welcome to you haven't heard of us yet, the community for music makers and artists like you.

there's a lot here, so i've pulled together this little guide for anyone joining for the first time to get your bearings. we have a series of channels available for you to explore, each with their own general theme. please try to keep discussions generally on theme, and if there are any channels you'd like added pop a message in here!

general structure:

we have a series of channels available for you to explore, each with their own general theme. please try to keep discussions generally on theme, and if there are any channels you'd like added pop a message in here!

some channels are free for any user to join, and some are only available for members of the paid tiers of our membership scheme. if you want to upgrade, you can do so at any time right here. free channels and paid channels are denoted by the presence of the little padlock icon, and once you upgrade that padlock will open up.

free channels:

community feed - a live feed of everything being posted across the community

members - a directory of all members within the community

messages - your dms

events - directory of the upcoming events such as our office hours discussions

notifications - your bells of what's going on for you

the rules - general rules and guidelines for how we expect members to behave in order to keep the community running smoothly

reviews - a live feed of the latest reviews as they're posted

playlists - a live feed of the latest playlists as they're released

cool songs - a plce to drop any cool tracks you like and want people to listen to

podcasts - a place to drop any interesting or fun podcasts you like and want people to listen to

submitted tracks - a plce to check out the latest tracks submitted to the database

mystery record club - record collector, this mystery is for you


premium channels:

the little black book - a regularly updated resource of tools, resources, businesses and spaces that can assist musicians like you in your career

office hours question submission - a space for you to drop topics you'd liek covered in one of the office hours conversations

office hours recordings - a space where office hours recordings are deposited after they've run for you to look back on and learn from

join-my-band - a space to recruit musicians for your projects

gig finder - a space to find your next gig or support acts

welcome to you haven't heard of us yet.

this is a space for musicians, artists and music people to share knowledge, discover opportunities, ask questions, meet collaborators and help each other build sustainable careers.

you don't need to be established, experienced or successful to belong here. whether you're releasing your first song or your fiftieth album, everyone should be able to ask questions, share ideas and contribute.

the rules below are here to protect that environment.

1. be kind, constructive and respectful

treat other members like people you'd be happy to work with.

disagree with ideas, strategies and opinions, but don't turn disagreements into personal attacks. there's a big difference between:

"i don't think that release strategy will work because..."

and:

"that's a stupid idea."

assume good intentions where you reasonably can, and remember that written communication can sound harsher than intended.

harassment, bullying, discrimination, intimidation, personal attacks and deliberately antagonistic behaviour aren't welcome here.

2. only critique the work

musicians put a lot of themselves into their work, which can make criticism particularly personal.

if someone asks for feedback, be honest — but make it useful.

good criticism explains what isn't working, why you think it isn't working and, where possible, what you might try instead.

you don't have to like someone's music to give them useful feedback.

equally, nobody is obliged to accept your opinion. give people room to disagree.

if someone hasn't asked for feedback, don't assume they want it.

3. everyone is allowed to be at a different stage

don't talk down to beginners, and don't dismiss experienced people simply because their advice doesn't match your own experience.

someone's first release might be someone else's hundredth. someone who has never played a show might still have an excellent idea about marketing. someone with years in the industry might still get things wrong.

share what you know without presenting your personal experience as universal truth.

where appropriate, frame advice as:

"this worked for me..."

rather than:

"this is the only way to do it."

4. share knowledge

we're here to help each other.

if you discover a useful resource, opportunity, tool, grant, playlist, contact, event or piece of industry news, tell people why it's useful rather than simply dropping a link.

likewise, if someone asks a question you know the answer to, take a moment to help them.

the best communities aren't places where everyone asks for something. they're places where people freely give things too.

5. promote yourself — but contribute too

you're welcome to share your music, projects, releases, shows, services and other work where the relevant space or discussion allows it.

however, please don't treat you haven't heard of us yet as a free advertising database.

avoid joining a conversation purely to drop your own link, repeatedly posting the same promotion, or sending unsolicited promotional messages to members.

a good rule of thumb:

don't just ask you haven't heard of us yet to listen to you. be part of you haven't heard of us yet you're asking to listen.

if promotional posts become excessive, moderators may limit or remove them.

