Online Self-Promotion for Composers
The internet hosts a plethora of useful tools and resources for composers to use to promote themselves and their work. We’ve compiled a list of resources we think are useful for promoting yourself online. This list is meant to help give a basic understanding of some of the internet resources available to you and how they might best be used to promote yourself and your work.
This list is meant to be a guide to some internet resources we feel work well – it is not a comprehensive list. We recommend that you do some exploring on your own to see what tools you like and what meets your specific needs.
You don’t need to spend hours to reap benefits from these sites, the important thing is that you do something. You may find you really like some resources and dislike others, and that’s okay. Use what you like and leave what you don’t – you’ll be more inspired and likely to keep your information current if you like the medium you’re using.
That said, here are some ideas and tips to get you started! Scroll down or click on the links below to be taken directly to specific parts of the article.
Personal Website Google Alerts Facebook Twitter SoundCloud Issuu Vimeo/YouTube Last.fm
Personal Website What it is: Your personal website is like your personal encyclopedia. All of the other internet tools you choose to use should include a link to your personal website. Your website should be where people can find detailed information about you and your work, and ways to get in contact with you.
How to use it: Your website should be your most comprehensive and in-depth online presence. It should contain your contact information, biography, complete works list, and audio samples of your work. You can also choose to post additional content such as score samples, reviews, photos and videos.
A lot of the following resources are “embeddable”, which means that you can put them on your website.
There are MANY different sites that can help you build a website, but here are two in particular that we like: http://en.support.wordpress.com/using-wordpress-to-create-a-website/ http://otherpeoplespixels.com/
Google Alerts What it is: Google Alerts are email updates of relevant Google results based on queries or topics you choose.
How to use it: We recommend setting a Google Alert for your name and other words or phrases you would like to track such as your work titles, or genres or styles you are interested in. Google will send you an email anytime your chosen queries appear in searchable web-based content. Google Alerts can be helpful to track performances of your works, stay up-to-date on developments in the styles or genres you primarily work in and to see what people are saying about you and your work. http://www.google.com/alerts
Facebook What it is: Facebook is a social networking service. Users create personal profiles that contain lists of interests, contact information, photos and other personal information. Facebook users can communicate with friends and other users through private or public messages or through Facebook’s chat feature. Users can also create “like pages” (fan pages) for themselves or other people or things they like.
How to use it: Facebook is most useful for interaction with friends and fans. Facebook is a good platform for sharing information about concerts featuring your works, record releases or other events relating to your professional or personal life. Some people choose to share strictly professional information, some choose a mixture of professional and personal information – it is up to you to decide what kind of information you want to share and who you want to share it with. www.facebook.com
Twitter What it is: Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service. Twitter users can send and read other users’ 140 character messages called ‘tweets’. You can follow Twitter users whose tweets are of interest to you, enabling that user’s tweets to appear on your Twitter account’s homepage.
How to use it: Twitter’s strength lies in finding and sharing content. We recommend following users that you feel will be of interest or use to you – ensembles, art organizations, other composers, etc. Twitter users often post articles, opportunities or other links that may be of interest or use to you. Similarly, you can post links of your new works, events and opportunities or other things that other Twitter users may find of interest or use to them. Twitter does take some time to figure out, but it is a great way to network with other people and interesting organizations. http://twitter.com/about
SoundCloud What it is: SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform, which allows musicians to collaborate, promote and distribute their music. SoundCloud allows users to upload 120 minutes of music for free and offers various subscription levels for additional features and minutes (for a list of subscription options, click here). SoundCloud also allows users to comment on specific parts of a recording, which can be helpful for feedback.
How to use it: SoundCloud is a great site to upload your audio samples so people can listen to them. A key feature of SoundCloud is that it lets artists upload their music with a distinctive URL, allowing singular sound files to be embedded anywhere, including on your personal website and Facebook page. http://soundcloud.com/
Issuu What it is: Issuu is a document hosting website. Issuu allows users to upload unlimited documents (including PDF, Microsoft Word and Microsoft Powerpoint), up to 100MB or 500 pages in size. Issuu allows for document sharing on Facebook and Twitter and is embeddable on personal websites and blogging sites.
How to use it: Issuu is a great way to upload scores of your work or programs from concerts or events that have featured your compositions. Issuu allows you to control whether your documents are private or public, as well as whether people can print your work or only view it on their computer. Your documents can be embedded on your personal website so visitors can see score samples. http://issuu.com/explore
Vimeo/YouTube What they are: Vimeo and YouTube are video hosting websites. These (and other video hosting sites) allow users to upload videos that other users and the general public can view. YouTube allows for an unlimited amount of uploads and a maximum file size of 2GB and 15 minutes in length. Vimeo allows users to upload 500 MB a week for free and offers a paid subscription that has advanced features including a maximum file size of 5GB and unlimited high definition videos.
How to use them: Users can upload videos of filmed performances or rehearsals of their works (or inter- media work) to share. It could also be an interesting platform for an artistic statement, a conversation about your musical philosophy, your aesthetic, work style, compositional process – be creative! You can make it as personal as you want. One reminder, however to ALWAYS ASK PERMISSION FROM PERFORMERS BEFORE POSTING AND MAKE SURE YOU CREDIT EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THE VIDEO.
What should I choose? It really depends on how you would like to use video as part of your self- promotion strategy. YouTube is the most recognized video hosting website and is completely free to use, however because it is so popular content can easily be buried in the enormity of videos available. Vimeo is thought of as more artist-centric and generally has higher-quality content and is more community focused. It really comes down to what you find easy to use and most suitable for your end goals.
Other video sites: Although not as well known as the two dominant video sites, these sites are good alternatives.
DailyMotion: http://www.dailymotion.com/us DailyMotion allows 2GB and 60 minutes per video with HD available for all users. The biggest advantage is that it is easily searchable, making it easier for the general public to “stumble upon” your content.
Veoh: http://www.veoh.com/ Veoh doesn’t have size or time limit restrictions for uploading, unlike all other video hosting sites. The disadvantage is that it doesn’t have the same recognition as the more well-known sites.
Last.fm What it is: Last.fm is an internet radio station and music service. Last.fm creates personalized internet radio stations and music recommendations based on the music users listen to on their radio stations and personal music libraries. Last.fm is free to users in the US, UK and Germany.
How to use it: If you own the sole copyright to your work, you can upload it to Last.fm to be played on the site. It is free to register, upload music and use the main features on Last.fm. Last.fm works by linking similar artists to create playlists by using an algorithm based on user behavior, including tags and common artists that your fans listen to. Last.fm also offers “Powerplay”, a paid promotional service that can help boost plays or promote a release in addition to Last.fm’s free services. Before you upload any tracks, you must have obtained permission from anyone who contributed to the production of the music. http://www.last.fm/