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The 7 Best Websites for Selling & Promoting Your Music.

September 27th, 2008

The music business has always been a competitive place. With the introduction of music on the internet, and the overflow of music related websites, there is more competition than ever out there. Modern day bands need to be a least a little web savvy if they hope to succeed on any level. Below is a list of 7 of the best websites where bands can sell and promote their music.

01. Tunecore.com

Tunecore is possibly the most important website independent bands need to be aware of. Tunecore is a website built for artists by artists. It allows any band to upload and sell their music online with a number of retailers like: iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Napster, Emusic, and many more. There is a one-time registration fee per album. As well, there is a yearly storage fee for each album. The thing that makes Tunecore so great is the fact that they take none of your sales royalties from any of your albums. As well, they are a great one-stop-shop for a number of related products for musicians. If you only check out one link on this list, make sure it is Tunecore.
Sign Up for a Free TuneCore Account

02. Myspace.com

Myspace was the originator for allowing indie bands to promote themselves online. They have fallen to the wayside a little bit in the past year due to all the new competition. However, they recently announced a new program to allow artists to sell their music through the website which might help put them back on top. Myspace is still the place to be if you are an indie band looking for exposure online.
Register your band profile today at Myspace.com

03. Last.fm

Last.fm is currently my favorite online music website. In the past year, they have put a major push on growing their business and they are setting themselves up to be the new power-house music website on the net. I’m particularly fond of their downloadable player that integrates with iTunes and returns excellent music recommendations. Last.fm already has a program in place that allows bands to sell their music online through the website.
Register your band profile today at Last.fm

04. Facebook.com

About a year ago, Facebook introduced pages to the general public. With the new Pages app came the ability to create a band page for your group. The design and functionality of the band pages is up to par with what you would expect from Facebook. One of the best features is the ability to setup an event/show and invite all your friends. You also have the ability to stream music on your page and link to online stores like iTunes where fans can buy your music.
Register your band page today at Facebook.com

05. Virb.com

As a designer, I love, love Virb.com. Their layout is in my top 5 for favorite websites. Besides being aesthetically pleasing, it is also extremely easy to use. If you are familiar with CSS, you can customize your page to your hearts content. The only knock on Virb.com is that I don’t think it is as popular as other websites like last.fm and myspace.com. However, I’m a true believer in taking the effort (and 10 mins) to setup an account profile on every music related website out there. You never know where your fans are going to come from. Virb.com also gives you the option of streaming music and directing your viewers to an outside online store to purchase your music.
Register your band profile now at Virb.com

06. PureVolume.com

PureVolume.com is similar to Virb.com in that it is a visually appealing website, but I’m not sure if it has as many users as sites like Last.fm. Even though it shares many of the same features, it is still worth creating a profile. When someone types your band name into google, you want as many relevant links to pop-up as possible. A good way of doing this is registering a band profile at as many of these websites as possible.
Register your band profile now at PureVolume.com

07. AmieStreet.com

If you are new to selling your music online, AmieStreet.com is a great place to start. Their pricing model is based on plays and downloads. When you first add your music, the cost will be fairly low ($0.05 per song). As people listen and purchase your music, the price of your album goes up. This can be a great tool for competing with other bands and musicians. It allows you to see how your online promotions are working as the price of your song(s) move up. I would definitely recommend this service to unsigned indie bands.
Register your band profile now at AmieStreet.com

This brings my first music based post to an end. Was this information useful? I know it’s a little bit outside the scope of the website, but it is a subject that I care about. I’m hoping there is an audience within our web community that also cares about building their band without the help of record labels. Please let me know your thoughts. Also, if you have a minute, please check out my band at oneyedjacks.ca. You can also check out my solo material on facebook.com. If there is an audience for this type of post, I’ll be happy to write future posts on other ways you can promote your band online.

Tags: facebook, last-fm, marketing, music, myspace, purevolume, socialmedia, socialnetworking, tunecore, virb