6. no spam, scams or dubious music-industry schemes

be particularly careful with claims involving guaranteed results.

this includes things such as:

• guaranteed streams or playlist placement

• fake followers or engagement

• pay-to-play schemes presented as legitimate opportunities

• suspicious royalty or publishing offers

• misleading "industry insider" opportunities

• mass unsolicited dms

• schemes that require significant upfront payment without clear value

• anything designed primarily to exploit inexperienced artists

if you're unsure whether an opportunity is legitimate, ask you haven't heard of us yet before paying or signing anything.

members are welcome to flag potentially questionable opportunities, but don't publicly accuse someone of fraud without evidence. bring concerns to the moderators where appropriate.

7. share opportunities responsibly

we actively encourage sharing opportunities that could help other members.

before posting one, consider:

• is it legitimate?

• is it relevant to musicians or artists?

• is the information current?

• are the costs and requirements clear?

• is there a catch that people should know about?

if you're sharing an opportunity that you're financially involved in, disclose that.

don't disguise advertising as an independent recommendation.

8. don't gatekeep

there's no single correct route through the music industry.

major labels, independent releases, diy touring, management, sync, publishing, direct-to-fan, streaming, social media and countless other approaches can all have their place.

you can strongly disagree with someone's strategy without telling them that they're doing music "wrong".

healthy debate is encouraged. gatekeeping isn't.

9. give credit where it's due

respect people's creative work and intellectual property.

don't repost someone else's music, artwork, writing, photography or other material without permission or appropriate credit.

if you share someone else's work, credit the creator and link to the original source where appropriate.

don't pass somebody else's work off as your own.

10. keep private conversations private

don't share another member's personal information, private messages, emails, phone numbers or other private communications without their permission.

be particularly careful when discussing conversations with managers, labels, promoters, venues, collaborators or other industry professionals.

if something was shared with you privately, assume it was meant to stay private unless you have permission to share it.

11. don't turn disagreements into drama

arguments happen. that's normal.

what isn't helpful is:

• piling onto someone

• bringing unrelated grievances into a discussion

• publicly naming and shaming people

• encouraging others to attack someone

• continuing an argument after it has clearly stopped being productive

if a disagreement can't be resolved, it's okay to leave it there.

if you think someone has broken the rules, report it to the moderators rather than trying to moderate them yourself.

12. don't abuse the trust of you haven't heard of us yet

this space relies on people being able to trust one another.

don't impersonate artists, industry professionals or organisations.

don't deliberately misrepresent your experience, achievements, relationships or opportunities.

don't use information obtained through you haven't heard of us yet to exploit, harass or manipulate other members.

and please don't treat people's willingness to help as an opportunity to take advantage of them.

13. keep things relevant

you haven't heard of us yet is primarily about:

music, musicians, artistic development, the music industry, careers, opportunities and discovering new music.

off-topic conversation is fine in the appropriate spaces, but deliberately derailing discussions or flooding channels with unrelated content isn't.

14. help make you haven't heard of us yet welcoming

if you see someone doing something interesting, tell them.

if someone shares a release they're proud of, give it a listen.

if someone asks a question you know the answer to, help them.

if someone has good news, celebrate it.

small interactions like these are what turn a collection of users into an actual community.

you don't need to be an expert to contribute something valuable.

15. moderators are here to protect you haven't heard of us yet, not control it

moderators may remove posts, restrict participation or remove members when necessary to protect you haven't heard of us yet.

we'll generally try to explain moderation decisions where appropriate, and we'll aim to apply these guidelines consistently.

however, the rules can't cover every possible situation. the spirit of these guidelines matters more than finding technical loopholes in the wording.

if something clearly undermines the purpose of you haven't heard of us yet even if it isn't explicitly listed above, moderators may intervene.

if you disagree with a moderation decision, please raise it privately and constructively rather than turning you haven't heard of us yet into the venue for the dispute.

the short version

if you remember nothing else:

be kind.
be useful.
be honest.
give more than you take.
criticise ideas, not people.
don't spam.
don't exploit people's trust.
share opportunities responsibly.
ask before giving unsolicited criticism.
and remember that there's a real person on the other side of the screen.

we're all here because we care about music.

let's make this a place where people actually want to come back.