General Stuff

What is BandPump?

BandPump is a social music network dedicated to local, emerging or otherwise unknown musicians, and to listeners who love discovering new music and meeting new people.

How is BandPump different from other music websites?

Let's be honest, we all know there are plenty of other music websites out there, right? The problem is that most focus on musicians and celebrities who have established themselves in the industry and don't give much time or thought to the unknown bands and musicians. There are some other sites out there that DO give unknowns a chance to gain exposure, but have faults of their own like tricky navigation so you can never find friends to connect with or music to listen to. BandPump is designed to help musicians connect to listeners, and listeners connect to fellow listeners. By doing this we've established a vibrant and dynamic online community which benefits everyone.

How is BandPump different from other social networks?

Most social networks lack focus in core interests. They try to cover every kind of interest with hopes of catering all audiences, and by doing this they inevitably fail to cover any one interest properly. Other networks make it difficult to connect with strangers or have awkward user interfaces which hinder the user experience. BandPump focuses exclusively on music and has been designed from the ground up to have an intuitive interface which enhances the user experience and helps members connect with other members.

What are the benefits of registering with BandPump?

BandPump has a ton of music-related features and ways of expressing your audio tastes. These include discussion tools, voting tools, and music downloads. Most of these features are only available to registered users because many of our features require a level of participation and interactivity which simply can't be achieved by anonymous usage. Registration is free and it'll only take a moment to get you setup. Register Now.

What's with the name?

When the guys behind BandPump began imagining a shiny new music network, they realized it would need a catchy but relevant name. After much debate, and a ton of research, they agreed on BandPump. It's punchy, memorable, and sums up the site's core concept superbly. This is the place for bands and musicians to promote themselves, and for listeners to rave about or pump up the ones which the like. Pretty ingenious, eh!? We thought so too.

Profile Questions

What are the requirements for images?

It is important to remember to consider our terms and conditions before uploading any images to your picture gallery. In addition, there are certain size and file format requirements for uploading pictures.

Pictures must be no smaller than 150 pixels and no larger than 800 pixels in height or width. Pictures must also have a file type of jpg, jpeg, gif, or png - any other file types simply will not work. We have found that animated gif's will not animate properly, so we would advise against those.

As a note of safety we must remind you to please use caution when uploading any pictures. Certain items or clues in pictures can compromise your security online, such as: addresses, full names, license plates, phone numbers, etc.

I need help with my HTML on my profile!

When you are editing the body of your profile, you are allowed to use certain HTML tags. These tags are:

<b>bold text</b>, <u>underlined text</u>, <i>italic text</i>, and simple line breaks to take your text to a new line...<br/>
(hint: use two line breaks in a row to start a new paragraph.)

Points & Ranks

What's the BandPump ranking system about?

The BandPump ranking system was built for two reasons. First, as a way of differentiating active and inactive users. Second, as a way of allowing BandPumpers to compete on the network amongst each other in a friendly manor. Your rank is determined by how many BandPump points you have. These points are earned when you take specific actions within the network. The higher your rank the more prominent you become, and the more credibility you and your opinions get from other listeners and musicians.

How can I increase my ranking on BandPump?

Simply by registering and completing your profile you will be well on your way to earning major points. You can increase your BandPump ranking by gaining new friends, leaving positive and non-spammy comments, listening to and voting on tunes, referring your friends, and other activities which help to augment the experience of the network as a whole. Other ways to earn points.

I don't appear on the top user pages (users by rank, newness, etc.). What's up with that?

Because of laws in the U.S. and elsewhere, we are unable publically list users under 17 years of age. If you're over 17 and are still not appearing on these pages, please update your date-of-birth and that should fix it. If you have tried this and it still isn't working right, let us know.

Privacy & Notifications

I want to confirm my email address with BandPump, but I never received the confirmation email with the link to confirm it. What can I do?

Sometimes email service providers get a bit over-zealous when deciding if an incoming message is spam. Check your spam/junk email folder to see if the BandPump email you're looking for is there. If it isn't just send a blank email to emailconf {at} bandpump {dot} com. Using the '@' and '.' symbols of course.

Is BandPump going to publically share my activity with other companies and users?

