Creating a Band Profile

One of the most effective ways for musicians to promote their band's music is through a band profile. Even if your band currently has a standalone website, creating a band profile at social networking sites such as Myspace and Virb can help bring more attention to your music. Think professionally when creating your profile. I have outlined a few important details which will help you create a successful band profile.

Content - Reach out to your fans and provide them with things they want to know. A good start is to write up a thorough biography of the band. Let your visitors know who you are and what you are about. Provide everyone with accurate and up to date information about each band member. Nobody wants old news, so staying up to date is important. Provide links to other websites and profiles that relate to your band, and be consistent with your content. If facts of your band differ between various sites, it becomes confusing to visitors. If you have a newsletter or street team for your band, offer the chance for visitors to sign up. A band newsletter is an excellent chance to provide fans with updates, promos, and giveaways. Try not to overload your page with intense and unnecessary graphics when creating content on your profile. Yes, certain graphics will look cool, but you want to have your site load as quickly as possible. Don't forget to mention any tour dates or upcoming shows you may be playing at. Provide accurate details of when, where, and how much tickets cost to your show.

Music - Most social networking and band profile websites will give bands the opportunity to upload a few songs. You must own or have the right to distribute all of the content you upload. This will be one of the most important things on your profile, since you are promoting your music. There usually is an option to allow your songs to auto-play once a visitor reaches your page. I suggest disabling the auto play feature, which you are able to do at most profile sites. It can be very

annoying to the visitor when music automatically starts blaring through their speakers, especially when they may already be listening to something else. Let visitors interact with your site and choose which songs they want to listen to. Your profile will give you an opportunity to showcase several tracks which a user can download. Most profiles will allow you to set a price for your down-loadable music. Offer the chance to download some tracks for free from time to time.

Photographs - Adding photographs of yourself and the band are crucial. People want to see who they are reading about and listening to. Now you don't have to bombard your page with photos of your life history, just a few photos will do. Add a nice mix of photos if possible. Promo photos, live photos, and studio photos always add a nice touch.

Contact Information - So many bands forget to provide contact information. Many visitors to your page might be promoters looking to book musicians for shows. They'll want to get in contact with you the easiest way possible, so make your contact info noticeable.

If you are able to create a profile including all of the details I have mentioned above, you are well on your way to gaining additional fans of your music. Below is a few websites where you can create a profile for your band. Visit each site to learn additional details.

Myspace

Virb

PureVolume

GarageBand

SoundClick

MusicForte