VibeDeck

New Features

lshamir — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:37:16 +0000

Last week, we added two more optional Extras to your accounts. Here is a copy of the email that went out with all the details:

Extras

VibeDeck — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:11:26 +0000

Extras are optional features we developed in response to user feedback. They are premium features which we are charging $1/month for each.

Our first iteration of Extras consists of a suite of three features and we intend to add many more. However, rather than bundle them all into a monthly subscription, we’re charging just $1/month ($12/year) for each feature so you only subscribe to the features you expect to use. This should save you money.

You can now get the following three features by logging into your VibeDeck account and clicking on the Extras menu item:

WordPress Plugin

VibeDeck — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:59:09 +0000

VibeDeck user, Phillip Bryan of Emerald Curtain Studios, has taken the initiative to create a VibeDeck WordPress Plugin.

Thanks for the awesome work, Phillip! It’s great to see the technorati build and improve upon our platform.

The plugin makes it much easier to add a VibeDeck Widget to any hosted WordPress site.

You can download it here.

New, friendlier navigation menu

VibeDeck — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:29:15 +0000

We’ve replaced the “floating console menu” with a fixed horizontal menu bar at the top of your deck.
Lots more space to see all your awesome releases now!

Discog view

VibeDeck — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 23:31:56 +0000

We now support discographies in a discog-friendly layout option.

It’s a nifty little feature to help you layout your repertoire.

Simply add more than one release, select List or Discog layout in your menu console, and voilà!

Sell on YouTube

VibeDeck — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:08:34 +0000

Today, we launched “Sell on YouTube”, a simple solution to help you monetize (or otherwise distribute) your YouTube videos.

The integration allows an audio track to be associated with a YouTube video, so that high quality audio is available for download directly from your YouTube page. We automatically update the ‘description field’ within the YouTube player to include a “Buy & Download Audio” call-to-action plus a link to purchase the track you elect in three steps.

From the fan’s perspective, the purchase flow feels like you’re buying the soundtrack to the video you’re watching. Of course in reality, you’re not. You’re getting high-quality audio and metadata from VibeDeck, not YouTube.

–

The Next Web published a nice piece about this service, here:

http://thenextweb.com/media/2011/08/12/vibedeck-now-lets-artists-sell-music-from-youtube

Sell tracks within SoundCloud Sets

VibeDeck — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 17:33:37 +0000

We recently posted about selling your SoundCloud music with VibeDeck. At the time, you were limited to selling SoundCloud Sets, like this:

Now, you can sell individual tracks within your SoundCloud Sets.

Embedded view:

*Note: all your SoundCloud plays will be tracked in your SoundCloud account*

More info here:
http://vibedeck.com/soundcloud

Coming up…

…You will be able to sell individual tracks directly from your SoundCloud Tracks page without having to create a Set (this removes one step from your fan’s purchase experience which is good).

Also, if you’re selling single downloads, you want to be sure that PayPal Micropayments pricing kicks in so you can benefit from maximum margins on ‘small’ transactions. Check out the post on PayPal fees.

Currently, a sale is a sale (i.e. you set a price and that’s what your customer pays). Soon, you will be able to provide SoundCloud Sets and individual tracks to your fans in a number of sale options:

Share/Like it with our Facebook audio player

VibeDeck — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 17:15:46 +0000

Now, when fans share/like your music on Facebook, they get a great looking audio player on their wall, not just a link to your deck.

Tweets = Free music = Awesome

VibeDeck — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:56:08 +0000

Now, you can distribute your music through VibeDeck in exchange for fan tweets.

Here is how it works:

1. Set up a release with the sale option as ‘Tweet for download’.

2. Fan clicks to obtain the track up for grabs.

3. Fan gets prompted to ‘Tweet’ a definded message.

Once a tweet has been sent promoting your music, the fan gets a download. Everyone wins.

PayPal fees

VibeDeck — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 01:15:45 +0000

If you’re counting on low-value transactions such as selling releases for $8 a pop, or single track downloads for $1 each, PayPal’s Micropayments pricing will help you save big.

With your current PayPal Business account, you’re spending up to 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. If each transaction is a $1.00 download, PayPal’s cut is $0.33 every time you make a sale. Ouch.

With Micropayments pricing, you pay a higher percentage rate (5%) and a lower fixed transaction fee ($0.05). Using the same example, if each transaction is a $1.00 download, PayPal’s cut is only $0.10 every time you make a sale. Much better!

The good news is that with PayPal for Digital Goods, pricing automatically adapts based on the size of your transaction to charge you the lowest rate.

If you’re selling a $26.00 exclusive release, Standard pricing will apply. If you’re selling a $1.29 digital single, Micropayments pricing will apply. The sweet spot is at approximately $12.00.

When you sign-up for a PayPal Business account, you will be prompted to opt-in for Micropayments pricing (pending the information you volunteer). If you are an existing account holder, it’s worth checking your settings or giving PayPal a call to make sure you’re enrolled. Also, keep in mind that some limitations apply such as country of account origin and premiums on international transactions.

We’ll be keeping an eye on changes to PayPal’s pricing programs to ensure that you benefit from maximum margins on payments processed by PayPal.