70 Ways to Promote & Sell Your Music on the Internet Bob Baker www.TheBuzzFactor.com В© 2008 Bob Baker The Internet. It’s huge — and growing all the time. And the really cool thing is that millions of people go online every day to search for and purchase music. Let’s take a quick look at the music slice of the online pie. According to the IFPI Digital Music Report: п‚·пЂ Global digital music sales were approximately $2.9 billion in 2007, a roughly 40% increase over 2006 ($2.1 billion). п‚·пЂ Single track downloads, the most popular digital music format, grew by 53% to 1.7 billion. п‚·пЂ Digital sales now account for an estimated 15% of the global music market, up from 11% in 2006. It was zero percent in 2003. п‚·пЂ There are more than 500 legitimate digital music services worldwide, offering over 6 million tracks – more than four times the stock of a music megastore. And that’s just the traditional music business. There’s also a lot of action taking place under the radar on independent music sites. For instance, over the past 10 years indie music site CD Baby has sold more than 3.9 million physical CDs online to customers and paid more than $65 million directly to artists. Not too shabby. No doubt, there’s a lot of music buying and selling going on in cyberspace. Now for the bad news … 1 The Internet can seem overwhelming and mysterious to a lot of people — including tech-savvy musicians. There are so many options and only so much time and money to invest in it. Don’t be intimidated. You don’t have to compete with the big players to be successful. Just take it one step at a time. Look over the simple ideas in this report and start implementing them. Try out a couple at first, then a few more. Before you know it, you’ll be creating a buzz and attracting attention to your music and to yourself online. Are you ready to get cracking? Good. Let’s dive in. Four Crucial Online Indie Music Marketing Principles The bulk of this report is made up of short tips and web site listings to help you promote and sell your music online. But there are four important principles you need to digest first. And because they are so crucial, I’m devoting more space to each of them to help you wrap your brain around these concepts. These are the universal marketing principles that apply to just about everything you’ll do to promote yourself online. So perk up and pay attention to these first four things. Your future success may very well be determined by how much emphasis you place on them. 1. Ready, Aim, Fire! Know Where Your Target Is It’s a big world out there — especially on the Internet. The number of Internet users worldwide now exceeds 1.3 billion people. That’s right. Billion with a B. More than 238 million of those users are in North America alone. That’s a lot of people surfing the Net that you can potentially reach. It’s intimidating just thinking about connecting with all those people. No wonder so many musicians get frustrated and feel overwhelmed when it comes to promoting themselves online. Have no fear. You don’t have to reach all those people. You don’t even have to reach all music fans online. If you try, you’ll never reach your lofty goals and will curse me and Al Gore and anyone who’s ever been associated with the Internet. To successfully promote yourself online, you need to start a relationship with only a small sliver of the total number of people online. Think about these numbers: If you could reach one-hundredth of one percent of those billion-plus people, you’d have more than 100,000 potential fans. That’s a lot of people. 2 Bottom line: Don’t try to be all things to all people. Don’t attempt to reach a wide section of the online population. Focus your limited time and energy on the web sites, e-zines and online forums where the people most likely to be attracted to your music hang out. Got it? Good. 2. Don’t Be a Fuzzy, Bone-Headed Communicator If you’re sold on the advice I dished out above in the first principle, congratulations! You’re miles ahead of most indie musicians. From now on you will target your marketing efforts by going to the places where your ideal fans congregate. Great. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to present yourself via these targeted avenues. One way is to mindlessly announce “Hey, here I am. Check me out.” With this method, you might list a band name and a web site. You also might feel proud of yourself for taking action. Sorry, Skippy, but you haven’t done yourself any favors. Most fans and industry people who view these types of senseless interruptions think, “Who cares?” There’s a better way. For starters, think about the most appropriate way to communicate via each avenue (whether it’s an e-mail to a webmaster, a posting to an online forum, or a pitch to an online music reviewer) and act accordingly. Then, most importantly, you must be clear about who you are, what type of music you play, and what sets you apart from other similar acts. Why do this? Because once you know where your best potential fans and media sources hang out, you need to make sure that your earliest contact with them lets them know right away that your music is something they’ll probably enjoy. What will help you accomplish that most effectively? A brainless “Dude, check out my web site. See ya around.”? (Believe it or not, I get a lot of e-mails like this.) Or … Compare that to a message along the lines of “Hi. Love your rockabilly web site. Thought you might be interested in my band, The Roadblasters. We’re a rockabilly band that plays original songs about classic cars. We’re a big hit in Cincinnati and perform regularly at NASCAR and drag racing events in the region. I’d be happy to send you our new CD, Feels on Wheels, or you can listen to MP3s on our web site.” See the advantages of being clear about who you are and what you play? It helps you cut through the chaos and noise online. It allows the people most likely to 3 support you to become interested in you and want to know (and hear) more. Keep this principle in mind whenever you take action to promote yourself on the Internet. 3. You Feelin’ Me, Dawg? Tap Into the Mind, Body and Soul To effectively promote yourself on the Internet, you must “sell” yourself. That doesn’t mean you have to “sell out” and degrade your integrity. But it does mean you must reach out and communicate who you are and why people should care. So what’s the best way to do that? How do you get the attention of fans? Do you accomplish that by announcing where you’re from, who produced your CD, how many music awards you’ve won, and what process you used to master your latest recording? No. Those details can help persuade some people, but most folks will become fans for a reason that has nothing to do with the facts and features of your musical product. They will be attracted to you because of the way your music and personality make them feel. That’s right, feel. The most powerful response you can get from someone is based on emotion and the way your music affects them physically and mentally, and sometimes spiritually. I refer to this mysterious phenomenon as a “state change.” Your most hardcore fans will react to your music in a way that makes them feel different (and usually much better) while they listen to your music. Their heart rate and body chemistry will actually shift when they hear your songs — and sometimes, after they know you well, the shift may occur when they only see your picture, hear you speak, or read about you. Like Pavlov’s dog, they salivate when you ring their bell (so to speak). It’s your job as an independent self-promoter is to understand the powerful effect your music has, and to use that knowledge to spread those great feelings to even more people. For example, you could announce: “We’re a four-piece band from Kansas City. Our new CD is getting airplay on 12 stations in the Midwest.” 4 Or … you could say something more “state change”-oriented like: “Our blend of rap and rock is for you if you crave an adrenaline rush with a touch of humor. Feel the edge and a good belly laugh at the same time.” See the difference? From now on, always use this principle to attract more fans. 4. Focus on the Most Important Factor That Determines Your Success Musicians venture onto the Web for all sorts of reasons. Some put up a web site just because everybody else is doing it or because they think it’s the best way to impress industry people. Others establish an Internet presence because they think search engines will list their site and drive traffic to it while they sleep. What’s the real reason you should promote yourself online? Here’s my best answer, and you should apply this concept to just about every action you take to promote your music, online and off: Your main focus should be to start and maintain relationships with a growing number of fans. No other factor will influence your level of success like a large and enthusiastic fan base. It doesn’t matter how impressive your record label, attorney, manager, publicist or radio promotions person is. None of that means squat if fans don’t connect with you. However, you can have no label deal, attorney, manager, etc., and still be a huge success if you have fans — and lots of them. Fans are the only thing that counts (along with the quality of your music and your integrity), so put a priority on courting them. Use the unique interactive qualities of the Web to communicate with people interested in your music. Get to know them. Allow them to get to know you and the intimate details that led you to create the music they enjoy so much. Forget all the hype and distractions and put your focus where it needs to be the most: on fans! Now that we’ve covered the crucial basics, let’s move on to the many dozens of things you can do to promote and sell your music online. Turn the page and start taking lots of notes … 5 5. Submit Your Music News to These Sites for Free Many web sites are hungry for fresh music news, and some are eager to share your news releases and announcements with the world online. Visit the following links and submit away! Music Industry News Network www.mi2n.com/input.php3 Pressbox www.pressbox.co.uk Muse’s Muse www.musesmuse.com/pressreleases/ PR Log www.prlog.org Indie-Music.com www.indie-music.com/modules.php?name=Weezlegig PR.com www.pr.com/promote-your-business 6. Promote Your Live Shows on These Sites for Free Fliers, ads and post cards aren’t the only ways to get the word out about your gigs. Visit the appropriate sites below and post your show schedules. Musi-Cal (folk, country and roots) www.musi-cal.com Upcoming (all genres) http://upcoming.yahoo.com/ Mojam (all genres) http://mojam.wolfgangsvault.com/contribute/ Dirty Linen Gig Guide (folk and acoustic) www.dirtynelson.com/linen/special/tour.html 7. Make Your Home Page Clear and Easy to Understand Your web site’s home page is the welcome mat of your online presence. Don’t ruin your first introduction to potential fans by confusing them with a dizzying array of bells and whistles and nonsense that does nothing to endear you to them. Don’t use Flash intro files (no matter how much your designer says they’re cool) and 6 don’t make your site too graphics heavy. Your site can look attractive without overwhelming a visitor’s eyes and browser display. 8. Let People Know What Kind of Music You Play One of the biggest web site marketing mistakes I see involve bands or record labels that list a name with a busy design … and then make no mention of what kind of music they play or why people should care. Always make a reference to the type of music you perform. In fact, I recommend you include a descriptive phrase (such as “Upbeat country music for hardcore line dancers” or whatever applies to you) somewhere near the top of every page on your web site. 9. Assume Nothing – Learn to See with Fresh Eyes This is such an important thing to keep in mind. Always view your online marketing tools through the eyes of someone discovering you for the first time. Don’t assume that a person reading your web site or an e-mail you sent already knows who you are, what you play, and why that’s such a great thing. Try to imagine what someone stumbling upon your site will think as they set eyes on it for the first time. Is it clear and easy to understand? Do you give them a reason to click deeper into the site to learn more? 10. Make Sure Your Navigation Is Simple and Obvious How easy is it to get around your web site? If you want fans and industry people to truly dig into your site, you must make it easy for them to move from page to page. Your “navigation bar,” which usually sits along the left or top of every page, lists the main sections of your site. Keep this list of internal links short. Limit it to the basics: Bio, Shows, Music, Photos, Reviews, Order, Links, Contact. Make sure the navigation section appears in the exact same spot on every page. It’s also a good idea to repeat these section links in a smaller navigation area at the bottom of every page. If your site is lacking in clear, consistent navigation, fix this right away! 7 11. Add Some Interactivity to Your Web Site One way to get people involved with you and your music is to give them something to do while they’re at your web site. That’s why you should add some kind of interactive element, such as a poll, guest book, message forum, e-cards, etc. Here are some sites that provide these tools for free: Bravenet www.bravenet.com Mister Poll www.misterpoll.com Sparklit www.sparklit.com 12. Make Smart Use of Your Web Page Title Tags There’s a lot of hype about search engine rankings and how to trick Google and Yahoo into listing your web site high for your chosen key words. Let’s ignore most of that noise and concentrate on one simple thing you can do to help the way your site gets listed. I’m talking about Title tags. Title tags are included in the HTML code of your pages. The words you use between <title> and </title> determine what appears in the top title bar of your web browser. Search engines use these tags as one way to determine the content of web pages. So be sure to load your title tags with the key words fans use to search for music like yours. Bad use of Title tags: <title>Snuggle Doodle Home Page</title> Good use of Title tags: <title>Snuggle Doodle – Fun songs and music for children, toddlers and kids of all ages</title> 13. Research Radio Airplay Opportunities Using These Sites No trips to the library are necessary. You can find out everything you need to know about radio stations across town, across the country, or around the world. Use these directories to uncover radio gold: 8 Radio-Locator www.radio-locator.com Gebbie Press www.gebbieinc.com/radintro.htm Bandlink.net: Radio Stations www.bandlink.net/radio.asp AM FM TV Online www.amfmtvonline.com 14. Research Public Radio Stations Using These Sites As you may know, public and community radio stations are often easier to get airplay on than commercial stations. Use these sites to find out where the best public radio stations and programs are. Public Radio Fan www.publicradiofan.com List of NPR stations www.npr.org/stations/ Open Directory - Public Radio www.dmoz.org/Arts/Radio/Formats/Public_Radio/ 15. Research Internet Radio Stations Using These Sites There’s been an explosion of streaming online radio stations in recent years. Some are the online versions of traditional broadcast stations; many others are independent stations run by hardcore music fans. Use these directories to find stations that support your style, and contact them for possible online airplay. SHOUTcast www.shoutcast.com Radio Free World www.radiofreeworld.com Live365 www.live365.com Radio Tower www.radiotower.com 16. Research Newspapers and Magazines Using These Sites Research ain’t what it used to be. No reference librarian is required to hunt down thousands of newspapers and magazines across the globe. Use these sites to search for writers, reviewers and editors who may cover you. News Directory www.newsdirectory.com NewsLink www.newslink.org/news.html 9 AllYouCanRead.com – Magazines www.allyoucanread.com Daily Earth www.dailyearth.com International Newspaper Directory www.nettizen.com/newspaper/ Internet Public Library www.ipl.org/div/news/ RefDesk - Newspapers U.S. and Worldwide www.refdesk.com/paper.html 17. Start Relationships with 5 to 10 Regional Media People Media people are your friends – or they can be, if you develop relationships with them. Think about your local media outlets and select a handful of writers, editors, producers, show hosts, etc., who you feel would be the most likely to give you exposure at some point. Don’t make this a long list. Five to 10 media people is plenty to start. Create a file and put their names and contact info into it. First, send an e-mail to introduce yourself. Don’t be pushy at this point. Just get acquainted. Then every month or so, send an update with some new details on your progress. After a while, try to reach them by phone too. These relationships will bear fruit over the coming months and years. 18. Give Away at Least Some of Your Music for Free Too many musicians are stingy with their music. They hoard their song files and guard them from the evil downloading freeloaders. Sure, you need to protect your songs to a reasonable extent. But as an indie artist, your goal is to share your music and get it into the ears of as many people as possible. That means potential fans must be able to hear your music and have the ability to share it with their friends. My advice: Select the two or three best songs from each CD you release and make them available for download to whoever wants them. Encourage widespread sharing of these files. You want people playing them at home, transferring them to their iPods, burning them to CDs, and spreading the buzz. Then, if these new fans want more of the great music you create, they can purchase your entire CD (or song collection download). 10 How do you make your digital files available online? Well, you can do it from your own site and web server. But if bandwidth or expenses are an issue, use one of the sites in the next section. Many allow you to make music downloads available from their sites for free. 19. Go Where the Music Fans Are Online No surprise here. You need to get exposure online in the places where the people who are most likely to be attracted to your music and image congregate. Does that make sense? Good. Here are several of the top music sites on which you should consider having a presence: SoundClick www.soundclick.com ReverbNation.com www.reverbnation.com GarageBand www.garageband.com MP3.com www.mp3.com Download.com Music http://music.download.com/ Last.fm www.last.fm Project Playlist www.playlist.com dmusic www.dmusic.com Audio Lunchbox www.audiolunchbox.com iLike www.ilike.com Note: You don’t have to be on all of these sites. It would help your sanity and your effectiveness to pick and choose the best sites and work those regularly. 