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Site Updates
c/site-updates·2 membersFind out how this site operates and what new updates have been made/will be made.
Public0 posts this week
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Welcome to OffTheAve v5!
OffTheAve v5 Is Here After years of planning, rebuilding, redesigning, testing, and more late nights than I care to count, OffTheAve v5 is officially ready for release. This is not a minor update or a fresh coat of paint. OffTheAve has been rebuilt from the ground up as a faster, modern, fully custom platform designed around music, creators, and community. A Completely Rebuilt Experience The previous version of OffTheAve was powered by aging third-party software that placed limits on what the site could become. Version 5 replaces that foundation with a custom-built platform that gives us far more control over performance, features, security, and future development. The entire site has also been redesigned to provide a cleaner, faster, and fully responsive experience across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. A New Social Experience OffTheAve v5 introduces a completely rebuilt social system, including: A redesigned activity feed Modern user profiles A follow system replacing the old friend-request system Likes, comments, reposts, favorites, and sharing Real-time notifications Private messaging Photo albums and profile galleries Improved privacy and account settings The goal was to make interacting with artists, music, and other members feel far more natural than it did on the previous platform. A Completely New Music1
Artist pages are here: everything about an artist in one place
Every artist on offtheave now has a home page of their own. Type an artist's name in search, or go straight to offtheave.com/music/artist-name (for example: offtheave.com/music/pac-man ). What's on an artist page • All their work in one place: songs, mixtapes, videos, shorts and playlists, with tabs for All, Music, Videos and Playlists. On phones, swipe left or right to switch tabs. • Play all and Shuffle: one tap plays their music, mixtape tracks and features included. • Latest release and Popular: their newest drop up top, then their 5 most played songs. • Appears on: other artists' mixtapes they're featured on. • Similar artists and Top fans: shuffled on every visit, so you keep finding someone new. • Search inside the page: find one song or video without leaving the artist. • Share: send the page anywhere with a link, to your socials, or as a QR code or flyer. New: the Community tab See what people are saying about an artist, all in one feed: • Comments on their songs, mixtapes, videos and shorts • Reposts of their work with something said • Feed posts and community threads that link their music or their artist page, plus the comments under them • @mentions of the artist, if they're a member Sort0
You can now follow artists (plus smarter uploads)
You can now follow any artist on offtheave, not just members. Following an artist - Hit Follow on any artist page ( offtheave.com/music/artist-name ). The follower count shows right on the page. - When an artist you follow drops something new as the main artist, it shows up in your Following feed. - The artists you follow count toward your Following number and show up in your Following list, labeled Artist . - If the artist is a member here, the button follows their profile, same as before. - New members: the "Follow 3 artists" step in Getting Started now suggests artist pages too. Smarter uploads - When you add a song or video, the site reads the file name (or YouTube title) and fills in the artist, title, featured artists, producer and year for you. Artists get added to Tags too. - Not right? Undo puts it back. On the edit page, Pull artists from the title does the same for older uploads. - Replacing a file reads the new file name. Other fixes - Continue listening and Continue watching now shuffle every time you load the page. - Similar artists shows one artist per mixtape, with the same picture you see on their artist page. Keep it Avenue 😉3
We've Moved to Stripe. Here's What You Need to Know.
As part of our upgrade to OTAv5 , we've rebuilt our entire billing system from the ground up, and as part of that, we've moved fully over to Stripe as our payment processor. PayPal is no longer supported for subscriptions on the new platform. What this means for you If you were subscribed to a paid membership plan through PayPal, that subscription has been (or is being) canceled. As of today, you will not be charged again through PayPal. Nothing further is owed on your end for your old subscription. To keep your premium features, you'll need to re-subscribe using a card through Stripe, our new, more secure billing system. Re-subscribing is easy 1. Head to Subscribe 2. Pick the plan you want 3. Check out with Stripe or XP (soon $DORA) Questions? If anything doesn't look right, or you run into any issues re-subscribing, reach out through our Contact page and we'll get you sorted. For previous PayPal subscribers, remember to check your PayPal account to ensure your subscription has been canceled. Thanks for being part of the offtheave community for 20 years and counting. This upgrade is all about making the next 20 even better. 🎧0
