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By Reign Lee
It's no secret that there are oodles of fantastic websites, blogs and tools
out there for musicians. But sometimes, the thought of scouring the worldwide
web in search of them seems like too daunting of a task. And let's face it,
most musicians also have a day job. It's not like you can just sit in front
of the computer and spend your days thinking about how you plan to infiltrate
the masses. (Or maybe you can?) So much choice, so little time... In light
of this, we've put together a list of some of the best sites and tools we've
come across. Please note that this list is in no way exhaustive or definitive.
We couldn't include every notable site or blog in one article. So we will continue
to add to it for future issues. If you feel there is something we should know
about, tell us.
Stage It
Your online concert venue. This is where you can broadcast live from your
laptop and create a unique and interactive experience with your audience. Have
you ever wondered what it would be like to tour from one location? You can
play a different show every night to a different audience and never have to
leave your band room. You are in complete control of the kind of experience
you want to create for your fans.
All you have to do is:
- Create your show - set the date, time,
and ticket price of your show and then get the word out.
- Let fans buy tickets - your fans buy tickets using Notes (10 Notes =
$1). Notes are available when buying a ticket to the show.
- Perform! - your fans can interact with you via chat and show their support
through a virtual Tip Jar.
Give your fans a truly front row experience.
Headliner.fm
Headliner.fm is a direct way to get your music to the people who want it by
trading recommendations with other artists. For example, you send out a promotion
request to the bands of your choice by writing a message or posting a link.
If the requested bands accept, your feed will appear on their pages and in
their newsfeeds for all of their fans. Promotions on Headliner.fm go to fans
directly from the bands they love, so you can be sure the fans will listen.
Bands can send you a promotion as well which you can then earn band bucks for
accepting them. You can promote up to 3 acts a day, so get in touch with all
your favourite acts. Band bucks go right into your account when the message
is posted to Facebook, MySpace or Twitter. You can even get band bucks for
inviting bands to join Headliner.fm. So consider this, the next time you have
a show or release a new album, it can potentially reach hundreds of thousands
of people instantly. And best of all, it's free.
Get Recommended
Join over 100k musicians, bloggers, and content creators on Headliner and
get recommended to their fans directly on Facebook and Twitter.
Reach New Fans
Headliner connects you to other members so you can recommend each other. Push
your message beyond your own circle and reach a wider, untapped audience that
is constantly expanding.
Help Each Other Out
You don't need a lot of money to reach a lot of fans. Headliner
uses a virtual currency called Band BucksTM. The more you promote each other,
the more currency you earn to promote yourself.Reach out and recommend someone
today.
Jango Airplay
Custom radio that plays what you want and helps you discover new music you're
likely to like.
Jango is a social music service that lets you create and share custom radio
stations. It's unique in that it gives emerging artists guaranteed airplay
on Jango's stations as 'similar artists' alongside the popular artists of their
choice. This program gives indie artists the unique opportunity to be proactively
exposed to millions of people who like their kind of music. Packages start
at as little as $10 USD for 250 plays.
All you have to do is:
- Upload your music and target the right listeners,
- Get played on Jango and collect fans,
- Get reports and data on your new fan base.
Guaranteed Airplay. Millions of Listeners.
MusicXray
This is 21st century A&R. The MusicXray platform
enables the industry to open the doors of opportunity to musicians and songwriters
everywhere. The site helps musicians and songwriters get deals and to get
feedback from professionals who want to help them succeed. MusicXray provides
vast opportunities for professional musicians and songwriters, including:
- Artist Development
- Career coaching
- Celebrity artists
- Collaborations
- Compilations
- Distribution deals
- Exposure opportunities
- Festivals & Gigs
- Label roster consideration
- Magazine/Print Reviews
- Management Deals
- Production deals
- Publishing deals
- Radio Playlisting
- Song Placements
- Sync Licensing
- .. and more
The MusicXray team is committed to giving artists and songwriters a quality
experience and is quick to action if an industry provider begins welching on
their part of the deal. All in all, this is a fantastic tool for musicians
and songwriters looking for opportunities in the industry, all from the comfort
of your own home. And best of all, the industry professionals have to respond
to you with feedback.
Join the 21st century.
