click to enlarge

The Bombardier Manifesto is a blog for bands, clubs and related industries about music, marketing and technology. Learn how to use these tools to develop a healthy and profitable music scene.

Hello World! Welcome to the first entry of the Bombardier Manifesto. Having spent the last 10 years trying to build my music cred and professional arsenal, I realized that my attempts have not failed, but have been victims of bad timing, lack of knowledge and downright stupidity. I had to figure things out the hard way and that takes a toll after a while. I don't want you to make the same mistakes.

That's why I jumped at the opportunity to be able to share with you some of the very useful tools available to bands and businesses everywhere who want to increase the visibility of and awareness for their wares...

Also, to share some of the places that bands, venues and sponsors have misstepped or downright exploded. I will touch on new music outlets, digital distribution, social networking, tips for new bands, pitfalls to avoid, opportunities to take advantage of and more.

Enough foreplay. Here's something you can use TODAY!

The first entry in this Manifesto series is geared towards letting you know about the top 10 sites you need to make sure your band or business has a presence on. These are all free to join and are among the most popular destinations on the Web. Ignore at your own peril. There is a great strategy at play here. These sites should all fall under the “Search Engine Marketing” umbrella. Over the next few posts I will go into more details on that. For now, here are some sites:

1. MySpace – although this dying monster is less and less relevant each day, it is still good to have your information on there. Make sure you link up your others sites from your page. www.myspace.com

2. Facebook – Facebook provides you with a very personal portal that you can then branch off and promote yourself from. Sign up for a personal account and then create a “Page” for your band or business. www.facebook.com

3. Imeem – Upload your music and start making imeem friends. As a listener, you can create playlists and share them. This is one of the most popular music streaming sites on the Web. www.imeem.com

4. Twitter – With Twitter, you can quickly keep up with your fans and customers from any computer or cell phone. www.twitter.com

5. ReverbNation – Popular independent music Website. Upload your music, meet some bands and spread the word. They have some cool widgets you can add to your other Websites. www.reverbnation.com

6. iLike – This site feeds into Facebook, so it is one of the most important ones. www.ilike.com

7. Tunecore – Through Tunecore, you can submit your music to iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, Rhapsody and more. This is a no brainer for independent musicians. Also, they build you a page with all the appropriate “Buy” links you can link up from all your other sites. www.tunecore.com

8. YouTube – YouTube is great for posting your live performances, behind the scenes footage, in the studio footage, interviews, etc. You should take the time to create these videos as they are as common and as needed as press kits. Make sure you link back to your MySpace and Facebook sites in the video descriptions. www.youtube.com

9. Last.fm – Thousands of people listen to Last.fm while they are at work or hanging out at home. They serve up music depending on the listener's tastes. www.last.fm

10. Wordpress – This popular, extensible and FREE blogging platform is a very quick and easy way for your band to have their own Website/blog. You can easily create pages in which you can add your bio, discography, widgets, etc. with little HTML knowledge. If you don't have your own blog or Website, you must do this. www.wordpress.com

The point here is to make sure that people can find you wherever they are. As you find new social networking sites, add your info, links and music (if you can) because it doesn't hurt you to have a presence everywhere. If you really want to get the most out of these sites, split the updating duties between band members and focus on growing your communities online. If you don't put in the time, no one else will for you.

Enjoy. Share.

Ivan

Mohawk Bomb Records

click to enlarge

Ivan Pena has an Advertising degree from UF, 8+ years in corporate and consumer marketing, 10+ years in graphic design and promotions. Ivan is also the leader of the group Soulfound and runs his own independent record label, Mohawk Bomb. In 2008, Ivan was named one of the Top 30 Under 30 by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. Check Ivan out on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ivanpena