blog.jamlegend.com

We get a lot of questions and feedback skipping, lag, or whatever you'd like to call it). A lot of it is beyond our immediate control because it has to do with browsers, internet connections, and resources used by a user's computer, but we're always on a lookout for ways to keep lagging/stuttering to a minimum.

If you use Firefox, please check out this Lifehacker post on tweaking Firefox to minimize "jumpiness" in Youtube, which should apply to JamLegend: http://lifehacker.com/5342636/how-to-fix-annoying-youtube-jumpiness-in-firefox. Basically, Firefox saves what's going on in your browser in case there is a crash, and this activity causes interruptions when you're playing anything Flash-related (including JamLegend!). You can reset how often Firefox saves the info to minimize the lag.

This involves editing the about:config settings in your Firefox. Please read the Mozilla.org page on about:config before doing the tweak if you haven't worked with this aspect of Firefox before. Please refer to Firefox's support page if you need more help.

Try out the hack and let us know how it goes. You can always read our original blog post on stuttering with its helpful hints, or go ahead and post in the comments any other ways you've dealt with the problem.

JamLegend's Feature Friday world tour makes a stop in Stockholm, Sweden to meet Quitsand, a quartet formed in 2004 and still going strong.  In a story that sounds like a rock-n-roll fairytale, two incomplete bands looking for missing puzzle pieces met on an Internet music site, and out emerged Quitsand.  They have persevered through obstacles like lineup changes and playing outdoors during a harsh blizzard, playing their catchy brand of rock with a hint of blues and very soulful vocals.  They have a few EPs in their discography, the latest being Marilyn which came out in 2008 with the title track available to play on JamLegend.

While we don't always condone procrastination, we think it's pretty cool that Quitsand guitarist/vocalist Micke found JamLegend while checking out a Swedish site listing fun online games and other diversions.  Micke says, "I checked it out and immediately I wanted to put up our music.  We did not expect that we would get our song up at first but now its been up for a few weeks and the number of plays is amazing."  Finding new audience for their music is important, but things aren't that easy for most bands who have to juggle their ambitions with real life demands like jobs and limitations like money.  "Quitsand is a band not signed to any big companies, everything we do, we do ourselves, and that's hard when we all have regular full time jobs," Micke tells us. "It costs a lot of money to record great rock music, we have a lot of unrecorded songs that we want to record, but as I said earlier its all a matter of money."  Of course, being on JamLegend, Quitsand has gained a whole new world of fans online who wish them all the success.  How about checking out Quitsand's JamLegend page and writing an encouraging message on their wall?

Quitsand has been working on new material throughout 2009 because as Micke says, their goal is "of course to write the perfect song."  We're sure they can do it, and we're looking forward to hearing more from them!

You can find out more about Quitsand at their official website, as well as their Facebook and Myspage pages, or embed Marilyn below!

 

I'm proud to announce that you can embed official JamLegend songs anywhere on the web now!

• Artists get deeper engagement with fans and the ability to use JamLegend wherever fans hang out
• Fans can bring JamLegend to their friends instead of making them go to JamLegend
• Gamers never have to leave their site of choice to play that favorite JamLegend song

Whether you're on your blog, on MySpace, or on a forum, your fans and friends will enjoy playing JamLegend without leaving the site they're on. If they are interested in playing more songs, they can just click through to JamLegend and immediately play our catalog of over 700 songs or upload their own for private use.

If you take JamLegend with you, this puppy goes to a good home. Do it for the puppy.

Raekwon wisely rapped about the world of hustling thusly in an immortal Wu Tang song: "Cash rules everything around me, C.R.E.A.M. get the money!"  Yes, that might be true in the cruel world, but what if you didn't have to pimp and hustle to earn all that cash? 

JamLegend introduces JamCash, a virtual currency you can use to buy Pro and ProPlus account subscriptions, and in the future, other exciting features!  You can get JamCash in a few different ways.  First, you can buy it using your credit card, or if you don't have a credit card, then with alternate payment methods such as your mobile phone, your Amazon account, debit card, etc.  You can also earn JamCash by completing offers listed on the JamCash page.  It's an easy way to upgrade to a Pro/ProPlus account without spending your birthday checks.  (Each offer clearly states the requirements for earning the JamCash and how long it will take for you to receive the JamCash credits, so please make sure to read everything carefully before you begin.)  We hope to bring you many great features that you can get with your JamCash in the future, but right now, it's for upgrading to Pro/ProPlus accounts.

As always, we're always interested in hearing your feedback.  If you have any comments or questions about JamCash, please use our feedback widget to send us an e-mail or to post to our GetSatisfaction support forum.

We've featured bands who discovered JamLegend as a platform for their music, but how about a band that formed because of the game?  Dralace & Mitsuhirato are one of the most popular artists on JamLegend, but did you know that the band was formed to create music for JamLegend?  Outside of the matrix, Dralace & Mitsuhirato are Lasse Anttonen and Paavo Virtanen from Turku, Finland, who are in a symphonic power metal band called Darkminded with three other members. 

Mitsuhirato discovered JamLegend and invited Dralace to join him.  Dralace says, "After listening and playing various video game songs in Jamlegend, we had idea for making our own video game songs from the games we love. That's how Dralace & Mitsuhirato was founded."  They decided to create their own metal versions of video game songs to great success:  "Ken Stage" (from Street Fighter II) has received almost 150,000 plays and "Vampire Killer" (from Castlemania) is almost up to 113,000 plays. 

Both guys not only get a kick out of playing video game themes, they're also avid game players on JamLegend.  Dralace says, "We often go to showdowns with other players and people often can't believe that we are the ones playing. 'Are you the REAL Mitsuhirato/Dralace?' 'I can't believe!'"  You can find Dralace and Mitsuhirato on JamLegend and challenge them to a duel, if you dare.

All Dralace & Mitsuhirato songs are available for download at their official website, www.videogamemetal.net.  You can find them on Facebook, too.

August is officially over, but Honor By August is just heating up.  The Washington, DC quartet is one of the hottest bands on JamLegend, with their anthemic rock songs and intricate guitar parts that's perfect for the game.  Honor By August has not only won the hearts of fans like us, they've won many accolades including the Billboard World Song Contest and the XM Radio contest for an opening slot with Bon Jovi.  The list of bands who had Honor By August open their concerts is a veritable who's who of contemporary rock--oh you know, little bands you may have heard like Hootie and the Blowfish, Third Eye Blind, Peter Frampton, etc. So how does a band with so many accomplishments end up on JamLegend?

Evan from Honor By August told us about the day they discovered JamLegend: "We found out about JamLegend when we were out in LA having songs from our new album ("Found") mixed by Grammy-award winner Jack Joseph Puig (U2, Rolling Stones). We were hanging out with our great friends The Ruse and their guitar player Jim busted out the computer and started rocking to some of their songs on JamLegend. We were blown away, just thought it was one of the coolest things we'd seen. We immediately asked him how we could get our music on the site!"  And that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between Honor By August andJamLegend.  They first posted the song "Good Enough" which began to climb the ranks of most played songs.  "I mean, how great is it that so many people are having so much fun rocking out to such an awesome game -- and listening to our music at the same time?" says Evan.

Since then, the band has taken advantage of JamLegend's worldwide audience to find new fans and connect with existing fans.  Honor By August was so happy with their JamLegend experience that they sent a signed CD to T.H.C.Rack, the tracker who tracked their very first song on the site.  "And, as fate would have it, a few months later he and his family were in the U.S. and came to an outdoor festival concert of ours in Virginia. We were all excited to meet, having come together across continents all because ofJamLegend," Evan told us.  Pretty cool, right?

For bands who are considering adding their music to JamLegend, Evan told us that the game has had an impact on their online music sales:  "You can almost track the connection between the songs that are most popular onJamLegend and the ones that are the top downloads on iTunes, Amazon, etc.," he says.  And we're so happy to hear JamLegend can not only help bands increase their audience, but actually help them sell music when it has been difficult for many artists to do so.

