Musicadium Blog

At Musicadium, we get a lot of requests for assistance with MySpace. Below we have posted some of the top questions we get from clients.Hopefully thee will help you get you started on your way of making MySpace - your space.
How do I become a featured artist on MySpace?

Please send MySpace an email stating you are interested in becoming a featured artist and they will have a representative contact you.

How do I add color, graphics, & sound to my Profile page?

Adding color, graphics and sound to your MySpace profile page is easy and requires only a basic knowledge of HTML (the programming language used to create web pages on the Internet). Simply go to “Edit Profile” and enter the desired HTML coding where appropriate.If you do not know HTML, you can reach out and make a new friend by asking someone who has color, graphics, and/or sound on their Profile page how they did it. Musicadium strongly suggests you add your iTunes link HTML in your MySpace. See our article for more help Make a link to your album on iTunes.

How do I add a song from a Myspace artist to my profile? How do I remove it?

Adding a song is easy. Visit Myspace Music (http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music) and find a song you want to add. If the artist has given permission to share the music, you’ll see an “Add” link next to the song. Click “Add” and the song will play on your profile! Only one song can be added to your profile at one time.If you want to change songs, simply find another song and click “Add.”

To remove the song, go to Home >> Edit Profile >> Profile Songs and click “Delete.”

More Help

These and more MySpace help FAQ’s can be found at MySpace’s Help area http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=misc.faq or contact them at http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=misc.contact

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Choosing an album cover is a critical part of the process of releasing an album. A good album cover can entice listeners in and add atmosphere and context to the music. Sure, in a world of file sharing, the album cover might be less crucial but music in its live and recorded formats still has en enormous visual element.

On that note, it is with pleasure that Musicadium counts down its top 5 BEST and top 5 WORST album covers of all time.

Enjoy.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

We have written previously here about the value of a good myspace page.

A good myspace page is essential, have no doubt. But new research by Yahoo has revealed that music fans are heading to Wikipedia to find out about bands more than they are heading to myspace.

According to the study: “after searching for a band name music fans head to a band’s Wikipedia page, searching there twice as often as they go to the band’s MySpace page.”

So what does that mean for you?

Simple: cover all bases. Have a great myspace and a comprehensive wikipedia entry. That way everyone’s happy.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

You know those cool little logos that are links to your album on iTunes? Well you create them by yourself using the ITunes Link Maker.

The logo looks like this:

The iTunes Link Maker is an online tool that you can use to generate links to any artist, song or album available on the iTunes Music Store.

How do I incorporate the link into my web page?

The link can be treated just like any other link within a web page, MySpace, Facebook, email signature etc. Use the code to get the word out about you!

iTunes Link Maker

Go to http://www.apple.com/itunes/linkmaker/ to start publicing your release on iTunes!

Want to know more, go to the Apple FAQ page http://www.apple.com/itunes/linkmaker/faq/

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Are you interested in using press releases to promote your band? It’s not impossible, or even too hard to distribute your own press releases. Below is a list of 5 steps for more effective free press release distribution:

1. Choose a few free press release distribution sites. Choose which sites to use based on which ones will get the release added to news engines. Just because some bigger distribution sites charge for this service,
     it does not gurantee they will get picked up.
    
2. Send your release to the Associated Press. It never hurts to try… and if they think your release is newsworthy, you might get some other media coverage out of it too. Just email or fax the release to the appropriate editor, writer, or region depending on your location and area.
    
3. Local News! Send your releases to your local newspaper, street press or other media and put a local spin on your release. It won’t  take you too long to add a local spin to the introduction or headline of the  press release. Send it to the most relevant journalist or editor at your local paper. Smaller papers especially love it when a local is doing anything remotely newsworthy. Try to build a relationship with the editor or writer whenever  possible while you’re at it, send them or the photgrapher free tickets  to your gig!
    
4. Send it directly to niche or industry outlets. If you know of the top blogs, magazines, or websites in your musical niche, see if they have press release submission guidelines and submit it directly to them. Work on the bigger ones first and submit to as many as you have time for. If you get bigger pickups, they’ll often lead to smaller niche blogs etc copycatting the story anyway. Again, try to build relationships if you can.
    
5. Add your press releases to your own website, Facebook, MySpace or blog. This so often ignored or neglected! Some artists say they don’t  want duplicate content on their site. But who the hell cares about duplicate
     content? Maybe it’s just us, but we thought the purpose of a press release  was to bring exposure to your band! On top of putting your news out to your  regular readers, fans, or visitors, it also allows you to archive your releases  for journalists who visit the site wanting to learn more about your band.  If you don’t have a press room or at least a press release archive,  we suggest you add one! And when it’s on your site, you can take that  opportunity to add all the little social media tools that are relevant, add  commenting (especially if it’s on a blog), add it to del.icio.us, or  Digg it , Facebook, MySpace etc.