StumbleUpon
This is basically a magic button that you can add to your web
browser. StumbleUpon helps you discover and share great websites. As you click
the button, you'll discover high-quality pages matched to your personal preferences.
These pages have been explicitly recommended by your friends or one of over
15 million websurfers with interests similar to you. By rating the sites you
like, you automatically share them with like-minded people. While StumbleUpon
is not a music-centric tool, it's actually a great music discovery tool and
can possibly help you get discovered. You can submit any content. Whatever
you submit, there is always the potential that thousands or even millions of
people could stumble across your content.The possibilities are endless.
GoGirlsMusic
GoGirlsMusic.com is the oldest and largest online community
of indie women musicians. This is a unique organization that focuses on advancing
the careers of independent female artists. The organization works tirelessly
to help artists through educating, networking, and organizing events like
the GoGirlsMusicFest, Invasion of the GoGirls during SXSW, GoGirls @ Folk
Alliance and more. Artists who become involved get the opportunity to perform,
have their work reviewed, and get involved with a hardworking group of women
who "get things done" on
the music scene.
Founded by social networking guru, Madalyn Sklar, in 1996, the vision was
for an organization that brought together independent women musicians from
around the world. 15 years later, she's turned that dream into a reality. Madalyn
has been named one of the 10 most Powerful Women in Music by Curve magazine
and one of the 15 People You Should Know In the Biz by Indie-Music.com. She
serves on the NARIP (National Association of Record Industry Professionals)
Houston Board and was voted #2 in NARIP's Best in the Biz for Best New Media/Social
Media Executive.
So if you are an indie woman, or a band that has a member with a uterus, get
connected with this dynamic group asap or miss out on being a part of one of
the most vital online music communities.
RockDex
RockDex helps you track buzz, find fans and spot trends. The
site presents a high-level view of your artists' online buzz and a comprehensive
picture of growth and scale. Dig into actual conversations and understand what
drives exposure and fans' behavior instead of making blind assumptions from
numbers without context. This is a revolutionary application that tracks thousands
of websites, collecting data for musical artists from blog posts, fan connections,
pageviews, tweets, song plays and many more.Spot viral trends and track progress
over time with constantly updated charts, graphs and maps. Gauge your marketing
strategy's effectiveness by finding out who your fans are, where they are,
and what they're saying. Pricing starts at $23 USD per month. Capitalize on
a valuable and too-often-overlooked asset: Your Data.
Spotify
The new way to listen to music. Millions of tracks, any time you like. Just
search for it in Spotify, then play it. Just help yourself to whatever you
want, whenever you want it. Spotify is founded on the pretense that music is
a social experience. In fact, they make it as easy as possible to discover
and share music with your friends. Thanks to Spotify and Facebook, you can
see and hear what your friends are listening to - just hit play on any music
post. You can also send music straight to your friends or post tracks on social
networks. All you have to do is create an account then download and install
Spotify on either Windows or Mac. Then search and play, and millions of songs
are now yours. But be warned, Spotify is not yet available in all countries.
If Spotify is available in your little pocket of the world, there is no excuse
to not be on it.
Indie-music.com
This is where Serious Musicians Surf since 1996. Serving music creators and
the industry that supports them, Indie-Music.com posts the latest news on how
to make and market your music, what tools make you shine, and who has a buzz
going on. Check in for your daily music industry fix.
Notable Blogs:
- Hypebot
Daily news and commentary on the music industry and the technology
and social media that drives it.
- Music Think Tank
Where the music industry thinks out loud - managed by hypebot.com
- The DIY Musician Blog
The CD Baby DIY Musician Blog and Podcast give indie artists direct access
to the advice of industry experts and top sellers. Updated weekly, and covering
topics as diverse as marketing, songwriting, social networking, recording,
copyright, viral videos, and booking, you'll want to check back often for another
dose of do-it-yourself inspiration.
- Echoes: Insight for Independent Artists
Chock full of useful tips and advice on everything musician related.
- I guess I'm floating blog
Fantastic blog full of music from people who love music.
Reign Lee is the founding editor of INDIE MAG ( http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/424234/ ) - a global magazine for independent musicians. She's also the founding director
of Give Me Liberty - Writing For You ( http://www.libertywriting.com/ ) - an
editing and writing service consultancy.
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