Something for your act and your music. Free facility to build a buzz, gain a following, meet friends; MySpace

A lot of budding and still-in-the-closet artists, as well as independent and professional record releases already use MySpace to showcase their music to the public. In fact I’ve heard a few Filipino bands with really nice sounding demos – raw but a lot polished –  I use MySpace to "discover" and "shortlist" acts. If they sound good on record then it’s only a matter of seeing if they can do their thang "live" and in the flesh.

DiscMakers’ FastForward article about MySpace

Incorporating successful elements of MP3.com and IUMA, and eclipsing PureVolume and Friendster as the place to be online, MySpace is the epitome of what an online community can be. In its short life it has adapted to meet the evolving needs of its user base, and it has expanded to a network of over 43 million users in the process. Thanks, in large part, to the bands.

We sat down with two indie music veterans and gleaned some insights into the finer points of MySpace marketing.

“People sign onto MySpace every day,” says Leigh Nelson of Billionaire Boys Club, “just to check their messages, read, and communicate. I use it to check in and see what’s going on, look for any bulletins from bands, figure out what’s going on tonight in the city. So just by putting your journal or show dates or advertisements and songs up there, you’re simply going to get a lot more exposure than people just randomly checking your web site. People spend more time on it than anywhere else. I guess credit to Tom, for setting it up in such a way that makes it so addictive!”

 ch-ch-ch-chk it out…