Breaking Ground: Getting It Up On The Net
Author: Mikhal Norris
Welcome to the first of a two-part article about surfing the net to further your band. In this issue we will look at websites that will promote your band for free, and in the second part we will look at sites that can give your band advice and ideas of how to become superstars!!
The Internet is a great way to promote your band (as witnessed by the phenomenon of Steriogram's US signing), and many sites have useful sections that can help out your band. Trying to sum up all the NZ sites which can help out your band is an impossible task, so this is just a brief look at a few to get you started.
Part A: The Websites
Of course there is the recently relaunched NZ Musician website www.nzmusician.co.nz which caters for pretty much all your needs and includes a comprehensive band directory. It features a gig guide and info-based forum as well as updated news stories and back issues of the magazine.
As well as this amazing site there are -
Both these sites are focussed exclusively on NZ music of all genres. Again they have everything you could ask for; news, MP3s, interviews, reviews, a gig guide and a great message board.
New Zealand's first MP3-based site, which now offers streaming video and albums available to purchase as well as MP3s of new and established artists.
Loudmouth is an on-line gig guide, with information on every kind of gig you can imagine. It is a comprehensive listing which comprises all genres and gigs (big and small) from up and down the country. You can go onto their page and submit your gigs, or email them on listings@loudmouth.co.nz
A great indie NZ music site with news and articles on the music industry and the local scene.
A great site focused on all that is rock'n'roll indie and generally wonderful. A true e-zine with a selection of live reviews, pictures, a gig guide and anything else that will fit on.
And that is just the start!! There are so many good websites out there happy to put information about your band on their site and increase your profile.
Let's get specific
Apart from generic NZ music websites there is also a large number of specialist websites dedicated to a specific genre and a specialist scene in general. Here are just a few you may like to check out:
www.punkas.com is a great punk/ska site; www.biggie.co.nz and www.obscure.co.nz represent all that is dance; www.jazz.co.nz is self explanatory as are www.hiphopnz.com and www.hip-hop.co.nz - both supporting the ever growing hip hop scene here in NZ. Whatever music you play, there is likely to be a site out there for you.
Useful sections on websites
Gig Guide: Remember when you are sending websites information about your band, send the relevant information! This sounds basic, but if you are sending information about your gig make sure it is comprehensive and includes everything required. Gig Guides generally follow a specific structure, so go to the web page and check it out first. They will want the standard stuff (name of band, venue, time it starts, date and ticketing info), but may also like to know what you sound like (do not presume they already know), and contact details of how to get hold of you.
News: Has your guitarist recently had a drunken fit in a hotel room? Are you planning a tour? Most sites have a news section, so if you have anything newsworthy make sure you write up a press release and send it to the relevant websites.
www.nzmusician.co.nz, www.amplifier.co.nz, www.nzmusic.com, www.noizyland.com all keep very up to date news pages.
Band Bios: A great chance to get your bio and a hot picture of yourself on a website. Make sure the information is up to date and if there are any changes in the line up or sound of your band, go back to the site and have it all updated.
Message boards: Shamelessly promote your band, spread rumours, conjure up friendships with fans and people who will come along to your gig.
Reviews: Getting the much needed review of your band can sometimes prove difficult. Websites can often be a useful first step as many are quite happy to come along and check out a band who doesn't feature in the charts. Remember persistence (not stalking) is the key.
Links: If you have a smooth website or information on your band on a site; try to get links from other sites to go to yours.
MP3s: Some sites will even put your songs on their web pages! A great way for the adoring public to hear your music, download it and thrash it in their stereo before they rock up to your gig.
It is already very hard to summarise all the NZ music sites out there that are useful to your band, as there are just so many! Next issue is Surfing the Net: Part 2. We will look at internet sites that will give your band all those extra tips and titbits to lead you on to the road to success.
