What exactly is Rock-Dots?

Rock-Dots is a website designed for fans of all genres of Rock music to randomly, quickly and easily discover new bands they will enjoy listening to. For bands, Rock-Dots is the most unique form of interactive advertising that is currently available anywhere on the web.

How does the Rock-Dots website work?

When users first go to Rock-Dots.com they will be greeted by a map of the United States. As users scroll over each state, they will see the population of "Dots" in each state. From there they can click a state and see the dots scattered across the state.

What is a “Rock-Dot” and what does it do?

A Rock-Dot, simply put, is a dot that a band can sign up for FREE to represent them in their home state. Dots are an easy way to randomly find new music - when users scroll over the dots, they instantly enlarge showing a picture of the band, where they are from, who they are compared to, and most importantly it plays a 30 second sample of the band’s song that they have uploaded and chosen. The song loads within seconds and instantly gives the user some background on the band. If the user enjoys what they hear, they can click the Dot and be taken to the band Rock-Dots Profile which has more information about the band including the sample song in its entirety. Or, a user can simply keep scrolling around the map and the Dots to stream more sound clips of bands until they find one they enjoy.

What makes Rock-Dots so unique?

Rock-Dots is the first website of its kind because the entire premise of the site is about randomly finding new and interesting music - in an incredibly easy way. While most websites have endless amounts of pages and biased reviews to sort through, Rock-Dots is essentially a single page. This one page allows users to freely browse around the map of the U.S. until they find a sound that is appealing.

How is Rock-Dots more convenient than other sites?

On most websites, if a user is looking for say an Alternative band, they would go to a site and most likely search “Alternative Rock.” They would then be forced to sift through tons of links, reviews and blogs trying to find a new band. Rock-Dots eliminates this headache by giving users instantly get what they really want – a band’s core sound without the hassle. It is also one of the most affordable ways band can promote themselves to the masses. Anyone can use Rock-Dots without signing up, thus the amount of people who can see your band is limited to the amount of people who have access to the internet (aka millions upon millions). What if I want to find a band I enjoyed last time or search for a specific band? If you want to search for any band on Rock-Dots, then simply click the Band Database link at the top page. On this page you can use the search feature to find any band by using one of three criteria: a band’s name, For Fans Of, or location. The option Band’s Name and Location define themselves but, For Fans Of is a very useful feature to use.

What if I want to find a band I enjoyed last time or search for a specific band?

If you want to search for any band on Rock-Dots, then simply click the Band Database link at the top page. On this page you can use the search feature to find any band by using one of three criteria: a band’s name, For Fans Of, or location. The option band’s name and location define themselves but, For Fans Of is a very useful feature to use.

How can I leave some feedback on a band?

If you want to comment on any bands profile page, then you'll have to Register. Don't worry, it's easy and free, and you'll be given the ability to set your own avatar, view your comment stats, and more. We promise to keep your private information safe as per our Privacy Policy and we guarentee registering is quicker than you think. The only reason we require it is to control spam and allow for fans to interact with one another.

I'm a band, what is the cost to sign up?

Rock-Dots is completely FREE and you can sign up through our Get Your Dot form. After successfully completing the form and submitting it, you should see your Rock-Dot appear on the map that week.

How do I go about signing up for a Rock-Dot and customizing it?

When you decide to sign up for a Rock-Dot for your band, you’ll need to click the Get Your Dot link on the top menu. The Get Your Dot page contains a simple, user-friendly form where you will fill in information about your band. This form is the core part behind customizing your Dot on the map along with your Band Profile page. You get to pick the color of your Dot, upload a picture and an MP3. To ensure you have full control over the starting point of your 30 second sample, you can specify the minutes and seconds or leave it to us to randomly pick it.

Why can I only play a 30 second sample of my song?

Well, we believe that 30 seconds is more than enough time for someone to make a decision on whether or not they like a band, not to mention we want the songs to load as fast as possible. This way when users roll over a band's Rock-Dot they will quickly hear the sample. We're giving bands the opportunity to put forth their best song and the best part of it to persuade new listeners into learning more about them and purchasing their music. Think about it, how long do you usually give a new song from some unknown band to catch your attention before you make a decision? Also, the full song of every sample is streamable through the respective band's profile.

What do I do if I have a problem with my Dot or any other related issue?

Here at Rock-Dots.com our number one priority is ensuring the maximum amount of people hear and enjoy your band. If you have any issue, unanswered question, or concern dealing with Rock-Dots, please make sure you do not hesitate to contact us through e-mail or instant messenger, we want to hear from you!

What if I want to get rid of my Rock-Dot?

For those bands who wish to cancel the Rock-Dot service and permanently remove themselves from the website may do so through the cancellation request form in your Account Center. You can locate this form under the Cancel Your Rock-Dot section. Just fill in the required fields and hit Submit Request, you will be sent confirmation from us that we've received it. We will NOT delete you from the site immediately; you'll be terminated within a week of sending your request allowing you time to re-consider.

Who are you guys and how did Rock-Dots come about?

Our names are Erik Zablocki (The Web Designer/Webmaster/Sales Guy) and Matthew Bigelow (The Promoter/MySpace Guy/Sales Guy)

We're just two college students with a life-long passion for all types of rock music. We were tired of always going to other music sites and being bombarded with featured spots from bands who pay the most just to get there. Not to mention having to scour and load tons of different pages until we found a band we liked.

So in the winter of 2005, as if it was meant to happen, Matt broke his arm blading, forcing him to be bed-ridden his entire winter break. As anyone might do when they're stuck in the house for a while, Matt thought about what he could fill up his new-found free time with. It was at this point the idea for Rock-Dots was born, but only as a simple and undeveloped idea. Matt approached his long-time designer friend, Erik Zablocki, with the idea and immediately a light bulb went off. Over the next 2 years and countless hours, the site went through many changes from a simple proof-of-concept to what it is today: a unique, professional, and user-friendly design that is hard not to like. The idea of Rock-Dots has improved so much from the original idea that without the combination of these two working together, this site may have never happened.

And although our site comes at a very cheap and affordable yearly fee, we don't play favorites here. Every band has the same potential to be discovered whether you're a local act or a have a huge following. The only time you'll see band names on our front page is under the Recent Dots section, but it's unobtrusive and only serves to keep our visitors updated. This was our vision from the start and we intend to keep it that way, the fun of discovering new bands fast and easy is what Rock-Dots is all about.