Posted by Ann Bernard

I came across a write up of Indie on the Move on gigDoggy’s blog so I went and checked out the site…what a great concept!  It’s really like Yelp but specifically for music venues.

The concept was created by the band members of Zelazowa.  Zelazowa is an experienced band that has toured the US and Europe that has apparently decided to give back to the indie-music community. (everyone go ahhhhhhhhhh…) 

No seriously, this was an investment of dollars and time for Zelazowa to create this site which is priceless to other indie artists and even more so to a band who is preparing to tour for the first time. If you are preparing to tour, be sure to check out the Touring Tips section.  I’d add this to the question: Where do I sleep tonight – have a look a CouchSurfing.com

What is Indie on the Move?
Indie on the Move is a collection of venues and reviews of venues across the United States where bands are welcomed to play.  Each listing for a venue has contact information, website, MySpace profile, location and a basic description of the venue…along with reviews of the venues submitted by other bands and artists. 

As an artist you can create an account and you can start planning your tour, as well as contributing content to the site. 

Community Effort – Be a Contributor
Now that Zelazowa has established the site it’s up to the indie music community to make it useful.  The success or the failure of this site will be an excellent demonstration of strong community participation or weak community participation. 

The site can only get better if bands add venues, verify information and add reviews. NOT ONE individual is capable of making this site a success ONLY a COMMUNITY. 

Sure, huge money could be invested to pay for someone to look into each and every venues across the US but the data wouldn’t be as powerful or useful. 

It’s the real experiences that matters. It’s the sharing of information with others that matter. It’s the helping and assisting of those who are less experienced than you that matters.  It’s being part of a community that cares to help each other out that matters. 

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Posted by Ann Bernard

I had to write this blog post because visiting this artist’s website really “moved me,” as cheesy as that might sound.

I was hanging out on Twitter reading the stream when this came across: DavidEckoff is excited to be seeing one of my favorite musicians tonight, the infamous Bob Schneider from Austin, TX. Listen (link to website)

I clicked and landed on one of the most innovative and “communicative” artist website I’ve found so far.

First off, it’s cool.  The CD case layout is pretty neat.  Cooler yet, if you click on the moving people inside the CD…talking bubbles pop up with funny stuff.

So after the cool factor comes the, WoW factor.  Unlike other musician websites I’ve visited, Bob doesn’t just let his music play.  He introduces each of his songs and the story behind the song…then the song plays.

A really simple thing to do to communicate with your audience, an easy addition to be memorable, and an upfront way to engage your listeners. 

You get to know Bob listening to him tell the stories behind his music.  You discover he’s a funny guy.  You connect to him and realize he would be a cool guy to have a beer with.  You realized that going to one of his shows is probably a total blast. 

Bob brings you into his world…in the process of doing so you realize you want to know more about him.  I bet he clocks in an average of 5-7 minutes out of each visit…if not more.

Once you decide you want to know more about him, you go exploring and what you find is more coolness. Click the menu button for more…this is one of my two criticisms of the site. The fact there’s a lot more to find from the menu isn’t necessarily intuitive.  Second criticisms is that you have to go offsite to see his tour schedule.

Anyway, the biography area is the best biography section I’ve ever seen.  It’s set on a timeline with pictures and it’s narrated by Bob. 

I’m not going to go through each parts of his menu but I recommend that you do go and have a look.

I’d love to hear from you. What do you think of the site?  How did it make you feel? Did you connect with Bob? Did it leave you thinking…I want to go to one of his shows?

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Posted by Ann Bernard

I already started to explain Stereo Fame last Friday and I invited a few local DC based bands that I’ve come across on MySpace to join Stereo Fame so I could sign them on to my label.  Only one band took me up on the offer so far, 23RAINYDAYS.  They now somehow have 3,000 more points than me…the bums!! 

So yea, I’ve been spending a good amount of time listening to music on Stereo Fame…much like Brew Dad who said in a blog post “…it has taken the place of the radio when I do my writing.”  If I were a musician or in a band, I know I’d be spending time on Stereo Fame…here’s why: 

Ten Reasons To Join Stereo Fame
1. It’s New and Easy.  Ever dream you could have been on MySpace when it first started out? According to the Stereo Fame homepage…there are only 3,415 artists on the site, to a 5,551 number of labels and listeners.  You can become a sought after artist now…and as the site grows; you’ll keep benefiting from it.  Getting started is real easy.

2.  Feedback on Your Music.  After listening to one of your songs (15 seconds of it) listeners can give it the thumbs up or down.  Pretty useful information because you can use it to narrow down who is and isn’t into your music.

3.  Knowing Who Listened to Your Music. You can find out who listened to your music. The site tracks the music each member is listening to.  Guess what that also does? Every time someone listens to one of your songs…it shows on their profile; fabulous visibility.

4.  It’s Only for Music.  You’re not competing with the attention of any other entertainers, cladly dress women, or whatever else might distract someone on another site.

5.  Exposure to All Kinds of Listeners. There are other people, just like Brew Dad who come to the site and just let the music play. Passive listeners who use the site as their new radio station. You also have extreme listeners looking for the latest and best new artists for their label.

6.  Downloads.  You can make your music available for downloads. 

7.  Technically Sound.  The site is well done. This isn’t a tech blog or startup blog so I won’t get into this…but trust me when I say, this site is well though out, designed and executed.  Plus, you have all kinds of widgets and banners to help spread the word.

8.  Collecting and Using Data.  You can look up in the charts area who the top labels and listeners are and the top played tracks for the last 7, 30 and 90 days.  Lots you can do with that information to help yourself.   

9.  Points and Prizes.  Yep, you get points for taking part in the activities on the site too, which means you can win prizes as well.  You would do all this work anyways…now, you get rewarded for it.

10.  Get Signed On to a Label.  So what if it’s a virtual label!?!? It’s a person/fan who enjoys and believes in your music.  It’s a fan who is going to help promote your music.  What’s better, earning a friend on MySpace or getting signed to someone’s label?

Although I say, and will keep writing that some of your time online is well spent expanding the ways in which you communicate online with your fans…for musicians, the most important thing is and will always be, to have your music listened to.  Stereo Fame offers great ways to make that happen.  Not only is your music listened to, but it is also promoted – the site is built to do that.

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