20. Get Your Own Space on MySpace You may have noticed one glaring omission from the previous list. That’s right, the almighty MySpace.com. No discussion of Internet music promotion would be complete without including this online giant. Make no mistake, if you are serious about promoting your music online, you need to have a presence on MySpace. I have written an entire book called MySpace Music Marketing on this subject, so I won’t go into great detail here. (You can find out more about that book at www.bob-baker.com/myspace/music.html.) 11 But to give you a quick overview, MySpace is one of a growing number of “social networking” sites that millions of people use to connect with like-minded people. Think of it this way: It’s as if each member has his or her own private club of special “friends” who share similar interests. Once you’re someone’s official friend, you get access to their entire network of friends. And each of those friends has a network of friends. So, when it comes to social “music networking,” if you can get a few excited fans talking about you, word can spread to thousands of people fast! If you don’t have a MySpace account yet, go to www.myspace.com and sign up for a free Artist Account – not a regular account. Build your profile, upload songs and photos, post your gig schedule, and start making friends. Thousands of artists have had a lot of success using MySpace to reach new fans and make business connections. It can be time-consuming, but many musicians feel it’s worth it. 21. Be Seen and Heard on YouTube No doubt about it. Video is huge on the Internet. And the preeminent destination for online video continues to be YouTube.com, a site that delivers an astounding 100 million videos a day to its users. And the cool thing is, a lot of it is music. Bottom line: You need to be using video content to promote your music online. The thing is, many musicians get stuck because they think they have to shell out thousands of dollars to produce a slick music video a la the glory days of MTV. But these days, that simply isn’t the case. Many of the videos creating an online buzz today are low-budget clips that are high in creativity and low on costs and production values. So go to www.youtube.com/signup and start a Musician Account. Then fill in the details for your YouTube profile and start uploading your music video content. YouTube hosts and streams the files for free, so there’s no worry about bandwidth and costs. Then encourage your fans to watch and share your videos with everyone they know. I recently published a downloadable special report called How to Use Video to Promote Your Music Online. If you’re interested in a compact crash course on producing low-cost music video content, pay a visit to www.bob-baker.com/buzz/music-video-promotion.html 12 22. Publish and Promote a Blog Blogs are all the rage these days. The word “blog” is short for “web log.” People use blogs to post their musings on just about any topic under the sun — short diary entries, links to interesting news stories, their latest thoughts on a particular topic, and more. Having a blog to which you regularly add new entries is a great way to add a fresh element to your web site. Some musicians write a daily tour diary, which gives fans an intimate view of life on the road. But you can post anything you want on your blog. However, from a marketing standpoint, you’ll benefit the most from a blog that stays focused on your identity as a musical artist. Here are three popular sites that offer automated blog services: Blogger www.blogger.com Wordpress www.wordpress.org LiveJournal www.livejournal.com TypePad www.typepad.com 23. Produce Your Own Podcast Even though the name was inspired by Apple’s iPod, you don’t need an iPod to either produce or listen to a podcast. In essence, a podcast is like a blog that features links to MP3 audio files. Using the same RSS feed technology as blogs, people can subscribe to their favorite podcasts using a “podcatcher,” which automatically downloads the latest MP3 files from a selected list of podcasts to the subscriber’s computer. Some popular podcatchers include iPodderX and FeedDemon. However, you can also use iTunes, Yahoo! Music Engine, and a growing number of common applications to subscribe to and manage podcasts. A podcast can be a great promotional tool for an independent artist. You can not only let fans download your latest live and studio recordings, you can also record yourself talking directly to your fans or being interviewed about your latest project. Podcasting offers another great way to interact and share yourself with fans. Here are some free podcasting resources: 13 Gcast www.gcast.com PodOmatic www.podomatic.com Odeo Studio http://studio.odeo.com 24. Submit Your Music to Other Podcasts The beauty of the Internet and digital technology is that everyone now has access to the tools of self-expression. One way people are expressing themselves is by creating their own online radio shows using podcasting. And with so many podcasts on the Net these days, that opens up a lot of opportunities for exposure. In addition to producing your own podcast, you should be seeking out podcasts produced by other people who cater to your target audience. Use the following directories to hunt down the right podcasts for you and your music: Podcasting News www.podcastingnews.com Podcast.net www.podcast.net Podcast Directory www.podcastdirectory.com Podcast Alley www.podcastalley.com 25. Use Tagging to Generate More Web Traffic One online trend you should be aware of is referred to as “tagging.” Many sites have sprung up in recent years that allow users to bookmark their favorite web sites, articles, blogs, podcasts, videos, and more. The great thing about them is that each user labels their favorite links with “tags” – short descriptions of what they are, such as “hair band” or “blues.” Users can then share their tags and bookmarks with other users of the site, which leads to people discovering lots of cool new things. Some of the more prominent tagging sites include: Del.icio.us http://del.icio.us/ StumbleUpon www.stumbleupon.com Yahoo My Web http://myweb.yahoo.com Digg www.digg.com 14 Kaboodle www.kaboodle.com Ma.gnolia http://ma.gnolia.com Sign up with some or all of them and start tagging your own web pages, songs and videos as cool content worth watching and sharing. 26. Get on Bestseller, Most Popular and Most Downloaded Lists True music fans hate to miss out on the latest craze within their preferred genre. One of the ways fans discover what’s hot is by looking over the growing number of popularity lists on various music web sites. These lists come in all shapes and sizes: Top Sellers, Most Listened To, Most Popular Downloads, etc. The higher your ranking on these lists, the more attention you draw to yourself. So how can you get visibility on these lists? Well, writing and recording a fantastic song and getting it out there is the first step. An audience will find a killer song through word of mouth, etc. But you can help things along by asking your fans and friends to visit, vote, download, listen or whatever it takes to help you rank higher on these lists. Suggestion: Pick one such list on one site in a category where you can make an impact. Ask the people on your mailing list to visit that site and take the required action on the same day or during the same week. This concentrated effort may be all it takes to get you to move higher on the list, where other fans who don’t know about you yet will discover you. 27. Find New Connections with Google Key-Word Searches I know you’re a smart, savvy music marketer. And you’re probably already aware of the best places to promote your unique brand of music online. But are you certain you really know it all? My advice: Go to www.Google.com (the best search engine) and enter various key words related to your music. And make sure to use different sets of words, such as dark music and brooding rock and indie angst (or whatever terms apply to you). 15 You may be surprised by some of the results that pop up. Make this a regular practice. Every month or so, do a search and see what new web sites, discussion forums, fan sites, music publications and more come up. These listings will point you to some valuable online promotion contacts. Hot tip: Search using a word related to your style of music combined with the phrase “submit your music” or “submit your music news” or “send us your CD.” 28. Start Relationships with 5 to 10 Complimentary Artists In the same way I recommend you establish relationships with five to 10 regional media people, I encourage you to do the same thing with other similar artists. It would be helpful if the artists you target have good-size followings and are not paranoid about sharing their audiences and resources with you. That’s the whole idea here — to work together to help each other succeed. Here are just a few ways you can make the most of these artist relationships: п‚·пЂ п‚·пЂ п‚·пЂ п‚·пЂ п‚·пЂ п‚·пЂ Swap promotional blurbs in each other’s fan e-zines. Trade links on each other’s web sites. Review and recommend each other’s CDs online. Share media lists and industry connections. Share promotion tips and advice on what works and what doesn’t. Open for each other in your respective hometowns. 