So there you go. There’s no need to use expensive agencies or other sites  to distribute your press release for you. If you’re feeling independently-inclined,  give it a go and get that release and your band out there! You’d be surprised  at how effective a little direct involvement can be in press release distribution  and media relations as a whole.

Here is a big list of free press release distribution sites we have found over   time:

Now go start writing

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

1. Readable text

You can’t read what you can’t see. So many myspace pages are destroyed by putting hard to read text over an incompatible background photo. Make sure your text is easily readable, easily accessible and logically set out.

2. Strategically placed Top Friends

This is the same principle as the one that worked in high school. Hang with the cool kids and you’re likely to be slapped with the ‘cool’ tag, regardless of your actual status. Make sure your top friends include bands that you, and your fans, love. It’s ok to have a few real friends scattered in there but strangers to your site aren’t interested in meeting your best mates Macker and Sheree, they want to know what bands you sound like, love and associate yourselves with.

3. Optional Music

MAKE THE MUSIC OPTIONAL! Myspace sites that blare music the second they are loaded make the blood boil and will result 9 times out of 10 in your page being closed. Let people choose if they want to hear your music.

4. A good band photo/logo

Don’t try and be quirky with this one. Have a decent band photo or a well designed logo as your profile pic. Loaves of bread, photoshopped movie posters and Paris Hilton pics are all no-nos.

5. Links to your stuff

If you have merch, music on iTunes or a physical CD to sell, make sure you have nice, clear links for people to purchase. If they are on your page, you have their attention. Now you need to make it seamless for them to purchase your creations.

On this point, here are two myspace pages that work:

http://www.myspace.com/thequills
http://www.myspace.com/scottedgarandtheuniverse

And two that don’t work quite so well:

http://www.myspace.com/jimmbay1
http://www.myspace.com/cowboy007b

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

1. Stick around after every show and mingle with your fans.
   Get them talking about their favourite music, their favourite songs of yours, their favourite venues and their favourite record stores. All this information is invaluable in shaping you as a band and understanding how to
   access your fanbase.
2. Give your true fans free demos, cheap merchandise, free entry, and their names on the door and exclusive updates.
   Make them feel a part of something. Make them feel a part of your band.
3. Keep it personal.
   When fans email or MySpace you, write a personal reply. Whenever possible, keep it personal. Avoid blanket mail outs at all costs. That just makes true fans feel like strangers. Send 50 personalised messages to 50 people. I promise you that works better than sending 1 impersonal message to 1000 people.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

True fans is what every band needs. 

You will know that previously on the Musicadium Blog we have alluded to the fact that the first goal for any independent band should be attracting 100 true fans to your show every time you play.

But what is a true fan?

First, a true fan will come and see you play live.  Regardless of taxis, public transport, 3am lockouts, expensive drinks and temperamental bar staff, a true fan will always come and see you live (and often be willing to pay for the experience).

Second, a true fan will buy your album, your EP, your single or your merch.  A true fan is a fan willing to part with their hard-earned for a creation of yours.

Third, a true fan will tell their friends how good you are.  This is the number one most important factor in generating a buzz.  Have true fans telling friends who become true fans who tell friends and so on. 

So then, what are you doing to generate true fans?

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Your first gig, when it happens, will be at a great venue.  There will be a cover charge.  You will do reasonable press beforehand.  You will have a VIP list and a guest list. You will have some combination of local journalists, local managers and local booking agents present and you will be hoping like hell it’s a flawless performance.

For all these reasons, you should never make your first gig your first gig.  If it is, chances are you will suck.  And all those people who you need to convince about how good your music is will be let down.

So while you’re getting started, don’t be shy to play any and every gig that comes your way.  Be it a BBQ, a lawn bowls day, a crowded train station or the opening of a barn door on a windy day – make the most of the opportunity to develop your live show.

That way, when that first gig does roll around, it will be flawless.

(c) 2008 marklobo.com “Mr Rascal”

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

1. There’s a big difference between having a long list of email addresses and having a long list of true fans. A true fan is a fan who will pay to watch you play, buy your album and tell their friends about you. Make true fans, not a list of email addresses. And you know the best way to make a true fan? Play great live gigs and then go and meet the people you are playing for. Make them feel a part of something. For all the digital music revolution talk, your live gig is still the most important things for your band to create true fans.
2. You don’t need to get signed to be successful. There are thousands of bands making a living from music right now who exist outside the realms of the major labels. You can be one of those bands. You just need three things – great songs, a great live show and true fans. Keep it simple and you’ll go a long way.
3. Despite what you’ve heard, all the old rules of music still apply. You still need a great sound, a great dynamic in the band, a great live show and great fans. The delivery channels have changed but the hunger for great music has not.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites