14 Tips to Push Your Music Online

You need a website. We trust this should be obvious, but there’s a whole lot more to your online campaign to sell your music, and yourself, than that. Here are our tips to an all conquering online music strategy…

1: Host With The Most
Even if you have only mp3s on your website to showcase your material, the amount of storage required can escalate really quickly. There are plenty of services out there, most of which will offer very flexible payment plans, either one-off payments or services that use subscription models.

2: So What Do You Need on Your Website?
Nothing fancy: a short bio, plus some videos and audio examples. A regularly-updated blog can be a good idea too, even if it’s just some examples of things that inspire you. And contact details – if a journalist happens on your music and can’t contact you, they’ll pass by very quickly. And make sure you have somewhere to make money, talking of which…

3: A Store and More
Investigate online storefronts. Bandcamp is easily the best place to create one of these.

4: Get Artwork
Even if you are ‘just’ doing music for libraries, artwork helps. And if you are a band after gigs, photos do. So get artwork and someone who knows one end of a camera from the other. You’d be surprised how many of your friends are camera experts…

5: SEO to Go
You’d be surprised at how many of your friends are SEO experts too. This is a bonus as they can help you get to the top of Google searches, whatever your musical aspirations.

6: Alert, Alert
Set up Google Alerts: every time someone mentions you online, Google will email you telling you where.

7: Host your own Gigs
Host your own shows online, getting fans to log on to Skype or Google Hangouts to watch you perform. If you feel like making a little cash doing this, services such as StageIt enable you set up a video stream, and act as a box office for your fans.

8: Pro Tip: Be Prepared…
“Unless you’re phenomenally talented – or lucky – you’re statistically more likely to lose the pitch than win it. While it’s hard not to take the rejection personally, it’s important to remember that you’re in a free and open market, and that the ability to compose a half-decent piece of music isn’t that unique.”
Mark Cousins – Web: www.cousins-saunders.co.uk

9: Go Mobile
Got a website? Smashing. Does it work on mobile, too? No? Make it so.

10: Pro Tip: Be Good at Whatever
“Just make sure you’re doing a good job, whether it’s something technical or just making a good brew, because making bad ones can also mean you don’t get called back. And use your initiative: the reason why you’re there is to make the session run smoothly.”
Mark Rankin – mix engineer Web: www.markrankin.co.uk

11: Pro Tip: Don’t Expect
“The worst mistake I see a lot of is young composers who often have an unhealthy sense of entitlement. The result is an unwillingness to adapt to unpredictable circumstances and the inability to be enthusiastic about situations that don’t meet the expectations they imagined.”
Deborah Lurie – film composer Web: www.deborahlurie.com

12: Pro Tip: Join the MU
“We can help resolve these issues should there be any complications. Membership to the Musicians’ Union is £15.25 (Direct Debit) per month. For full-time students it’s £20 a year.” – Keith Ames – Musicians’ Union Web: www.musiciansunion.org.uk

13: Pro Tip: Go with an Agency
“I went with an agency, which at the time commanded a big roster so they had acts that the promoters wanted to look after because they’d be booking with them frequently. It’s also a seal of approval at the start of your career – it proves that someone official believes in what you do if they’re willing to represent you.” – James Zabiela – DJ Web: www.jameszabiela.com

14: Pro Tip: Enjoy!
“You need to look like you’re enjoying it but at the same time it requires a lot of consistent hard work.” – James Zabiela DJ Web: www.jameszabiela.com

Check out our previous money making tips

1: 14 Music Composition Tips
2: 12 Tips on Making a Demo
3: 11 Tips to Build Your Profile in Music
4: 7 Tips to Help With Music Finance