On JamLegend, being a fan can be a two-way street.  Honor By August has been checking out all the YouTube videos of people playing their songs on JamLegend and are amazed by your video game prowess.  Evan confesses that "as the guitarist, it embarrasses me to say that watching these videos it almost looks like what these people are doing is way harder than what I actually play on my guitar!"  He adds, "Last, but certainly not least, is the amazing feedback we get from JamLegenders who tell us how much they like our music. As the ones who worked so hard to make this music and get it out into the world there is no more gratifying feeling than to actually have the world start to hear it and appreciate it through this site. Go JamLegend!"

Honor By August loves JamLegend enough that there is an exclusive HBA song "Someday" on JamLegend.  Check it out!  For more info on Honor By August, please visit the band's official site, MySpace, and Twitter feed.

Honor By August has these upcoming shows on the East Coast:

Sep
12    

IOTA Triple Header (Matinee)    
Arlington, VA    
All Ages, $5

w. No Second Troy
Sep
12    

IOTA Triple Header
                    Arlington, VA    21+, $15

w. No Second Troy
Sep
13    

IOTA Triple Header
                    Arlington, VA    
21+, $10

w. No Second Troy
Sep
21    

Webster Hall
                              New York, NY
with Mike Del Rio and Mission Hill
Sep
24    

The Bullpen @ Nationals Stadium           Washington, DC

All hail Metal!!  Judging from the requests to add more metal bands to JamLegend, we figure there are many of you who are pumping your fists hailing the almighty genre.  And if you're a metal fan on JamLegend, you have to check out O.M.T.  Hailing from Hastings on the South Coast of England, O.M.T. creates brutal, crushing metal with heavy riffs that propel the songs forward, while the layered harmonies of the choruses add depth.  They were recently signed to Rising Records, who will release O.M.T.'s debut album Anamantium on August 31.

Preston from the band isn't shy about professing his love for JamLegend.  He says, JamLegend is a "better way of marketing your music where people actually have a lot of fun and get addicted to playing your music at the same time."  O.M.T. love the site so much that they have offered to invest or buy shares in the company!  If this isn't the start of a beautiful friendship, what is?  While O.M.T. is a popular band on JamLegend, Preston says, "If you really wanna hear the best of it see us live!!  We put on a brutal and energetic live performance with pits, chants and good ole fashioned moshing so come check us out."  Ahh, the siren call of metal and mosh pits!  Even if you can't make it to your live shows (or if you're too fragile for mosh pits), you can check out songs from their upcoming album like "Break Shake!" and "Blue Eyed Love" on JamLegend from the comfort of your own home.

Anamantium will hit stores on August 31 in the UK, where you can buy from retailers such as Amazon or HMV.  Fans outside the UK can order the record directly through Rising Records.  Contact the band directly to ask about buying T-shirts, pins, bottle openers, etc.  You can get more info on O.M.T. from their MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter pages.  If you're in the UK, catch O.M.T. live at:

September, 4 2009 - OFFICIAL ALBUM LAUNCH PARTY!! - with Seven Year Kismet and more to be announced!! ALL AGES SHOW!!!! Hastings, UK
September, 19 2009 - FLAMES AND FRAMES FEST with THE ANTI NOWHERE LEAGUE!!!!!  Tunbridge Wells, UK
September, 26 2009 - The Carlisle, Hastings - Support TBC , London and South East tn380nx - Free Entry

Bury the Bully takes negative experiences and turns them into something positive:  they've mastered the alchemy of taking the disappointments and unfairness life throws at everyone and creating inspiring, positive music.  We've all been bullied at school or at work, and that common experience is the origin of the band name: Bury the Bully.  Sometimes the bullying makes us doubt ourselves and sometimes it can make us even more determined to achieve our goals.  Bully the Bully is the cheerleader for all of us, charging our drained batteries with their powerful, punk-influenced rock and making us hopeful with positive lyrics.

