5 Rules of Successful Myspace Music Promotion

The music and recording industry is overcrowded.  Hundreds of demos make their way into the mailrooms of the big recording studios every day.  Very few of these demos will ever lead to profitable recording contracts because the big record company executives know that they have recording artists over the barrel.  With such a huge surplus of talented musicians yearning for their big break, the big record executives are free to pick and choose who they sign and they don't always offer a fair deal to unknown artists.  It can quickly turn into a vicious cycle of submission and rejection.  Luckily, the unknown recording artists does have an edge in getting their name and music into the public eye.  That edge is MySpace.  To properly make use of the music promotion abilities of MySpace,  there are a few simple rules to follow.

Rule 1 -  Be social

People love to share their lives.  If you are willing to take the time to comment on other peoples profiles and share something besides your music with your network, you will quickly find that people are more willing to follow your climb up the ladder of successful recording.  It is great to promote your next performance or offer your CD for sale but don't make this the only thing you ever talk about.  Be human.  Let your network become your friends and they will become your fans too.

Rule 2 - Use lots of pictures

A picture is worth a thousand words so make sure yours tell the story of your recording career in the right light.  Do you have pictures of your latest recording session or live performance?  Make sure to upload them to your profile as soon as possible so your fans see that you are working and haven't went the way of the dinosaurs.

Rule 3 - Use the music player

MySpace offers a built in music player with customizable play lists.  Use this feature to help people find your sound.  Upload your songs and create a play list to showcase your bands skill.  Make this the default play list and include the media player on your profile page.  Everyone who visits your profile page will get the opportunity to listen to your latest song and even add it to their own music player play list.  You never know who will happen across your profile and have the connections to create your door into the music world.

Rule 4 - Be unique

MySpace offers a default profile background but why would you want to use that?  Your band has a unique sound.  Why would you want the same profile background as everyone else?  MySpace backgrounds are easily altered and changed so experiment a little.  Use tiled pictures of your band in the background or create an artistic background image that is eye catching and conveys a sense of your music.

Rule 5 - Be informative

Have you ever talked to someone who seemed to talk for days without saying anything meaningful?  Many MySpace profile read in the same way because people forget that this is their face to the online world.  In your MySpace page, don't fall into this trap.  Include information in your profile and status messages about what your band is doing professionally, upcoming concerts and CD releases.  Use the blog to keep fans updated on your bands progress and current news about your band.  Don't post status messages about what you had for breakfast, unless, of course, you just had a breakfast meeting with the president of RCA records.

In summary, MySpace is an excellent way to build a large fan base very quickly, taking you from being an unknown artist to a beloved musical institution.    Using the abilities of MySpace can help you gain the upper edge when dealing with recording companies.