29. Start a Genre-Specific Music Site Having a web site that promotes your band and sells your CDs is great. You need to do that. But some smart musicians have benefited greatly from taking things a step further. Remember, your goal is to reach people online who are interested in your style of music. What better way to do that than to start a web site that acts as a resource for people who are interested in your entire musical genre. For instance, solo piano artist David Nevue (www.davidnevue.com) started Whisperings: Solo Piano Radio (www.solopianoradio.com), a site that features links and reviews of dozens of complimentary artists – with generous mentions of his own live shows and CDs. Likewise, Irish folk musician Marc Gunn (www.marcgunn.com) also runs Celtic MP3s Music Magazine (www.celticmp3s.com), a site that attracts fans of … you guessed it, Celtic music, while also sending web traffic to his personal site. 16 Great idea. If you have a little extra time to spend on this idea, it could do wonders for your popularity! By the way, David Nevue is also the author of a great book called How to Promote Your Music Successfully on the Internet. Learn more about it at http://www.rainmusic.com/htpma/buzz.htm. 30. Sell Your Recordings at CD Baby You probably already know about and do this, but just in case … No discussion of online music promotion would be complete without talking about CD Baby (www.cdbaby.com). It’s the #1 indie music sales site in the world. Since 1998, the site has sold 3.9 million CDs and paid out more than $65 million to indie artists. If you have a CD for sale, you need to make it available there. CD Baby founder and president Derek Sivers is one of the master marketers of the indie music world. His staff is renowned for customer service. Here’s the scoop: For a one-time $35 set-up fee, they scan your CD cover, digitize and stream the songs you choose, and create a unique web page for you on the site. You set your selling price; they keep $4 per CD sold and send you checks at the dollar amount threshold you request. CD Baby gives you each buyer’s complete contact info, so you can do follow-up promotions and add him or her to your mailing list. You can also get a credit card swiper to accept payment at gigs. An awesome service. Get more details at http://members.cdbaby.com/about. 31. Squeeze All You Can Out of Amazon.com It may not be the indie music haven that CD Baby is, but Amazon gets so much traffic, it shouldn’t be ignored. Millions of people visit the site, and many go looking for new music. To sell your CDs at Amazon as an indie, you need to sign up with their Advantage program and you must have a UPC code on your CD. Details at http://advantage.amazon.com/gp/vendor/public/join/ 17 Once your CD is set up and available for sale at Amazon, there are a number of things you can do to attract attention to yourself on the site, such as … 32. Get Sound Clips on Your Amazon Sales Page Obviously, you want people to be able to sample streaming clips of your songs while on your Amazon sales page. Once you’re part of Amazon’s Advantage program, you can send in your CD and they will digitize them for free. Just sign in to your Advantage account, and look for the “Submit your music CD for sound clips” link. 33. Submit Your CD Cover Art According to the Amazon site, “Showing a picture of a CD's cover on its Amazon.com page is an item’s most influential selling point. We’ll add the cover image to your item’s detail page for free.” Again, sign in to your Advantage account and look for the “Upload Cover Art” link. 34. Ask Your Fans to Post Reviews This is a no-brainer. Consumers use other customers’ reviews to help them make purchase decisions. So having lots of five-star reviews on your CD page can help boost sales. It’s great if your fans post reviews on their own, but they may need some prodding from you. So ask them, and give them the Amazon web page where they can find your CD and write glowing comments about it and your music. Reminder: By the way, be sure to ask your fans to visit your pages at CD Baby, GarageBand, etc., and post the same reviews on these sites, too. 35. Consider Amazon’s CreateSpace Service Amazon now owns a company called CreateSpace. According to the site, “CreateSpace on Demand Publishing is simple: we manufacture physical products when customers order so no pre-built inventory is needed. With our services, you can make your DVDs, CDs, and books available to millions of customers by selling on Amazon.com, the CreateSpace Shop, and on your own website with a customized eStore. Sounds interesting. Visit www.createspace.com to learn more. 18 Here are some other things you can do whether or not you have a CD for sale on Amazon: 36. Create вЂ�Listmania’ lists Amazon is all about empowering buyers to express themselves. That’s why they allow anyone to create a вЂ�Listmania’ list of favorite CDs, books and more on whatever topic or genre he or she chooses. The best thing to do to promote your music is create a list of top CDs in your genre. The more specific, the better. For instance, if you play R&B love songs, create a list called “Best R&B Love Song CDs” or “Top R&B Albums for Lovers.” If you have a CD available on Amazon, put your CD at the top of the list. Of course. If you don’t have a CD on Amazon, include the name of your act and your web site in some of the comments you write about each favorite album. A link to your Listmania list will sometimes show up on the pages of the CDs you include on the list. Again, this exposes you to other artists’ fans. So be sure to include very targeted CDs on your list. 37. Create вЂ�So You’d Like to …’ Lists Similar to Listmania, “So you'd like to ...” lists allow Amazon customers to go into more detail about a particular hobby or interest, while still recommending CDs and books available for sale on the site. Once again, your objective is to create a list that targets the people most likely to enjoy your music. So you might create “So you'd like to ... build an R&B love song collection” or “So you'd like to ... discover the best R&B love songs.” You can write a lot more comments with “So you'd like to ...” lists, so feel free to explain who you are, what you play, why you love your style of music, etc. Include your own CDs among your list of recommendations as well as your web address. I’ve found the exposure level of a “Listmania” or “So you'd like to ...” list has everything to do with how crowded the subject is. For example, a lot of people have lists on music business books. Therefore, my “So you'd like to ... Succeed as a Musician” list has only been viewed about 1,000 times. But my “So you'd like to ... 19 Promote Your Creative Talents” page has been read more than 6,000 times. Fewer people have posted lists in that category. So, the more specific you can be, the better results you’ll get. 38. Write Amazon Customer Reviews In addition to asking your fans to write reviews of your CDs, you can also benefit by writing your own reviews of other similar artists. Amazon won’t allow you to include a web address in the text of your reviews, but they will often allow you to reference why you’re qualified to write about this genre – for instance, “As the lead singer of Marleyville, Detroit’s most popular reggae band, I know a thing or two about Jamaican music in the Motor City …” Write thoughtful reviews of well-chosen CDs, slip in subtle references to your band name and location, and you will get more exposure. Also, don’t overlook writing reviews of books that tie into your musical themes. 39. Fill Out Your Amazon Profile Whether people read your CD reviews or your “Listmania” or “So you'd like to ...” lists, they have the option of clicking on your name (or nickname) to find out more about you. Be sure to fill in as many details as you can in your вЂ�About Me’ Section, which acts as your profile page on Amazon. Include your name, band name, web site, city location, and a mouth-watering description of the type of music you play. Tip: You have the option of using your real name for reviews, plus an additional nickname. Amazon lets you use a web site address for your nickname. For instance, my reviews show Bob Baker "author, MusicMarketingBooks.com, PromoteYourCreativity.com." You should do the same — only use your own name and web site instead of mine :) Okay, enough about Amazon. Let’s move on to some other ways you can promote yourself and your music online … 20 40. Write and Distribute Articles This could be one of the most overlooked opportunities to promote your music on the Internet. Usually, when musicians think of getting exposure on music web sites, they think of getting a review of their new CD or a feature story written about them. That’s fine. But if you have a decent command of the language and can string a few sentences together, you should also consider writing articles for these same music sites. You can write and submit CD reviews, band interviews, commentaries and more. You won’t get paid for most of these submissions, but the payoff is that these sites will allow you to include a blurb at the end of each article that details who you are, what band you play in, and how readers can find out more about you. Here are some music sites that may consider your article submissions: MusicDish e-Journal www.musicdish.com Galaris www.galaris.com Indie-Music www.indie-music.com The Muse’s Muse www.musesmuse.com 41. Publish a Free Fan E-zine If the previous tip is one of the most overlooked ways to promote music online, this one should be one of the most obvious. I’ve said it before: If you’re not publishing a free fan e-mail newsletter, you’re missing the boat. Having a great web site is just one piece of the Internet marketing equation. An e-zine you send to your fans is something you must have to make the most of the promotional possibilities of the Web. Publishing an e-zine is not as complicated as it might seem. There are services available (many of them free) that will automate much of the process, including the following sites: Ezine Director www.ezinedirector.com Topica http://lists.topica.com 21 Yahoo! Groups http://groups.yahoo.com Constant Contact www.constantcontact.com For more in-depth advice on this topic, check out my special report Ezine Music Marketing at http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/quiz.html. 42. Place an E-zine Subscription Link on Every Page of Your Web Site Publishing a fan e-zine is one thing. Having a lot of fan subscribers is another. Your goal is to get as many people as possible to subscribe. This growing list of people who are interested in your music holds the key to your success. So the more subscribers, the merrier. One way to encourage sign-ups is to put an e-zine subscription link in a prominent spot on every page of your web site. Don’t bury this important call to action. Make it part of the simple navigation bar (discussed earlier) that appears on every page of your web site. Really do this. Take a close look at your web site right now. Is an e-zine subscription option blatantly obvious? If not, figure out a way to make it obvious, and change your page design accordingly. 