What to include in your band website

April 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

You now have your band web hosting and domain name sorted, you have a good web designer, but what pages should include?

  • Home Page: This is the first page most visitors will see, have interesting content linking to other areas of the site.
  • Biography: Include the band story, members story, influences, equipment etc..
  • Contact Details: Band members, Booking, management and any other relevant people such as the webmaster.
  • Gig Listings: Dates with the gig information – ticket price, venue information, directions/map.
  • Gallery: It’s good to have as many good pictures as you can, use thumbnails linking to full size images, maybe have a fan folder too.
  • Links: Remember to use text links and alt tags on banners to help with SEO
  • Blog: Showing the latest news and updates, an rss feed is essential, Remember to keep it updated regularly.
  • Downloads & Merchandise: MP3s, video, images, photos, lyrics/music tabs, t-shirts, stickers, badges…
  • Reviews: Include as many as you can find (even the bad ones). If you don’t have any Don’t write your own.
  • Lyrics: This will help people to know your music and sing along at gigs feeling more part of the live experience
  • Press Pack: include, Biography, Press Release, Photos,  Demo, Copyright and contact information.

Get committed to creative web design with ASYLUMseventy7.

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Band promotion: Press Packs

February 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The main idea of a press pack is to be attention grabbing. Presenting your bands information in an interesting way that gets the full attention of managers, labels, Gig Promoters, Venues, Labels, Press (on and off line), Radio DJs and anyone else in the music industry.

Sending a hard copy of your press pack is much better than sending an email with your Myspace/soundcloud URL.

Press Packs should 
include:

  • band name
  • genre
  • email address
  • website URL and social media links.
  • Photographs
  • CD/DVD
  • Business Card
  • A small bio not your life story.

Band name: This is obvious, no need to explain this one :p

Genre: Keep it simple and not overly confusing with really bizarre sub-genres only your band has heard of “coat-hanger chutney thrash,” ” lollypop jazz grind” and  “sub yogurt crunk”

Email address: It is best to use your Manager’s if you have one, Also using a band domain email address (such as contact@yourband.co.uk) will help show you are a committed band

Website URL and social media links: Having your own domain website will show you are a committed serious band. Include your Myspace as well as a couple of your other social network URLs showing how you interact with fans but don’t go overboard and list 100′s!

Photographs: Get a professional to take some photos of the band for press and promo purposes as well as using a professional for some strong live shots, you will see the difference! (photos at 300dpi +)

CD/DVD: You shouldn’t judge a CD by it’s cover but… make a good first impression by taking a bit of time over the packaging and presentation. Include 2 or 3 tracks and lead with your strongest song! Most people will only give you a minuet to impress them, remember they are getting loads of songs thrown at them everyday by loads of bands.

Business Card: This is good to have included so promoters, managers, venues and labels have your contact details to hand on a pin board or on file with out taking up to much room.

A short bio of the band: This should be kept short. Your target is only after a brief intro to the band, your style, aesthetic and not your bands favorite foods and first pet. If you think they may want more just wet their appetite with a brief intro then direct them to your website where you can put a mini bio for each member and go into more detail if it is an interesting story.

  • Tip: Do your research and make sure you send your press pack to the right people.
  • Tip: It’s a good idea to contact the recipient of your press pack first, to find out if they want it, and how best to deliver it.
  • Tip: Create different versions for different targets.
  • Tip: Keep it simple and direct.
  • Tip: Make a PDF copy or single web page press pack for those not wanting a hard copy.
  • Tip: remember to double check spelling and grammar.

Contact me to get committed to a creative eye catching press pack.

Read more on press packs and what to include here (Via www.unsignedbandpromotion.com)

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50 tips for band promotion

January 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Band promotion is one of the keys to success in the music industry, you need to get your band out there and heard by potential fans, promoters, managers, labels etc…

Here are my 50 top tips to promoting your music!

  1. Follow and get the @unsignedguide for lists of venues, promoters venues and help
  2. Join Myspace, start a Myspace group, start a band fan group/profile to support the main band page.
  3. Do the same with facebook
  4. Do the same with Twitter
  5. Regularly change your profiles avitar
  6. Network a lot, add friends, comment and @ people
  7. Tell your fans and followers about your website and social networks
  8. Join relevant forums and interact
  9. Start a blog and keep it up to date with your activities, good practis stories new songs etc
  10. Get a proper website and use your bands name for the URL
  11. Use your URL and social network URLs everywhere and on everything, CDs t-shirts, stickers etc..
  12. Start a street team to help promote your band and upcoming gigs.
  13. Start a mailing list.
  14. Take part in #MusicMonday on Twitter.
  15. Give away something for free.
  16. Give away exclusive material in return for joining a group.
  17. Run competitions where you give away merch in return for promo activity such as RTs.
  18. Sell cheap CDRs of your gigs.
  19. Make a video and put it on Youtube or VimioLook for keywords related to your genre and use them on your Website.
  20. Start a e-newsletter about your band and/or genre.
  21. have a facebook Share button on your site
  22. Have a tweet this button on your site
  23. Keep it all local to start with, and from this grow your fanbase out.
  24. Design your fliers with a striking image/artwork and the minimum of legible text.
  25. Brand your band!
  26. Make an  PDF Promotion Package.
  27. Optimize your band websites front page
  28. Link to other bands from your Website and blogs.
  29. Write a controversial and or political song.
  30. Ask your fans to retweet, share and talk about your music, blog, site etc
  31. See if your local record/music shop will give away your free CD/demo.
  32. Make a Shared promo CD with other local bands of the same genre
  33. publish your lyrics and tabs in a blog or eBook.
  34. Trade links with other bands and appropriate websites
  35. post fliers and posters around your town in local shops and venues
  36. Dress for your music genre
  37. Give away band t shirts to popular and cool members of your fan club to wear when they are out and about.
  38. Get some good band photos
  39. Get a strong band logo
  40. Look around for E-zines as well as Magazines looking for content.
  41. Ask your Myspace fan page to target venues, music magazines, other bands, promoters.
  42. have a lot of photos of fans, gigs, practising, nights out even, let the fans know you.
  43. Sell your band with your personallities, so have member band Twitter accounts too.
  44. Sell your music online.
  45. Ask friends, fans and family to text your gigs and releases.
  46. Make a link page with with reviews
  47. Let people know the kinds of events/gigs you’re happy to play next to your contact information.
  48. Search the web and Myspace for similar bands, make friends.
  49. Network with other similar bands for gig swops.
  50. Follow me on Twitter @ASYLUMseventy7 I usually retweet and help out where I can :)

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Marketing your music

January 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Whether you’re in a band, a manager, producer, sound engineer, promoter, or in music marketing and PR, it all comes down to contacts, and the best place to start is with a marketing strategy.

There are several steps you should follow.

  • Step one: Have something to market!

“The fist bite is with the eye”

A band logo is a key factor in getting your band noticed and remembered. Think of the Iron Maiden logo, or Areosmith, Oasis, Megadeth, or NIN, their logos are known all over the world.

Band photos are also a strong visual element to band identification, Think of the press pictures from your favorite bands, you don’t need to listen to the music to know what style and sound they are going for. for example you wouldn’t see a photo of black metal band Emperor and think its going to be in the same style and sound as Mumford and sons and vice versa.

CD album artwork and design can all be tied into the look of the band and carry alot of weight in identifying with your fan base. think of Cannibal corpse, Fear factory and Queens of the stone age album covers and their strong visual relationship with the music genre they inhabit.

  • Step two: Get online.

Next you need a place to direct people to hear your music and see your band so sort out a band website and social media.  There are lots networking sites to choose from these are the 4 most popular and  therefore get your message to the largest audience.

Remember to include your band logo, Photos and music where possible, a small bio and of cause up to date contact information. If you don’t have a website yet, use MySpace or Facebook as your link, remembering to change it when you have a .com/.co.uk/whatever domain hosted site.

  • Step three: Get networking and find some good contacts!

You can have the best songs and the strong coherent look of a top signed touring band, but if you don’t have any decent contacts and fans you’re not going anywhere fast. The way to do this is with a good strong marketing plan, just like you would in any other business venture.

