I want a list of the best web sites that provide employment services
for musicians.  I need them categorized by geographical area of
service and employment type.

For employment type, some examples of employment specialization areas are: 

- jobs for orchestral musicians 
- jobs for studio musicians
- jobs for jingle and theme song writers
- jobs for musicians that specialize in scoring movies & video games, etc.  

I need the list annotated so I can determine the two above critera
(geographical service area & employment specialty) quickly by looking
at your web site notes.  In addition, please note the following for
each web site:

- is it free or is there a charge to either the musician (employee) or
the employer?
- is the web site free or is there a membership fee, if there is a fee, how much?
- note any highlights about the web site such as an exemplary search facility
- note any additional help provided by the web site such as resume
assistance, publicity handling, agent representation, band management,
etc.

Thanks.

---

Request for Question Clarification by jbf777-ga on 05 Jun 2004 16:16 PDT

Hello -

Thank you for your question.  Can you please clarify:

1) What is meant by the term "best?"

2) How many sites were you looking for?  Please keep in mind, a
researcher most likely would have to manually assemble such a list.

jbf777

---

Clarification of Question by ganswers-ga on 05 Jun 2004 16:56 PDT

By "best" I mean that I only want quality sites.  I don't want any
sites that are poorly organized, have not been updated or serviced in
a long time, or are obviously attempts to get traffic to sell
affiliate goods.  In other words, ask yourself the questions "if I was
a musician would I want to use this site?".  If the answer is "no",
then filter it out.

How many sites?  The more the better.  I know that isn't a big help,
but it depends on how much time you intend to give the question.  I've
never been asked that before when I have asked a question, so I don't
know what to say.  The only thing I can say is the bigger the list,
the greater the chance of getting a 5-star rating and possibly a tip.

---

Request for Question Clarification by jbf777-ga on 06 Jun 2004 09:11 PDT

Thanks for the clarification.  One additional question:

Will you accept sites that are of "national" geographical area and/or
"all" musician types?

jbf777

---

Clarification of Question by ganswers-ga on 06 Jun 2004 12:09 PDT

Yes, I assume most of the sites will fall into that category.  But I
it would be great if you find at least some that are more specialized
than that.

Thanks.

---

Clarification of Question by ganswers-ga on 07 Jun 2004 14:36 PDT

jbf777-ga,

It's not bad but it's a bit less than what I expected.  If you want to
see an example of what I expected and got with my last $100 question
you can look here:

://www.google.com/answers/threadview?id=318831

Specific points:

- Most of the text seems to be cut and paste from the web sites
listed.  That is of course expected, but I would want any text like
that to be in quotes so I know it is quoted.  I would also want at
least a few comments from you, on at least a few sites (or a group of
sites), to provided guidance about general site topic areas.

- Some of the listings are really short.  If a site has so little to
note, than just move on to another site.  However, some of the short
listings are indeed for good sites, just too sparse in the
description.

For example:  "gigfinder.com" uses a very easy to use "forum style"
format for navigating listings, that is neatly organized by musician
type and request type, showing the geographic locale for each listing.
 I would like to have known this.

Other than that it's definitely some solid work, but as I said, a little sparse.

Thanks.

Hello ganswers -

Here is the list, with revisions, along with additional sites.  If you
have any further needs, please don't hesitate to ask.  The sites
represented here are what I would say encompass all of the "best" ones
on the net, as they have have the most visibility in either searches
or database listings (sites buried under hundreds or thousands of
pages, or ones requiring obscure search terms to uncover aren't going
to have nearly the same amount of visitors/activity, and therefore,
relevance).

A few of these sites are indeed very simple in function and layout and
there's not much to elaborate on or highlight; I've included as many
relevant details as possible in these cases.
 

Musicians Contact
http://www.musicianscontact.com/
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: anyone in the industry seeking any
                     work or respresentation
             COST: free to those offering jobs
                   $95/year or $45/100 days for musicians seeking work
                   $59/6mos or $99/yr for acts seeking jobs, promotion
                     or representation
                   looking for musicians or singers:
                     $19 seeking 1 instrument (e.g. drummers)
                     $25 seeking 2 inst. (e.g. bassists & drummers)
                     $30 seeking three or more instruments
       HIGHLIGHTS: 35 year longevity; many famous clients;
                     thousands of bands, managers, employers 
                     and agents have used us for 30 years. 


