IOTM Blog
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..." View Full Article
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." View Full Article
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..." View Full Article
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." View Full Article
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."
View Full ArticlePosted: 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." View Full Article
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..." View Full Article
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." View Full Article
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." View Full Article
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..." View Full Article
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!" View Full Article
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..." View Full Article
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..." View Full Article
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..." View Full Article
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..." View Full Article
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. View Full Article