The Big Picture

Hi,

This post is called the big picture but I could have called it the bare minimum. Because if you're serious about promoting your music on the internet this is the bare minimum starting point.

A website
A mailing list
YouTube videos
A playlist widget with your songs
Pictures
MySpace, Facebook, etc.

- A website

The website is your home on the internet with your domain name. Registering a domain name costs $10 a year. This is the only thing on the list that has to cost money. So if you want to play along you can do it for free. (or for ten bucks)

Your website with your domain name is your Grand Central Station for your internet presence. You should be able to get to all your other sites from there with one click. All your other sites should link back to your domain. Think of it as the super home page for all of your web presence.

Your website should be your blog. Your fans log onto your website to find out what you have to say and what's new with you. This brings us to the major point of the big picture.

In order to promote your music on the internet you have to do the work. You can't pay someone to write blog posts for you, it doesn't work. You have to be the one responding to comments whether they are on your blog or your YouTube. You have to answer your email and write your newsletter.

The fans demand it. And they can tell.

For this blog I'm using WordPress.

- A mailing list

The mailing list is the goal. It is the key to internet marketing and promotion. Your fans want to hear from you and they will sign up for your mailing list. Emailing your fans directly is the greatest, most personal way to stay in touch. They can hit Reply and talk right back at you. These are your fans and your customers. Your mailing list is the most important asset for promoting your music on the internet. I use phplist for the Delta Boogie mailing list but for Larry Donn we set up the ReverbNation fanreach mailing list.

How do you get people to sign up? You ask them. It's that simple. Ask and they will join.

- YouTube videos

The internet was made for music videos. A YouTube account is free. If you don't have video equipment yourself enlist a friend with a camcorder. Chances are they already know how to make a YouTube video. Here's an article I wrote about it.

Make an internet video

Larry Donn has videos already but he wasn't able to get them ready for the internet. That's how I got started on this blog. By helping Larry Donn with his videos. He asked me about marketing his music on the internet and we took off from there. This blog grew out of our experience in setting up Larry Donn's web presence.

Larry Donn - Rockabilly Days

To promote your music on the internet you must have videos.

- A playlist widget with your songs

Most musicians already have audio recordings of their songs. You can post these at ReverbNation and load up a great widget that can be embedded on your websites and your friends sites.

ReverbNation

You should also record your live shows and post them at the Live Music Archive.

Live Music Archive

I use Creative Commons licensing for the songs and videos I post.

Creative Commons

- Pictures

Performance and promotional pictures might be more effective than audio and video files. At least if you have good pictures you are more likely to get someone to listen.

Be sure you also have several avatar pictures that look good small. This is the one thing you should be sure to upload to your social networks. A good avatar picture.

- MySpace, Facebook, etc

The social networks are great places to promote your work and meet fans and other musicians. I also like the ning sites and twitter. This is the deal. If you join their site they'll join your site. Simple reciprocity works.

Social networking sites do not substitute for the sites and services listed above. They are an addition to your web presence. By themselves they are very limited.

Always set up email notification so you get an email when someone leaves a message or a comment. Do this whenever possible. The funny thing about interenet promotion is that it's the personal touch that counts. When a fan gets a response from you they remember that.

- The big picture

So that's the big picture. A blog at your domain name. A ReverbNation mailing list and playlist widget. A YouTube playlist with your videos. Other social network, video, and music sites as well but they will center around your blog, mail list, audio, and video.

And you have to work at it. New text, new songs, new videos. If someone visits you last week and they come back this week you want something new for them.

Always something new is the secret.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry