After writing, recording, mastering and pressing - FINALLY, you have your CD in your hands. Now what? How do you let people know about the CD and about you? For independent artists, having a website for your project is the most powerful promotional tool you can invest in. YOUR website is YOUR platform to tell the world whatever you want. And we know you have something to say. That’s why you have this magazine in your hand in the first place. You want to get your message out to the world through your music. We’re going to break down the process of developing a musician’s website with some do’s and don’ts:

Domain Name: Register your performing name as your domain name (www.yourperformingname.com). You must make it as easy as possible for people to find you. Also, shop around, there are companies out there charging a fortune for domain name registration. Ask your web designer for some direction on this before you register.

Email Address: Always have your email address using your domain name, not hotmail or Sympatico, for example. Info@yourperformancename.com is usually the best way to go.

Less Is More: One very important rule for bands on the web is: don’t overdo it! Trust us when we tell you LESS IS MORE. You have to think of it in terms of a marketing campaign. What are the most successful marketing campaigns you see? The simplest ones. You should stick to a brief introduction, and then get right to the point. "Less is more” applies not only to the content, but also to the look of your site.

Find The Mood: Once you have decided on the content, the next challenge is finding the right mood for your website. And this should all obviously depend on your music - you’d be surprised how often this basic rule is not followed. Think of the type of music you play, and also the type of person you want to appeal to. Think about the pictures you want to post. Live shots are always great; people can identify the different members and their roles in the group. Another key component is navigation! Your site must be easy to navigate; no searching around the page filled with "cool” elements that only end up frustrating the visitor. And one more golden rule for navigation: contact info should be VERY obvious!

Selling Your Music Online: The next step is setting up your e-commerce to sell your CDs and merchandise online. You can do it yourself by buying a security certificate (approx. $150-400), becoming a credit card merchant ($1000’s), etc. But usually the set up costs and maintenance aren’t worth the trouble. There are companies out there that are in business just for this reason, including Joe Radio (www.joeradio.com). These companies will process your customer’s order for you, and mail it to them all for a nominal fee. You just have to set up an account with them and then place their icon on your site for the link. There are some things that are better left to the experts, and this, in our opinion, is one of them. You should also register with as many online music sites (like mp3.com) as you can. It makes your music accessible to a market you may never have had the chance to reach before, and they also direct traffic to your website.

Search Engines: You can’t forget the search engine registrations. You need your website to be found as easily as possible. You get to choose keywords and phrases to truly identify your unique site amongst the millions already on offer.

Remember that this should be a fun and creative process. Your website should be treated as an extension of your music. It should bring together the audio/visual experience of your CD. Good luck and we look forward to seeing you out there. Earthling Communications is made up of working musicians who have developed dozens of music sites on the web.