43. Gather E-mail Addresses at Gigs One great way to generate e-zine subscribers is to use your live shows to build your mailing list. How? Well, the secret is to … ask people to sign up! And don’t be timid about it. Most acts put a sign-up sheet at their sales table or on the stage and invite people to sign up. But not a whole lot of people will take you up on that offer. Take an extra step to gather those names and addresses. Some acts put their signup sheet on a clipboard and pass it around the room. Others have a friend walk around the venue and kindly ask people to sign up. Bribe people with free candy! Whatever it takes! Another idea: Have a CD giveaway where people have to fill out a small form and throw it into a bucket. You draw one lucky winner, but the names and addresses of everyone who entered are yours to keep — and add to your mailing list. 22 44. Offer Incentives to Subscribe Another great way to build an e-mail list fast is to pile on a bunch of reasons why people should subscribe. Don’t just ask people to sign up for e-mail updates. Who needs more messages clogging their Inboxes? Make them feel like they’re joining an exclusive insider’s club. Offer special goodies that are only available to subscribers, such as free MP3 downloads, sneak peeks at your newest songs, special subscriber-only discounts on CDs, merchandise and tickets, etc. Then make sure you deliver these goodies. 45. Trade E-zine Blurbs with Other Artists Earlier, I asked you to establish relationships with five to 10 complimentary indie acts. Once you’ve done that (and you will do it, right?), approach each act and suggest you trade a mention in each other’s e-zine. Ideally, these other acts produce music you genuinely enjoy. So it makes sense for you to recommend their shows and CDs to your fans. Likewise, they will hopefully be willing to return the favor by plugging your band or new CD release. There is indeed power in numbers. So learn to work with your musical comrades and support each other within your respective e-zines. 46. Show Your Personality As you’ve hopefully figured out by now, I believe your web site and fan e-mail newsletter exist to serve a purpose far beyond making gig announcements and CD sales pitches. Your primary mission with these promotion vehicles is to start and nurture relationships with a growing number of fans. One of the ways fans come to know and love you is by getting to know who you are as a human being. They want to know the person or people behind the music and what makes them tick. Therefore, reveal yourself and your personality on the Web and via e-mail. Share stories and anecdotes that tap into the emotions and vibe of your songs. For example, here are two artists that do a good job of showing their personalities on their web sites and e-zines: Christine LeDoux www.christeneledoux.com Groovy Judy www.groovyjudy.com 23 47. Start a Live 365 station Do you ever get sick of the stations and shows available on your radio dial? Of course you do. Have you ever thought, “If I could afford it, I’d start my own station and play the music I love — the cool stuff that rarely gets played.” Well, now you can with www.Live365.com, an online service that allows you to program and broadcast your own streaming radio station for as little as $10 a month. The obvious thing you should do with your station’s play list is load it with lots of your own songs. But you’ll make it more valuable for fans if you also include some great tracks from other indie and well-known artists in your genre. An awesome, highly focused show may get you exposure in online magazines that cover your genre, not to mention through the other bands that you also feature on your show. And all the people who give it a listen will be treated to … you guessed it, YOUR music. 48. Participate in Discussion Forums and Mailing Lists The Internet is one big interactive party. People love to express themselves, compare opinions, and debate the issues of the day. And music is a big topic of discussion online. You can reach more fans by getting involved in some of that dialogue. Go through some of the pages below to investigate potential forums and mailing lists. Warning: Responding to these things can be time-consuming. So pick the forums where you’ll have the greatest chance of making an impact. Then dive in and participate, and use an e-mail signature “blurb” to let people know who you are, what you play, and where they can find you. Music-Discussion.com www.music-discussion.com Google Directory > Music > Chats and Forums http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Music/Chats_and_Forums/ Open Directory > Music > Chats and Forums www.dmoz.org/Arts/Music/Chats_and_Forums/ Topica http://lists.topica.com Yahoo! Groups http://groups.yahoo.com 24 49. Don’t Forget Your Local Music Scene Web Sites This should be obvious, but just in case … Make sure you have a list of web sites that cover your local music scene. A lot of these have popped up over the years, run by hard-core fans or wannabe journalists. These local sites can be easy places to get exposure. Some review locally produced CDs and live shows, others post gig schedules, and some do full-blown feature stories. Tip: Doing a Google search for “music (your city name)” should help uncover a lot of these sites for you. 50. Use These Directories to Find Record Stores I don’t advocate pursuing widespread retail distribution too early in your career. But once you have a buzz going in a particular region, it may make sense to get your CDs into select retail outlets. Use these sites to hunt down potential music sales locations: Worldwide Online Record Shops www.moremusic.co.uk/links/world_sh.htm Record Store Review www.recordstorereview.com/links/ Google Directory > Shopping > Entertainment > Recordings http://directory.google.com/Top/Shopping/ Entertainment/Recordings/ 51. Analyze This: Make Sure Your Web Pages Are Search Engine Friendly To improve your chances of getting listed high in search engine results, the words that appear throughout a web page should compliment the words that appear in that page’s Title and Meta Description and Meta Keywords tags. These two sites can help you analyze your pages for free: ABAKUS Keyword Analyser www.abakus-internet-marketing.de/tools/topword.html 25 META Tag Analyzer www.submitexpress.com/analyzer/ For more information on meta tags, check out these two articles: META Tag Guide www.submitcorner.com/Guide/Meta/ Meta tags - what, where, when, why? www.philb.com/metatag.htm 52. Submit Your Site to Search Engines Once you’re confident your site is ready for the world to see, you can submit it to various search engines. Usually, search spiders will eventually find their way to your site and index it anyway, but you may be able to speed things along by submitting. Your best bet is to go to each search engine and submit individually. There are also many services that will submit your site to hundreds of search sites for you for a fee. Here are two services that will submit your site to a small number of search engines at no charge. AddMe.com www.addme.com/submission.htm SubmitExpress.com www.submitexpress.com/submit.html Warning: You might want to use a throw-away e-mail address when filling out these forms, because the free search submission services can sometimes hit you with a lot of follow-up e-mail. 53. Accept Payments from Your Own Web Site You already know that your fans can order your CDs securely online when you get set up with CD Baby or Amazon. But what if you want to take orders right from your own site? And what if you want to sell T-shirts, caps and other merchandise? CD Baby and Amazon can’t help you there. Here are four additional payment processing services to consider using: 26 PayPal.com www.paypal.com 2CheckOut.com www.2checkout.com CCnow.com www.ccnow.com ClickBank.com (digital products) www.clickbank.com Look over fees and policies carefully. Most have a per-transaction fee plus a percentage of each sale. PayPal has the lowest fees and most flexible access to your money. But look them all over and see what works for you. 54. Make Compelling Offers and Ask for the Sale Some people make a purchase right away when something interests them. Some rarely make a purchase. And a lot of people teeter on the fence, not sure which direction to go. For these good folks, you need to create incentives — reasons for them to hit the Buy button now. Here are some compelling possibilities: п‚·пЂ Limited-time discounts: Get a 20% discount if you purchase by this Friday. п‚·пЂ Limited-quantity offers: The first 25 people who respond get an autographed copy. п‚·пЂ Upsell with a special offer: Buy one, get one free. Or buy our new CD, get our previous release at half off. п‚·пЂ Bundling: Purchase a CD, T-shirt and cap at the same time, save 50%. п‚·пЂ Charity benefit: 20% of all CD sales proceeds go to the local Wildlife Refuge. 