Posted: May 20, 2019

Category: Fundraising

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**Guest post written by Dave Cool, Director of Artist & Industry Outreach at Bandzoogle, originally featured on Hypebot.com.

 

"The demise of PledgeMusic and the hundreds of musicians left in its wake are a sadly familiar story for music industry veteran Dave Cool of Bandzoogle. "The company takes on millions in investment to support rapid growth," writes Cool. "Flashy headlines ensue." But when things fall apart, too often it's the unsuspecting musicians that suffer."

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Posted: May 6, 2019

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest post written by Dave Cool, an excerpt from Bandzoogle’s free online guide "How to make a website for your music".

 

"If you’re actively promoting a new album or looking to book more gigs, you’ll need to have a specific EPK or Press Kit section on your website to centralize information for media and bookers. With an EPK page, they can quickly find all the details they need. So here are the essential elements to include in your EPK..."

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Posted: Apr 30, 2018

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest post written by Melanie of Bandzoogle.com.

 

"It’s no secret that in order to appear professional, your own website with your own .com address is essential. So what ingredients make for a great musician website exactly? You’ve got the music of course, some images, videos, and show dates. Pulling together content is an easy first step. The part where many musicians get stalled is with the website’s design..."

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Posted: Feb 19, 2018

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest post written by Allison S. of Bandzoogle.com.

 

"The best way to keep fans focused on you is through your own custom website. A website puts the focus on you and your music. It’s easy to build a website, but how do you know if you did it right? Let’s take a look at the most common ways bands win and lose with their website."

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Posted: Jul 3, 2017

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Paula Tolly, one half of the Boca Raton based Americana duo 33 Years.

 

"Did your bass player just move out of town? Are you broke and can’t afford the next photo shoot? Looking for a way to make a bigger online splash?? Don’t fret! Here are a few DIY Band Fixes that you can try RIGHT NOW before your next gig."

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Posted: Jun 26, 2017

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Canadian entertainment lawyer Byron Pascoe, originally featured on Bandzoogle.com.

 

"Before signing a contract with a label, it’s important to understand what you’re signing. When I’m reviewing a record label agreement for an artist, it’s not uncommon for there to be a number of “red flags” – warnings to watch out for in the agreement and/or the relationship with the label. The following list (in no particular order) provides some common red flags to keep in mind..."

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Posted: May 15, 2017

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest post written by Melanie Kealey of Bandzoogle.

 

"...when someone gets to your band’s page, you want to be sure to grab their attention right away...You want to make sure they find the most important information. Their eyes will gravitate towards text and a button. With this in mind, make it count by adding a call-to-action."

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Posted: Mar 13, 2017

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest post written by Wes of Bandzoogle.com.

 

"SEO is one of those mysterious and challenging topics for musicians who want to use search engines to promote their music, and who understand how powerful it can be. If SEO matters to you, but you're not sure where to start or how to do it: we have something great to give you..."

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Posted: Oct 3, 2016

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest post written by Melanie Kealey of Bandzoogle.com.

 

"What is key to a great music website? An engaging, easy to scan, music page, with lots of songs to listen to. It should reflect who you are as a musician, and offer lots of options for your listeners in an organized way."

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Posted: Aug 23, 2016

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Bandzoogle.com.

 

"One of the biggest challenges facing musicians is generating income. Although sales of recorded music have dropped significantly, there are many new sources of income available to musicians. Bandzoogle have put together a free eBook called “23 Ways Musicians Can Make Money” to help musicians and bands find ways to generate more money for their careers."

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Posted: Apr 4, 2016

Category: Merch

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**Guest Post written by Jon Ostrow, Director of Sales at Bandsintown, Founder of MicControl, lover of all things music, a raging Phish head, and a coffee addict. Also featured on Bandzoogle.com.

 

"Bandzoogle members have now crossed $20 Million in direct-to-fan sales through their websites (commission-free!). This comprehensive guide will show you how to set up an online merch store for your own band, and give you some ideas for the different types of merch you can sell to your fans."

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Posted: Feb 29, 2016

Category: Show Booking

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**Guest Post written by Dave Cool of Bandzoogle.com.

 

"I spent three years as program director for two venues here in my home city of Montreal, overseeing 500 shows during that time. Here are 5 ways that you can impress venue bookers and give yourself the best chance to get more gigs..."

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Posted: Jan 18, 2016

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest Post written by Melanie Kealey of Bandzoogle.com.

 

"So you're looking to continue to improve the SEO for your band's website...One of the most important things you can do to help with your website’s SEO is link building...the more high-quality websites that link to yours, the higher your website will place in search engine results."

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Posted: Nov 30, 2015

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest Post written by Dave Cool of Bandzoogle.com.

 

"...it can be difficult as an independent musician to determine the best path to take for long-term growth and success. Ultimately this crossroads is met with three separate avenues: DIY (Do It Yourself), Independent Label, or Major Label. There are pros and cons to each avenue, which should be weighed carefully against what type of musician / band you are and how you expect to see growth."

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Posted: Oct 19, 2015

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest Post written by Dave Cool of Bandzoogle.com.

 

"There are many different kinds of people that will be visiting your website, but likely for different reasons. These include your current fans, potential new fans, as well as media, bloggers, bookers, and other industry folks...To make it easy for media and industry to find the information they need (and quickly), the best thing to do is create a Digital Press Kit section on your website..."

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Posted: Sep 8, 2015

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest Post written by Melanie Kealey of Bandzoogle.com.

 

"Making your website rank well in search engines can seem like a daunting task...Even starting with a few small things can help with the search engine optimization (also called SEO) for your website. Let’s look at a few quick ways to update the text on your website to help it rank better in search results!"

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Posted: Mar 3, 2015

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest Post from Dave Cool, from Bandzoogle.com.

 

"Your website should be a place fans enjoy visiting to get your latest news, hear your latest music, watch your videos, and shop from your online store. Here are some things to avoid that could be turning fans away from your site for good..."

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Posted: Dec 9, 2014

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest Post from David Dufresne, from Bandzoogle.com.

 

"The Internet is a big and scary place. When you're a musician and your focus is to practice, write and perform, figuring out where to spend the little time and money you have left for an "online strategy" can be confusing. Many bands we've met tell us that they see it as a real challenge. Here are some reasons why I think [owning your own .COM] is necessary..."

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Posted: Oct 7, 2014

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest Post from Bandzoogle.com.

 

"We cannot overstate the importance of photos when it comes to your website. In fact, we often tell bands that they should spend more money on professional photos than on their website. Great photos can create a positive first impression for potential new fans, as well as for industry and media. But if the images on your website look unprofessional, chances are, people won’t take you or your music seriously..."

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Posted: Jul 21, 2014

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest Post from Bandzoogle.com.

 

"When reviewing websites for musicians, we generally break down the reviews into 3 categories. For each category, there are certain key things that we look out for...So here’s our 16-point band website assessment checklist to measure how your website is doing..."

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Posted: Jan 27, 2014

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest Post from Bandzoogle.com.

 

Bandzoogle has released a free eBook called "Building Your Website: A Step­-By-­Step Guide for Bands and Musicians”. Whether you’re building a new website, or looking to improve your current one, the eBook offers tons of tips to help you make an effective website for your music.

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