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Can I use the AMN site for free?
Yes! Everyone is welcome to browse listings on the Amateur Music Network website. You may search for ensembles to join, look for events to attend such as workshops and concerts, and find classes to help improve your skills. You can also look for service providers such as piano tuners, arrangers, recording studios, production services, music stores, instrument repair — in short, all the support you need as an active musician.
Who can create listings?
Only registered users may create listings. FIND OUT MORE ABOUT PLANS.
What is registration?
When you sign up as a user on our site you will be sent an email to the address you used in registration. You will be asked to confirm your account — you cannot log in without completing this step.
What is a FREE user?
Free users are automatically registered for the free Connect plan. As a Connect user you may create your personal profile and you have access to manage one Connect listing.
When and why do I need a paid subscription?
If you wish to create any other type of listing (teacher, event, ensemble, class, or service) you must subscribe to a paid plan.
Which plan is right for me?
The Connect plan is ideal for an individual who wishes to simply connect with other musicians, and your Connect listing and personal profile will be visible to other users. The Engage plan is also a single listing, but you may choose any type of listing: this is ideal for a music teacher or small organization who only needs one listing at a time. The Inspire plan is for organizations or users who wish to have more than one listing at a time, for instance, an ensemble that wants a listing to tell people about how to join, and additional listings to publicize auditions or upcoming events.
How do I subscribe to a paid plan?
If you wish to subscribe to one of the paid plans, simply click the “Sign Up” button at the bottom of that plan description. You will be asked to provide registration information and you will be enrolled in the selected plan with a 30-day free trial. If you choose to upgrade from the free Connect plan, you will receive a 30-day free trial for whatever paid plan you choose and you will not be required to pay until the end of that trial period. You may change plans during that trial period, but once you pay for your plan you will be subscribed for a full year at that plan level. A user will only get a free trial at the time of first registration on a paid plan.
Can I get a refund for paid plans?
We do NOT offer refunds for unused plan time, so choose your plan carefully. If you wish to upgrade you will have to pay for the higher-level plan in full, so you may wish to wait until your current plan subscription expires to change plans.
Can I use the AMN site for free without registering?
Yes! Everyone is welcome to browse listings on the Amateur Music Network website. You may search for ensembles to join, look for events to attend such as workshops and concerts, and find classes to help improve your skills. You can also look for service providers such as piano tuners, arrangers, recording studios, production services, music stores, instrument repair — in short, all the support you need as an active musician.
What is a free registered user?
All users who register are automatically subscribed and may use all the features of the Connect plan, including creating a personal profile and a single Connect listing. There is no cost to register for the Connect plan.
Am I required to register as a free user?
No, but only registered users can contact other users or create listings.
My email address has changed. How do I update the email address in my profile?
If you are changing the email address in your organization’s profile, simply make the change and submit. However, you cannot change the login email yourself – AMN must change it for you. Please make the request via email.
I am putting my address in my profile. Can everyone see my address from my profile?
No. The address from your profile is never displayed. We collect it as part of registration in order to facilitate payment through our third-party payment system (Braintree Payments, a PayPal company). When users click to view your profile, only the city is visible, not the entire address.
I see you ask for my address in my listing. Can everyone see my address from my listing?
It depends. For all listing types except Connect, if you add your address to the listing form, it will be map-able, and users will be able to find you. If you are listing an event this may be desired. If you do not want users to be able to find you, do not include the address when you create your listing. Only the region is required.
For Connect listings, there is no mapping function. Therefore even if you include your address in the listing form, AMN will not display it or provide a link to the map.
Is my email address view-able to the public?
AMN hides all email addresses by default. If you wish to display your personal email, go to “Manage Profile” and de-select the check box for “Hide Email in Public Profile.”
Is my name view-able to the public?
AMN shows your name by default. If you do not wish to display your name, go to “Manage Profile” and select the check box for “Hide name in Public Profile.”
What if someone clicks the “Contact” link in my listing?
The “Contact the Owner” link generates an anonymous email that is sent to you by AMN. It will include the message from the user who wishes to contact you. You may choose to reply to this message.
What is a trial coupon?
AMN offers a 30-day free trial to all new first-time users. While you are in the free trial period, you may use a trial extension coupon to add time to your trial. Please note you cannot use a subscription coupon to extend a free trial.
What is a subscription coupon?
Subscription coupons provide discounts on the cost of a subscription. Please note you cannot use a trial coupon to obtain a subscription discount.
How do I get a coupon?
Coupons are occasionally offered to users via our newsletter and other means. Please register, subscribe to our newsletter, and follow us on Facebook to be sure to see these offers.
My coupon isn’t working – what’s wrong?
Coupons may only be used once by a user and cannot be re-used. Coupons are case sensitive, so be sure you are entering the coupon correctly.
Who can create listings?
