. Thanks.
 Mushrooms make you do crazy stuff. Look at Mario he jumps on animal heads and fights with dragons. |
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Basilisk
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
168
Posts :
2984
Posted : Jul 16, 2012 23:47
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Login
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
65
Posts :
1707
Posted : Jul 17, 2012 18:37
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Really looking forward for this new ektoplasm, you are writing the history of the evolution of psytrance.
I think the time is a little short for the crowd funding, maybe give it a nother month?
Congrats!
"The dedication to repetition — the search for nirvana in a single held tone or an endlessly cycling rhythm — is one of electronic music's noblest gestures." |
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jonsta
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
40
Posts :
313
Posted : Jul 17, 2012 19:14
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Outolintu
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
63
Posts :
1477
Posted : Jul 17, 2012 19:52
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hi alexander,
2.0 sounds really interesting and i see many possibilities in it.
from the artist's perspective i'd like to ask:
will it cost for artists and labels to release music through ektoplazm in the future?
or just if you want to go pro?
what'll be the difference between normal and pro?
"no one ever sweats on a plug-in" -moby |
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full_on
IsraTrance Team
Started Topics :
279
Posts :
5475
Posted : Jul 17, 2012 22:22
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As usual, a good article and a fantastic sound selection.
Keep it real!
Respect!
.
...Be gentle with the earth...
...Dance like nobody's watching...
.
...I don't mind not going to Heaven, as long as they've got Coffee in Hell... |
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Basilisk
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
168
Posts :
2984
Posted : Jul 18, 2012 08:28
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On 2012-07-17 18:37, Login wrote:
I think the time is a little short for the crowd funding, maybe give it a nother month? |
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A month should be sufficient... at any rate, I can't change it now 
Quote:
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On 2012-07-17 19:52, Outolintu wrote:
2.0 sounds really interesting and i see many possibilities in it.
from the artist's perspective i'd like to ask:
will it cost for artists and labels to release music through ektoplazm in the future?
or just if you want to go pro?
what'll be the difference between normal and pro? |
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I plan to address these questions in an update to the campaign. I'll post a link back in this thread when I do.
What I can say for now is that the answers to these questions are interlinked with the technical challenges I will be facing as I try to transform Ektoplazm into a service that labels and artists can upload tracks to. My goal is to keep the service as free and open as possible, but also to ensure that Ektoplazm is sustainable into the future.
By the way, you (and any other artist/label reading this) are welcome to email me with a feature wish list. If there is something in particular that would really help you out I'd like to know about it. I've been keeping detailed notes of all the stuff labels and artists have been asking for... this is driving a lot of the product development taking place behind the scenes right now.
Anyhow, I am really overjoyed with the response to the campaign thus far. I'll do my best to answer all questions and provide more details as the month unfolds. Thanks everyone for your support
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supergroover
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
39
Posts :
1505
Posted : Jul 18, 2012 10:19
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A month might indeed be a bit short especially because many people are on holiday now.. Hope you ll make it!
soundcloud.com/supergroover |
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Login
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
65
Posts :
1707
Posted : Jul 18, 2012 18:04
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Quote:
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On 2012-07-18 10:19, supergroover wrote:
A month might indeed be a bit short especially because many people are on holiday now.. Hope you ll make it!
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Also, it's festival season.
"The dedication to repetition — the search for nirvana in a single held tone or an endlessly cycling rhythm — is one of electronic music's noblest gestures." |
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Outolintu
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
63
Posts :
1477
Posted : Jul 19, 2012 00:19
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Quote:
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On 2012-07-18 08:28, Basilisk wrote:
Quote:
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On 2012-07-17 19:52, Outolintu wrote:
2.0 sounds really interesting and i see many possibilities in it.
from the artist's perspective i'd like to ask:
will it cost for artists and labels to release music through ektoplazm in the future?
or just if you want to go pro?
what'll be the difference between normal and pro? |
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I plan to address these questions in an update to the campaign. I'll post a link back in this thread when I do.
What I can say for now is that the answers to these questions are interlinked with the technical challenges I will be facing as I try to transform Ektoplazm into a service that labels and artists can upload tracks to. My goal is to keep the service as free and open as possible, but also to ensure that Ektoplazm is sustainable into the future.
By the way, you (and any other artist/label reading this) are welcome to email me with a feature wish list. If there is something in particular that would really help you out I'd like to know about it. I've been keeping detailed notes of all the stuff labels and artists have been asking for... this is driving a lot of the product development taking place behind the scenes right now.