Music Mates
http://www.musicmates.com/
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: musicians seeking bands (and vice versa);
                   find music instructors;
                   find bands/soloists or studio musicians for hire
             COST: free
       HIGHLIGHTS: longevity; no cost access; affiliate program;
                     "Music Mates is a free national musician 
                     referral service featuring musicians, 
                     music instructors and bands. The Music Mates 
                     system has helped thousands since 1995." Search
                     capability includes preferred performance level;
                     differentiates between musician's home state and
                     preferred state.


SongScope
http://www.songscope.com
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: songwriters, song pluggers and producers 
                      cataloging service
             COST: 1-9 songs: $29.95 per song per year
                   10 songs: $299.50 + two free
       HIGHLIGHTS: Major Producers, Record Labels, Publishing 
                     "Companies and A&R Directors who are actively 
                     seeking new material have the opportunity to hear 
                     your songs;" seems to be one of the few sites dedicated
                     to songwriting jobs, if not the only in this format


TAXI
http://www.taxi.com/
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: musicians seeking a record/publishing/film/tv deal;
                     "our members have signed just about every kind 
                     of deal imaginable."
             COST: 1 year membership: $299.95
                   submission fees are $5-15/song
       HIGHLIGHTS: TAXI is the "world's leading independent 
                     A&R company helping unsigned bands, artists 
                     and songwriters get record deals, publishing 
                     deals and placement in films and TV shows;
                     our members have had their music on ABC, NBC, 
                     CBS, FOX, MTV, HBO, CNN, PBS, ESPN, Showtime,
                     Nickelodeon, Discovery, and just about any 
                     other network you can think of. And they got 
                     it there by TAXI!" 


MyAuditions
http://www.myauditions.com/
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: "A performing arts destination that furthers career  
                      choices and opportunities by providing the most advance 
                      career resource tools to professionals within the 
                      performing arts industry.  Our comprehensive vacancy 
                      database contains hundreds of employment opportunities 
                      for professional ensembles; schools of music and
                      universities; and performing arts organizations." 
             COST: for employers: individual post, per 30 days - $14.95
                                  unlimited posts, per 30 days - $109.95
                                  subscription membership - $79.95
       HIGHLIGHTS: "Additional available services include information 
                      on thousands of school programs and competitions; 
                      industry news coverage; and interactive forums on a 
                      wide range of performing arts topics and much more."
                      106,068 performing arts links are available in the 
                      Music Directory.


Book Live Music
http://www.booklivemusic.com/
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: "This is a free resource enabling you to learn about, 
                     easily find and contact professional musicians, bands 
                     and ensembles throughout the United States and Canada.  
                     Our extensive database is updated daily and features 
                     professional musicians and groups for every type of 
                     event." 
             COST: free
       HIGHLIGHTS: provides advice on live music booking; easily accessible
                     audio samples along with each profile; pictures of each
                     act


Musician's Classifieds
http://www.musicians-classifieds.com
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: international
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: musicians looking to join a band; bands
                     looking for musicians; listings of various
                     music industry services and resources here also
             COST: free
       HIGHLIGHTS: Australia-based; more of an international focus; has
                     the number one spot in Google search for term "musician"
                     with "classifieds."
              

Music Industry Career Center
http://music-careers.com
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: music industry job seekers can post 
                     resumes, viewable by employers
             COST: free
       HIGHLIGHTS: sponsored by Sweetwater, a major retailer; holds #2 spot
                     in Google search for "music" and "careers."  


Performing Jobs
http://www.performingjobs.com
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: all types of performers looking for work
             COST: for employers: $15 - 14 day ad
                                  $30 - 30 day ad
                                  $50 - 60 day ad
       HIGHLIGHTS: Robust search engine; has a "my career center" which allows
                     you to "manage your career development online." "Create an 
                     account now to save jobs, store resumes, use job search 
                     alerts, and much more."  "Job Alerts notify you by email 
                     of new jobs posted that match your search preferences. 
                     Create one now and never miss a new opportunity!"