Here are some of the basic guidelines to help you get started.

  • Know who your future fans are.
  • Know where your future fans are.
  • Know who can help you.
  • Know where you can find help
  • Know who your competition is.
  • Know where your competition is.

There are many types of marketing you can use and you will need to focus on in your marketing plan. The three main types are…

  • Brand marketing,
  • Promotional marketing,
  • Online marketing.

I plan to go into these and other helpful tips and advice over the coming weeks in this new series of band/music promotion, information and advice.

If you have any questions on anything in this or future articles feel free to contact me.

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Eva Poet joins the web

December 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I have just finished and published a new website design for acoustic band Eva Poet take a look.

And look out for more from them very soon as they have just got back from the studio recording their new album.

Taking influence from many household names such as Katie Melua, Colbie Caillat, Jack Johnson and Newton Faulkner, Eva Poet has gone on to develop a distinct style – adding beauty, realism and depth to their songs.

Expect this group to explode on to the acoustic scene and take it by storm. Eva Poet believe the sky is the limit, and this is reflected in the music and the emotion portrayed by the young talented Eva .

“What’s starts now doesn’t end tomorrow” and this is the start of something special.

You can also find Eva Poet on:

Find more music artwork and design by ASYLUMseventy7

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You know you’re a graphic designer when…

October 28, 2010 By 1 Comment

a blog for fun

Just a few signs you may be a graphic designer and not just a loony! Sourced from around the wonderful world wide internetty web type thing! [1] [2] [3]

  • You organize your CD collection according to the Pantone chart.
  • You’ve destroyed a great design idea/concept because the client thought they know best.
  • You’re up ’til 5am because you came up with the best idea ever while brushing your teeth.
  • Activating your entire font collection makes your computer crash – and you’re running OSX.
  • You see Apple products and you are like “OMG… IT’S SHINY!!!”
  • Your blood pressure increases drastically when you see someone using the Comic Sans font.
  • You HATE Comic Sans (just to be really sure!)
  • You like Helvetica but you think it is absolutely unnecessary to use it everywhere.
  • Just by the mere sight of Drop Shadow, Lens Flare and Bevel effect, you have a nervous breakdown.
  • You see a typeface in a Logo and you go, “What if…..”
  • If you lay your eyes on a board sign, you immediately start to wonder, “Is that Helvetica or Arial?”
  • You get excited when a non-designer asks you to explain your works and eventually get bugged trying to make him understand.
  • You have subscribed to nearly 50 RSS feeds.
  • You know all the shortcuts by heart and can work in Photoshop blindfolded.
  • Your Bookmark collection is begging for mercy.
  • You get seriously MAD when someone uses Typeface and Font interchangeably.
  • You get totally pissed when you realize the free Photoshop brushes you downloaded are less than 1000px in size.
  • You’ve learned your lesson and stopped using the word ‘Final’ in any file name when saving.
  • You see HTML and CSS like Neo sees the Matrix.
  • When you look at an Album art, all you see are Grunge Photoshop Brushes (you notice the album art a few minutes later).
  • You giggle whenever you use the colours F0CCED, EFF0FF and 44DDDD.
  • You maintain a grid system for your refrigerator magnets.
  • You sit at work for eight hours straight just looking at your monitor, waiting for a spark of inspiration that doesn’t come.
  • You know Lorem Ipsum by heart.
  • Looking at a menu makes you go “hmmm, ITC Baskerville italic” rather than “mmmm, lunch!”
  • “cmd + Z is the first thing you think of when you drop something.

Feel free to add your own in the comments section below :)

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Roll up roll up, welcome to the new ASYLUM.

July 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Roll up, roll up and welcome to the only ASYLUM of its kind in the world; the place where insanity and creativity meet.

Well, ok, it’s not a proper asylum but it is my asylum, my world and universe to let my creativity, madness and lust for all things art and design related to run free.

This is my new site and my first official blog post to welcome you all, new and old, sane and insane. I will be updating this blog with new work, doodles, advice, FAQs, behind the scenes, as well as some guest blogs and all sorts of other things, stuff, competitions, bits and maybe more insane waffle.

ASYLUMseventy7 Blog spacer

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