Website Demo Audio: Alternatives to BandCamp?

[stubbsonic]

Until recently, I used BandCamp to host my demo audio that streams on my webpage. I just deleted my BandCamp acct for reasons.

But not because I only ever made $10 by selling my one album one time, and that may have been a pity purchase. (Sad trombone). I used to think my music was not for everyone. But perhaps it's not for anyone. I stand by it, nonetheless.

My web page designer said that hosting my own audio is probably not the best idea, and suggested finding an alternative.

Hmm, how do I ask this? Is SoundCloud, um, Lawful Good? Does anyone have other suggestions for where to host my audio tracks so I can use little "media player" thingies on my webpage? I'd settle for "Chaotic Good".

I know I'm walking a fine line, topic-wise. Please respond with care.

[HCMarkus]

I've got tracks hosted on my website. Everything seems to be just fine.

I built the site using SquareSpace.

https://rbohemia.com if you want to check it out.

I should note that my website is not intended to drive traffic to me. It is a way those who want to work with me can see I'm legit.

[stubbsonic]

You are indeed legit. The site is lovely, and the tracks sound fantastic (well I'm listening to the first one now-- well cool).

She was saying there could be issues with slow server, or format (though I can't imagine a browser couldn't handle any bog standard MP3 you throw at it).

Your audio player system is really elegant. That's from SquareSpace?

[bprendie]

SoundCloud is a good option for hosting audio on your webpage, and it's user-friendly. Mixcloud and Audiomack are alternatives worth exploring.

[HCMarkus]

Your audio player system is really elegant. That's from SquareSpace?

Yes. And thanks for your kind words.

[stubbsonic]

SoundCloud is a good option for hosting audio on your webpage, and it's user-friendly. Mixcloud and Audiomack are alternatives worth exploring.

I'll explore those for sure. Thanks for the tips.

[Tidwells@aol.com]

Related question: I have a Wix.com website and I've placed MP3's of my songs on the site using the Wix tools. When I click on a song to listen, the streaming quality is very poor, much worse than If I download the MP3 from the website. If I use one of these other services, can I get higher quality audio streaming when people just click on the songs to listen to them on my Wix.com website? My goal is to offer the highest quality possible of my songs for free, so a free service would be nice....I'm not trying to make money, I just want to share my music in the best way possible.

Also, any recommendations on cheaper ways to share my free music would be appreciated. The Wix.com site is up for renewal and the pricing seems to be going up....

Doug

[stubbsonic]

I had a similar experience (in the past) with DropBox's media player. It sounded TERRIBLE.

So it is key that whatever streamer is used, it's worth checking to make sure they use a proper codec for playback.

Everything I've heard on SoundCloud has had proper fidelity (to my aging ears).

[SixStringGeek]

I use private SoundCloud or YouTube share links.

Embeds work ok. You grab the share link from the track page.
Downer with youtube is you gotta make a "video" which, using iMovie isn't too bad - I just put up an image for the whole track..

I particularly like SoundCloud in that you can "break" share links anytime so if you're worried people are grabbing your links and reusing them a quick click alters the share url. You have to update your website when you do to keep it working.