Matthew Ebel dot net is a subscription service for Matthew Ebel fans. Every month Matthew will be releasing a new live concert recording and at least two studio tracks to subscribers. On top of that, exclusive goodies such as concert tickets, deluxe album packages, merchandise, and event invites are also available.

How It Works

Sign Up.

You can pick which level you’d like (details are on the Subscriptions Page) and sign up. All payments will be handled automatically via PayPal, giving you a secure method of payment.

Sign In.

Once you’ve got your pass, you simply log in to the members area with the user name and password you chose. If you forgot your password, you can have a new one emailed to you.

Once you’re signed in you can see your subscriptions by clicking the Backstage link in the main menu or the Go Backstage link from the sidebar.

Download.

Here’s where you’ve got some options. From your Backstage area you’ll see a list of links under “Your Subscriptions“. If you’re an All-Access or VIP member, you’ll find a link to the Members-Only Store here. There’s also a few different ways you can get your downloadable goodies. In fact, we’re going to cover that in the next section…

Downloading The Music

There are a few methods for getting your content on a regular basis.

NOTICE: All downloads will be removed from the site and archived after 2 months. Please make sure you back up your downloads on your own, you will not be able to re-download after the old files are archived.
(If there are any programmers out there that think they can write a plugin to make this system a bit more graceful, please Contact MatthewEbel.net)

Download Automatically via iTunes

iTunes will automatically grab every new download just like a podcast (if you’re not familiar with podcasting, check out this video from Common Craft). From your Backstage area you’ll see a list of links under “Your Subscriptions“. Click on the “Subscribe via iTunes” link and iTunes should open automatically, subscribing you to your feed.

Otherwise, you can copy the feed link to iTunes directly. Just drag the link onto your iTunes window or copy the link and enter it manually under the iTunes Advanced menu:

Once you’re subscribed to the feed, iTunes may ask you for a password or you may see something like this in your list of podcasts…

If so, just hit the “Get All” button or click “Get” for the items you want to download right away.

You’ll need to enter you username and password in a window like this:

If you don’t want to enter your username and password for every single download, make sure you check the “Remember Password” box.

If you’ve set your iTunes preferences to auto-delete old podcast episodes, you might want to right-click (or control-click on a Mac) the podcast and select “Do Not Auto Delete”. You can only do this after you’ve downloaded at least one file, however.

Voila! You’re now set up to receive every new download automatically!

Download via RSS

If you’re not an iTunes user or would rather download your files manually, you can still receive automatic updates through an RSS Reader such as Apple Mail or Google Reader. If you’re not familiar with how to use an RSS reader, check out this video from Common Craft.

Once your RSS reader is set up, just subscribe to your RSS feed on your Backstage area or grab one of the RSS links in the sidebar. Anyone can view the feed itself, but you’ll need to enter your username and password to download the files.

Email Alerts

MatthewEbel.net can also send you an email every time there’s a new download. These emails will contain a link to the file and you’ll need to log in to get it. Just click on the “Subscribe by Email” link from your Backstage area or on one of the email links in the sidebar.

Twitter Updates

When it’s actually working, you can catch blog updates via the Matthew Ebel dot net Twitter Account. There will only be tweets when there are downloads available, and that’s any download, no matter what pass you’re subscribed to. If you’re a Twitter fan, just follow this feed and you’ll know right when the new downloads are posted.

Manually Check The Blog

Of course, you can always look through The Blog to see what’s available. Be sure to check back regularly so you don’t miss a download!