Band websites – need help?

I’m proud to say that we get a lot of compliments on our website. Honestly, it’s built out of frustration from dealing with so many other venues and their inefficient websites during my years as a tour manager / booking agent. But take a closer look at our site here – it’s really just a tricked out WordPress page. In fact, many people use WordPress for their businesses and /or bands.

In my opinion, using a blog service for your bands website is the way to go. I believe this because blogger sites are already tied in with SEO’s (Search Engine Optimization) and secondary sites such as Flickr and ReverbNation are easy to utilize since coding options are provided.

Does this sort of thing confuse you?

Drop me a line a we’ll set up an appointment for you to come down to the club and I’ll show you how it all works. In the end, you’ll be able to maintain a professional and functional website that best promotes your band.

It’s so easy, even a drummer can do it.

- Anthony

How to Switch Your Facebook Personal Profile to an Artist/Band Page

From diymusician.cdbaby.com:
If you’ve been using your Facebook personal profile to promote your music and engage with your fans, you may be wondering how you can switch your profile to a dedicated artist page without losing all your friends. This is a common problem, and now there’s a solution. With Facebook’s new “Profile To Business Page Migration” tool, you can turn your personal user profile into a “Business Page” (their fancy term for an official artist/band page), and all your friends will instantly be converted into “Likes.”

Read more HERE.

And bands…for the love of all that’s audible, PLEASE DO THIS.

How Musicians Can Use Facebook’s New Page Upgrades

From diymusician.cdbaby.com:
Pretty soon, all Facebook Pages (for businesses, brands, bands, and media) will resemble the newest redesign for Facebook profiles. But you can choose to upgrade now!

So what’s different? And how can I use the new Facebook Page functionality to promote my music?

Those are great questions, and we’d love to hear from artists who are already putting the new design to good use. But here is what we know so far:

1) No more tabs up top. Now there is a left-hand link panel beneath the profile picture. But there is a trade-off. While your tab names can be longer, the placement may mean less people click the tabs. Artists may need to put a little more thought into keeping their wall/posts engaging or make sure that the default landing tab displays the most interesting content.

2) Photostrip across the top allows artists to create a broader AND more immediate impression with the additional emphasis on the visuals. Put your best press shots and live photos up there!

Read more HERE.

Step 2: Build a Regional Following for Your Band by Trading Shows

From Gazzmic.com:
A local following gives your band serious leverage. While you can generate buzz for your band internationally by promoting online, ultimately, musicians must tour to create a real connection with people all over the world. However, independent bands have a difficult time getting gigs with stable promoters in other towns. Fret not, though! There is a time-tested technique with its roots in the Old School punk rock Do-It-Yourself tradition that was designed for just this very situation: trading shows. It is important to note that bands from any genre can use this technique.

Read more HERE.

Read Step 1 HERE.

Hey, Bands: FREE Show Listing

Not only does The Deli Philadelphia publish articles and album reviews, but they also promote shows for FREE. I know – “How can that be?” It can be, and it is. To the right is a column that says “(diy) Live Show Listings”. And directly below that it a link to submit your show.

Before the request goes through the site will require you to join their mailing list. Don’t worry – we’ve been using the site for several months and haven’t received a single email.

Click here to visit The Deli Philadelphia.

Hey, Bands: Avoid DIY sites that do too much

From blog.midem.com:

Sonicbids’ Brenden Mulligan explains why websites that claim to do everything can actually turn out to be nightmares.

I hear artists complain a lot about needing to use too many different online services. One for email, one for websites, etc… They wish all these features could be rolled up into one dashboard, but the reality is using different services is a very good thing. In fact, artists should seek out services with focused features, because companies that focus on one core thing produce the highest level of service and quality.

A common struggle that exists for entrepreneurs in the tech world is the impact on  adding more features vs. improving current ones. Once you build an application with successful core features, there is the overwhelming feeling you need to add stuff that makes it do more – especially when competition starts adding new functionality. But the best services don’t. The best companies make their core even stronger.

Read more here.

Note: Two sites that, in my opinion, are missing from the article are ReverbNation and Last.FM. – Anthony

In the News: Clotworthy

From Deli Magazine:

Clotworthy is a recent noteworthy example of a unique songwriter that I might have missed out on. I discovered this new project from Andrew Clotworthy in our DIY calendar (see we do check out the calendar so keep on using it – that’s what it’s there for), and his new LP Buddy is just one of those albums that you can listen straight through again and again. Recorded over two months in his Manayunk bedroom, Buddy revolves around the central theme of loneliness. I think most of my favorite artists spend a lot of time alone. I have always said, “That’s how you become good at your craft.”

Click here to read more.

Clotworthy will be performing at The Grape Room this Wednesday with Viva DeConcini, Pistolia, Church and Hannah Zaic.

10 Great Tips to Help You Fail as an Independent Artist

From the CD Baby DIY Musician Blog:

We’ve all seen and read posts and eBooks about how to ‘succeed’ as independent artists and to be honest, I’ve even written a few.  But what about those of us who are bent on failure?  Those of us who would like to know how to shoot ourselves in the foot as efficiently and painfully as possible? Those of us who would like to be more unsuccessful and confused?  Well this post is for you!

Some of these things I’ve done myself, and I can assure you – they work amazingly well!  Others I’ve merely watched in admiration as true masters of blunder and confusion have performed their magic before my very eyes.

So here it is, my guide to failure for the independent artist:

1. Steal Your Own Thunder
Got a new CD in the works? Awesome! Make sure you release every version of every demo and every mix you record during the process on Facebook, Reverbnation, Myspace and anywhere else you can find.  Try to confuse your fans so that they’re not really sure if you have a CD out yet or not.  Don’t set a release date well in advance or plan your promotion to build anticipation.  Try to make your release as flat and confusing as possible!

2. Don’t Sell Anything!
You’re definitely going to get signed by a huge label in less than three months anyway, so why bother?!  It’s much better to just wait for other people to come in and straighten things out.  Taking responsibility for your own career is hard work and it might lead to success, so try your best to avoid it.  Try to keep it real and stay as broke as possible.  If you have any money then you’ll be less needy and you’ll have more leverage, which could lead you towards success, so stay away!

Click here to read more.