Make it or break it ?

Posted on April 17, 2012 by robstar

Just like a melodic hook can make or break a song, unfortunately a wayward tweet can make or break a band. Bands that are incredible successes today, whether major label or simply an indie label, social media is the common thread that can take you from the darling of the public eye to the most hated group in America. Recent history is littered with the repercussions of a mindless Twitter rant or a Facebook post that launches virally faster than the speed of sound. The question remains, when will we learn? Here on BandLink, amazing musicians are at your fingertips, but also at their fingertips could be lethal weapons.

What you may ask?

You have spent months and even years honing your sound and searching for that one missing link to your band’s big picture. But before you bring in the missing link, you absolutely must do your homework. Social homework. Baggage can come in all shapes and sizes, as well as all through something simple as social baggage. No, not ex-wives, girlfriend(s), oft said regrettable words uttered in the past. We’ve all carried this load before and when sincere apologies are met with sincere change in action, moving forward is no problem. What we are talking about is social media baggage. Explicate tweets, tweets after hours that turn your hard earned band image and reputation upside down and spiraling out of control with one mobile click to “tweet”.

So before you consider making that new addition, do your homework. We all know social passwords are making headlines in the news almost daily, but when your BRAND (yes BrAND)’s reputation hanging in the balance, it’s imperative to ensure you aren’t inviting yourself to become the lead story on MTV, Rolling Stone, or even worst, your local PD mugshot. Simple steps to make sure your future bandmate is legit and won’t lead you down the social suicide path can guarantee you will continue to build your fans, followers, and above all….the success of you band! Until next time…

Find the perfect band member (Musicians Wanted?)

Posted on March 19, 2012 by robstar

A needle in a haystack can sometimes actually be found! In fact, with BandLink, we’ve made it easier to find a case of needles in a haystack! Before we look at how BandLink can help you find your next band, or even put a band together, let’s take a look back at how things used to be.

Word of mouth was one of the best tools for finding musicians and compiling those
musicians into a band that wrote hits and some, quite honestly, find themselves in the
Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame. That was then this is now.

Believe it or not people still do the darndest things in trying to put a band together.
Whether they stalk an up an coming band or seem to always appear near their bus or
management while trying to shove a demo tape into their hands, we can all agree we are
thankful that those days are moving past us quickly…sometimes thanks to the beauty of a
retraining order, but whatever works!

The best past of music today is technology! With today’s technology, you can spend
lots and lots of time scouring through Craig’s List and on a good day you might end up
finding someone who can one note the theme from Sesame Street on a recorder, or you
could find a deeply undiscovered talent that can light up a guitar like Chuck Berry has
never heard. It certainly can be a double edged sword, but with that chance, you could
also be on the verge of stardom.

Well, all that technology talk brings us back to who we are: BandLink. Are you a
musician? Looking to join a band or start one? Let’s just take a look at quick and easy it
is to set up you profile on BandLink.

Signup and Create a Page.
Are you a musician, a band, a producer or someone in the music industry? Get connected
to the fastest growing network of musicians and the music industry. Signup, create a page
to showcase yourself. Think of ‘Pages’ as your online business card; you can have as
many as you need without signing up a bunch of times. Make a page for the musician in
you, one for the promoter in you, one for the music blogger in you, etc. See how easy that
it is?

Find Musicians in Your Area.
BandLink is all localized; that means if you’re looking to connect with musicians in your
city (or even in your neighborhood!) it’s easy. Just select the area you’re in, browse the
musicians around you, or broadcast to everyone in the area that you’re looking to jam or
start a, say, metal band influenced by Sabbath, Tool and Pantera. And the rest as they say,
is history.

Missing a Band Member? Run an Online Audition.
Looking to complete your band, just wanna jam or need someone for a recording session
or a gig? Post an online audition and the site will automatically notify everyone in your
area that fits the bill. It’s as easy as saying, “I need a drummer that likes Led Zeppelin in
my city”. Every drummer in the area that likes Led Zeppelin gets a broadcast message of your audition instantly. You’re jammin’ in no-time.

So what are you waiting for? BandLink is waiting for you. Want to watch a quick video
on getting started? Simply click here!

