• General
  • What is musicshake?
  • We are an online service offering users the opportunity to create music easily and quickly.
    It is easy because you don't need ANY musical training to use Musicshake - you just need to know whether you like what you hear.
    It is quick because you can literally complete a track in under a minute - of course, you can spend more time perfecting and fine-tuning your songs.
  • Is musicshake a web site or is it a program?
  • There are 2 parts to musicshake:

    1) Musicshake website
    This is our website where users sign up, upload and post songs, share opinions, ask questions, and most importantly listen to music by others.

    2) Musicshake program
    This is a Windows-based application that you can use to create your music. Every page in our website has a download link which you can click to download the installation file. Although this is a desktop application, you do need an internet connection to run this program.
  • What do I do with the music I made on Musicshake?
  • - Participate in events - usually every month or two, we run events where you can win some cool prizes.

    - Share with friends - use our email, URL copy, and embed features or send directly to Facebook, imeem, or Phonevite.

    - Buy the song - you can get an MP3 file and a ringtone for one price. All your purchases are recorded in "My Musicshake" you can go to download your songs again or to turn your songs into ringtones (more on this topic below).
  • Technical – installation, browsers, updates
  • What browsers do you support?
  • We fully support Internet Explorer and Firefox.
  • Do I need to install anything to browse the web site?
  • You do need to have the latest Flash version for your browsers. There is nothing else you need to install for Musicshake.
  • Do I need to install anything to make music?
  • Yes you will need to download and install the musicshake program. Click on the "Download Musicshake (it's free)" link. Download the installation file and run it. Our video tutorials will show this process step-by-step. To see the video, click on this LINK.
  • What are the minimum hardware requirements?
  • Operating System: Windows 2000/XP/Vista
    Processor: Pentium 1.5 GHz (Celeron 2 GHz) or higher
    Memory: 512 MB RAM or more
  • How do I completely remove the Musicshake application and reinstall Musicshake?
  • Go to control panel -> add or remove programs -> remove the Musicshake application
  • Making Music - Please be sure to use our TUTORIAL pages for instructions related to making music
  • Can I add more instruments to my song?
  • Yes, you need to add a TRACK. A track is the horizontal musical row in the Musicshake program. Click "Menu" on the bottom left of the Musicshake program and choose “Add Track". This will provide you with instruments, vocals, and sound effects that you can add to your song. To delete a track, click on the number of the track (blue numbers to the left of each track) and choose "Delete Track".
  • Can I lengthen or shorten my song?
  • To lengthen the song you need to add a PART. A part is the vertical musical column in the Musicshake program. You will see that each column is numbered - click on any of the numbered block and choose "Add Part". You will have to choose a chord progression, and this will create another part in the song (parts are added to the end of the song).
    To shorten you song you need to delete a PART. Click on the number of the part you would like to delete (the top of each column) and choose "Delete Part".
  • Can I somehow lengthen or shorten a music block?
  • The block is the most basic unit for music-making in Musicshake.
    At this time the length is fixed to 8 musical measures, and you can only turn it ON or OFF.
  • Can I add my own vocals to the music? (singing or rapping)
  • Yes, you just need connect a microphone to your computer (and make sure it works properly). To create a recording track click on the RECORD button and this will create a recording track. You can also click on MENU, add tracks, click the second page, and choose an icon that looks like a microphone. This will also add create a recording track for your song.
  • Can I make my song faster or slower? (tempo change)
  • Currently we only offer two tempos (speed) which are 90 and 140 beats per minute (bps). You can only choose before you start making your song. We will be able to adjust the tempo in the near future.
  • Can I make key changes?
  • We will be able to change in the near future. Currently we have all our music fixed to the key of G.
  • Posting, sharing, and managing your music
  • How to I post my music on Musicshake?
  • When you finish creating your song from the Musicshake program you can choose to "Send To Musicshake". This will begin the 3-step process of gathering all the tracks in your song to send to Musicshake - we will refer to this process as the "export process". When the export process completes, a window will pop up where you choose the title of your post (can be the same as your song title), write a few words about your song, and choose the genre, feel, and theme for your song.
  • What happens when I post a song?
  • Each song gets a "Song Page" where people can listen, share, rate, leave comments, and purchase your music.
  • Can I share my music outside of the Musicshake in places such as Facebook or my own blog?
  • Yes, note that there is a "Share" button and a "Send To" area under the Musicshake song player. The share feature will provide you will URL links, embed code (for your blog) and give you a simple emailing tool to share a song with friends. The send to area provides an easy way to send you music to some outside communities - we currently have Facebook, imeem, and Phonevite and the list will grow in the near future. We have a simple tutorial for you here.
  • Where do I keep track of my songs?
  • There are two places:

    1) Musicshake program - when you load or save a song from the program, you will note that there are 12 save slots. You can save and load from these slots.

