Ripple Effect - Submissions Policy

Submission Policy

The Ripple Effect receives stacks of CD’s every day. Trust us, we really want to hear your music. We aim to post our reviews in a timely manner, usually 6 to 8 weeks from the time of submission, and adhere to a strict daily publishing schedule. That means it's impossible for us to get to every disc that comes our way. To increase your chances of getting exposure on The Ripple Effect, understand these guidelines:

* Not all CD’s will be reviewed. We have to totally love what a band is doing, feel it in our souls, to write a review. The goal of The Ripple Effect is to spread the word on the music we love, not necessarily every CD that comes to us. We're not critics, but music lovers. If the CD is mediocre or generic, if we don’t feel it, we won’t review it. The upside to you is we won’t publish a negative review. The upside to us is that we save our souls. We have no intention of suppressing your creativity, but your taste may differ than ours.

* No Cdr’s lacking artwork. Please send professionally completed, produced, finished products or exceptional demos. Cardboard slipcase promos are acceptable, providing they have the full artwork and band information. Press kits are appreciated. We can't review a disc with no mention of band member names, production, or song titles, now can we?

* We love vinyl, so feel free to send it in. Full albums, EP's or singles, it's all good. Did I say we love vinyl?

* We're not fans of digital albums. Music is supposed to be something you hold in your hands and treasure. We will accept digital, but we'd prefer physical copies with artwork. Your digital album may get reviewed, but it's probably near the bottom of the pile while we're digging through the real CD's.

*Just to clarify: we place emphasis on the submissions that demonstrate a significant effort and quality. In order, we will always review vinyl first, then CD, then digital submissions. D.I.Y. efforts are always appreciated and taken seriously here at the Ripple.

* Under no circumstances will we ever review a partial song, partial disc or streaming audio file. We just don't work that way. We can't be relegated to listening to your song at our computers. We need finished, portable product.

* Write us when you submit, introduce yourself and tell us a bit about you. People we like tend to get their CD's placed on the top of the stack.


So why put up with these guidelines? Quite simply, The Ripple Effect is growing exponentially. We’re listed as one of the top 100 Music Sites in the world. When we get behind a band, we get behind them 100% and cross-reference the reviews like crazy in many different forums to help spread the word. Our posts are syndicated across the web on such major sites as Guitar World, Revolver, Indy, and Ibanez Jem Guitars. Also, getting reviewed in The Ripple Effect nearly guarantees your music to be played on the vastly popular Ripple Radio Show, one of the featured music shows at Blogtalkradio.

We don’t wish to discourage you, but we all need to understand the limitations of what we can do. If you’d like to send us your CD, drop us an email first. Tell us a little about your musical style so we can assign the best reviewer for you. Be nice, make us laugh, and we'll love you.

Peace and best success for your music. – The Ripple Effect