Promoting Your BrAND – The Power of Twitter

Posted on March 12, 2012 by robstar

Let’s face it. Twitter has a lot of power. From spreading news of events before
mainstream media can report it, to being the virtual water cooler for conversation about
social topics, Twitter has become a huge resource for bands…if done correctly.

Twitter is meant for conversation. If you were having drinks with friends, it wouldn’t be
a conversation if you were the only one talking or never responded back to anyone else in
your group. That’s the basis of why you have to engage your fans.

And speaking of fans, these are your fans. Don’t spam them! While it’s great to throw
out a mention here and there about your latest CD or brand new merchandise, it’s not
great to see that every single day in every other tweet. Your fans will grow tired of those
tweets and you will find yourself quickly unfollowed.

Get in the habit of tweeting often. A sporadic Twitter account is boring, and we all know
your band isn’t boring. Right? Life can be hectic at times, so don’t be afraid to pull in
some help for keeping your tweets flowing. HootSuite or BufferApp are both great tools
that you can use for scheduling tweets.

One of the great things about Twitter, as opposed to Facebook, is that it gives you more
freedom to be expressive and bring your band’s personality to life. Your fans can begin
to see your personality come to life during concerts, but that’s just for a small window in
time, and it’s very one sided since it’s a concert setting.

With Twitter, you can let your personality loose and show your fans who you really
are! This goes a very long way in building (and strengthening) that bond with your fans.
Offer insights and a peek into who you are on the road, in the studio, at the brainstorming
session as you write new material. These are your fans. They love you. They want to
know more. Give them more!

The best part of leveraging social media (more specifically Twitter) is that it unleashes
the power of promotion to your fans. Remember how the media covered the story about
how much social media lit up during the GRAMMY awards? That’s the power of what
can be at work for you and your band through your fans. Once you have a fan base that is
actively engaged with you, they will be talking about you to their followers. The ripple
effect will keep going, and along with that, so will new exposure to your band.

Hopefully these ideas will help you build a social presence that is go-to resource for you
in promoting your band. If you haven’t followed us yet, be sure to connect with us on
Twitter (@BandLink). You can always feel free to tweet us questions or success stories
with your social media promotional efforts. Until next time…

It’s Okay….I’m With The Band (…was with the band)!

Posted on February 27, 2012 by robstar

Let’s face it. A band brings together egos. Talent. Hopes. Dreams…and usually all of those aren’t the same for each member of the band. But with the good and the bad, a band is basically a family. You travel together. You basically spend 27 hours out of the only 24 hours a day together. So you know what that means? You are going to be a tight knit group that can also have some knock down blow out confrontations.

That’s the key to being a family…you work it out and move on. The problem comes when one of your band members is in it for himself. Whether it’s an over inflated ego that tells him/herself daily that they are too good for this particular band, but it’s their stepping stone to the greatness they are destined for. I don’t care how powerful their drum licks are or how much they can wail on a B-3, they are toxic.

As you begin your search for musicians for your new band, you need to do your research.
Get demo tapes. Talk with former band members. Ask those band members why the
musician left the band. It could have been mutual or it could have been a get out and stay
out type of departure. Knowledge is power; especially considering the musicians you
are looking to bring into your fold can possibly grow to become closer than a brother or
sister.

Another wise suggestion is to back track to where the potential band member has played
with his/her group. Talk with venues. Talk with promoters. You can rest assured that if
any trouble erupted from over inflated egos, outlandish demands, they will quickly fill
you in on the details. Again, knowledge is power.

If the prospective band member you are pursuing has made it through the process this far,
it’s time to set up the drums or plug in the amp and let them show you what they’ve got.
Let them play something comfortable that can show you a range of their talent. If their
first song sounds like their second….then third, and so on, you may have just discovered
another dime a dozen garage band jammer.

On the other hand, if each song captivates you with power riffs, soft ballad serenades,
original compositions that you can hear in your mind taking off into instant popularity,
take the audition to the next level. Get a copy of one of your CDs into his/her hand and
let them study it for a brief period. Any great musician should be able to pick up their
parts within a very reasonable amount of time.

Make plans to bring the entire band together, plug it in, and play that baby cover to cover. This gives you several perspectives that you don’t want to experience first hand while on stage in front of thousands. You can hear how they respond with a slight miscue. Did they recover flawlessly or did NBC Nightly News break in with a report of the recent
disaster?

When you take your time and do your homework, your band can go from good to better, from better to best, from best to national successes. We haven’t even begun to look at the

power of online searching to find your next musician or gig. Don’t worry. Remember, this is BandLink. That’s totally what we do! Until next time….

Hitting The Road

Posted on February 22, 2012 by robstar

Hitting the road

As kids growing up with dreams of being a rock star and touring the world, we loved
every second of where our imagination took us. Sold out arenas. Festivals. Opening for
our idol (although being an opener seemed to be beneath us…even in our own dreams).
What a difference the innocence of being a kid rock star and a struggling musicians
makes.

Most of the time, there are no Four Seasons Resorts waiting on us to whisk us away to
a suite filled with fine food, drinks, and anything else we want by simply picking up the
phone. Our reality is a van crammed with our gear, our fellow band members, and our
hopes that we can make it to the next gig. Honestly, it’s a rough life…but how many of
us would trade it for anything else?

We get to unleash our creativity daily. Build musical bonds with our band members.
Live the ultimate road trip. Too many times people shrug off these incredibly valuable
experiences and just want to get straight to the arena tours and multi-person entourages.
Look back through history and you’ll see that quite a few of those people who missed out
on creating their craft, putting their time in on the road (not on a pimped out bus), and
truly working to get to where they are today….those people, more often than not, quickly
earn the label One Hit Wonders.

So as we take a small change in topics on the blog, we want to hear from you. After all,
BandLink is your site. It is where you go to look for bands, form your bands, and just
enjoy the camaraderie of musicians like yourself. So what we are asking from you is for
you to send us a private direct message (@bandlink) and give us a good way to get in
touch with you.

We’ll definitely get back in contact with you so we can talk about your road stories. The
good. The bad. The ugly. We are all in the same boat and if one person is the only person
paddling the boat, it’s going to be a lonely ride going in circles….but if we all share our
ideas, experiences, and suggestions, then the journey will be one we’ll remember for a
lifetime!

Promoting Your BrAND – So You’re On Facebook Now…Why Aren’t The Fans Flocking To Us?

Posted on February 20, 2012 by robstar

A line from the movie Field of Dreams has kind of worked its way into being one of our
cliché phrases for life. No matter what the situation or scenario, if you can toss out the
line “If you build it, they will come” then somehow that takes away all of the stumbling
blocks and lack of success and soon crowds will be flocking to whatever it is you are
trying to promote/build/etc.

This should be where we cue the background music and let you know that Kevin Costner
has had quite a few more failures than successes in his career, so let’s just leave it at that.
But on a serious note (and still very hard to believe), some musicians and bands have
the incredible misconception that if they create social media sites, then their promotion
will take care of itself…after all, the fans will flock to the sites and be the matches and
gasoline to create the wildfire that launches you into social media immortality.

One Word: Wrong.

Social media is a powder keg. With the ability to go viral in less time than it takes you
to place your order at Taco Bell, you can see the volatility of why a managed approach
needs to be taken to your band’s social media presence. Please understand, in no way are
we advocating making your page resemble a retirement home’s bridge club Facebook
page. The key point is developing a respect for your social media. It has unbelievable
power to propel you to places that simply knocking on doors asking for gigs can’t do.

So back to the original point. Why aren’t fans flocking to your page? Well, we’ve got
four suggestions to help get you started in building your social fan base.

1. Content is king.

The key to all social media is good content. Whether it is behind the scenes
pictures from rehearsals, to pics of the band hanging out in the van/bus, backstage, sound
checks…these are all places your fans don’t have access to in real life – except via social.
Take the content to them. I’m willing to bet that nearly everyone has a smart phone that
never leaves your side. Use it. Take the candid pics. Upload straight to Facebook or
Tweet them. Again, that is what fans love to see coming from the band they love!

2. Create Facebook Events

Believe it or not, when you create a Facebook event, it immediately puts your
concert (meet or greet, etc) on your fans homepage. Don’t worry that every single person
does not confirm they will be attending, but the victory comes with the name exposure
and date of show/event being in front of them. Never underestimate the power of a loyal
fan! Even though they might now be able to attend, chances are good that they will never
click “not attending” on the event, which would remove it from their feed. Even though
they can’t attend, just seeing that in their event section on the right hand side of their
homepage could easily spur random conversations with their other friends, which is a PR
victory for your band. Talk. Talk. And more Talk. Always the fan buzz you are hoping

for as a date nears.

3. Do YOUR Research

Playing in a new town at a venue you are unfamiliar with? Dive into exploring the
venue. Find their website. Chances are they will (if they are smart) have their social links
to their Facebook page and Twitter account on their website. Start by liking their page
and following their Twitter account. (I realize Twitter has yet to be addressed in regards
to Promoting your BrAND…but we will be taking a look at it in an upcoming post). As a
band page, Facebook has yet to modify their connection capabilities to personal accounts,
which is why connecting with these venue pages or other applicable pages connected to
the venue is critically important. Even thought you can’t directly engage an individual on
his/her page, by tapping into the conversations generated through the venue’s post, you
can pretty much have a back door entrance to speaking with the fans.
Here’s a practical example. You are playing a very famous night spot in
Knoxville, TN. Goal number one – like the venue page. What happens next can open a
wide influx of new fans to your page. Look at other pages the venue is connected with –
sports teams? City-wide events? College campus groups? Visit those pages and like them!
It’s basically a Rolodex of fans just waiting to hear from you. Comment respectfully (and
with substance in the comment) and your band is now exposed to everyone who is tied
into the comment thread. Some may never post a comment, but yet read all of the
comments. Voila. More band exposure is unfolding right before your eyes. Now that you
have started to get the hang of it, you better take a look at the next point….#4.

4. You are THEIR Visitor

Grab a pen. Paper. And any other recording device so that you can seal this into
your mind. You are a visitor to their page and that means (as Kenny Rogers has sung to
the world) know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em. What? As a visitor to a
page, you must wisely discern when to talk and when to listen. What conversations are
appropriate to comment appropriately (on topic) and which ones are best left alone. One
of the most appreciated concepts in social media is organic.
Organic is the process of which fans and followers are drawn to your page on
their own…usually through meaningful conversations on topics that don’t even apply to
your music, or through social power as one of their friends suggests they check out your
page. That is why it is critical to engage these pages as human beings and not as rock
stars or songwriters (unless that’s the conversation topic being discussed).

It’s important to remember that social media is social. As we mentioned, it you build
it…they will come. Maybe. They might come for a little while, but eventually they
will move on. It can’t be said enough. Social media is social! Taking your social media
down the path to where the collective masses are gathered is certainly going to pay
off in the long run. If you ever have questions, you can reach us on Facebook at http://
www.facebook.com/bandlinkrocks or via Twitter @bandlink

Promoting You BrAND – Ramping Up Facebook

Posted on February 10, 2012 by robstar

Band branding on Facebook

In our previous blog post, we looked at how your band is actually a brand and how that should shape your perspective on marketing your band. Now, it’s time to begin looking at how you can really begin putting that into practice. Let’s begin with something all bands should have – Facebook.

Let’s start at the beginning. If you have been hesitant to bring your band to Facebook
because MySpace was where it (was) at, then here’s some info to consider. Facebook has
over 800 million users worldwide. However you look at that, that’s a lot of people. In
that mix are your current fans. Your future fans. Simply put, your fans are on Facebook.

So if you haven’t created a Facebook presence for your band…do so! Immediately!! One
of the most common mistakes people make is creating a Friend page as opposed to a Fan
page. A friend page is not appropriate for any business, or more importantly, a band. A
fan page allows users to connect to the page by simply clicking “like” while a friend page
requires sending a friend request requiring your approval. Not cool.

Getting started creating a fan page is quick and easy. Click www.facebook.com/pages/
create.php to go straight to the page to create your band’s profile. Choose the option of
artist, band, or public figure. The information to include on your page is presented very
thoroughly, so don’t skip sections by trying to get it done quickly. One thing you want
to ensure is that all of your social networks are listed. You may get fans on Facebook
that don’t know you are on Twitter, or have a YouTube channel. List these urls in the
appropriate section when filling out the Info section of your page.

If design is not your thing, then you still want to have a very unique and catchy landing
page for new fans. A very easy way to make that happen is through Pagemodo. You
can find them at www.pagemodo.com. Here you can create a unique landing page that
showcases your band with an immediate first impression to newcomers. Remember, this
may be the first time that these potential fans see anything about your band. Make the
first impression count!

Now that you are up and running with your fan page, bring in some band members to
help serve as admins. Having multiple admins makes social networking easier to the
group and also allows the band to have a more complete voice, as opposed to one single
person being the sole voice of the band and having to carry all of the responsibilities of
the page.

The final step in launching your fan page is to connect with us at BandLink! We want to
connect with you and help spread the word about your page and your band. Visit us at
www.facebook.com/bandlinkrocks and we will certainly return the like!

Promoting Your BrAND (Yes, BrAND)

Posted on February 4, 2012 by robstar

What do Coca-Cola, Chevrolet, Southwest Airlines, and your band have in common?
They are all brands, and your band is a brand. Being a brand means that people have
expectations. Think of Coca-Cola. Immediately you have expectations. Consistent
formula. Availability. Contoured bottles. All of those things are brand expectations…and
all of those things the brand worked to create.

As a band, you too are a brand. A brand that is being formed and created. Every song you
write plays a part in forming your brand. Every gig you book and play is helping to form
your brand. Every t-shirt you produce and sell is helping to form your brand.

Too often as musicians, we tend to just let things happen without taking control of the
reigns of our brand. Who has defined your fan base? Has it been through intentional
marketing of your band or has it kind of happened because a friend of a friend heard one
of your songs and kind of latched on?

Don’t get me wrong. That type of social growth is very important to musical acts, but if
that is where you leave your brand development then you are letting the cards fall where
they happen to fall. What do you think would happen if Chevrolet just made a car and put
it up for sale? Would that create a brand with continued success? Absolutely not.

Awesome Band Brands

All three of those brands know their customers. They know who is their loyal
demographic and they go right for them in their marketing. Those brands tap into the
social power of connecting with their target audience. The same is true with your band.
You have to know who your audience is when writing your songs, when deciding where
to accept a gig, deciding what merchandise to produce and sale, and you can see that the
list can go on and on.

In the coming weeks, we will be taking a look at effective promotions for your band.
Whether you are indie rockers, or you are an established songwriter, promotion is key to
standing out in the crowded musical field. After all, every day another budding musician
begins pursuit of their dream and picks up a guitar for the first time. Another songwriter
puts well crafted hooks to catchy melodies with dreams of GRAMMY Gold. Do you
want to be just another musician?

Musicians Wanted? Musicians Needed? Jam auditions now live on Bandlink!

Posted on December 21, 2011 by robstar

We’ve been hard at work on our new jam feature and it’s ready to rock. You can now setup what instruments you play, what styles you like and who you’re looking for to jam with.

Signup now >>

Check out this HOWTO on setting it all up .. it literally takes 1 minute to be up and running:

Once it’s enabled, Bandlink will automatically notify you when people in your area are looking for you .. or if we’ve found people that match what you’re looking for.

Find musicians - Musicians wanted

Musicians wanted? Bandlink jam feature is going live in the next 24 hours!

Posted on November 28, 2011 by robstar

One of the most searched terms on Google is ‘musicians wanted’ and we believe it! It can be hard putting together a band .. but the good news is there’s tons of musicians all around you that you have no way of meeting – until now!

Bandlink just launched our new jam feature where you can tell us what you play and where and we’ll look for other musicians in your area that meet your spec.

Get Started Now >>

Here’s a sneak peak of what it all looks like – love the glowing amp button! :

Find musicians - Musicians wanted

About Bandlink.com:

BandLink.com helps local musicians network. Whether you’re forming a band, looking to jam, need a producer, or anything else music related; we have created a free and inviting place for you to seek out talent.

BandLink, Inc. is a leading social networking destination powered by the passions of musicians. Aimed at the music industry, BandLink drives social interaction by providing a highly personalised experience around connecting with musicians and industry professionals.