    2) My Musicshake - you can keep track of all songs that have been exported (all songs), posted, marked as favorite, purchased, bought under subscription, and sold.
  • Musicshake charts
  • What kind of song charts do you have in Musicshake?
  • There are two main charts in Musicshake (plus the Hall of Fame)

    - Based on activity - recent, listened, discussed, favorited, and rated. Activity-based charts list songs based on the number of each activity; the most active being at the top of the chart.

    - Based on category - when you post your song, you choose the genre, feel, and theme for a song. Category-based charts filter the activity-based charts by the category. For example, if you choose to see the R&B charts, then you will still see the most recent, listened, discussed, favorited, rated songs - but only within R&B song genre.
  • How does a song get placed in the Hall of Fame?
  • There are many different criteria used to choose a song for the Hall of Fame. We will list a few here: - Some songs are picked by the staff because of the quality of the song - Some songs are winners in Musicshake events - Some songs (very few) are created by Musicshake for special events and people and sometimes these songs are featured in the Hall of Fame
  • How can I climb the charts?
  • Depends on which chart you want to climb.
    For example if you want your song to be one of the most listened, then use our share feature and send to feature so that your friends can have a chance to listen to your song. Your song will get more hits and you will climb the charts.
  • Downloading, Purchasing, and Using Music created with Musicshake
  • How much does it cost to buy a song?
  • There are two different Musicshake licenses but the usual price for buying a song is 99 cents per song. All purchases have to be made using Shake Cash.

    ● Personal - This is for personal use, meaning you don't plan on making money using this music (for example – listening on PC, iPods and using for in class projects)

    ● Commercial - If you plan to use Musicshake songs for commercial purposes (for example - using songs for movies, games, websites or to sell your Musicshake songs on iTunes; any usage which you will be making money from)
    For commercial purchases, please email us at info@musicshake.com with the song information (song title and URL to posted song) and then pay by PayPal to billing@musicshake.com

      Personal Commercial
    Pricing – per song $0.99 $19.99
    Pricing - subscription $14.99 / month Not Available
    Usage Non-profit (iPod, PC, CD, gifts etc.) For profit
    (Selling, commercial videos, games, movies etc.)
    Restrictions Not for commercial usage None
  • What is Shake Cash?
  • Shake Cash is a virtual currency used in Musicshake - you need Shake Cash to buy songs or subscriptions.
  • How much is Shake Cash worth?
  • 1 U.S. Dollar = 100 Shake Cash.
  • How to I buy some Shake Cash and what kind of payments do you accept? (Go HERE to buy Shake Cash)
  • For electronic payments, we accept credit cards and PayPal. We also provide you information on how you can also send cash, check, or money order by mail.
  • How do I download music? (applies to MP3 downloads and ringtones)
  • The easiest way to buy a song is to click on the MP3 download button or the ringtone button below the Musicshake player on any song page. Note that when you buy a song, you are actually getting both the MP3 and the ringtone for one price. Go to My Musicshake -> Purchased and you will have the choice to download your song again or make a ringtone with the song.
  • Can I pay a flat fee to get unlimited downloads? (Go HERE to get subscription)
  • Yes, we have a subscription service that allows you to download as many songs as you wish for 30 days (only available for Personal Usage)
  • Can I use Musicshake songs for my YouTube video?
  • Yes, as long as you buy your song ($0.99 or $19.99 – if you are earning ad rev on YouTube) and credit us somewhere on the video.
  • Can I use Musicshake songs for my video games that I am developing?
  • Yes, as long as you buy your song ($19.99) and credit us somewhere in the game.
  • Cash, Check, or Money Order
  • Don’t have a credit card or a PayPal account?
  • You can purchase Shake Cash directly from Musicshake by sending CASH, CHECK, or a MONEY ORDER.

    Please make the CHECK or MONEY ORDER to Musicshake Inc., and send the payment to:
    Musicshake, Inc.
    ATTN: Billing Department
    3460 Wilshire Blvd., 7th FL.
    Los Angeles, CA 90010

    We require the following information in order to process your payment:
    1) Your Musicshake ID
    2) Your REAL name
    3) Your Contact Phone Number (in case we need to contact you regarding the payment)
    4) Your Email Address (registered with Musicshake)
    5) Amount of Shake Cash you would like to purchase ($1 = 100 Shake Cash)
  • Earning Shake Cash
  • So there is a way for me to "earn" some Shake Cash?
  • Yes when your song is purchased by anyone else but you, then 10% of the purchase price gets credited to your account. You can check this from My Musicshake -> Shake Cash Statement. This only applies to individual song purchases and not to subscriptions.
Copyright © 2009 Musicshake. All rights reserved.