The importance of music blogs for independent bands

Ever notice your favorite music magazines disappearing from the store shelves as of late? The print industry has seen better days. Every month, more and more magazines are switching to online formats or folding completely. Does this mean there are less places to get your band exposed? Definitely not. In fact, nowadays there are more websites, blogs and zines than ever covering independent music.

Music promotion should not be a mystery. It's all about building relationships and keeping them. Remember to treat the press as individuals and keep it simple.

Try searching Hype Machine (http://www.hypem.com/) for artists who sound similar to your band. For example, if you play in a progressive metal band, you can search "Opeth", "Tool", or "Mastodon". You'll find a list of music blogs that have recently posted music from the artist or band. Contact each blog individually, with personalized comments on their blog. Remember, they put effort into their writing just the same as you put effort into your music. Recognizing their efforts in a personal and genuine way seperates you from the thousands of bands simply demanding "Check out my band!"

You'd be surprised how much it will help, and your press section will start to look like the Rotten Tomatoes page for The Dark Knight - provided you've got the goods, of course!

For more tips of the trade, you can pick up "Your Band Is A Virus– Behind-The-Scenes And Viral Marketing For The Independent Musician" for only $12.99 at http://www.yourbandisavirus.com/.

Why "Your Band Is A Virus" was released

"Your Band Is A Virus" was released because most of the current music promotion E-books seem to be part of a web of infomercials promising much more than they could ever deliver. The endless lists (1001 Ways To Be A Star!), delusions of grandeur, and simplified explanations don't serve the rational independent musician's purpose - to further themselves.

To further yourself in the music industry there are some pretty clear steps you'll need to take, and just about everyone covers these:

· Create your image and learn how to make it effective (Many bands mess this step up. What's effective or notable to you and your bandmates may not hit the collective mark.)

· Record your album properly. Spend the money and do it right.

· Write a bio with the correct promotional language. Keep it concise.

· Take press photos the right way. Make it an occasion.

· Build your press section. (This isn't covered enough in the mainstream indie music press. Bands should make their press section a top priority.)

· Make sure your band artwork is top notch.

· Build an effective website.

· Sell your product. Much of the mainstream advice on this topic does not work. Most music fans download their music. Stop being paranoid and get your music downloaded first. THEN they buy.

· Tips on mailing lists, street teams, web hosting, linking, keywords, online music vendors, etc
 
 
Now a lot of bands go wrong at this point, when they have set themselves in a professional manner. The problem is, as they say, if you set up a business and don't advertise, you have no business. You don't exist. There are some other major areas you need to educate yourself in to become a successful independent artist. All can be found in the new E-book "Your Band Is A Virus":
 
· How to utilize DIY ways to detach yourself from Sonicbids and Musicsubmit-type services and promote for FREE

· News release DISTRIBUTION

- How to use news releases, not press releases, to promote your band. Most press releases contain too much promotional language and will either get rejected or get your band blacklisted.

· How to contact bigger media and reach out to individual writers, not play by the submission rules.

· How to approach the music press and media PROPERLY. Not spamming, emailing mp3's or saying "Check out my band!".

· Ways to exploit your genre AND sub-genres effectively. There's a wealth of unexplored website & blogs waiting to hear from your band.

· How to avoid pitfalls and scams aimed specifically at indie artists

· How to use social networking to your advantage without SPAMMING. Spamming will only work against you.

· The scoop on digital distribution. How to get fully set up for free.

· Mp3 Blogs and Music Blogs - It takes work to deal with them the right way and make it pay off.

· Search Engine Optimization.

· Exploit your subject matter. Most bands don't consistently promote their 'hook'. What are you talking about? What is your lyrical point?

· Building strong press relationships, Befriending the opinion makers.

· Go through the back door and get the media talking about your band.

· Embrace the media’s ego, Get inside “The Fortress”.

· Use contests to your advantage.

· Avoid the independent musician’s Mp3 “hoarding” paranoia.

· How to use podcasting to your advantage.

· Get into film.

· Use viral, guerilla, and behind-the-scenes marketing.

For more information, visit http://www.yourbandisavirus.com/.

Indie Bands? How Do You Build A Website?

An excerpt from the Independent Musician's E-Book "Your Band Is A Virus", available here.

How do you build a website?

Well, the good news is you don’t really need to know how – or at least any html method.
First you’ll want to buy your domain at a website such as http://www.godaddy.com/. There are many reasons why to stick with a .com or a .net address. Some people may be unsure about whether to visit your website or not if it has a strange or unknown address. It’s simply easier for people to find you and it’s the most trustworthy and recognizable way to do it.

So if your ideal address www.evillizards.com is taken, try out www.evillizards.net, www.evillizardsband.com or www.evillizardsmusic.com. Make sure it is easy to remember and makes sense for your band.

Next you can get a cheap hosting account at sites such as http://www.hostgator.com/ and then build your site from there. If you are familiar with html, you’ll be off and away with no trouble. If you’re unfamiliar with doing it yourself, you’ll require some help along the way.

One option is to hire a professional web designer. If you’ve got original ideas for your website and want to stand out from the crowd this could be the way to go. Just don’t get too ambitious. Remember, your website will be like your press package. You don’t need all the bells and whistles. Just the necessities.

Don’t spend too much on web design.

The days of spending $1,000 or more on custom websites are long gone. There are MUCH better ways that you can spend $1,000 on your music career than getting a website done.

For every web designer who offers to charge you $1,000 for a quality website there will be ten who offer you $250. Shop around and don’t hesitate to hire an ambitious student who needs the extra cash and can do a great job. Also, make sure that the web designer knows how to create a mailing list template (or insert a pre-existing one for you), and design a website according to the marketing criteria that you’ll require as an independent musician trying to advance yourself.
If you want to build the site yourself and be in control of everything – I don’t blame you. And the good news is that you can certainly do it.

There are two popular ways to do this. Both are reputable and roughly the same price. Both offer custom website designs that bands and artists can individualize with their own art and photos. They both also offer high storage space for music and media. Mailing lists, e-store capability, blogs, and forums are other features both sites offer. You will definitely need these features in order to effectively promote your band online.

If you decide to go this route, check out the links below and decide for yourself. We have had good experiences with both companies, but Bandzoogle would get our recommendation for a superior administration and more extensive features offered:

1) http://www.bandzoogle.com/
2) http://www.hostbaby.com/

"Your Band Is A Virus" released! (The News Release)

Canadian music collective Independent Music Promotions recently released the e-book "Your Band Is A Virus", which gives music promotion advice from the perspective of the indie artists themselves. With many industry-related books being released by CEO's and record label owners, this release shows a definite change of attitude in the way independent music is promoted to the mainstream.

Editor James Moore commented "We found that most of the music marketing books written by the industry moguls were gimmicky and out of touch with the modern band's needs. There's only so many times you need to read about starting a website or writing a bio. We included those basics but focused the book mainly on how to build your press section, get on the media's good side and generate those reviews. That's what band's care about. We're trying to bring power back to the musicians and out of the hands of the pay-to-wait-in-line Sonicbids types."

The book explores the ideas behind viral marketing, guerilla marketing, and "behind-the-scenes" marketing, which suggests breaking the traditional submission rules and contacting the press individually in order to build relationships and garner high amounts of press.
More information on "Your Band Is A Virus" is at http://www.yourbandisavirus.com/.