photo by Michael Desmarais

Another frequently asked question we get all the time is “what networks do I need to be on?” or “should I only get on iTunes?” and “I can’t manage more than Myspace or Facebook, what do I need to blog for?”

I always reply, all of them.

Then they look at me like they have the time to create pages on the gazillion music sites and other niche networks on the web. How do they have time to upload their music to the countless services and digital download companies that may never result in one sale, one download or one page view.

I hear you. I do.

Then I read this article OneWorkingMusician.com, and a guest post from David J. Hahn, also of MusicianWages.com. Here is the excerpt that should make you realize why I recommend being everywhere:

I received an email last week from Sony’s motion picture department asking me for the full-quality version of one of my piano recordings they are considering using for one of their upcoming films.

The production company working on the film found my recording on iTunes. That’s right, iTunes. No agents, no radio play, no label executives pushing to get exposure for their artists – just iTunes.

Do you know what that means? It means that there are music supervisors for big films that are typing little searches into the iTunes Music Store and trying to find new music for new movies. It means that a DIY musician’s best case scenario can come true. I’m talking about the scenario that begins with that musician putting their music on iTunes and ends with a licensing contract from Sony and their music exposed to, potentially, millions of movie goers across the world.

Ok, So How Can I Do That For My Music

By Marketing the crap out of your music for starters. By being in the right place in the right, and having what someone is looking for and being able to be found. In Label 2.0 we go indepth about how to be found, brainstorming on everything from bands you sound like to what your music sounds like to producers and fans to building a band description that is killer.

What I NEED you to do right now is open up a Word Document, a Google Doc, a Text File and take 20 minutes and brainstorm the crap out of the following:

Who and what is my band? Describe everything from the members to the lyrics to the influences to the sounds and instruments. I remember one guy from a tv show, needed a song that was crafted by a Gibson Guitar – as Gibson was a sponsor.

Who do I/we sound like? Break it down, go major and go indie. People search based on music they want it to sound like, just at a cheaper rate.

What keywords describe your band, your music, your songs, your song titles, your live show, your attitude, your skillset, your local scene and everything else you can think of. Then find ways to get them into your pages, your descriptions and tags.

Distribute This Information in Your Marketing

• Now that you have everything nicely written out, copy and paste it in all of your networks. It should be a painless process.
• Send all the traffic from all these 3rd party sites back to your site or blog (Step 1 from the last post on Music Marketing 101)
• Use aggregators and only upload once (TubeMogul for videos, Artists Data for live shows, Reverb, TuneCore or WaTunes for Digital Dist)
• Set up Google Alerts or RSS Feeds for new music services and signup as they go live. Get your music and your contact info on there.
• Repeat, over and over again and find better keywords, more laser targeted descriptions and keep connecting with people. Your music will be seen, if you hustle and then hustle again.

For more on SEO, grab our free SEO report, along with the Gen-Y Tool Kit and 100 Social Media Resources for Musicians by signing up here.

I’d love to hear what you guys think of this stuff and how it fits into your own music. What are you trying to be found for, known for, who are you trying to reach? Leave your feedback in the comments.

-Greg Rollett