Bands and solo artists, promoting your music and visual image are easier than ever using the power of the Internet.
Why not find a free online band directory to post your online press material?
If you do not want to mess around with HTML, hosting or the web support issues a good online band directory can save you time and money while still getting you all the exposure you need.
Using an online free band hosting directory, your .mp3, images, bios, and show schedules can receive 24-7 exposure.
First, you'll need to organize your online materials on your pc or laptop. This will be the basis of your online press kit.
Images
Create a folder on your pc of images of shows, cd covers and promo shots with band members.
Make sure they are in .jpg or .gif. Many sites will only support these two formats so stay away from .png for now or make sure the free directory you upload to will support .png.
Make sure the images look good at about 400px wide. The image will usually be compressed into a thumbnail at about 100px wide on the display page. The thumbnail may be slightly compressed looking but you want the larger "clicked on" version to have the best resolution, so starting around 400px should ensure pretty good resolution.
Also make sure the images are less than 1 megabyte, some free directories limit the size of the upload.
Music Files
A safe bet is .mp3.
Limit the size to less than 1 megabyte which comes out to about a 30 second sample.
Choose the portion of the song that has the most impact in a short period – it could get you the gig!
Bio
Write a short (300 -400) word bio about the band or yourself. Include style of music, effects, instrumentation, history of the band as well as members.
Keep this in a word doc on your pc so you can update it as needed.
Shows
Some free band directories will let you list and update your shows. Take advantage of this! For reference keep a list of all the chapters you play in a word doc. Include the Venue name, address, and phone number.
Summary
All bands and solo artists should take advantage of free quality online promotion. If you are not technical or just do not want to mess around with HTML, hosting or building a web page a good free online band directory gets you world wide 24-7 coverage.