Online marketing in the music business
24 Mar 2010
Brian Currin, a web marketing consultant with a passion for the South African music industry, addressed the physical side of digital and how artists can create a cost effective web presence on day two at the 2010 Music Exchange conference, 23 March 2010. His advice applies to all genres and most of the platforms he discussed are currently free of charge.
Brian Currin
Currin, in his presentation, described the number of free or "freemium" (free premium) platforms available to anyone with online access that may help build a brand - "a band is a brand" and in using these resources, “your only cost is your time,” says Currin.
Currin described the three elements any band or artist should aim to gain from online marketing:
1. Your fans need to be able to find you
2. They must be able to trust you
3. They must be able to engage with you
The three pillars of online marketing, according to Currin, are; content, SEO and social media marketing aka new media. Currin prescribes Wordpress as the way to go for blogging. Other suggested social media platforms include Twitter, Soundcloud and Fanbridge. With Facebook one should invest in maybe a profile page, but definitely a group (for the like-minded) as well as a page. Facebook pages allow you to view statistics on those who have registered as fans and you'll be able to grasp your demographic at ease.
Another online tool, that however isn't free, is to purchase a domain name. Having a website means being able to embed your blog and Twitter feeds, plus you can use Google Analytics to keep track of your stats. Currin mentioned another important point in running a website - make sure it is optimised for search engines or you will be lost in the information super highway. Go to www.seoworkers.com for more information.
Currin believes your music should always be available digitally - be it for sale, or as promotional free giveaways - the platforms he recommends are RhythmMusicStore.com, SAMP3.com or Channel24.
For more information, go to www.musicexchange.co.za.
About Sindy Peters
Sindy Peters (@sindy_hullaba_lou) is a group editor at Bizcommunity.com on the Construction & Engineering, Energy & Mining, and Property portals. She can be reached at moc.ytinummoczib@ydnis.
