LETSGETMADE's blog
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Sunday, May 24th, 2009
What?!Your Band Doesn’t Have A Website?
I’ve got to say, I’m a bit shocked by how little time and effort so many indie bands put into their websites. And I’m very shocked at how many indie bands still don’t even own their own website. Not having your own band website is inexcusable in 2009.
One thing I see a lot with bands is that they spread themselves thin. They’re so consumed with all the social networking platforms out there that they lose sight of the importance of having a central hub.
I think it’s great that people are using MySpace, Twitter, Reverbnation, Sonic Bids and all that good stuff. But not having your own website is like running a package delivery company with delivery offices in different cities, but no headquarters. You have no control over your operations and your message. People won’t take you seriously.
Take it from people within the traditional music industry. They’re the real canaries in the goldmine. I’ve got a good friend who’s close to people at the major record labels. He’s privy to many of the conversations going on right now at the Majors. One of the things he mentioned to me the other day is that the labels are doing some serious house cleaning. They’re cutting a lot of people loose. And it’s not just because of the recession. It’s the industry.
They’re realizing that by clearing the industry of a lot of dead wood, and by recruiting fresh, young talent, they’ll be much better prepared to take advantage of new marketing trends. One tactic they’re beginning to employ more and more is marketing their artists on influential music blogs.
The point I’m making is that even the almighty major record labels are succumbing to the power of websites because websites have a way of authentically connecting with people that magazines don’t anymore.
Rapper Jadakiss was interviewed recently on a local radio station. They asked him what’s the most important piece of advice he would give to up and coming music artists. He said that instead of worrying about a record deal, think about getting a website.
If you don’t have a good, clean looking website of your own, you’re going against powerful tides.
The vertical world of hits died. It was killed by the horizontal world of networks. In the 70s and 80s, you listened to a song because it was a hit and everyone else was listening to it. Now, you listen to a song because you genuinely like it. You picked it out of the infinite variety out there and put it on your iPod. That little horizontal slice of the music tapestry that people attach themselves to is the niche. People join niche groups because they want to believe in something. They want to be a part of something.
If you’re a band and you’ve carved out your own tiny niche, you maintain a stronghold on your fan base by developing a strong identity. If you don’t have a website, it’s hard to maintain a strong identity because people won’t have a place to interact with you when they’re not at your shows.
A good, clean website is one of your most important assets today.
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| Posted By LETSGETMADE @ 5:31 PM | [Comment on this blog post] |
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