What is the current situation with EQD Music?

[Do Well]

Title says it all. I used to make music about ponies a while ago, and for no reason at all I have decided to perhaps jump back on the pony train. Are there still pre-listeners who judge the submissions? I know the spotlights don't direct traffic like they used to, but it would be nice to know how the system works nowadays.

Also, what happened to the MLR IRC? The link on the MLR homepage is dead.

[Freewave]

Title says it all. I used to make music about ponies a while ago, and for no reason at all I have decided to perhaps jump back on the pony train. Are there still pre-listeners who judge the submissions? I know the spotlights don't direct traffic like they used to, but it would be nice to know how the system works nowadays.

Also, what happened to the MLR IRC? The link on the MLR homepage is dead.

All hearsay and observation but pretty reliable:

As of late October 2013 EQD let go of their "musicians as prelisteners group" and brought on another group to do the job (and not argue as much). I think they are suspected to perhaps be EQD pre-readers or ppl who work in other fannon departments for them. Send a track to them like always, make sure to do an in depth description if you need to explain why your track is pony. They'll listen and give you a spotlight if its exceptional or a motd (music of the day) if it's good. Generally they'll get you on there within a week of your submission. Hope that helps.

[Do Well]

Title says it all. I used to make music about ponies a while ago, and for no reason at all I have decided to perhaps jump back on the pony train. Are there still pre-listeners who judge the submissions? I know the spotlights don't direct traffic like they used to, but it would be nice to know how the system works nowadays.

Also, what happened to the MLR IRC? The link on the MLR homepage is dead.

All hearsay and observation but pretty reliable:

As of late October 2013 EQD let go of their "musicians as prelisteners group" and brought on another group to do the job (and not argue as much). I think they are suspected to perhaps be EQD pre-readers or ppl who work in other fannon departments for them. Send a track to them like always, make sure to do an in depth description if you need to explain why your track is pony. They'll listen and give you a spotlight if its exceptional or a motd (music of the day) if it's good. Generally they'll get you on there within a week of your submission. Hope that helps.

That's great, thanks.

[ph00tbag]

Interestingly, the new system seems to have settled into a tendency towards more frequent spotlights and less frequent (ie. not daily) motds, or ones with less music. Overall, yeah, neither really brings the same level of exposure that it used to, though. If you really want to get more exposure, it's also important to get lots of cross-promotion from other artists, or do work for a larger project. Sometimes getting more views outside of EqD can also help you get spotlights easier, as well, since some listeners submit to EqD, as well, and multiple submissions seem to tip the scales.

[Do Well]

Interestingly, the new system seems to have settled into a tendency towards more frequent spotlights and less frequent (ie. not daily) motds, or ones with less music. Overall, yeah, neither really brings the same level of exposure that it used to, though. If you really want to get more exposure, it's also important to get lots of cross-promotion from other artists, or do work for a larger project. Sometimes getting more views outside of EqD can also help you get spotlights easier, as well, since some listeners submit to EqD, as well, and multiple submissions seem to tip the scales.

Thanks for the tip, nice to see that you are both mods now! Why do you think this is the case with the spotlight music? Do you think the pony fandom's ten minutes of fame are up? I've been checking out some of the well known pony artists who were thriving around 2011-2013, with tens of thousands of subs. Their newer videos are not able to attract even 20% of their followers. Have people forgotten about pony music?

[Freewave]

Keep in mind that you're comparing tracks that may be a few months old with classics that have had years to collect views.

That said, It's a pretty sad state of affairs when it comes to pony music tbh. The long breaks inbetween seasons is part of the problem but also the consistent "walking away" of veterans and well known brony musicians.That type of behavior is infectious and leads to others following their lead to make music outside of MLP circles (often for even less views mind you). As noted EQD spotlights don't get the type of attention they used to but are still the #1 pull for getting indiv video views. Without those expect really pathetic views to occur.

We did talk this at length in a resurrected thread here. viewtopic.php?f=21&t=4859&start=25 The 2014 posts are the most relevent but the ones before that see some of the problems as they were coming in.

And when we did a top brony musicians list there was plenty of evidence of inactive musicians who don't make mlp music anymore. Plenty of musicians who show as active may have made a pony song as far back as 9 months ago so it may be even a sadder state of affairs. http://bronymusiciandirectory.blogspot. ... cians.html

THAT SAID if you enjoy mlp and it still influences you to make music about it, it's worth mixing the two i think. If you enjoy doing that then continue making it as people are still enjoying this fandom and its music and you may get on EQD more frequently then in years past. There's still enough of a diehard fandom listening in our large pond that it's better then trying to get noticed in the deep sea. People think leaving the fandom gets them a bigger audience but most of the time that really isn't the case at all.

[ph00tbag]

I always tell people looking for advice on the topic to do three things:

1. Don't worry about views. If any aspect of engagement with your stuff is to be important, it's comments, and in particular your interactions with the people that comment on your videos. Views can be acquired from any number of sources, and they certainly look pretty and are easily counted, but that doesn't mean you've actually connected with those people, or that they'll be back for more. But when someone comments on your video, it means it meant something to them, and when you reply, you validate that connection. Getting lots of comments means you've got a good stable (so to speak) of people who are invested in the stuff you make.

2. Don't be a "brony musician" or "not a brony musician." If you restrict yourself to just pony music, or anything but, you remove possible venues of inspiration. Make the music you feel compelled to make, regardless of where it comes from. It may be easier to get views from making brony music, but the people you connect with through your replies to comments will appreciate your stuff no matter where it comes from, and they're the people that matter. Furthermore, distinguishing "brony musician" from "everything else" creates the fallacious sense that Pony is any different a source of inspiration from anything else. The only difference is that EqD makes it easy to get cheap views on pony music. But what the music means to you, and to the people you connect with, doesn't change.

3. Don't tell people you're not going to make music inspired by pony anymore. This follows from point two, and if you follow point two, then it should be impossible to do so. To say nothing of the fact that you make yourself a liar if you ever make more pony music, it perpetuates the dichotomy point two tries to get rid of. If you're not feeling very pony at any point in time, stop making pony music, but don't tell anyone that's what's going on. Just take some time off, and if you ever want to come back, it's really easy, since you haven't burned any bridges. Honestly, if you regularly make music that isn't pony, you shouldn't really even need time off from pony music, because you'll always be making whatever you feel at any time anyway.

I guess what it all boils down to is what Eurobeat Brony said on the topic: just have fun. Everything else will follow.