29 July 2010
Bang the Drum. Please click this image and vote to help us get the funding we need.
Bangthedrum.co.uk is a new music website for Manchester that promises to give a voice to the people that matter – the music fans.
Bangthedrum.co.uk has two main aims:
- To shine the spotlight on the fantastically talented musicians and bands playing or releasing music in the region
- To give music fans a chance to share their passion
At its simplest, Bangthedrum.co.uk will be THE site to visit for information about the city’s music scene.
It will focus on the bright young (and not so young) things playing in the region’s pubs and clubs who we believe are being starved of the recognition they deserve.
Users will be able to read reviews of gigs and new releases, keep up to date with the latest news, listen to fresh tunes and demos and watch original video material.
They will also be able to plan ahead with our monthly gig guide and listen to tracks from the acts visiting the region on the accompanying playlist.
All of this is already available at our current site, CityLifers.co.uk, but we are working on a bigger and better version - Bangthedrum.co.uk.
We just need a bit of funding to help support this development stage and pay to publicise the launch.
The new site, which we hope to launch in September, will put a greater emphasis on the most unique selling point of the current site - its contributors.
We have around 30 writers regularly posting articles, but we want to open this opportunity up to more of our readers.
Anyone with a real passion for music will be given the chance to ‘bang the drum’, either by writing reviews of gigs or new releases.
We believe that passion is the most important quality in any writer, but will also give eager contributors plenty of tips and advice on how to construct articles, should they require it.
Over the past year, we have been busy building up a good list of contacts in the local music scene, which means that we can organise tickets to review the city’s best gigs and offer access to new music before it is released.
All we need is a steady supply of reviewers to ‘bang the drum’, ensuring that the smaller local venues and the acts that play in them are given the exposure they deserve – coverage that the local media and national music press is failing to deliver.
The ultimate aim is to open up a direct link between the bands and their fans, creating a social networking site for musicians and music fans.
In the future, we also hope to get the opportunity to reward our reviewers for their efforts with prizes and free gifts.
We are also working on a plan to introduce ‘points per click’, which reviewers will be able to use to get money off tickets and music at participating venues.
The site could also feature an online market, where members will be able to trade music-related items, as well as a forum/portal to help hook bands up with new musicians, gigs or management.