Essential items every artist should have: (Part 4 of 5) How is your online brand?

Ok, so now you have professional sounding music and a team to help you out. Now you need to increase your online brand. Increase your brand by creating your own website and become active on bulletin boards and social networking sites. There are a number of websites you can use to post your music. You must create a community of fans that will eventually buy your music one day. What happens when people Google you? Does your name so up at the top of the search with relevant contact information? Remember that the best statement you can say to a record label is, “I’ve sold 5,000 songs on iTunes, imagine how much I could accomplish if I had you backing me.” Here are 20 music social networking sites you can use to create your online brand:

1) www.myspace.com
2) www.facebook.com
3) www.garageband.com
4) www.soundclick.com
5) www.mp3.com
6) www.youtube.com
7) www.aimestreet.com
8) www.vimeo.com
9) www.bebo.com
10) www.buzznet.com
11) www.gogoyoko.com
12) www.imeem.com
13) www.last.fm.com
14) www.mog.com
15) www.quarterlife.com
16) www.reverbnation.com
17) www.supernova.com
18) www.flotones.com
19) www.musocity.com
20) www.midomi.com

www.yourprosound.com
1 Artist 1 Beat

Google Me Baby!

Do you have an online brand? and if so, can people easily find it?

Try this: Google your artist, band, or real name into Google. How many hits are there? How many of them are actually related to you? Can people find you and contact you easily? Is your name so common that it gets lost in the hundreds of links found on Google? If this is the case, you need to focus on creating your unique online brand. Even if you don't create music, EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE AN ONLINE BRAND.

Tips:

Choose a unique name: How many people have an artist name that begins with "lil"? A LOT. It is important to create a unique online brand for yourself and your music. You must treat yourself and your brand like a company would. It is also not enough to just have a unique name, now you must create a unique brand which includes everything from, your sound, style, and language. Once you do this, you must convey this message to your audience.

Create an online presence: These days everyone has the basics Myspace, Facebook, & Twitter but what about the hundreds of other sites. Do your homework and sign up for as many as possible. What about www.yourname.com? Do you have your own website? Its not that hard to get one made with little or no money. A personal professional looking website creates credibility, which will serve you well in the future.

Keep in Touch: Once you create you online presence, make sure you stay connected so people can reach you. Don't just set up a fan page, blog, or twitter account and leave it there collecting dust. Update it! but don't annoy people. There is a fine line between informing and destroying your fan base or reputation.

www.yourprosound.com
1 Artist 1 Beat