Bands: don’t put all your eggs in one MySpace basket.
Here is my standard advice to bands in regards to dealing with social networking sites like MySpace.
A few bands I know have as their singular Web presence their MySpace Page. A really bad idea, IMO. I’m NOT saying that you shouldn’t use MySpace at all—it’s a great tool for promotion—that’s not really in despute. I use it myself. But what I’m saying is DON’T make it the ONLY place on the web where your band can be found. Here are some reasons not to and my next post will be what I think is a much better strategy for promoting your band online (using myspace and other web services).
1. You Don’t own your MySpace Page.
MySpace can and does delete user profiles often without notice or an obvious reason. If you are using MySpace as your bands only web site and this happens you are shit out of luck. If you also have a real web site that is hosted on a paid server, then you aren’t necessarily SOL. If you aren’t paying for a real web site on a paid host then do it now. It ain’t that hard and not that expensive. The cost is less than 2 beers a month. Give up 2 beers a month for tour piece of mind.
2. MySpace wants you to host all your media with them.
Have lots of photos on Photobucket, or Flickr embedded on your MySpace page? Guess what? MySpace can easily block these services to force you into hosting all your media with them. In fact they just started playing hardball with Photobucket. Put a few choice photos on your MySpace page but host the rest on your own paid for web space. Embed them on MySpace from there. Yeah MySpace could block that too, but it’s not very likely.
3. Looks like shit
MySpace profiles all look the same (more or less) and they all look like shit. There are a lot of reasons for this, but it’s a fact. I can’t help but think that using MySpace as your only web site degrades your bands image on at least one or many levels.
4. MySpace is slow and it breaks a lot
You know it, I know it. Enough said.
5. MySpace us only as useful as the number of people using it
What happens when the day comes that there is a mass mirgration from MySpace to the next new hot social network and you’re fully invested and only invested in MySpace? Yeah you can move too. But if you have a real web site you can keep your fans updated on all the services you participate in right there, on your page, that you own.
6 … So what am I missing? Can you think of any other good reasons bands shouldn’t use MySpace as their only web presence? Am I wrong? Tell me in the comments.
Next I’ll lay out my online band promotion tool kit.
I completely agree. I check in on the bands I’ve got linked on MySpace only occasionally. I view a real website as the first best place to get info. When I find a new artist I’m interested in and they only have a MySpace page I assume they aren’t serious and probably won’t be around in 6 months. That’s not always true, but it is better than 50% of the time. In addition a lot of workplaces block sites like MySpace, so you’re locking out anyone who primarily accesses the internet from work.
Yes! Thats another good reason. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that because my job blocks MySpace too.
Bands can upload more songs to their Podshow.com page… actually I think it’s unlimited, AND they can sell them there, too.
BTW, the Vultures had their MySpace page completely disappear last month and had to build a new one (and starting adding friends all over again) from scratch. Ashley was pissed.
Mmmm… eggs.
You’re absolutel right and another reason not to have Myspace be your only web presence is that there are people out there who despise the idea of Myspace. Those people will typically refuse to check you out if they have to do it on Myspace.