55. Write Benefit-Rich вЂ�You’ Copy The Internet can be a cold, mechanical place. There’s nothing inherently warm and fuzzy about a computer screen. Your job as a caring, fan-building music marketer is to make an online interaction with you as warm and inviting as possible. When writing about yourself, your gigs and your for-sale items, do everything you can to make your prose come to life as a one-on-one conversation. Don’t be sterile. Don’t write “Listeners will enjoy the energetic arrangements and lush harmonies …” Barf. Who are these listeners you’re writing about? They’re the 27 people sitting in front of a computer screen many miles away using up their precious time to read about you. Speak directly to them. Make it count. Make it interesting. Write something along the lines of, “If you like to shake your butt on the dance floor, you’ll love this CD. Imagine the groovin’ atmosphere you’ll create at your next party with our music. Your friends will love you. Strangers will be in awe. You might even get lucky …” See the difference? Speak directly to your fans, like each one was sitting face to face across the table from you. Help them conjure up how they’ll enjoy and benefit from your music. Doing so will make hitting the Subscribe or Buy button a lot easier. 56. Use the Personal PR Approach One great trend in online publicity is that many editors, producers and writers prefer to get news releases by e-mail. That comes in handy when you need to reach a lot of media people with a standard news release in a hurry. So by all mean, take your properly formatted releases and send them as text within the body of an e-mail. (Only send an attached file when someone knows you or has requested it.) However, don’t end your PR efforts there. One of the most effective, time-tested ways to get media coverage is to communicate one on one with media people using personal messages. Instead of sending Joe Scribe in Dallas the same generic release that Jane Journalist in Denver gets, send Joe a more conversational personal note: “Joe, Here’s a story idea for your March issue …” Then briefly explain why your story will be good for his publication in his city. Make sure it reads like an articulate note to a friend or business associate. If you start doing this, I bet you’ll see an immediate increase in the media relationships you build. Personal communication is always better than generic. Always. 28 57. Use Popular, Similar Artists to Help Define You Music fans, especially people who are learning about you for the first time, need to categorize your music in their brains. Not to pigeonhole you, but to help them store details about you in their memory. One big way people accomplish this is by comparing you to other artists they enjoy. You can help this process along by dropping a few names of your own. David Nevue (www.davidnevue.com), whom I mentioned earlier, uses this text near the top of his home page: “If you’re into Yanni, George Winston or Jim Brickman’s piano music, you’ll love this ...” Mentioning other artists helps new fans make the mental connection quicker. 58. Plug Your Web Site During Media Interviews Web sites shouldn’t operate in a vacuum. Combine traditional print and broadcast interviews with your online presence. But be cool and clever about it. Anyone can say, “If you want to find out more about the band, visit our web site at …” Yawn. Instead, create some special valuable resource that’s easy to describe on the air or during an interview for a feature story. And make it available from your web site. A free download of one of your songs probably won’t cut it. Give it more widespread appeal and have it tie in directly with your musical identity. Example: “I’d like to offer your listeners a free report called The Top 10 Best Jazz CDs of All Time. You can download it right from our web site at …” Or “Your viewers can help themselves to a free report called Ten Ways to Use Music to Relax and De-Stress Your Life. It’s available at …” See how valuable this would be in attracting new fans? 59. Follow Up with Everyone Once is not enough. Especially when it comes to e-mail messages you send to media people, potential cross-promotion sources, and music industry people. 29 The thing is, most music promoters don't connect a second or third time with people they try to reach. To these self-defeating marketers, a lack of response must mean a lack of interest -- that the artist or proposed idea isn't worthy. But that isn't always the case. People are busy. They may be interested in your proposal but get sidetracked and forget about you. Not to worry. A friendly reminder note can be just the thing to reawaken their intentions to get back to you. Or it can be the trigger that inspires them to more seriously consider your idea and make a decision on it. The difference between success and failure can often be measured in mere inches. Following up is just one way you can set yourself apart and make people wonder how you got so lucky to enjoy all the exposure that seems to naturally come your way. 60. Find Thousands of Record Labels Online These days, with the way the traditional music industry is crumbling, it’s the Do-ItYourself Era. So there’s no real reason to ever get near a record label – except to watch an outdated business model dinosaur struggle for air. But record labels still do exist. And most of them are smaller, independent labels you may be able to partner with in some way. Use these web sites to hunt down record labels of all kinds — small, large and everything in between. TAXI: Major and Indie Labels www.taxi.com/members/links-labels.html Google Directory > Business > Arts and Entertainment > Music > Labels http://directory.google.com/Top/Business/Arts_and_Entertainment/Music/Labels/ All Record Labels www.allrecordlabels.com 61. Add Extra Words to Your P2P Song Listings Do you make your original songs available through those Kazaa-like file-sharing systems? That might be a good idea if you want to get your music to anyone who might be willing to listen. 30 Hot tip: Some acts have gotten more out of these peer-to-peer networks by adding a similar popular act’s name to their artist name when logging songs. For instance, “Amy Smith (like Jewel)” will come up in P2P searches for Jewel. That would get Amy’s music to a lot more potential fans than “Amy Smith” alone. 62. Run Pay-Per-Click Ads on Google and Yahoo Traditional advertising can be costly and usually doesn’t earn back the investment you make. I advocate using as many low-cost and no-cost marketing tools as possible. However, one low-cost online advertising option you might consider is pay-per-click. There are two search engine programs that stand out as the best choices: Google AdWords https://adwords.google.com/ Yahoo Search Marketing http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/ With pay-per-click advertising, you choose the amount of money you will pay per click. Generally, the more you agree to pay per click, the higher your listing will appear in the search result of the key words you select. Each program works a little differently from the others, so check out the pages above and see if either of them seems like a good investment. 63. Make Digital Images Available From Your Site If you actively pursue publicity, you’ve no doubt been asked to supply an artist photo or image of your CD cover. These days, publications (both print and Webbased) like to deal with digital images. If they have to wait for you to mail them something that they then have to scan, they get a little grumpy. You can keep them in a good mood by making digital images available for download from your web site. And make them available in both high-resolution (300 dpi for print publications) and lowresolution (72 dpi for the Web) versions. These links don’t have to be part of your public site. Just have them ready when an editor asks. Lesson: Make it easy for the media to cover you! 31 64. Hold Online Contests and Giveaways People like to win things. And they don’t mind having to perform some minor task to earn the prize. Make the most of this human response by holding contests and giving away free stuff from your web site. Perhaps you can award a free CD to one new e-zine subscriber every month. Or ask your fans to help you name a new song or CD title. The winning entry gets five free copies. Use your imagination and find fun ways to get people involved and excited about interacting with you online. 65. Sell Digital Downloads There are a number of places online where music fans can purchase music downloads: Amazon MP3, Rhapsody, eMusic, Napster, etc. The landscape is changing constantly, but the iTunes music store still rules with the largest sales numbers. Therefore, if you don’t already, get busy making your music available for sale on iTunes. The two easiest ways to do it: п‚·пЂ CD Baby. Details at www.cdbaby.net/dd п‚·пЂ TuneCore. Details at www.tunecore.com Note: You can’t do both. You must choose one service or the other for digital distribution. Both sites will also hook you up with digital sales via Rhapsody, Amazon MP3, eMusic, Sony Connect, Napster, and more. Read each site for specifics on fees, etc. In addition, you can sell digital downloads of your music yourself from your own site. Two services to consider for processing these orders are: ClickBank www.clickbank.com PayLoadz www.payloadz.com 32 66. Set Up Shop on Facebook Pages Facebook.com has launched something called Facebook Pages, described as a place where you can “Create a business presence to engage with your customers and fans on Facebook.” Musicians and bands are welcome. Having a standard personal profile on the site is good, but now you can set up a Facebook Pages account for your band or business. Check it out at www.facebook.com/business/?pages. 