[Dixielandjazz] Web sites re-dux

[Mike Marois]

In most cases it is very expensive for bands to establish a web presence and
conduct business on the web.  That's specifically why I started my network
of sites to help bands that want a presence on the web but don't have a lot
of cash or design expertise.  By visiting one of my sites a musician can
fill out a simple questionnaire which covers what instruments they play and
what type of music they play on those instruments along with some location
information.  When a musician has registered, they can then add entries for
the bands that they lead.  Once the bands have been set up a member can list
any merchandise, upcoming gigs, news, or feature story about their groups
free of charge.  As soon as I work the bugs out of the site I will begin to
charge the $10.00 per year musician subscription along with the $25.00 per
band per year band subscription.  But until then it's free to join.

When subscriptions start coming in then I will be able to place radio spots
and print ads in markets across the country and promote the site to the
public as the place to go to find entertainers for their next event.  As you
can see for a minimal investment of $35 bucks a year someone can have a web
presence along with an online store front to sell their products.  The other
side of this site is when someone visits my site looking for a musician they
can get a customized list based on geographic location, instrument, music
type, and partial name if they know that much.

If anyone is interested the site network can be reached by these addresses:
http://www.HireLiveMusicians.com
http://www.HireLiveMusic.com
http://www.HireLiveBands.com
http://www.HireMusicians.com
http://www.HireBands.com

Let me know what you all think of this way to promote Live Music!

Mike Marois
Tuba/Computer Guru
Founder/Creator of HireLiveMusic.com



-----Original Message-----
From: dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com
[mailto:dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com]On Behalf Of Nancy Giffin
Sent: Friday, November 21, 2003 1:10 PM
To: DJML
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Web sites re-dux


Recently, our beloved un-Rev. Tom Bob (Wiggins) brought up an important fact
about band Web sites: Bands can pay a lot for a Web site, yet be hard to
find on a Google search (or other search engine).

SAVING MONEY
Anyone can get "free" Web hosting with banner ads at a place like
freeservers.com, or even WITHOUT banners at a place like doteasy.com (just
Google search "free web hosting").
OR, if your ISP offers you free Web hosting with your e-mail account, you
can set up the way Steve has: http://home.earthlink.net/~barbonestreet/

STANDING OUT
To stand out on a search engine like Google, have your Web designer add
highly specific "key words" into the hidden source code of your home page.
For example, the Cell block 7 site has these keywords: "traditional jazz,
West Coast Revival, Lu Watters, Turk Murphy, Sacramento, Lodi, Dixieland
jazz." Then there's Butch Thompson, whose high-quality Web site I've praised
in the past, which has the keywords: "Butch Thompson, jazz pianist, Prairie
Home Companion, traditional jazz, New Orleans jazz, Butch Thompson Trio,
blues piano, traditional jazz piano, stride piano, vintage American music,
Jelly Roll Morton, Scott Joplin, ragtime, early jazz, Fats Waller."

You can "buy your way" to the top of the search engine, or -- at no extra
cost -- use a combination of well-thought-out key words to get you as close
to the top as possible. Be intuitive: stop and think what key words your
audience might type into a Google search. Then, place those exact words in
the hidden "meta-tags" of your site encoding.

PROMOTING
Once you have your URL (W.orld W.ide W.eb address), preferably your band
name so folks remember it, you can put it on all promo material and CDs, and
then buy inexpensive, business-card-size ads to promote your name and URL in
jazz newspapers and jazz society newsletters. Your accurate and up-to-date
"promo package" can be on-line, saving you the high cost of paper, printing,
and mailing.

DESIGNING
A few tips off the top of my head for your Web page design --

A simple, ONE-PAGE site should include, at the very least:
-- your best PHOTO, CONTACT info, and a short PARAGRAPH about you
  (Tell why you're special or unique; mention significant career highlights)

A LARGER SITE might want a SIMPLE home page with the "basics":
your best photo, a brief welcome, a news flash or important notice,
plus links to other pages that include:
-- CONTACT info: phone, e-mail, snail-mail
-- A current, accurate BIO,
    preferably in 3 versions: short, medium, and long (article-length)
    You can have just one long bio, but you're placing your entire image
    in the hands of an unknown editor who could hack it to death.
-- CD SALE info
-- PHOTO gallery with links to download of professional shots in two
formats:
   * high-resolution (350ppi TIFF or JPEG files) and
   * low-res. photos (150 ppi JPEG)
And if you tour a lot, add:
-- Recent PRESS RELEASES
-- Your performance SCHEDULE

Pick a "color palette" -- between two to four colors that reflect the band's
personality or uniforms, for example:
-- a neutral background color (or plain black or white)
-- a text color that contrasts the background for good legibility
-- a bright accent color for headlines
    (warm colors like red, orange, or yellow if bkgnd. is dark enough)

Plan carefully; keep it SIMPLE, basic, and well organized.
Strive for no more than "two clicks" to any important information.

Rambling now; sorry for the coffee fingers. I'll now spare the list by
welcoming anyone with questions to write me off-list. Don't forget to check
out Ron and Rosemary Gable's site for promoting jazz and jazz musicians:
http://www.jazzadvocate.com/

Love and hugs,
Nancy


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