Registered users may create listings on the AMN site.
Who can view listings on the AMN site?
Any visitor to the AMN site can view listings. Only registered users can create and manage listings. See our pricing page for more detail on plans.
What types of listings can paid subscribers create?
We offer six listing types: ensembles, classes, teachers, service providers, events and connections. Please consult our listing guide for detailed descriptions of all listing types and for advice about how to create effective listings.
Can I post my concerts?
Yes, we welcome concert listings.
What is the self-assessment?
Our self-assessment tool is simply a way to let others know your own current ability, and help you match your playing with others. Your assessment may change from time to time, as you play more or less frequently, so feel free to come back and adjust it as you see fit.
What if my genre isn’t listed?
Use the genre(s) that best approximates your specific interest, and then use your description field to give more details. If there really is nothing that matches your music, please let us know.
What if my geographic region isn’t available?
If you are far from the SF Bay Area, choose the direction most appropriate for your location. Then, in your description, be specific about where you are.
What if my instrument isn’t listed?
As with genres, we have done our best to include all standard instruments. Please let us know if yours is missing so we can add it to the list.
My address isn’t required for my listing. Should I include it?
If you wish the mapping functionality to work, include the address. If you wish to keep your address private, do not include it. Please note: address mapping does NOT work on Connect listings.
What are the image limitations by plan type (paid subscriptions)?
Connect plan users may upload a profile image and an image for their single listing. Engage and Inspire plan users may upload additional specific images for each listing and may also upload additional profile images to their Image Gallery. Other users will see these images when they access your profile page. See our pricing page for details on images for each plan.
Do you have guidelines for images?
Images uploaded to AMN may be up to 5MB in size. Accepted file types are .jpg and .png.
Images are displayed in square boxes or circles until users click to view them: the image will be automatically cropped to display in this shape. However, all images may be viewed full size by clicking on them in the listing detail view or in the profile view.
We recommend a pixel size of 960 x 540 or a ratio of 16:9.
What is the difference between a personal profile and an organization profile?
The personal profile is about you as an individual. It will have your image if you choose to display one (otherwise it will display a generic image). It has a description field where you can tell other users about yourself.
The organization profile is similar to the personal profile, but it is about your organization. Instead of a profile picture, it displays the organization’s logo. It has a field for the organization’s website address.
Can all paid subscribers create an organization profile?
Yes. While users on the Connect plan have access to a personal profile only, users on the Engage and Inspire plans may choose to use the organization profile to create listings on behalf of their organization.
My email address has changed. How do I update the email address in my profile?
If you are changing the email address in your organization’s profile, simply make the change and submit. However, you cannot change the login email yourself – AMN must change it for you. Please make the request via email.
How do I contact a teacher or another AMN user?
You must register as a user to use the AMN connection feature. As a registered FREE or PAID user you can contact a teacher or connect with other users, and use all the features of the site.
Amateur Music Network is all about people who love music, and we want to hear their stories! If you have an idea for a blog post, or wish to submit a short piece to the AMN blog, we would love a chance to share it.
Send us an email and describe your idea. We’ll get back to you with our reply and, if we wish to publish your piece, a request for more information.
Some basic guidelines:
- 1,000 words max
- Please stay on topic: this is about your experiences as a musician.
- We reserve the right to edit.
- We publish entirely at our discretion.
- We will not publish sexually explicit content or other content we deem inappropriate to our site.
We really look forward to learning more about you!
Our monthly newsletter, sent to all who opt in for our email list, focuses on music-making opportunities for musicians and community members at large.
If you have something of interest that aims to give folks a chance to sing and/or play together, we recommend you create a listing on our site (check out the section about Listings on this FAQ page to learn more)! But if there’s room in the newsletter we might also like to feature your opportunity there.
Send us an email and include the suggested text for the newsletter item as well as an image for the listing (200 x 200 pixels).
Some basic guidelines:
- This is not for concert listings – only for music-making opportunities.
- Include the date and location of your event
- Include the name of your organization and a link where people can learn more.
- Please submit before the 20th of the month to allow time for review (our newsletter goes out on the first of the month).
- A very short (10 word) description may be included if there is room.
- We reserve the right to edit.
- We publish entirely at our discretion.
Thanks for helping us create pathways to music-making!
What if I have technical issues?
It’s possible there are glitches on our end but before you report a problem, please check for these conditions that may reduce our site’s functionality on your computer or device:
- Make sure you don’t have an excessive number (5+) of browser tabs and windows open. This can use up system resources and limit the functionality of our site.
- Close any programs you are not currently using. Every open program restricts available computing power and performance.
- Make sure your cache is not overloaded. Clear the cache and/or close and re-open your browser program.
What browsers do you recommend for AMN?
The site is responsive and tested on all browsers. However, we recommend using a current version of Chrome, Firefox or Safari.