The new digital age has brought about revolutionary changes to the music industry. Many bands are quickly realizing that advertising on the Internet can tap into a potential goldmine that augments future success and financial gain. However, the new digital age can also be a tricky place to maneuver your best move. Bands have to have the right content sponsors and content aggregators to earn some extra money.

A content sponsor on the Internet can assist your band on the road to financial success. These organizations will offer to pay you to advertise relevant topics on your website. For example, you have an article on your website pertaining to studio rentals. A content sponsor dealing with studio rentals may contact you and ask if they can place an ad on your site. Many content sponsors will incorporate links or ads pertaining to the topic at hand on your website. This is a ‘win win’ situation for both parties. The content sponsor receives the necessary advertising they require for their own website, but your band will benefit in the process with the money it is receiving from the content sponsor. You should never deal with any kind of content sponsor that does not offer to pay for your hosting services. A good content sponsor will pay your band accordingly and not take advantage of the situation. This is a great way to earn money by using the Internet and opens the door to well-known content sponsors who may pay you quite a bit more. Finding a content sponsor can be tricky, because the opportunities are endless. One option is to sign up with one of the many websites that are geared toward putting website owners and content sponsors together. An example is www.sponsoranything.com. This site charges a modest fee to list your website where potential sponsors will have an opportunity to choose what sites they are interested in.

Content aggregators have also surfaced during the current digital era. These individuals or organizations can either sell content to you that is relevant to your band’s website, or purchase content from your site to use on their own website, or to resell to other individuals. There are several different kinds of content aggregators out there. The first collects information or content off your website and uses it for their own website. The second focuses more on their customer’s needs by supplying the collected content to their audience. The information collected by the second type of content aggregator is syndicated and recirculated to the customer for reuse. There are some content aggregators out there who want to use your music on their site. These individuals or organizations are basically digital download sites that allow Internet users to download your music for listening pleasure (Ex:Musicnet, On-Demand Digital, RedDotNet, Digital Distribution Domain). Content aggregators of this kind offer a valuable service to bands because they help to advertise your music and may ultimately increase your listening audience. In order to protect your band and its music, it is always best to sign a contract with one of these individuals before allowing them to download your music. Moreover, a good content aggregator will allow you to decide whether or not you want to sell your music. No content aggregator should ever make any type of profit off your music, unless you are benefiting in the process, and a signed contract will protect you here. It is always a good idea to put your music anywhere you can on the Internet in order to advertise your band. There are numerous digital download content aggregators who offer free downloads to their customers. These organizations usually only profit if you do, and the key to making a profit is to produce quality music that gains the attention of others. You have to have a good band that plays great music to give yourself the best chance to expand on the overall popularity of your tunes.

Updated: June 3, 2007

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