Anyhow, I am really overjoyed with the response to the campaign thus far. I'll do my best to answer all questions and provide more details as the month unfolds. Thanks everyone for your support
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right, i stay tuned to see how it's developing.
i'm happy that you have some new ideas and fully understand that you want to make something that started out as a hobby and/or passion into something that gets some food on the table too.
on the other hand i'm a bit skeptical concerning the idea where you'll be getting the money from.
if or probably when you will start taking money for your services i'd say it'd be better to address the music listener than the artist. what's the point point in doing music for free and then paying for it's free distribution? ofcourse some see it as means to advertise, get gigs and thus monetary compensation. but, there are also artists who just want to release music for free and might get discouraged by the thought of money entering the picture.
the philosophy behind ektoplazm will change and you'll not be able to go back after the change. ektoplazm has the potential to go big but it'll loose something essential on the way. the original free spirit.
it's all about choices ofcourse... and points of view. and i don't want to say one is better than the other.
just my 2 cents on the subject...
"no one ever sweats on a plug-in" -moby |
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Login
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
65
Posts :
1707
Posted : Jul 19, 2012 17:24
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So it's going to be something like beatport but free?
"The dedication to repetition — the search for nirvana in a single held tone or an endlessly cycling rhythm — is one of electronic music's noblest gestures." |
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Beat Agency
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
53
Posts :
1752
Posted : Jul 19, 2012 22:57
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I would love to see more variety in genres. I think there has been too much of the same limited genres and an overflooding of darkpsy IMO.
I think you would benefit enormous Alex if you took it one step further and invited all kind of electronic music inside and redesigned the site so it does not look psychedelic trance inspired.
My 2 cents.
Good luck with it all
www.beatagency.dk |
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Basilisk
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
168
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2984
Posted : Jul 19, 2012 23:33
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Outolintu: I hear what you are saying and understand your cause for concern. I intend to keep the free spirit alive moving forward. My values haven't changed; I'm still interested in disrupting existing distribution structures within electronic music. It is simply that I can't do much more of that with Ektoplazm the way it is today
The idea of charging labels and artists for extra features (for instance, distributing a higher than normal number of releases or increasing the quality of streaming audio from 128k to 320k) actually came from discussions with many of my existing distribution partners, many of whom have written to say they would be interested in paying for an improved service. Some already pay; you might be surprised at how many labels and artists already send in unsolicited donations simply because they appreciate the level of service I currently provide. There are also, as you say, cases where a label or artist just wants to keep it simple and free. I'd like to continue supporting these labels and artists just as I have been all these years.
In any event, my existing monetization plans are mutable. If it turns out that I've been hearing from a minority of labels and artists interested in premium features then I will redirect my energy into another approach. This is just what I'm working with for now; I'm positive there are many creative solutions to consider. All I know is that Ektoplazm needs to be monetized some way or another, and I'm not keen on invasive advertising, charging for lossless quality downloads, or end-user subscription fees for unlimited access (all common suggestions). And, in case it isn't obvious, I'm also not keen on giving up on this project
Login: not quite... I see Bandcamp as the most comparable service to what I am planning. Bandcamp is a great service but it has several limitations. Traffic does not easily flow from one release to another, for instance; there isn't much of a Bandcamp "ecosystem" as you see on Ektoplazm today (with its many styles, labels, and artists presented in one place). When a label or artist posts a release on Bandcamp it is up to them to promote it through their existing web presence or social networking connections. On Ektoplazm new labels and artists can count on a certain level of exposure simply for showing up. I'd like to build on that concept to create a kind of musical meritocracy where traffic flows toward releases that are deemed to be better or more interesting by subsets of users with similar taste. In this sense, Reddit, with its freeform niche market communities (subreddits), is more of a reference point than Beatport is.
Anyhow, I'm hoping that my track record for getting things done will help to inspire confidence in the campaign. I have spent the better part of a year mapping out the future of Ektoplazm and wish to earn the support of the community to proceed. I've also learned a lot about fast, iterative development processes, and the dangers of planning too much too far in advance. The reality of the situation is that I'll begin work on the next phase of Ektoplazm if the campaign is successful... but what is actually produced will depend a lot on feedback received during the development process itself. This is why one of the perks is "beta access"; claim this perk and you'll be a part of the team of front-line music lovers defining the future of the service. The same goes for labels and artists who wish to get involved. I'd like for the community to be a part of the process; it isn't simply me dictating what people need. It is a conversation, a dialogue, just as it has been since I set out on this path so many years ago.
Beat Agency: I agree with your sentiments. I'm hoping to expand the musical scope without trading in any of the authenticity. I think this can be accomplished, in part, with creative skinning of the site... a trippy look for psytrance fans, a clean and minimal look for techno fans, etc. I'll be starting with psytrance though; that's where Ektoplazm's roots are, after all. |
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