Official 'New OTA' Status Update Thread
Description: The point of this thread is to keep you all informed with the latest updates on the all new OTA. Whatever I work on will be added here so that you all may be able to keep up with the project. What's going on with OTA?: For those who may not know, OTA is currently undergoing a MAJOR re-construction job and has been for the last couple of months. This forum is just not enough so we are expanding the sites horizon by combining the forum with another two scripts; more powerful scripts. Some of the new highlighted features will include, but not limited to: -Music/Artist Signups/ Music Uploads -Videos/ Video Uploads -Photos/ Photo Uploads -Groups -Polls -Blogs -REAL profiles -Events (create your own) and much, much more. If you'd like to make a request for a certain feature for the new OTA, you're more than welcome to reply with it. * This project, as a whole, is split up into 2 projects (designing and coding) with 3 semi-projects (the homepages, the forums and the new OTA script). Below you will find how far they are completed: 1.) Design: (integrating the new look along with fixing any brow0
offtheave v5 Arrives July 26th! 20th Anniversary Release
All, After 1.5 years of hard work, the next version of offtheave is just about ready. The official release is currently slated for July 26th, which also marks offtheave.com’s 20th anniversary. This next version has been rebuilt from the ground up with a cleaner design, stronger performance, upgraded music and media features, improved community tools, and a better overall experience for artists, listeners, and members. To prepare for the release, the migration process will begin one week in advance. Starting July 19th, offtheave will be placed into maintenance mode while I begin moving everything from OTAv4 over to OTAv5. During this time, all existing OTAv4 content will be migrated into the new platform. Once OTAv5 is live, the site will remain in a beta phase while I monitor the system, collect feedback, and squash any bugs that come up. The goal is to make sure the new version is stable, polished, and ready for everyone. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with offtheave over the years. Version 5 is a major step forward, and launching it on the site’s 20th anniversary feels like the right way to start the next chapter. -Admin
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Welcome to the New OTA (OTA V2)
"OTA V2? But I thought we were on V3?" Correct, this project was known as V3 and "V2" was released in the summer of '07, but "V2" was basically nothing compared to even the OTA BEFORE this New OTA. So now that this new ota is def. a make over, I had to crown it V2. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I can begin with saying.... ------------------------------- "It's been a long time comin" (as Low Key stated). 1 year and some months talking about it and 5-6 months of day in, day out hard work and sweat! I thought this day would never come but finally it has. Being that I had to do just about everything myself, that's the reason why it took so long. But on that note, I want to give a special recognition to those who have helped: Notable Recognitions: Dillamac: For the banner, logo and header background gradient Envime2007: For the registration banner, a 336 x 280 ad banner & a 728 x 90 ad banner (for advertising OTA) OrchestraAlbany: For really getting down and helping me test the new OTA, b4 all of the regular members even received the link. Flawless: For those great ideas with the new writers block Rumar: for helping submit reviews to the review section the whole staff for the support, all of the testers and all of the members who are down for OTA and have been loyal, even in our rough times. G0
OTA v5: A brand new and powerful platform is on the horizon!
@Everyone, I'm pleased to announce that I'm rebuilding offtheave.com from the ground up with OTA v5 - a cutting-edge, custom-built platform designed exclusively to meet the demands of our community. OTA v5 isn’t just a redesign; it’s a complete transformation that will empower artists, captivate fans, and revolutionize how you experience music and video on offtheave. Key features: Immersive Music Experience: All Music Library: Discover more vibrant, music libraries featuring new tracks, curated playlists, and trending hits. Our enhanced search engine, sorting, and filtering tools ensure you find exactly what suits your mood. Music Dashboard: Manage your own uploads with ease—track upload progress using detailed analytics, edit track details, update artwork, and share your content with the community. New Sticky Music Player: Enjoy continuous playback no matter where you navigate on the site. Our innovative player remembers your position, so the beat never stops even as you explore other sections. Engaging Video Content: Seamless Integration: Video pages will feature intuitive playback controls, dynamic playlists, and a layout that complements the immersive music experience, ensuring your visual and audio journey feels cohesive. Next-Level AI-Powered Features: Smart Recommendations: Our advanced AI engine will analyze your listening habits and pr0
Welcome to OTA3 BETA!
