Ok, I�ll admit it. I am addicted to MySpace. I love it. I�m on MySpace everyday and can�t get enough of it. The more I use MySpace as a promotional tool and a way to communicate with fans, promoters, industry contacts, bands, etc. I�ve found that many of the business ethics and concepts of professionalism that lead to success in the music business world are mirrored in the business relations of the online world. In respect to these ethics, here are some essential tips on how to build, design, and format your MySpace page correctly. I hope my insights will inspire new ideas and beneficial changes to your MySpace page.

Your Bread and Butter
Ignore all the cool site designs, flyers, links, and banners for a second. What is the most important thing on your page? The answer is your MUSIC!! The songs you post on MySpace are your page�s bread and butter. Your music will make fans or lose them. Just like the �real world,� you want to present your songs in the best form possible; so you should record professional demos of your songs and post them on your page. It�s hard to comprehend a catchy, well-written song through layers of static and a guitar amp that drowns out the vocals from your one-mic recording done in your basement. Posting high quality recordings on your page will put you above the thousands of bands on MySpace who have posted mediocre tracks. If you don't have the money to record professionally, record acoustic tracks with just a vocal accompanied by guitar or piano until you�ve saved enough money to produce better recordings. This allows your fans to get into your songs in their purest form and it keeps the recording process simple. Another tip to consider is the order of the songs you post. My suggestion is to post your best song first; just like the first song on your album, you want it to draw the listener in. Posting a variety of songs on your page is also a plus. Displaying a range in your music abilities will impress people as well. Maybe someone who doesn�t like your louder songs will fall in love with the ballad track and purchase your CD. One recent update to MySpace gives bands the ability to post five songs in their profile, instead of just four. MySpace has an advertising deal with Bodog Entertainment. All you have to do is go to http://www.myspace.com/bodog, add Bodog as your friend and a fifth song option will appear for upload on your �Manage Your Songs� admin page. Check it out!

Shows, Shows, Shows!
After you�ve posted some quality recordings on MySpace, there are still endless ways to improve your page and inform your fans about your band. Two important items for your MySpace page are your upcoming shows and your contact information. MySpace provides an easy way to enter show information and displays your upcoming shows in a calendar list on your page. Include as much information as possible about your shows so your fans don�t have any questions. Be sure to fully research the details of your gigs and list the date, time, venue address, price, other acts, etc. One possible way to draw more fans to your show is to list whom you�re playing with on the same line as the venue name that appears on your calendar. For Example: �June 22nd � The Avalon w/ The White Stripes.� If you are playing with a local band that you know has a good draw � it would be beneficial to list this right on your calendar to attract more fans to the event. The more information you give your fans about your gigs, the more you decrease the chance of people not coming because they don't know how to get there, or how much it costs, or when you perform, and so on.

Where Can I Contact You?
Another important piece of information you�ll want to highlight on your MySpace page is your contact information. Just like promotional materials you send to people in the music business, you want your contact info on your MySpace page to be easy to find and easy to read. A club booker or label executive isn�t going to see your email address or phone number if its hiding down at the bottom of your page under your list of musical influences, so be sure to make it easy for visitors to find. Along with your email, website, phone number, and other contact information that you post, you could list your individual band member�s personal MySpace pages, emails and screen names as well. Putting your screen name on your MySpace page is another easy way for a fan to contact you. Sometimes people prefer to talk directly over instant messenger about booking shows, merchandise questions, or just to say they like your music. Who knows, having an instant messenger conversation with a fan might inspire them to tell even more people about your music and how they can �talk to you online!�

Behind The Music
In addition to this basic information, the supplemental content you can add to a MySpace page is literally endless. One piece of information most bands post is a biography. Your bio informs your visitors of your band�s story and can also document your achievements, for example, who you�ve recorded and performed with, past tours, etc. Along with a bio, press quotes from publications or popular music identities will attract attention to your group. This type of promotional content on your page has the ability to influence new fans to look further into your band and can also be beneficial if music industry professional check out your page. MySpace also makes it easy to inform your fans about your latest news by posting blogs that appear as links right on your page. Blogs are an ideal place to present exciting upcoming events, lyrics to your songs, member journals, track listings, and more. Your fans also have the ability to comment on these blogs, which can fuel the buzz around your band to an even greater degree.

