An attempt to create a one stop location for Musicians in Dubai to connect, find resources, and overcome the usual challenges.
Musicians face a good deal of challenges in getting into the music scene in Dubai.
Finding out where to get the right instruments, how to maintain them, or where to buy used gear and equipment can be a challenge. Often the only option is using the regular classified ads which are not specialized and put anything music related under miscellaneous. Plus classifieds don't always help with everything. What if you would like to form a band, or are available to perform live somewhere, want to shop your music around to a label or simply record music in a studio?
Of course the answer would be to meet other musicians who can guide you. But breaking into those circles isn't always easy. Musicians have their favorite gathering places. They are everywhere, but they don't exactly wear t-shirts that say "I am a musician." (If you're lucky like myself, you might have colleagues who are big into music).
I first had the idea to help making musicians' lives easier in 2006 by launching a community site providing all the tools necessary to bring people together. However between my day job and given the limited financials to hire professionals, it got pushed to the backburner.
That all changed recently when my friend PAZ, who launched Mixtura Records, offered free hosting and support to make this vision become a reality. With this, I had no more excuses!
It might not be the best looking site around (especially with pioneering community site breakthroughs in our lives like facebook and linkedin ). However it is packed with useful features. I built it in 2 weeks using Joomla! (which is an experience that requires a separate blog post all together!)
DubaiMusicians.com offers you:
1. A public listing of your profile as a musician. Plus you have the ability to showcase your original music on the site. Cool tools to support the community are available such as ajax one to one chat with other registered users, status feeds, and internal messaging system.
2. The ability to create groups based on common interests such as being fans of a specific music genre. Each group gets its own bulletin and messaging system so they can share conversation immediately.
3. A specialized directory listing music instrument stores, record labels, recording studios, audio equipment and music academies. The directory is powered with advanced search which allows you to filter by area or brand or category. The directory also allows registered users to rate and review stores and share their experiences so you stay informed.
4. An events calendar which lists all major musical events happening in Dubai and other emirates.
5. A classified section which helps you for members to solicit new band members or form them, sell or buy gear, offer teaching services or announce events. Open for public to view, browse, and search
I tried to think of everything to help musicians overcome all the challenges. I am always open for suggestions and enhancements, and especially bug reports since the site is still in beta stage. I have an FAQ section as well which will hopefully answer any questions you might have.
If you are a musician or just a fan of music, please register and become a part of the community. Most importantly, please spread the word. The more people we have, the better it will work!
http://www.dubaimusicians.com/
Cheers.