Good to be back! I deeply apologize for the extended down time but i did get a lot of work done this past year and 2 months. The time was spent developing the site into more of an open 'media hub' for a community rooted in underground rap music. Some of the topics in this thread will have to be explained out over a period of time. Below discusses a little bit more about OTA3. 1.) OTA3 Beta release: OTA3 is being released in BETA standing. This means that the site is stable enough to be used but there are still a few bugs that need to be worked out. So in short... some minor things may be out of wack. If you find that you are having problems with the site, whether it be using the site functions or a design flaw, let me know by posting the problem here. The BETA period is expected to last a month to 3 months but could go even further than that, if needed. Once all bugs and design issues have been fixed, i will re-introduce the site as a stable release. Once stable I will send out a mass email alerting all members about the new sites current standing and begin to network with other sites. 2.) The Goals: The major goals this time around would be to concentrate more on attracting new members rather than bringing the old ones back! Let's look forward and not back! Another goal is to use OTA as a platform for independent (and eventually even s0
Mixtape uploads are currently offline for maintenance
Unfortunately, I have to take the mixtape upload abilitiy offline while I work towards finding the issue. Looks like whenever you guys are attempting to upload your mixtapes, you get an " Invalid File Type " error. This became an issue when I had our host upgrade our server in early October. So, yes, I'm aware of what's going on, just give me some time to sort through things between work and classes. I will tweet out when the issue is resolved. SO, FOLLOW @OFFTHEAVE & LIKE OFFTHEAVE IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY Thank you for being patient :) -------------------- SN: Singles uploading still works as well as Video uploads. You can also still edit , listen to, and share your current mixtapes in the mean time. --------------------6
**I'm looking to add more mixtape distributors to the Mixtape Distribution page**
Do you promote mixtapes, singles, videos? Yes? Then I'm looking to promote your services, FREE!. I will be adding select members to the Mixtape Distribution page until otherwise noted. All you have to do is prove that you are a Distributor/DJ by uploading here and/or link me to your work. Approved distributors will be added to the list and remain on the list forever, so long as you are replying to members who inquire about your services. This is an easy plug to extra cash flow as members are always looking for a way to get more streams. Any comments or questions, reply here or shoot me a message.0
OTA V3
OTA2 (the current OTA) was just to hold our head above water for a greater OTA that I'm currently working on... and that's OTA3. I expect the newER OTA to be released within a month or so... but no later than the end of october (crossing our fingers). The new OTA will be focused on artists and the ability for them to upload and even sell their music/beats as well as having current news in the underground music industry scene. A brand new LIGHTER design will also be incorporated. This job is not going to take 6+ months like the last version simply because we are dropping one script, since we currently use 3. So once the re-design project is done in another week or two, the implementation process starts. That should take another week or two then the forums re-design project starts. Hopefully that should take no more than 2 weeks. After the entire design process is completed (4-5 weeks), the most important part of the ENTIRE OTA 3 project takes place... and that's SEO. To find out what exactly needs to be done, read here: http://www.offtheave.com/forums/corner/29833-never-ending-thread-23.html#post121379 Some things are temporarily getting dropped, like: groups, blogs, photos, polls & videos... and will probably be re-introduced when traffic picks up. The new OTA 3 should be done by mid-late october, hopefully. I'll keep you all in tune!1
offtheave annual upgrade complete
As most of you know, I've spent the last few days migrating all of the files from our old host to our new host. This new host is a step up from the old so not only has the speed increased on the site, but also our website security has beefed up. While upgrading the server, I went ahead and also upgraded the script base of offtheave, which gave it a little extra speed and performance boost as well. There's some other minor updates here and there but if anyone runs into any issues please report them immediately. Thank you all for your patience over these last few days. -SOLID0
[Bug] Mixtape uploading issue
I'm making it known that since the upgrade of offtheave.com (read here: https://www.offtheave.com/forums/topic/29484/offtheave-annual-upgrade-complete) there has been an issue with uploading large mixtapes. Unfortunately, it appears that only half of the mixtape will upload on the first try. If this happens to you, please re-add the rest of the songs to that mixtape by following the instructions below: Option 1 (Best option): 1. Start your music upload as usual: https://www.offtheave.com/audio/songs/upload 2. Use the "Mixtape" drop down to create a new mixtape. 3. Click "Add Songs" 4. Upload 5 tracks at a time, instead of the whole entire mixtape. 5. Once the 5 tracks upload, click "Add Songs" again and add another 5 songs and repeat process until all songs have successfully uploaded. 6. Click "Save" as usual. Option 2 (slower option): 1. Start your music upload as usual: https://www.offtheave.com/audio/songs/upload 2. @ the "Mixtape" drop down where you normally create a new mixtape, select the mixtape that you just tried to upload that has the missing tracks. 3. Click "Add Songs" 4. Upload the missing tracks to complete the mixtape upload. 5. Repeat process if the 2nd attempt misses tracks too I know this is annoying, and I apologize, but I figured that instead of leaving the music uploads offline until fixed, I would at least reopen the music0
Link structure change + HTTPS -> HTTP