67. Tap Into the Podsafe Music Network This is the site where podcasters go to find music that has been deemed “podsafe.” That means the copyright holders of the music available on this site give blanket permission to podcasters to play their songs. Many indie acts have received a lot of online exposure as a result of having an account there. Learn more at http://music.podshow.com/. 68. Use a Music Sales Widget to Make More Money Not sure what a widget is? You’d better find out if you want to be making the most of the Internet. A web widget is a portable chunk of code that can be added to and executed within any HTML-based web page. Read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_widget A music sales widget will not only play your songs, but it will allow fans to purchase digital downloads – kind of like a mini-iTunes on your web site that features only your music. My favorite widget is the one produced by Nimbit (www.nimbit.com), which lets you sell tickets and merchandise in addition to music downloads. Very cool. Here are four other widget sites you should also look into: Hoooka www.hoooka.com Musicane www.musicane.com Blast My Music www.blastmymusic.com SnoCap www.snocap.com 33 69. Flickr Your Photos Yes, digital still pictures seem so “old school.” But you still need to take them, and you need to post them on Flickr (www.flickr.com), a very popular photo sharing site. I’m not talking family reunion pictures here. Take photos of your live shows, of your fans, of you in the studio, backstage and on the road. Show yourself in action! Be sure to “tag” your photos with plenty of key words related to your music and the location of each shot. Why? Because millions of other Flickr users search the site for interesting pictures. Make sure they can find you. 70. Make Good Use of Craig’s Free List Sure, people use Craigslist (www.craigslist.org) to find a job, a date, or to sell old appliances. But you can use it for your music too. Post free listings to promote your gigs, book private shows, find new band members, buy and sell used gear, and more. The nice thing about Craigslist, compared to so many of the other social networking sites, is that you don’t have to create a profile page. Just log in and post a listing. Sadly, we’ve come to the end of this special report. So let me ask you: What will you do with these 70 simple things you can do to promote and sell your music on the Internet? My advice: Don’t get sidetracked. Resist feeling overwhelmed. Just get busy putting one or two of these ideas into action every day or every week. Before long, you’ll have a strong presence and a growing fan base on the Internet. To your success! Bob Baker 34 79 Online Music Sales Outlets Dusty Groove America - http://www.dustygroove.com/ Soul, jazz, Latin, Brazil, funk, acid jazz, hip hop, and lounge on vinyl and CD, hard-to-find imports, reissues, classic LPs, old school 12-inch singles, and funky 45s. Cadence Music Sales - http://www.cadencebuilding.com/ Large selection of mostly obscure jazz, especially avant-garde, and blues titles from hundreds of labels. Order by phone, fax, email, or mail. Twisted Village - http://www.twistedvillage.com Online store and record label features techno, avant-garde, electronic, progressive, jazz improvisation, modern composers, psychedelic, and experimental releases. 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National Heritage Music - http://www.nationalheritagemusic.com/ Clark Murray sells big band arrangements and compact discs of traditional American songs such as those of Stephen Foster. Online scores delivered as PDF files. WhatMusic.com - http://www.whatmusic.com/ Rare and contemporary African, Brazilian, dance, jazz, Latin, and soundtrack LPs and CDs. Audio samples. Based in Europe. Talking Taco Music - http://talkingtaco.com/ Native American, cowboy, flamenco, and tex-mex guitar, Celtic, and southwestern spirituality CDs and cassette tapes. Cosmic Groove - http://cosmicgroove.fr/ French record shop specialized in soul, funk, jazz, lounge, exotica, latin, blaxploitation, and afrobeat. BostonPete.com - http://bostonpete.com/ Nostalgia music and old time radio CDs and tapes, vintage videos, classic movie DVDs, and autographed photographs and books. Audio samples and radio. SaltSpringMusic.Com - http://www.saltspringmusic.com/ CDs by recording artists from Salt Spring Island, Canada. Audio clips and links. JIPrecords - http://www.jiprecs.nu/ Record label offering Latin, alt-americana, bluegrass, country, jazz, blues rock, and soundtrack CDs and hard to find CDs, tapes, and records. Music news and MP3s. Dolphin Discs Internet Record Shop - http://www.dolphindiscs.com/ Specializing in modern electronic music CDs and LPs, including contemporary urban jazz and funk fusions. Searchable database, reviews, and audio samples. Based in London. Eric Records - http://www.ericrecords.com/ CD reissues of hard to find classic 45s. L'Atelier Grigorian Ltd. - http://www.grigorian.com/ Canadian source for Classical and Jazz recordings. Painted Smiles - http://www.showmusic.com/PaintedSmiles/index.htm Selling popular theatre songs on CD. Oasis Productions - http://www.oasisproductions.com Canadian-based record company with a number of labels, each specializing in a unique genre of instrumental music. 36 The Music Barn - http://www.themusicbarn.com/ Cassette tapes, CDs, videos and books of old-time country, instrumental, and popular music from the 1930s to the 1960s. Audio samples. Street Gold Records - http://www.streetgold.com/ Doo-wop, Christmas music, and classic rock CDs and tapes for kids and adults. Samples in MP3 and WAV formats. Tandem Music Group - http://www.tandem-music.com CDs and cassette tapes from independent artists and labels and international record management services. Audio samples. Wax Museum - http://www.waxmuseum.net/ Specializing in beach music, oldies, and collectable CDs, cassettes, 45s, and 78s. Audio samples. Order by phone. Green Hill Direct - http://www.greenhillmusic.com/ Celtic, light jazz, and classical, to big band, dixieland, and country; RealAudio samples. ChunkyRecords.com - http://www.chunkyrecords.com Mail order shop for left-field music on vinyl and CD. Styles covered include Post Rock, Electronica, Lo-Fi and Noise. Bada Bing - http://www.badabingcdrt.com Garage, surf, R&B, and soul CDs, records, and DVDs. Carbon Disks - http://www.carbondisks.com/ New and used electronica, industrial, ambient, techno, and indie CDs and vinyl, videos, and memorabilia. ShantiOmMusic.com - http://www.shantiommusic.com/ Sells a variety of Celtic, classical, East Indian music, healing and relaxation, guided meditation, tantric music, instrumental and nature sounds. POP Records Mail Order - http://www.pollodelmar.com/mart/ Instrumental and surf music CDs by unsigned, hard to find, and international bands. Polkamart - http://www.polkamart.com Polka and waltz music on CD and cassette tape. Includes a search by genre, audio samples, and profiles of artists. Subterranean Records - http://www.recordsnyc.com/ Greenwich Village shop specializing in new, used, and import rock, soul, and jazz vinyl and CDs from the 60's to the present, also posters, books, and assorted ephemera. Special requests welcomed. Intoxica - http://www.intoxica.co.uk New and collectable records sold internationally from London, UK. Buys and sells old vinyl records. Gatefold Records - http://www.gatefoldrecords.com/ Specializing in rare, re-issue, promo, import and out of print CDs, vinyl and memorabilia. Alternative, rock and pop, jazz, Brazilian, soundtracks, exotica, funk, psychedelic, and prog/kraut rock. Sundazed Music Store - http://www.sundazed.com/store/ Psychedelic, garage, beat, punk, surf, hippie rock, soul, R&B, blues, country, rockabilly, and jazz reissues on CD and vinyl, zines, and video. Audio clips, profiles, reviews, and fan commentary. Old World Troubadour - http://johndurant.home.att.net/ Official site of John Durant, storyteller, singer, instrumentalist, and jokester. Includes samples of recordings. 