Click Here!
On the technical side, one of MySpace�s greatest assets is the ability for bands to host graphics, linking, and image/video posting on their pages. You can provide links to your website, mailing list, your online store, online music stores for your music, press stories, videos, ring tones, and the list goes on (for posting tips check out the Graphics section of this article below). Having these types of resources available on the same page as your music is a priceless opportunity to present your fans with ways to learn more about you, buy your CD or contact you, all in one place. Posting upcoming show flyers and pictures of your merchandise on your page is also a great idea. Many bands utilize promotional tools like online map programs that represent their fans from all over the world by location (see an example at http://www.frappr.com/). A similar program that is also becoming popular on band�s MySpace pages is Eventful�s �Demand� program (http://eventful.com/demand/learn). This program allows fans to demand that an act perform in their area. A band can create a demand box for their group, post it on their page, and their fans can add to it depending on their location. The program counts and displays the number of fans in each area that �demand� the artist. Neither Frappr�s mapping technology nor Eventful�s demanding program are essential components to your MySpace page, but if you have a growing number of fans across the country that message you saying they wish you�d play in their hometown, why not document it on your page for people to see? It certainly can be impressive if you have many people supporting you across the globe, especially to a music industry professional that may have an interest in your band.

It�s Always the Little Things!
Two final topics that are subtle but important characteristics of your MySpace page are your �headline� and your �Top 8�. Your MySpace �headline� is the short quote that appears next to your profile image at the top of your page. This quote can be edited in the �Edit Profile� admin page on your MySpace. Since this little blurb is right next to your picture, people visiting your page are bound to see it, making it an excellent place for advertising. This is a prime promotional spot and you have the ability to write anything you like, from song lyrics to your album title. But choosing to write something like �Buy Our EP on iTunes!� or �Request Our Songs on 101.7 FM� are great messages to relay to your fans if you are really pushing something like a new record or looking for a new drummer. You can even take a larger step and post this information right in your band name appearing in your profile. For Example: �The Strokes *Have 2 New Songs*� or �John Mayer is LOOKING FOR A NEW BASSIST.� Many people will see this information attached to your name �whether it be on your page, above your picture, in comments you�ve left, next to messages you�ve sent them in your inbox, or a friend�s Top 8�s.

Speaking of Top 8�s, another MySpace page feature is the Top Friends list that is displayed on all MySpace pages. For non-musical personal MySpace pages the Top Friends list serves as a way to post pictures of your closest friends. With a band/music MySpace page, a band can choose to represent a number of profile types on their top friends list: fan�s profiles, bands, clothing companies, record labels, venues, and more. If you are at a level where you are playing music with notable bands and recording at recognized studios, its a good idea to list these up and coming bands and studios in your top friends list. When you display this relationship on your page, anyone in touch with the music scene in your area can see that you�re recording at top of the line studios, playing with successful bands, performing at great venues, and making the right choices that lead to a successful career. Ultimately, with all of these content, image, and linking ideas in mind, it is most important to keep your MySpace page looking professional. With all of these resources in your grasp it�s very easy to clutter your page with too much information and promotion. No one is going to want to scroll through your page if it is just a bunch of videos and advertisements. Keep your page organized and professional while still displaying your group�s important information and promotional resources. You may choose to design your page after your latest album�s artwork, or create a custom design to make your page stand apart from the default white MySpace background. Regardless of what you choose to put on your page, you�ll want the online representation of your band to be informative, user-friendly, and professional.

HTML What?
In order to maintain and update your page with links, flyers, text, and such, you will need to know some html coding basics. Fear not my friends, although computer coding may sound kind of scary, it really isn�t that complicated. There are a handful of free Websites that offer html basic how-to�s that can teach you a variety of linking and posting techniques. A great example of a free html site is: http://www.htmlcodetutorial.com. Another graphic design tip is to make friends with someone who can create flyers and banners for your band. Maybe someone in your band will take this on so you can keep it within the band. The last thing you want is a MySpace page with great music decorated with lame banners and show flyers that people find unattractive. Either research resources or take it upon yourself to make attractive advertisements for your band. Many artists, especially those with record label backing, have teams of people working to design their MySpace pages and promo content. Make sure you can compete with these pages by learning the fundamentals of advertising � through Google searches, advice from friends, or whatever it takes. One popular option for formatting your MySpace page is to use a free MySpace Page Generator. These are programs in which you enter information and then the generator formats your MySpace page with a certain background, font, font color, bordering colors, etc. Some artists choose to give their page a certain look to make their profile more unique. This is a great idea in my opinion as long as the page layout doesn�t interfere with the content on the page. You can find free MySpace Generators all over the web. Here is an example: http://www.mygen.co.uk/.

Remember, when designing your MySpace page, keep your page professional, informative, and organized. Best of luck!

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