OIMA FAQ's!

While the growth in OIMA users this summer has been awesome, we’ve noticed some common questions asked by individuals in the OIMA community. In this post, I’ll respond to all the questions you’re dying to know the answers to.

I’ve created a profile on OIMA. Now how do I upload my music?

After creating your profile you now need to create your ‘artist profile’. Yes, I know, you may have already specified that you are an artist, but you’re required to create a new specific artist profile to upload your music. This is because artists from Ontario are multi-faceted! One artist may have various side projects or bands that each require their own page to post songs. So, once you’ve created your profile as an artist, create an artist profile to begin uploading your music. We don’t mean to be confusing, but sometimes we can’t help it.

I try to upload my songs to OIMA, but they disappear after I upload them! I keep seeing a banner that says ‘unpublished’. Why is this?

Don’t be alarmed when you don’t see your songs on the site right away. Right now, OIMA requires an administrator to approve a song before they can be published. Although this might seem like a lengthy process, with a little patience you’ll see that it’s really in your best interests. Running songs by us means they’ll be no spam or hateful/offensive content on the site, and that users are uploading what is rightfully theirs.

Why do you want me to put my music up for download for free?

We want to build OIMA into an awesome resource for engaged music listeners and campus and community radio hosts. While many internet sites boast streaming options, the archive is unique in that in provides a library of independent music for show hosts to choose from to feature on their shows. Streaming is an unreliable option for radio, as no one wants a song to buffer while on air (can you say awkward?). Downloadable songs can also be used for educational or historical purposes, or shared amongst friends through the Creative Commons license used by OIMA. We believe other people using your song for non-commercial purpose actually benefits you – showing your song in a new context can bring new exposure and audiences to your material.

Of course, OIMA respects artists’ rights to prohibit downloads of their music. We have a streaming option for those who feel they aren’t comfortable with downloads of their songs. We also encourage artists to post material they may not currently be promoting; such as older albums, b-sides or live recordings. Alternatively, some artists may choose to make a couple songs downloadable, with a link to buy the whole album on their profile (such as Itunes or bandcamp).

Hope these answers are helpful! If you have further questions or are confused about uploading procedures, please email info@oima-amio.com or comment on this post and our staff will be pleased to assist you.