Because of security laws and regulations, BandPump does track things like when you log in/out and which pages you view. However, unlike certain other social networks, BandPump isn't willing to sacrafice the privacy and trust of our members for a quick buck. So, again, the answer is no. Please read our privacy policy for more information.

Does BandPump have an email notification feature, so I can be alerted every time someone sends me a comment or friend request?

Right now BandPump doesn't have such a feature, and, to be honest, after being flooded with dozens of emails each day from other social networks ourselves - we're weary of adding it. It is our intention to add a weekly or daily digest email which will give you all of your updates for the day in one tightly bundled email. Perhaps we can build real-time email notifications, if there's a big demand for them.

Geographical Questions

What cities or countries does BandPump focus on?

BandPump is physically based in Sacramento, California, USA, but our service is available to musicians and listeners all over the world. Check out the full list of countries and territories and also our ever-growing metro areas for major cities we currently cater to.

My city isn't available as a Metro Area! What's up with that?

Unfortunately, if we had added every large city to our database we'd have been messing around with lists for about 10 years, and our metro areas page would be insanely long. At this point we've started out with some of the major ones with a view on adding more as demand occurs. If you don't see your city listed look for a nearby larger city or ask us to add yours.

Do I have to select a country and metro area?

The whole idea behind BandPump is to connect people on a local level. In that case, some degree of geographic placement is mandatory. You'll need to choose a country, but metro area is optional though we always suggest picking one for a better network experience.

Audio Questions

Can I download tunes from BandPump?

Right now you can't. But the BandPump team plans on adding this feature very soon for registered members. Of course, if the musician in question doesn't want people downloading their tunes then you still won't be able to downlaod it via BandPump.

What file formats does BandPump support?

BandPump supports good old-fashioned MP3s. The bit-rate, frames and ID3 tags may vary from one musician to another, or even from one tune to another, as they are defined by the musician. As the musicians being promoted on BandPump are emerging guys and gals and not the fat cats, we don't plan on ever introducing DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Can you guys convert my music from another format into an MP3?

Sorry, but no. Right now we don't offer that feature, but there are plenty of cheap and free audio conversion and editing tools out there, such as Audacity.

I'm a musician and want to join BandPump. Do I have to upload tunes to become a member?

No, you don't have to upload any tunes. That's just an optional way to attract new fans. Some features, such as the In The Spotlight showcase, are only available to musicians who have added songs to BandPump. But there are plenty of other ways you can promote yourself through BandPump without uploading your tunes.

How do I upload my song to BandPump?

Once you`ve logged in there's a link on the sidebar of your profile page ('Add Tunes'). Just click on that and you'll see a 'Browse' button. Just browse to your local MP3 file in the window that pops up and and click on 'Open'. The upload process will then start. It might take a few minutes to upload, depending on your internet connection. But once it's done the progress bar will turn green. Once the BandPump team has approved the song it'll be available to the world!

How do I get one of my songs added to the Spotlight section?

Just ask us. But be warned, the BandPump team won't let just anyone into the Spotlight. They have the final say over whether a song appears there. Common reasons for a song not being accepted include the audio quality being poor, explicit lyrics, or the song just not being appealing to the wider public. Also, you'll need to have added some introductory text on your profile page. If one of your songs doesn't make it don't take it personally. We're not just watching out for other members but also for you. If your song isn't very paletable to others it'll just get broadly 'dumped', and you'll look kinda bad. And anyway, your song will still be accessible to registered members from your profile page.

What happens to my creative rights over my song once I upload it to BandPump?

Nothing changes. By uploading your song you are explicitely granting BandPump the right to make your song available on the BandPump website. But you are not ceding any ownership or copyrights to your material. We're just acting as a free distribution channel to allow more people to hear your material.

I've found a tune on BandPump which a band or musician has just ripped from another artist's CD and uploaded as their own. What should I do?

Please let us know immediately! While the BandPump team makes every effort to check newly uploaded tunes, it's always possible for something to be missed. But we have zero tolerance for this kind of behavior. These kind of claims are investigated, and if found to be copyright infringment the guilty member will be warned or banned from the network. Depending on level of severity.

Advertising Inquiries

I'm interested in advertising with BandPump. Who do I contact?

We're always interested to hear viable business opportunities. Please leave us a 'business opportunity' message and we'll get back to you ASAP.