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You're a member of a yet-to-make-it band. You want to get noticed. What to do?
There are plenty of things that are outside the scope of this article that could be tried, like where and how you book jobs, free appearances, battle of the bands engagements and so on.
But of course we'd like to focus on what you can do using the web to get your group some attention. Needless to say, the biggest obstacle isn't the lack of online venues - there are plenty. It's the online noise. There is also plenty of that!
One thing you'll be expected to do is create an artful MySpace page. Though you'll probably want a Facebook page as well, and you'll certainly want to be Twittering about your band's upcoming gigs and releases.
But you might also want to consider some venues like Garage Band, the Podsafe Music Network, and a newer entrant into this arena, Muxtape.
GarageBand "is a type of music company that discovers, promotes,and distributes the bands identified by the will of music lovers like you. So when you review music at GarageBand.com, you help decide the fate of tens of thousands of new bands."
As a band, you upload your music to Garageband. You identify its genre, and then let the fans do their thing.Though it's far more complicated than this, essentially, listeners then discover bands, create playlists of favorite songs (which they can then share with friends), and review music. If people like your music, they'll move it to the top of the pile (along the lines of Digg - the more listeners like it, the more often they listen, review, and playlist it, the more people will be exposed to it).
Podsafe Music Network is a little different. This is music created specifically for podcasts - though I don't think there's any rule against listening to it just because you like it! Artists post their music and give general permission for podcasters to use this music on their shows. The only thing the artists asks is that the podcaster credit him on the show. So a podcaster as well-known as Father Roderick, for example, or the folks at the MuggleCast, can help bring a band to the notice of their thousands of listeners worldwide.
Muxtape is a newish entrant into the field, and as its creator unapologetically tells us, "It works, but it's not done yet. When it is,
That is, Muxtape will be a kind of iTunes minus the labels. While labels will be able to upload, promote and sell artists via Muxtape, artists themselves will be able to move their music via this technology as well.
Right now, only bands already in the system can add other bands. The objective there is to allow growth to happen slowly while the software is being fully developed. Once you've visited GarageBand, for example, you'll realize that the sheer volume of offerings can be daunting. With MuxTape, there's less to choose from - but if it's your kind of musical world, you'll find lots there to like.
So what are you waiting for? Get out your guitar and start practicing!
There are plenty of things that are outside the scope of this article that could be tried, like where and how you book jobs, free appearances, battle of the bands engagements and so on.
But of course we'd like to focus on what you can do using the web to get your group some attention. Needless to say, the biggest obstacle isn't the lack of online venues - there are plenty. It's the online noise. There is also plenty of that!
One thing you'll be expected to do is create an artful MySpace page. Though you'll probably want a Facebook page as well, and you'll certainly want to be Twittering about your band's upcoming gigs and releases.
But you might also want to consider some venues like Garage Band, the Podsafe Music Network, and a newer entrant into this arena, Muxtape.
GarageBand "is a type of music company that discovers, promotes,and distributes the bands identified by the will of music lovers like you. So when you review music at GarageBand.com, you help decide the fate of tens of thousands of new bands."
As a band, you upload your music to Garageband. You identify its genre, and then let the fans do their thing.Though it's far more complicated than this, essentially, listeners then discover bands, create playlists of favorite songs (which they can then share with friends), and review music. If people like your music, they'll move it to the top of the pile (along the lines of Digg - the more listeners like it, the more often they listen, review, and playlist it, the more people will be exposed to it).
Podsafe Music Network is a little different. This is music created specifically for podcasts - though I don't think there's any rule against listening to it just because you like it! Artists post their music and give general permission for podcasters to use this music on their shows. The only thing the artists asks is that the podcaster credit him on the show. So a podcaster as well-known as Father Roderick, for example, or the folks at the MuggleCast, can help bring a band to the notice of their thousands of listeners worldwide.
Muxtape is a newish entrant into the field, and as its creator unapologetically tells us, "It works, but it's not done yet. When it is,
- bands will be able to sell downloads (and other things)
- anyone will be able to make mixes of music on the site
- labels will be able to manage their bands in one place
- developers will be able to build on our API
That is, Muxtape will be a kind of iTunes minus the labels. While labels will be able to upload, promote and sell artists via Muxtape, artists themselves will be able to move their music via this technology as well.
Right now, only bands already in the system can add other bands. The objective there is to allow growth to happen slowly while the software is being fully developed. Once you've visited GarageBand, for example, you'll realize that the sheer volume of offerings can be daunting. With MuxTape, there's less to choose from - but if it's your kind of musical world, you'll find lots there to like.
So what are you waiting for? Get out your guitar and start practicing!
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