Breaking Ground: Getting It Up On The Net Part Two
Author: Mikhal Norris
Welcome to Surfing the Net: Part 2. Here we have a look around the net and find websites giving out handy information and tips for FREE! The following is a quick glossary of useful websites offering a vast range of advice and resources.
Remember when using information from overseas sites that the information relates to their specific music industry and the same may not apply here in New Zealand. It is also worth noting some of the information found on these sites is opinion based and should be treated as such.
The new improved NZM website is a great place to find information related to our own industry. Various directories provide extensive information on studios, record labels, musical equipment, equipment brands and their distributors and a guide to educational institutions throughout the country. It also has an online forum and nationwide gig guide.
Auckland venue The Temple may have closed down but Karen q Temple is still sending out regular newsletters with all sorts of useful industry information that can prove difficult to track down. Her email newsletters include helpful information on venues currently looking for new acts, workshops happening around the country, employment in the arts and generally keeps you in the know. All this information is currently available for free and there are useful toolkits available for download on topics such as promoting, dealing with venues, accounting and everything else under the sun.
The website for the NZ Music Industry Commission. Inside you will find a local industry directory, industry news, touring resources and general advice. The Industry Directory in particular is invaluable and a great way to track down people in the industry and find out the different kinds of people/companies involved.
Visit Channel Z's 'Unsigned' and you will find a maze of easy to follow guides. These guides cover topics such as how to record a demo, marketing and promoting the band, getting a manager, gigging and important industry contacts. A great chance to see how a commercial radio station may respond to an unknown artist.
Sign up to Bob Baker's "The Buzz Factor" and two to three times a month you will receive a newsletter packed with music marketing tips, self-promotion ideas, and various tips and ideas designed to help out independent musicians. The emails do serve as a self promotion tool for his many books and the information is based on the American market BUT if you sift through this he certainly has a lot of fascinating things to say.
Christopher Knab's site does promote his books but within the site is a section of free monthly columns he has written over the years. Within these columns he covers almost every topic imaginable - definitely worth looking through.
Once you carefully sift through the advertisements and 'articles' of books to buy and you will find here another American website packed with useful information and ideas that you may of never thought of. Or, in their words, "... advice on A&R, record deals, getting gigs, getting promoted & getting signed".
MusicDish is an e-journal that, among other things, covers industry interviews, career tips, news, recommended reading, a weekly email newsletter - yet another maze of helpful information!
What sets this site apart from the rest is its Resource Centre which contains a comprehensive list of industry contacts. You can either look at all the contacts at once or click on the US map and get a run down of resources available in that state - great for anyone ambitious enough to tour the States. In addition there are some interesting feature articles and of course those much needed tips and ideas.
Not aesthetically pleasing but informative none the less. In their own words it is: "For independent musicians in the business of selling, promoting or doing music on the internet". A great site with an extraordinary number of articles to check out.
Well the name speaks for itself and inside this site you will find useful guides to starting a record label, recording, mastering, manufacturing, printing, sales/promotions and touring.
Just in case you are still searching the internet for ideas, within the Music Business Solutions webpage is their Musicians Resource Directory. It is split up into resources for musicians, performing and recording artists, composers and songwriters, industry careerists, technology careerists, and educators and music therapists. A great place to find even more avenues to explore on the internet.
Both these sites have information about their funding programmes as well as useful information about resources.
If you sell your CDs on this website they send you a huge document with multiple ideas for promoting and marketing your music.
This offers marketing tools and ideas to take your art further.
This site has useful newsletters you can sign up for re the international market.
Phew! I am sure that will keep you busy for a while. The internet is an endless source of valuable information, tips and advice for budding musicians so happy surfing. Ultimately you should do your own surfing and find information as no list of internet resources will be complete. Next issue we look at ways to get that much needed sponsorship deal.
Apologies are due to www.amplifier.co.nz - in the June/July edition of the magazine, the incorrect website for Amplifier was printed in the this column. We hope you clever NZM readers used your thinking caps and figured out the correct address but if you didn't - sorry, that was our mistake. In the same story indie New Zealand music site www.cheeseontoast.co.nz also had an incorrect address. Again, our apologies to those involved.