Entertainment Careers
http://www.entertainmentcareers.net/?source=googleads
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: entertainment jobs, internships and career 
                     information in the entertainment industry.
             COST: free
       HIGHLIGHTS: broad-level of employment search in all areas of 
                     entertainment; has news, books and internship sections
                     on various industry topics.


Proship Entertainment
http://www.proship.com
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: "ProShip Entertainment is the world's leading agency
                     hiring onboard musicians, entertainers and 
                     technical personnel for the cruise industry." 
             COST: free(?)
       HIGHLIGHTS: "We hire top-notch entertainment professionals and
                     provide them with the best salaries while cruising
                     the most exotic destinations in the world.  ProShip is with
                     you every step of the way throughout your voyage. We run a
                     tight ship. Your complete travel itinerary is monitored to 
                     avoid any problems or delays, and we'll assist you in 
                     obtaining all necessary travel documents such as passport, 
                     visas, physicals and contracts. We'll even arrange for 
                     overnight accommodations if needed." 


GigFinder
http://www.gigfinder.com
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: Classified posting facility for anyone in the 
                     industry
             COST: free
       HIGHLIGHTS: provides online store and link list; has unique
                     categorized forum based format; wide breadth of 
                     categories


music-jobs.com
http://www.music-jobs.com
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: everyone in the industry:
                   "If you're an employer you can use the resume search
                     engine to search our database of music professionals
                     with diary availability or post vacancies on the 
                     music jobs board.  If you're a music job seeker, 
                     your resume could be viewed by hundreds of 
                     production companies & producers looking for your 
                     particular skill set. Now you have the opportunity 
                     to make your resume easily available to employers 
                     and to apply for vacancies posted on the music jobs 
                     board."
             COST: free
       HIGHLIGHTS: online resume creation; weekly email notifications of 
                     when your resume has been viewed; sister sites 
                     that are geared toward other jobs in entertainment.


MyMusicJob
http://www.mymusicjob.com/
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: international
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: "Jobs and internships posted on this site cover a wide 
                     range of employment opportunities, from executive, 
                     media, sales and PR/promotion to studios, instruction, 
                     retail and more. If it's music and a job, it's here!"
             COST: $9.99 for 60 days
       HIGHLIGHTS: Wide breadth of existing job categories; convenient
                     "short-list" w/ job location contains accessible 
                     links to job details and employer profile; has a resources
                     section containing several links in various categories


eLance
http://www.elance.com
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: international
 EMPLOYEMENT TYPE: "Elance Online is an award-winning marketplace that 
                     allows you to easily sell your professional expertise 
                     to qualified buyers around the world. Through this 
                     service, you can: Get 1,000s of qualified leads without
                     picking up the phone; easily market yourself to a global 
                     pool of prospective clients; pitch your services at 
                     prices that you establish; make a profit as an 
                     independent consulting organization."  More visual
                     oriented rather than audio.
             COST: too many to list; see: 
                   http://www.elance.com/c/static/main/
                   displayhtml.pl?file=rate_card.html&rid=WCJ1')
       HIGHLIGHTS: This service is a "one-offs" freelance job site; it has
                     an eBay-like capability for bidding or "buy now" 
                     packages; "Web's #1 consulting site and top 1,000 most 
                     visited site"; awarded best of Web by Forbes
                      


Select search strategy:
  musician classifieds
  musician employment
  music classifieds OR employment
  music jobs

Hello ganswers -

Here is what I have thus far.  Please let me know if this is this is
what you'd be expecting as an answer:


Musicians Contact
http://www.musicianscontact.com/
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: anyone in the industry seeking any
                     work or respresentation
             COST: free to those offering jobs
                   $95/year or $45/100 days for musicians seeking work
                   $59/6mos or $99/yr for acts seeking jobs, promotion
                     or representation
                   looking for musicians or singers:
                     $19 seeking 1 instrument (e.g. drummers)
                     $25 seeking 2 inst. (e.g. bassists & drummers)
                     $30 seeking three or more instruments
       HIGHLIGHTS: 35 year longevity; many famous clients;
                     thousands of bands, managers, employers 
                     and agents have used us for 30 years. 