Hailing from Whitby, Ontario, Canada, Bury the Bully have already done what many bands dream about:  they've shared the stage with famous acts like A Simple Plan and they've played the Warped Tour.  Now, they're connecting with new fans worldwide on JamLegend.  Bury the Bully tells us, "Our band thought this was such a cool way to enhance the online marketing angle for bands, not to mention a great way to interactive with fans and have bands songs celebrated through ‘playing’ them rather than just listening. "  They have found an open-minded, welcoming community in JamLegend players.  They even count Ryan, one of the JamLegend founders, as one of their dedicated fans and a new friend.  Bury the Bully add: "Over the course of the year, as we slowly put up a new song on JamLegend every couple months, we’ve had thousands of online hits and plays on our other websites (upon releasing a new song), not to mention multiple YouTube videos that can be found by searching our name, of fans posted their 100% Legendary scores and showing you how they got them. JamLegend has been a very exciting and interactive way for us to release our songs and keeps our fans (now friends) connected to our material as we continue to work on a new album."

Yes, a new album!  Bury the Bully is hard at work on their second album, which plan to record at the end of August in Toronto, Ontario.  Their first album Life Death & Wonder includes JamLegend hits like "Army of Love" and "For Only Me to Know," both racking up around 200,000 plays so far.  You can find out more about Bury the Bully on their official site as well as their MySpace and Facebook pages.  You can buy Life Death & Wonder on CD Baby as well as via the iTunes store.  If you are in Ontario, Canada, you can see Bury the Bully live:

September 10 Seneca College Scarborough, ON, Canada

Age is nothing but a number and classic doesn't mean old--that's what you'll learn when you hear 2nd Thought from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin.  Isaac, Brendan, Riley, Anders, and Braden started 2nd Thought when they were 13 or 14 years old (now, they're between 13 and 16 years old).  Despite their young age, they play soulful, Southern rock-inspired music with youthful energy.  This is definitely not your parents' classic rock!  2nd Thought pay tribute to the masters with rock covers like Mountain's "Mississippi Queen," but they also write their own material like the warm and sincere "New Day" or the glammy rocker "Cherry Blossom."  They're inspired by classic rock, picking up its best elements and making it accessible to a younger audience.

2nd Thought started out playing school talent shows and 4th of July festivals in their hometown, but after a friend's recommendation, they put their song "Get Up" on JamLegend.  Now, they're playing on a virtual world stage with new fans from all over the world.  Riley, the keyboard player in the band, says, "It's been a great thing for us to be a small band and be accepted into this large music community!"  Riley and the rest of the band are stoked by the messages and chats they get from fans who discovered them on JamLegend:  "I love to talk to people, so whenever I'm on if you want to send me a quick message saying hi, or if I'm around to talk for a while i will.  The band and I are very friendly. We are very thankful to everyone who loves our songs and look for more to come soon!" says Riley.

2nd Thought members are avid gamers, and they invite you to chat with them or challenge them to a duel on JamLegend.  Also, Riley says if you play XboxLIVE, hit him up on there too at gamertag Sai077.

You can find out more about 2nd Thought on their official site, as well as on MySpace and Facebook.  If you're in the Milwaukee area, you can catch them live at:

August 21, 2009 - Urban Outfitters - Milwaukee 4pm

August 22, 2009 - Zoo A La Carte - Zoofari Stage 3-6pm

September 12, 2009 - St. Gregory’s Festival 5-7pm

If you see someone with a Genius badge, it means they're a knowledgeable and helpful person in the community. You can find these dutiful Geniuses helping to collect, merge, and deal with a large amount of critical feedback on JamLegend's GetSatisfaction (GS). As a result of their efforts, the land of JamLegend is more understanding, less distressed, and free of riddles like disappearing notes, mysterious scores, and Vorpal rabbits.

Each Genius generally keeps the badge for about 2-4 months. Afterwards, we periodically re-evaluate the status of current Geniuses and pass on the mantle of Genius to others who are contributing to the community. Think of it as serving as a Knight in King Arthur's court.

Legend has KingArthur as the first Genius on JamLegend, where he told the user BlackKnight that his problem wasn't just " merely a flesh wound."

If you're interested in helping out, just head on over to JamLegend GS and assist these Geniuses by helping other users with their problems. Every so often we'll award Genius Badges to those who have contributed quality feedback and helped users navigate through JamLegend. Huzzah to the Geniuses!

"Man, look at those JamLegend Geniuses, I cannot help but pensively smile."