If Your Band is Not Online, You are Losing Out

Music promotion is not an easy undertaking. For the indie band it is perhaps the biggest barrier to breaking out. There are many extremely talented bands and musicians in the world and no one is hearing their music. Why? Because, they lack music promotion skills and savvy. Pure talent is simply not enough to get noticed.

And even if you get signed, do not think for a second that your big record label is going to turn you into The Beatles. Even big record labels struggle to promote their bands and musicians.

A new millennium means new rules for music promotion.

Face it, in our post Gen X society, the Internet has rapidly become the most affordable, efficient media to promote your band to the masses both locally and globally. Millions of people every day go online in search of new music from independent bands and artists. And with the extreme popularity of MySpace, especially in the 18-22 demographic, the Internet is quickly dominating and changing the rules of the music industry and music promotion.

Face it. If your band is not online, you are losing- big time. It is time to wake up to the reality of what it takes to have a successful band in the 21st century and that means getting your act online.

You Must Be Everywhere at Once.

Prior to the Internet, music marketing was a big black hole of connections in the music industry establishment and for a band to make it was left entirely to chance. It was all about being in the right place at the right time. Today, the right place is online and the time is now. The Internet allows your band to be everywhere at once.

Today, music promotion has evolved to a DIY system that is controlled by the consumer- your fans. This understanding is the key to successful music marketing and will result in more gigs and more music sales.

The Internet allows you to put your band and your music in front of millions of people who go online each day looking for you. It is easy to reach the masses and to connect with your fans when you use a few simple and affordable, yet highly effective online music marketing methods.

Today’s Consumer is Very Savvy.

While it used to be enough to mail a kit with your references, music and perhaps video demo, it simply does not work anymore. People are in a hurry. With the expansion of the Internet, customers expect an on-demand video, downloadable audio samples, references, photos and more. They also want to be able to quickly learn what your band is all about and check out what others have to say about you. And your fans expect to be able to download your music whenever they want to.

If you do not have at least a web site and a MySpace page, you will not be able to book many gigs, sell much music, or get fans to attend your performances. And you probably will not have much of a prayer of getting noticed by a record label.

Why Internet Music Promotion Works So Well.

Rather than you hitting the streets, struggling to find customers ready to book a gig, hustling your demo, begging program directors for radio play, and convincing stores to carry your CD, the Internet allows your customers and fans to find you. And today’s surfer now finds it too tiresome to search Google for a specific type of band or sound (which could take hours!). They would much rather use MySpace and online directories to find exactly what they are looking for. If you are not familiar with these sites and not there, then you will not get found by today’s music consumers and fans.

It’s Time to Face Some Facts.

$2.9 billion in revenue was generated online last year from digital music sales alone.
The number of Internet users worldwide now exceeds 1.3 billion (that’s right, billion with a B) people.
On top of that, the traditional music business is crumbling and it's now the Do-It-Yourself Era. At no time in history have independent artists had so many opportunities to create high-quality music and sell it to the masses.
And what's the main thing that's driving this incredible change? The Internet -- where millions upon millions of people go every day to search for new music.
* Are you tapping into this huge and growing potential marketplace of eager fans?
* What are you doing right now to make the most of the Internet to promote your music?
If you're slow to answer, it's probably because you feel you don't have the time, the money or the skills to make the Internet work for you and your music. Have no fear. With a tiny bit of effort and perhaps a little bit of money, you can get your band online and begin to create enough buzz to at least make a nice living with your music. And who knows? You may even break out and become the next big thing.
One thing is certain. If it is going to happen, it is going to happen online. Be there or go nowhere.