What's up OTA fam? There have been some minor changes made today. First and foremost, I've changed the link structure for the mixtape/singles area. So instead of the old way: http://www.offtheave.com/listen , http://www.offtheave.com/listen/mixtape/mixtape-name The new path is: http://www.offtheave.com/audio , http://www.offtheave.com/audio/mixtape/mixtape-name etc. etc. This link change will not effect your past uploads as clicking on your old links will automatically redirect to the new links. The 2nd change is more so for people who search for offtheave.com content through Google. It looks like Google has been storing some of the links to our pages using "HTTPS://"(SSL) instead of "HTTP://". In return, this has been causing some pages not to load when coming from Google, unfortunately. I have fixed this issue for the time being so that anyone clicking a link that starts with HTTPS://offtheave.com on Google will automatically redirect to HTTP://offtheave.com. One day I do plan to migrate the domain to HTTPS://offtheave.com, but until then, it's HTTP://offtheave.com Thanks, SOLID0
The 'OTA3 bugs' thread
This thread will be used to collect information about all known & unknown bugs. Members are encouraged to report any issues with OTA3 here so that I can keep track of them easily. This post will be updated over time with any new 'bugs'. If you come across any, report them here. Known bugs: -[s]Mixtape uploads (doesn't upload on first try.)[/s] (FIXED) -[s]Forum post layout. Posting certain stories, articles or elongated posts in a thread might not post the way you want the post to look.[/s] (FIXED) -Browser compatibility. The site is compatible 100% with firefox, about 98-99% Safari and Google Chrome. Internet explorer 8 & 9 is unknown right now. Known bugs (12/3/11) -[s]Video page, comment section design is off. Doesn't sync up with the rest of the sites plain text comment boxes.[/s] (FIXED) -Homepage and News page featured article slider only shows first featured article, nothing after.0
Site upgrades scheduled for 10/14/17
[Site Upgrade Notice] This Saturday evening, I will be temporarily setting the website offline while I perform upgrades. I will be upgrading the script that powers this site as well as upgrading the server software + components. After these upgrades have been completed you should notice an improvement in site speed as well as performance. I will start this assignment Saturday evening (10/14/17) around 7PM Central. I expect for the site to be down only for the evening but please be prepared for the site to be down for a day or 2. Upgrades are unpredictable and may cause additional issues that need to be fixed before the site can go live again. I will tweet out when the site goes offline for maintenance and when the site is back online. Follow offtheave on Twitter if you haven't already: http://www.twitter.com/OFFTHEAVE Thank you for your patience.2
Some small fixes were made tonight.
These fixes include: Profiles: -Linking to social media: When you edit your profile here, all that is required to link your IG, twitter and FB accounts is your username for those accounts. Some of y'all are entering in the full link to your social media accounts, or adding @ symbols, or even adding spaces in your links. This used to not work. I have now fixed this so that when people click on your social media icons in your profiles, they are taken to your social media pages instead of a blank page (for those members who choose not to read instructions -_-) Example: yourusername - works @yourusername - now works instagram.com/yourusername - now works instagram.com/ your user name - now works your user name - now works Subscriptions: -For members with premium memberships, some may have noticed that the next billing date was incorrect on your member home page. For anyone who has seen this error, the issue should be fixed. Music page: -Some very small tweaks made to font sizes. There were also quite a few changes made to the backend of things, such as the admin panel, to help me better moderate the site. Any comments or questions, feel free to ask.0
[NEW FEATURE] Promote your own mixtapes easily
I spent the day coding a feature that allows you to feature your own mixtape yourself, as long as you share it. In order to share it you have to click on your mixtape, then under the box that shows your mixtape information click the share icon. It looks like this: OR you can also do it by sharing it from your activity feed, like pictured below: After that, your mixtape will become featured in a pool with other users who have shared their mixtapes. Right now the limit is 10 shared featured mixtapes. So if yours gets bumped off the featured list, just share it again and yours will show until it is bumped off again. This is a free feature for the time being so enjoy :) Your featured mixtapes currently show up in the following main locations: Member Home Page: http://www.offtheave.com/members/home Mixtape page: http://www.offtheave.com/listen/0
Final stages in OTA BETA release
Well gentlemen, looks like we are in our final stages of the beta release. I've ironed out mostly all of the bugs as well as continuing to build on to the site look and feature wise. The last few things I need to accomplish before I take the site out of beta are: -new banner/slight header modification -fix minor problems in videos section -on-site S.E.O modifications. As mentioned before, this is what's going to drive organic and natural traffic to the site from the search engines (our biggest source of traffic) I'm in tune right now with an s.e.o specialist and he researched trending keywords for google right now. He suggested I write up some articles with these certain 'keywords' as a way to spike our traffic. Now I will say that the topics are pretty silly and don't really go along with what OTA has been standing for in the past (underground midwest).. but a little change here and there won't hurt us especially that this is for the growth of the site. So don't be surprised when you see articles, mixtapes, songs, videos etc. about shit i don't normally post. I'm interested in seeing where this goes but I ain't gonna be submitting them under my account lol. But other than that, once everything above is complete, I will pull the site out of beta and send a mass e-mail to our member base alerting everyone, who doesn't know already, that we're back up and better than ever.0