Band Promotion Blog

Want to know how I feel about MySace? Read this: The MySpace Matrix by Metal Music Promotions, it hits the spot.

Calling all bands, GET A REAL WEBSITE

Now, this isn’t The full Unsigned Band Promotion endorsement and recommendation of Band of Me because I don’t really know them, but, it is a Link to a new community where musicians can be seen and heard through their music videos.

What they have to say about themselves: watch music videos of the top emerging bands and solo artists. Browse videos by instrument and genre. Join the Community and have your voice heard! "Where Musicians Come to Strut Their Stuff"

And I say good luck to them. It is another place for bands to post videos, and let’s hope it attracts music lovers who will become Your fans

Out for kicks,
Unsigned Band Promotion
UnsignedBandPromotion.com
~ helping musicians and artists get their websites noticed by fans, search engines
and the music industry in half the time they could do it on their own ~
http://www.unsignedbandpromotion.com/

No news is good news. Err, no.

When a person visits your band’s website they’re probably just looking for a free download of your music. But, they will also discover your credibility! If your band’s website has a NEWS page that contains No News or Very Old News, the visitor will think, “no action”, and wonder if your band is going down the pan. Why support an ex-indie band? - so many bands break up. Give your visitor what she’s looking for. Band News!

No news is not good news

Ciao 4 niao,
Unsigned Band Promotion
UnsignedBandPromotion.com
~ helping musicians and artists get their websites noticed by fans, search engines
and the music industry in half the time they could do it on their own ~
http://www.unsignedbandpromotion.com/

I’ve just finished a Micro-Site for the beautiful and amazing indie rock band from Gainesville, Florida Sweet City Action. Vilma and Christina are brilliant. I want the Micro-Site to help promote the band as they don’t have a Website just various profiles - watch this space as I may change the design. I wish them well and send my love. Sweet City Action’s favourite local spot to play is the 1982 Bar, Gainesville, which is just down the road from the University - so, if you fancy a fun-filled night out go and see them.

I’ve just followed a bizzarre trail of links and found myself reading a creative and fun blog post on "creative band promotion", it’s well worth a gander, it will give you some colourful band promotion ideas, see: Creative Promotion Ideas for Your Band by Vilma Jarvinen

Did you get your Press Invitation to the Surface Unsigned National Showcase today? Unsigned Band Promotion have been invited to the Surface Unsigned National Showcase on Saturday 13th September 2008 at Carling Academy (Main Stage), 52-54 Dale End, Birmingham, B4 7LS. This event will be the culmination of over 300 nights of live music across the UK. Be there or be square, as they say.

I received an email from Lee Parnham of Name Pistol - the band name generator with intelligence - and I thought, "A band name generator should also be a domain name generator". I wondered if it was, so I generated three names and Googled them (with quotation marks and ending in Band): "BROOKLYN REBEL VOYAGE" Band, "EVIL SHAKEDOWN" Band, "EVIL KARMA DOLLS" Band and Hey Presto, much satisfaction, I found no results, the band name generator seemed to work

A band’s website needs a short memorable domain name that Is the band’s name - it’s what everyone expects. But what happens if your band’s name is being used by someone else either as a trading name, as a domain name or both? You will have to:

• establish who has the right to use the name
• re-think the domain name, e.g. try:
  • [Your-Band-Name.com]
  • [YourBandName-Band.com]
  • [YourBandName-Music.com]
  • [YourBandName-UK.com] (US, EU or whatever)
• try negotiating with the other party (seek professional legal advice - sounds expensive!)
• completely change your band’s name and therefore your domain name

Your band’s name needs to be one or two memorable words that reflect your band’s image, sound and genre. Choosing a band name isn’t easy, but it’s quite good fun using Name Pistol. When you’ve eventually selected your cool band name, make sure it’s O.K. to use it.

Test your chosen band name:

• by entering it into the search engines ["Your Band Name"] ["YourBandName"]
• by seeing if the URL is available, the domain extension should be: .com or .co.uk .com is preferable
• by seeing if it’s already registered at:
  • Bandname.com
  • The Band Register 2
• by seeing if it’s already been trade marked:
  • UK Patent Office - Trade Marks
  • USA Patent and Trademark Office
• Independent Music Law Advice can represent you and deal with all your legal issues!!

Name Pistol the band name generator will give you thousands of cool unused band names for most popular genres.

Ciao 4 niao,
Unsigned Band Promotion
UnsignedBandPromotion.com
~ helping musicians and artists get their websites noticed by fans, search engines
and the music industry in half the time they could do it on their own ~
http://www.unsignedbandpromotion.com/

Dear Matt (Bnudd),

Here is UBP’s response to me-nets’ nonsensical post - Splash Bang Codswallop. Your main criticism seems to be of my definition of what I call a splash page, you quote me “a 500×400 image saying ‘Click to Enter’” in my post Search Engine Optimization SEO For Bands. This is what I actually say, “A splash page is an introductory page to your band’s website, it often contains just a link to the band’s home page and an extravagant attention grabbing logo or some flash abomination“, and I think that that is a fair description, not too prejudice I could have said that a splash page is a website’s default opening page (index.html) that precedes the main home page! The point is, most (if not all) bands’ websites are a billion miles away from the BBC’s opening page, which is full of interesting content and has a Page Rank of 8. A lot of bands’ websites really do just have an image and a link, and it is these bands I’m writing for - as you said, “There is totally no point in having a splash page if it is just a logo image with a CLICK TO ENTER“.

Matt, the point of the SEO blog post was to help bands and encourage them to think about their website’s content. Yeah, splash pages can work for those who know what they are doing, but I’m writing for those who need help. SEO and band promotion is about being found for something else other than your band’s name, for instance, wouldn’t The Malloys like to be number one in Google for: Punk Bands South East London or even: Punk Bands London and South East? The Contortionists’ Micro-site is #1 in Google for Punk Rock Bands South East London & #2 in Google for Punk Rock Bands London and South East just because of a little content!

I don’t know why you couldn’t leave your comment here Matt? Gremlins? One does have to register though!

Out for kicks,
Unsigned Band Promotion
UnsignedBandPromotion.com
~ helping musicians and artists get their websites noticed by fans, search engines
and the music industry in half the time they could do it on their own ~
http://www.unsignedbandpromotion.com/

Buy one of these CDs today

If you want a CD link included here; make a comment and write your website or cdbaby address

I’ve just finished a Micro-Site for the very talented Alt. Country singer/songwriter Richard Murray. Richard, who originally comes from Northern Ireland and now lives in London, is on his way up (even though his website has a splash page, I hope to change that). Go and see him when he next plays ViVa ViVa in Hornsey, London and buy his CD Desert Wind (which is a snip at about £6.50) a really exquisite and outstanding, folk rock album.