How to Promote Bands on MySpace

Whether you have your own band or are helping other bands to become famous, MySpace is a great place for promotion. Having a page on MySpace allows bands to connect with their fans, post music samples and videos, post blog entries, lists events and upload photos. This page is a guide on how to promote bands on MySpace.

Introduction

MySpace is one of the largest social networking sites in the world, and having a band profile page on MySpace could allow you to reach millions of users. In fact, many bands, both those less known and those who are famous worldwide, already have a page on MySpace.

Step 1: Joining MySpace

(Creative Commons photo by jimwhimpey)

To promote a band on MySpace you will need to join the community and create a profile page. Joining MySpace is easy and only takes a few minutes of your time.

You need a valid email address.
MySpace has a specific profile pages for musicians. When visiting the MySpace homepage, click on Sign Up. Then click on "If you are a Musician, Sign up here" under Profile Types.
Enter band information such as email address, name and genre.
After signing up, you will be able to customize the profile.

Step 2: Your Profile Page

The first thing to do if you want to promote a band on MySpace is to create an interesting and inviting profile page. Ideally, the profile page should also reflect the style of the band.

Upload a great picture of the band to have as the main picture on the profile page. Upload other pictures to the Pics section.
Customize the page so that it's easy to navigate and easy to read, looks good and reflect the style of the band. For general information on how to customize a MySpace page, visit Mahalo's guide on How to Customize Your MySpace Profile.
Make sure to include the Website of the band.
Add friends to your account. Start by adding people you know and people they know. Then make new friends and add them.
MySpace has several useful features for bands, including the option to post events, music samples and video.
You need to have the copyright of the music you post on MySpace. You also need to have the right to distribute it. If you are signed with a record label or have a publisher, they might have registered the music and you will need to contact them if you are blocked when trying to upload music.

Step 3: Promotion

There's nothing worse than creating a great-looking profile on MySpace just to notice that no one visits it. To ensure that the MySpace page gets exposure, make sure to promote it.

Create a personal Web site for the band, if there is none. Make sure to link to the MySpace page from it.
Add a link to the MySpace profile at the end of your emails.
Join groups and forums to network and get the word out on the band.
Create a blog for your MySpace profile and post to it on a regular basis.

Conclusion

To promote a band on MySpace, join the community and customize the profile. To make sure that people visit your profile, make as many friends as possible and promote the MySpace page in various ways.