Music Mates
http://www.musicmates.com/
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: musicians seeking bands (and vice versa);
                   find music instructors;
                   find bands/soloists or studio musicians for hire
             COST: free
       HIGHLIGHTS: longevity; no cost access; affiliate program;
                     Music Mates is a free national musician 
                     referral service featuring musicians, 
                     music instructors and bands. The Music Mates 
                     system has helped thousands since 1995.

SongScope
http://www.songscope.com
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: songwriters, song pluggers and producers cataloging service
             COST: 1-9 songs: $29.95 per song per year
                   10 songs: $299.50 + two free
       HIGHLIGHTS: Major Producers, Record Labels, Publishing Companies and A&R 
                   Directors who are actively seeking new material have the 
                   opportunity to hear your songs 

TAXI
http://www.taxi.com/
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: musicians seeking a record/publishing/film/tv deal;
                     our members have signed just about every kind 
                     of deal imaginable.
             COST: 1 year membership: $299.95
                   submission fees are $5-15/song
       HIGHLIGHTS: TAXI is the "world's leading independent 
                     A&R company" helping unsigned bands, artists 
                     and songwriters get record deals, publishing 
                     deals and placement in films and TV shows;
                     our members have had their music on ABC, NBC, 
                     CBS, FOX, MTV, HBO, CNN, PBS, ESPN, Showtime,
                     Nickelodeon, Discovery, and just about any 
                     other network you can think of. And they got 
                     it there by TAXI! 

MyAuditions
http://www.myauditions.com/
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: Our comprehensive vacancy database contains hundreds 
                   of employment opportunities with professional 
                   ensembles; schools of music and universities; and 
                   performing arts organizations.
             COST: for employers: individual post, per 30 days - $14.95
                                  unlimited posts, per 30 days - $109.95
                                  subscription membership - $79.95
       HIGHLIGHTS: Additional available services include information 
                   on thousands of school programs and competitions; 
                   industry news coverage; and interactive forums on a 
                   wide range of performing arts topics and much more.

Book Live Music
http://www.booklivemusic.com/
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: This is a free resource enabling you to learn about, easily 
                   find and contact professional musicians, bands and ensembles 
                   throughout the United States and Canada.  Our extensive 
                   database is updated daily and features professional
                   musicians and groups for every type of event. 
             COST: free
       HIGHLIGHTS: provides advice on live music booking


Musician's Classifieds
http://www.musicians-classifieds.com/english/
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: international
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: musicians looking to join a band; bands
                     looking for musicians; listings of various
                     music industry services and resources here also.
             COST: free
       HIGHLIGHTS: Australia-based; more of an international focus


Music Industry Career Center
http://music-careers.com
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: music industry job seekers can post 
                     resumes, viewable by employers
             COST: free
       HIGHLIGHTS: sponsored by Sweetwater, a major retailer


Performing Jobs
http://www.performingjobs.com
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: all types of performers looking for work
             COST: for employers: $15 - 14 day ad
                                  $30 - 30 day ad
                                  $50 - 60 day ad
       HIGHLIGHTS: robust search engine


Entertainment Careers
http://www.entertainmentcareers.net/?source=googleads
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: entertainment jobs, internships and career 
                     information in the entertainment industry.
             COST: free
       HIGHLIGHTS: broad-level of employment search in all areas of 
                   entertainment


Proship Entertainment
http://www.proship.com
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: ProShip Entertainment is the world's leading agency
                     hiring onboard musicians, entertainers and 
                     technical personnel for the cruise industry. 
             COST: free(?)
       HIGHLIGHTS: We hire top-notch entertainment professionals and
                     provide them with the best salaries while cruising
                     the most exotic destinations in the world. 

Showbizjobs
http://www.showbizjobs.com
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: all types of show business jobs, music included
             COST: employers: from $420 to $1062, based on number of postings
       HIGHLIGHTS: robust search engine: salary sortable

GigFinder
http://www.gigfinder.com
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: national
  EMPLOYMENT TYPE: Classified posting facility for anyone in the 
                     industry
             COST: free
       HIGHLIGHTS: provides online store and link list

please excuse the "this is this is" double type