Gone are the days of garage bands struggling to get the word out about their music. The electronic age has opened up ways of marketing your band throughout the world with only a few mouse clicks. The Internet allows you to not only promote your band, but also sell CD’s and merchandise. The options are endless; however, knowing the most effective ways to utilize the Internet will make all the difference, when it comes to building your fan base.

Before you begin marketing your band on the Internet or anywhere else, there are a few basic elements that need to be established. It is essential to think of your band as a business, if you want to succeed. If you begin with this thought process in mind, it will make promotion much easier and more effective. With any business, you will need a marketing strategy. This will include determining the most appropriate places to promote your band, along with a clear professional description of the music you play. You should be able to clearly and professionally define your music within the time it would take to ride an elevator. Once you have established a definition for your band, you will want to move on to the marketing portion. Prior to selling your group on the Internet, you will need to establish a website.

Your band’s website should be the central focus for all of your marketing efforts. Because the site will be so important, it is critical that you do not skimp in this area. The website must be professional and informative. However, it also needs to be creative, so that it will capture the essence of your music and engage visitors to the site. Everything you do on the Internet will lead people to your site. It is your calling card and should represent the message you want to convey to potential fans. Although there are no limits regarding the content of the site, there are some items that must be included. The site should contain a list of all your music titles, as well as samples, which can be downloaded. In addition, visitors will need access for purchasing CDs and band merchandise. Websites, such as PayPal, will allow you to create a store, which is linked to your site free of charge. This is a great solution for individuals on a budget, because you will have the ability of accepting credit cards without needing a merchant’s account, which can be very pricey. Your website is also a great place to list any upcoming gigs. The most important thing on your site, however, will be valid contact information for booking engagements.

Now that your site is up and running, it is time to spread the word about your band. There are numerous websites, which cater to bands wanting to market themselves. However, keep in mind that these sites typically receive traffic from other bands only and not the music loving public. Much more effective alternatives are websites, such as MySpace and VampireFreaks. Because MySpace is one of the more popular venues, we will use it as the example. However, the same promotion efforts can be used on similar community sites.

Your marketing efforts on MySpace should begin with the creation of a profile. This is simply a one-page introduction to your band. The profiles can be very simple or extremely complicated. Starting out simple is best. The profile can evolve over time, and will once you become familiar with the format. When you choose the name for your profile, make sure you use the band’s title. Once selected, you will not be able to change the name. Your band’s profile should include one of your music clips. In addition, your website must be available, so individuals can learn more about the band. The blog and event’s sections are excellent ways to keep people coming back to your profile to find out the latest information. Updating these items on a regular basis will only increase traffic to the profile and your website. When you obtain information from fans at gigs, such as their email address, make sure to get their MySpace data, as well. You can then add them to your list of friends, so they can keep up to date on the bands upcoming performances.

Once your profile is established, MySpace offers several venues for promoting your band. Within the group’s section, you will notice an area titled music. You can follow the easy steps to create a group. This will allow you to promote your band to other musicians, producers, record executives, as well as music lovers on MySpace. Just like the profile, the group can be set-up with a very simple layout or extremely high-tech. It is best to keep things simple at first and improve them as you go along. After the group has been established, you can inform other MySpace members, through various forums or other groups. A word of caution here, always observe the rules for posting within these venues. Failure to do so may result in banishment from the group or deletion of your profile. If you are not sure about posting the information, ask the moderator first. Finally, encourage a close friend to create a fan club for your band within the group section. You can enlist this person to help with promotion. If you have multiple band members, they should create personal profiles, as well. Most importantly, the more friends on the band’s profile the better. Don’t be afraid to ask perfect strangers to be your friend. The traffic to your band’s profile will only increase the visits to your site, as well as your band’s recognition.

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