37 Unsound Records - http://www.unsound.com.au/ Australian CD and vinyl store specialising in soul, reggae, hiphop, dance, African, zoukous, hilife, and Oceania musics. Labor Folkies George Mann and Julius Margolin - http://georgemann.home.att.net/ Sells pro-labor, anti-Bush CDs. Lyrics, song samples, biographies and articles, and photos available. Sammy's Record Shop - http://www.goldenoldiesmusic.com/ Specializing in golden oldies, rare 45s and LPs, and CDs by Louisiana artists. Royal Record Collection - http://members.lycos.co.uk/kinggeoff/index.html 78 rpm speeches by the Royal Family from 1927 to 1951. DSB Records - http://www.dsb-aor-world.com/ Offers a selection of CDs and vinyl in many genres, including many rare titles. Based in Germany and accepts online orders. Music Mill Entertainment - http://www.musicmill.com/ Label specializing in classic country music, polka, tango, bluegrass, Elvis Presley, instrumentals, and rockabilly. Lxtasy Sounds Mixtapes & CDs - http://www.hotmixx.com/ Hip-hop, R&B, reggae, jazz, gospel, and house CDs. Audio samples. Pinewood Records - http://www.pinewoodrecords.com/ Hard to find sealed jazz, noise, punk, and alternative vinyl LPs, 10", 7", CDs, and cassettes. Museum Music - http://www.museummusic.com Creates custom and enhanced CDs for museums, zoos, libraries, galleries, historical societies and related organizations for retail and promotional use. Digitaloss.com - http://digitaloss.com/ Realaudio and MP3 clips demo free music CDs in different genres by established artists both in the art and music industries. Original artwork and words on the CD. Bep's Antiques and Music - http://www.bepsantiques.com/ New age, Celtic, flamenco, world, space, and jazz CDs. CD Wolf Music - http://www.cdwolf.com/ Bear Family recordings including old country, pop, rhythm and blues, and bluegrass music. Order by phone, fax, or mail. Max Music - http://www.max-music.com/ Rap, Mexican, and rock CDs. Modern World Records - http://www.modernworld.com.au/ Specialising in Australian and New Zealand independent and alternative releases. DDR CD & Vinyl Versand - http://www.ddr.ch/ Alternative rebellious, independent music specializing in punk, hardcore, ska, emo, pop, and garage rock. Audio samples. Based in Zurich. Shellac-records - http://shellac0.tripod.com/shellac-records/index.html Selling a collection of shellac-records of great vocalists and other musicians from between 1900 and 1950. 1 Off Wax - http://www.1offwax.co.uk Music label providing mail order jazz, soul, funk, Latin, Brasilian, soundtracks, and easy beats on CD. Sound samples available on MP3. Basart World Entertainment - http://basartworld.com/ Importer, distributor and retailer of classical, jazz and pop music. Online ordering by secure server. 38 Confidence Mail-Order - http://www.confidence-uk.com/ Worldwide sales of dance and pop music CDs. Record Castle - http://www.recordcastle.com/ Buys and sells new and used records, CDs, tapes, videos, and rock memorabilia. Super Party USA - http://www.superpartyusa.com/ Exercise, dance and party, Jewish, gypsy guitar, jazz, love songs, and hip-hop music CD samplers. Swamp Dogg - http://swampdogg.safeshopper.com/index.htm?884 CDs in many genres and by the artist. Gibrob Enterprises - http://www.gibrob.com/ Band, jazz, and religious CDs, print of God the Father, with religious literature. Big Boppa - http://www.bigboppa.co.uk/ Email order company specializes in 1960s and 1970s popular music, but also carries comedy, Celtic, film themes, and jazz, vinyl cleaning solution, and retro-style record sleeves. Based in the UK. Jimmy Thomas - http://www.btinternet.com/~jimmythomas.hotdesk Soul singer/songwriter and producer - his work, "Boodyshakers Inn", available on CD. Music 4 Your Crosley - http://www.music4yourcrosley.com Selection of nostalgic music available on 45s, 78s or compact disc, for use in jukeboxes. Garment District - http://www.garment-district.com/store/music/index.htm Vinyl and CD releases from a number of small independent labels. Yesterday's Memories - http://www.411web.com/t/tompkinsent/ Specializing in oldies music on CDs, cassette tapes, 45s, and LPs. Record Land - http://www3.mistral.co.uk/recordland/ Jazz, big band and orchestras, soundtracks, female and male vocal. Vinyl and CDs for set sale and auction. 39 44 Places to Sell Indie CDs Online CD Baby - http://www.cdbaby.com/ Independent records, all with RealAudio samples. CD Freedom - http://www.cdfreedom.com/ Multi-genre music CDs by independent artists. Audio samples. Aware Music - http://www.awarestore.com/ CDs and merchandise from independent artists. Peoplesound.com - http://www.peoplesound.com/ Site for independent musicians to sell their music over the web. Goldenrod Music - http://www.goldenrod.com/ CDs by independent artists, primarily women. Audio samples and customer reviews. SongRamp - http://www.songramp.com/ Community for composers and songwriters selling their works. Audio samples, profiles, tour dates, and forums. Hip Hop Hot Spot - http://www.hiphophotspot.com/ Interactive media site giving artists the means to promote and sell their music. BandMecca.com - http://www.bandmecca.com/ Music and merchandise from independent artists, member reviews, and musician services. CDstreet.com - http://www.cdstreet.com/ Specializes in the sale of music by independent artists. Paste Music.com - http://www.pastemusic.com/ Independent artist and benefit CDs. Search by style or region, audio samples, radio station, artist profiles, upcoming performances, and MP3s. Stinkweeds - http://www.stinkweeds.com Record store dedicated to independent bands. BURBs - http://www.burbs.co.uk/ Specialising in British Indie bands. Spirit River Distribution - http://www.spiritriver.com Online catalogue for retailers and individuals looking to purchase independent Canadian music. Voiceprint - http://www.voiceprint.co.uk/ Buy online from a catalogue of more than 500 CDs from this family of independent labels. Rising Music - http://www.risingmusic.com Includes submission by bands and artists, reviews, shows, directory, genres, ranking and new. [Registration required] Galaris - http://www.galaris.com/ CDs and vinyl, rave products, and musician and event services. MP3 samples. NoiZyland - http://www.noizyland.com/ New Zealand indie rock, pop, electronic, and dance music CDs and vinyl. News, reviews, interviews, MP3s, and links. Based in New Zealand. Wholeteam - http://www.wholeteam.com/ Distribution network for independent artists to showcase their material online, as well as in local record stores. Real audio and mp3 samples. 40 TuneVault.com - http://www.tunevault.com/ Music by independent artists from around the world. Also features news, reviews, and MP3 downloads. 11345 Records and Mail Order - http://www.11345.com/ Pop, rawk n' roll, cow-punk, alt-country, garage on vinyl and CDs, t-shirts, stickers, and zines available from independent artists and labels. IndepenDisc Music Club - http://www.independisc.com/ A mail order source for independent music by Indie Bands. Independent Distribution Network - http://www.idnmusic.com/ Promotional platform for independent bands and artists. KlarityMusic - http://www.klaritymusic.com/ Audio book and music CDs and cassettes. Audio samples. SongPeddler - http://www.songpeddler.com Custom CDs and albums from independent artists. Aliso Records - http://www.alisorecords.de Independent label for international guitar music. Toto Blanke and others. Planet CD - http://planetcd.com Specializing in independent music. RealAudio samples, secure on-line ordering, regular prize drawings. Independent Musicians Marketplace - http://www.secondfret.com/ CDs and RealAudio. Buythiscd.com - http://www.buythiscd.com An outlet by which CD products and artist merchandise can be sold to the supportive fan. Every product found in the catalogue has been created by artists that oversee their own product development. In effect these people are their own record labels and in many cases their own distribution. New Artist Direct - http://www.newartistdirect.com/ CDs by independent bands and artists, some with audio samples and quotes from reviews. Alternate Records - http://www.alternate.dk Danish online store offering CDs from local independent artists. Online Bands - http://www.onlinebands.com/ Independent bands offering direct distribution of their products to the public. DriftWood - http://www.dw.com.au/fp/driftwd/index.htm [Australia] Independent CDs. Provides web pages with RealAudio and online transactions for unsigned Artists. Amazingcds - http://www.amazingcds.com Promoting CDs by independent music artists from around the world. Do Good Music - http://www.dogoodmusic.com/ With resources for independent artists, distribution of music and general information. Jet Glue Records - http://www.jetglue.com/ Independent record label. Home to Pontius CoPilot, The Cassettes, Glossary and The Speedtrain. SlipstreamPresents.com - http://www.slipstreampresents.com/ Features the work of independent bands and artists. 41 Mud Duck Music - http://www.mudduckmusic.com/ Includes new promotions, CD mastering, music production, promotion, management, publishing and video production. Bushami Arts - http://bushami.tripod.com/ Digitally remastering original music. Contains information on CDs and other general information. Big Soundz - http://bigsoundz.com Offers news and services to unsigned artists, and music promotion. Rearview Music - http://www.tcpro.net/ CDs by independent rock and pop rock artists from the United States and the United Kingdom. Audio samples. Dam Records - http://www.dambiz.com/ CDs, CD replication, and distribution for hip hop, rap, R&B and jazz acts. Audio samples. DigitalCuts - http://www.digitalcuts.com Services to assist the independent artist in the publication and promotion of their music. Hollywood Band - http://hollywoodbands.com Accepts CDs from Hollywood's unsigned bands. Information on audio, video, show schedule and reviews, news, pictures and a bulletin board. Adam Records - http://uk.geocities.com/[email protected]//index.htm A collection of British indie rock vinyl, CDs, and cassettes. For hundreds of other places to sell your music online (broken down by genre), check out this link: http://directory.google.com/Top/Shopping/Entertainment/Recordings/Audio/Music/Specialty/ For more of Bob’s indie music marketing tips and tools, please visit … www.TheBuzzFactor.com www.MusicPromotionBlog.com http://Bob-Baker.com/podcast/ www.MusicMarketingBooks.com www.MySpaceMusicMarketing.com www.MusicMarketingInsiders.com www.YouTube.com/user/MrBuzzFactor 42
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