Best Sites For Posting Music?

[Bizzy]

Hi there. Yes, I'm new.

Wondering where to post music and an unsigned artist profile to start building a fanbase (in addition to MySpace)?

Thanks for any assistance.

[brandondrury]

If it was me, I would put my attention into maxing Myspace before I just started posting profiles all over the place. Don't get me wrong, any work done towards promoting your music is energy well spent, but for most of us, the best way to spend our time is focusing on myspace.

Brandon

[DT Chris]

I hate MySpace, with it's crappy Kindergarten web designed look.But every band I know is going on there.

[brandondrury]

I also hate Myspace. It's a piece of junk.

Having said that, it's the most effect band marketing tool out there. Because just about anyone that is going to pay $5 to see your band or $10 to buy your cd has a Myspace page, it makes no sense not to have a Myspace page.

So, put your html standards aside and market your band.

I was VERY slow to accept Myspace.

I still think there is room for a band to have their own website, but only if they can offer some kind of unique experience that the potential fan can't get on Myspace. Pics, videos, audio, mailing list, etc are all covered on Myspace.

Brandon

[DT Chris]

I've just gotten a Myspace page. for testing purposes, spent some time trying to customize it to make it look cool, and even though I know CSS, HTML, web design really well, this interface and design make me want to vomit. What a fucking waste of time it is. My time is better spent designing my own music site, where the code is functional, organized, and easy to customize and maintain.

Originally Posted by brandondrury

I still think there is room for a band to have their own website, but only if they can offer some kind of unique experience that the potential fan can't get on Myspace. Pics, videos, audio, mailing list, etc are all covered on Myspace.

I can reproduce all that easily on my own website. Well not easily, I have to take the time to write the code (which I'm working on right now a few things), but it can all be done.

Bands only go to myspace for one reason, Brandon. It's free. The cost is a fugly looking site, difficult and unreliable 'customization', crappy sounding mp3's, and everyone who you refer to your page secretly thinking "oh my god, another crap band page on MySpace".

Originally Posted by brandondrury

I also hate Myspace. It's a piece of junk.
Having said that, it's the most effect band marketing tool out there.

So, put your html standards aside and market your band.

How so? What recent bands making big bucks recently made it because of their MyCrap page? What makes you think your MySpace page will get more hits than a well-designed, top notch website?

That being said, I have a guitarist friend who plays internationally and I can guarantee you he didn't get where he is because of MySpace. He has a few celebrity friends on there now, and I can tell you from experience, it was probably his networking skills in real life that promotes his band the most of anything. Everyone he meets he probably refers to his mySpace (because the sheep will actually go), and inevitably to his home site. He is where he is right now because of self-promotion, not a crappy MySpace page.

Originally Posted by brandondrury

Because just about anyone that is going to pay $5 to see your band or $10 to buy your cd has a Myspace page, it makes no sense not to have a Myspace page.

Yes it does make sense to not have a MySpace page.. it makes your band look like crap, and that your little brother designed it for you.

[thesilentdrummer]

The one nice thing about myspace is that if you go to a band's show and you want to hear more from them, your first place to look is "http://www.thebandnamehere.com". But lets face it: the vast majority of bands are technically challenged in the web development department. So myspace is there to help people, crappy as it might be. This makes myspace the second place to look.

So other than that, I guess the fact that MySpace is a national fad that pretty much all of band's target audiences use is the only reason I would have a band myspace.


You are not going to get discovered on myspace. But it helps give out information.

[Bizzy]

I think we'd all agree that the pros outweigh the cons in the MySpace argument. What about profiles on sites like PureVolum or Radiofire.net? Seems like a good way to find local artists.

[brandondrury]

Bands only go to myspace for one reason, Brandon. It's free.

Well, this is probably part of it. I have absolutely no doubts that your mailing list will be smaller on your own site than it would with Myspace. The people go through to look around and tinker. My girlfriend loves looking at pictures and just seeing what's going on. She's ran into a few country bands that were pretty decent and added them as a friend. She wouldn't know how to join a mailing list on another site. (She joined a photography forum and I had to walk here through the process). The process of adding a friend seams more acceptable to the layman than joining a mailing list.

With that said, the networking capabilities are staggering. So, you get hot chick #1 to put your band in the Top 8 or whatever friends on her page. Then everyone that visits hot chick #1 will look at her friends and see your band. Of course, if hot chick #1 actually goes to the shows, all of her friends looking at her page have a chance of attending shows as well.

Again, I hate myspace too, but the quality of the code and design is irrelevant. Myspace is not only considered acceptable by the masses, it's considered the standard by the masses AND LABELS. I'd take it a step further and say that, to the layman, Myspace looks great but most band websites look like crap.

A buddy of mine's band played a major label showcase in LA. They talked to countless A&R guys. All them were HUGE on the # of plays on Myspace. This seams to be a standard which labels can judge how popular your band is already.

The cost is a fugly looking site, difficult and unreliable 'customization', crappy sounding mp3's, and everyone who you refer to your page secretly thinking "oh my god, another crap band page on MySpace".

Your right about most of this, except the last part. The only people that say "Oh my good, another crap band page on Myspace" are people like you and I who have done a little coding. That's it. Everyone else is completely cool with Myspace.

Ebay looks horrendous too. There has been scientific research done that provides overwhelming evidence for ugliness contributing to a site's success. Check out craigslist. Same thing.


Brandon

[DT Chris]

I wish I didn't have any standards and could be a mindless sheep like everyone else. My life would be so much easier.

[brandondrury]

Unfortunately, when we put on our marketing hats, we usually need to think like mindless sheep. Pride is a double edged sword.

Brandon