Jump to
FAQs
- 1. Can I suggest a featured artist?
- Yes, please tell us about any music that is worth listening to. Chances are other people will like it too. Just e-mail info@sadsteve.com with your suggestions.
- 2. I'm confused. What is Sad Steve?
- Sad Steve is first and foremost an audio search engine. The search engine finds music, podcasts, comedy tracks, and even speeches. Type some keywords in the search box at the top of this page and
you'll be playing full-length tracks in no time. Download them too, if you want. No DRM.
Sad Steve also features good, up-and-coming musicians. Occasionally I'll also write up an essay on an important aspect of the music industry that I'd like others to think about. Send me follow up comments and I'll post them. - 3. Is this legal? Will I get in trouble for downloading?
- Yes, the site is legal. Sad Steve works by indexing mp3 files from all around the Internet. So, for example, if the website for John's California
Surf Club hosts a Beach Boys song, that file is indexed and made available to the you, the user.
No, you won't get in trouble for downloading. Sad Steve's traffic monitoring tools do not log users' IP addresses, physical addresses, e-mail adddress, or any of that garbage. In fact, there is no record anywhere in our system of what files are downloaded, how many times, or by who. So whether you download zero, ten, or a thousand songs, nobody knows. - 4. How can I spread the word?
-
Send sexy tunes to your significant other.
Tell your friends.
Send songs from the site.
Post a link on Facebook. (For some reason, this generates a lot of traffic.)
Post a link on blogs and discussion boards.
Write about Sad Steve in your blog.
Use Sad Steve in public computing spaces.
Tell your parents - they'll appreciate it.
Translate the site to another language, and send me the translation.
Send a pump-up song to co-workers.
- 5. Can I write for Sad Steve?
- Send me a writing sample and I'll see what I can do. The "Featured Artists" and "Discussion" sections are where guest content is typically featured, but if you got other ideas let me know.
- 6. MILFs?
- Is that even a serious question? Yes. Emphatically.
- 7. Latin Chicks?
- No. Just kidding. Yes. Emphatically.
- 8. Who designed the Sad Steve logo?
- Alex Schwada. Pimp by trade, hustler by night. He's a college buddy from L.A. so by default he's much cooler than you. If you want to contact him, it's aschwada@gmail.com
contact
To contact Sad Steve, send an email to info@sadsteve.com
a brief history
Hi, I'm Joe and I'm the founder of Sad Steve. I attend Haverford College in Haverford, PA. First, just to clarify, there is no Steve. Still, a lot of fan mail is addressed to him. I guess he lives in spirit.
My inspiration for this site came in August 2007 following a discussion with a friend regarding the current (weakened) state of the music industry. The industry's major problem, in our minds at least, was its newfound allegience with Apple Computer, Inc. Labels had relinquished control of the fastest growing distribution channel (the digital one) to Apple, a company devoted to technology, not music production.
This made no sense. Sure, Apple had the iPod, but without labels providing distribution rights to Apple, the iPod is just a little, metal, piece of shit with a scroll wheel and lousy battery life. My guess is that label executives were so frightened by the precipitous decline in record sales that they literally crapped themselves thinking they'd be out of jobs in a year. But just as executives were reaching for the toilet paper, Apple arrived and promised to save everything. A return to the glory days! Deals were signed, Steve was happy, and the era of iTunes world domination began.
As I said earlier, this discussion happened in August '07. I was in Argentina then, doing a semester abroad. Most of my days were spent meeting hot latina women, studying Spanish literature, and downing mojitos. Building a website was not a top priority. Still, when your friends in the music business tell you that producers are making marketing decisions based on an artist's iTunes ranking, you get pissed off.
So in January 2008 I launched Sad Steve to prove that building a popular music distribution network need not be difficult. The popularity of this site is a testament to its simplicity. If I can do it, why can't the labels? There is no need for Apple, Amazon, or any third party to create a successful music distribution channel; just connect with fans directly. In the future I hope to introduce strategies for making a distribution channel like this one much more profitable that iTunes could ever be. So stay tuned for that, and let me know about new stuff you'd like to see on Sad Steve.
Thanks for listening. Peace bitches.
pictures
Here are some pics of my friends and other people who use/love/fornicate Sad Steve.
Send in a photo of yourself and I'll post it.
(Yes, currently no pics/friends. I cry myself to sleep at night...)