Project Opus

How to promote your band and music online

Submitted by novamusic on Fri, 2008-07-11 18:47.
Category: Editorial

So you want more plays and sales on Project Opus? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, especially now that summer is kicking in, but for musicians to see the real benefit of Project Opus – work is required.

I'll try to keep this as straightforward as possible and if you want further information about indie music marketing please see this mini-reference book.

I usually tell people to go for a walk in their downtown entertainment district to get an idea of the competitiveness of the music industry. On this walk, pretend you are not a musician or don't work in the music business. On the first pass walk like you are going somewhere, don't look around unless something catches your eye. Pretend you are late for a meeting. At the end of a few blocks try to remember what music marketing you remember. Not much, eh? Now take the same walk in reverse and this time look for music marketing. It's everywhere – fliers, stickers, posters, billboards – all the way from indie to major artists. Now combine this with all the other advertising in the world – everything from diapers to vacation deals. Trust me – it's like waking up and realizing you are in the Matrix. The average person doesn't actually see advertising anymore – in order to cope we actually filter it out. So, the indie band down the street is not your competition – the entire world of advertising is your competition.

Don't be afraid – you will soon learn how to dodge bullets. I am not telling you this to depress you – more to let you know what you have to consider when marketing your music on any level. You have to reach through the massive amounts of advertising that already exists on the internet and in real life. The internet is the cheapest way to be prolific and Project Opus has great tools to help you, but as with all music discovery websites, it is up to you to direct traffic towards your music. As your popularity grows on those sites, your profile will become more popular on its own.

Here is a basic strategy everyone should use:

Step 1 Upload your music and customize it.

Look like a pro – put up good photos, not ones taken with your webcam. Write up a bio and make sure it contains some info that is truly interesting – your bio is your opportunity to tell us something neat about you.

Customize your player. Under the Edit Music tab there is a section call Opus Players. Using the dimensions they specify, create an image that fits. If you know a little graphic design that helps, but if you don't, simply get a really good band photo and crop it to fit those dimensions. Use this opportunity to make this player your own.

Step 2 Strategize.

A good strategy is to make one page on the net your home page and then have your links bounce from there. I either prefer the official website or myspace. If you are your own web programmer or have one on the speed dial then opt for the official space. If you don't, then use your myspace. In this way, you can market one site and build traffic on all your sites. For example, on a flier you could have "Go to www.myspace.com/dnahq for a free download!" then put a big bold link to your Project Opus site and redirect your fans to that page to get your free download.

This is an example of a flier we have been using for DNA6, we have been using the PO mainpage link, as well as our website links ...

This generic flier is something all bands should have. Print lots of them and give them away at shows, on the street, put them in coffee shops, etc. Get someone to go through audiences at festivals, etc and give fliers away. Or, make the front a cool sticker and the back has all your info on it. Whatever you can afford.

Step 3 Link-back.

Now start placing your music all over the web. On the Home tab, you will see your music player to the right of your bio. Click on "Embed this collection" on the bottom of the player and it will take you to the embed code. Copy and paste the embed code into your myspace or website.