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Just a bit of advice for musicians and some points to determine whether having a music career is really for you on not.
I started out creating profile pages as many artists simply didn't have a website and were virtually unseen on the search engines. A profile page is a little different than lets say a review from a music website. Now reviews are great and especially from popular websites.Top websites that provide your own website URLs are what you would call backlinks and improve the overall authority of your own website.
It's a bit like a writer after writing a book and getting raving reviews which makes her or her book credibility and receive more interest overall. The same applies to Musicians who have a decent enough website and there are links, linking back to it from other reputable music websites.
As an SEO ( Search Engine Optimization ) specialist, I decided to create profiles for artists, with or without their own websites as either a web page press pack or a very nice backlink that linked back to their own website. This might seem irrelevant to some but this is a very powerful method of promoting the artist through the search engines and at the same time gain more credibility.
Another reason why I created these profiles was as a Venue manager I used to receive 1000s of Presspacks that were way too long, complicated and I simply didn't have time to go through them as I was just too busy. I would have prefered a much simpler one page, straight to the point presentation that got to the music right away. Also, the attention span of everyone over the past 10 years has become very short and long laborious Presspacks are no longer effective anymore, if ever in my own opinion. All that is really required is a short Bio, your best tracks on display and a few Social links so people can research further, that's it.
I know this works as I have tested it for over a decade now and have the analysis to prove it.
This is a subject that is so convoluted these days that Musicians are left scratching their heads on what ways are best to promote their own act. As an online promoter, I have gone down the same rabbit holes and realised that keeping everything Simple was the best way forward for any meaningful results.
Obviously the Music has to be good and also have the ability to attract a fan base. Musicians know full well that if they are getting good feedback about a track or a live performance then they are on the right track. What they decide to do with that feedback is a whole different matter. It can either be collected up and built upon or as many artists do today, ignore it and expect continuous support by spamming all the social networks.
The biggest mistake I see musicians & managers making today is not building a fan base, a community where musicians and their fans can engage personally. That can only be done after a before, during and after live Gig or through a personal email. Social media in my own opinion is useless for this and should only be used as a catchment area for new fans. Any and all fans should be placed in an email list for special personal email and a building of relationships with various offers, updates, fan only material shared.
Streaming has obliterated physical sales but please be aware that CDS & Vinyl have become a niche marketing and should be part of your overall merchandise stock. Remember you are a business and need to cater for all of your fans and having music in all formats should be always available to them. The majority of Record stores have virtually no interest in your music so keep those physical copies for people that actually want them. If you have a good email list of fans, This is a very good way to sell those copies and share your music.
Musicians know full well the importance of playing live, sharing their music locally and outside or their area. I hear many complaining that they cannot find a whole lot of places that will give them the opportunity to play but please remember that you must offer the venue the opportunity of an event attended by many of your fans. If you are serious about your music and the future of it, you will have already done the groundwork before reaching out to bigger venues.
The live performance is the Musician's opportunity to showcase what they are all about and attract fans to them. Again what you decide to do with those new fans is the difference between being a successful act or an act with no direction, aimlessly posting on facebook, instagram etc and hoping that fans will automatically follow each and every week. If that initial personal connection is not made and nourished then the chances of each fan remaining committed and loyal to you is virtually Zero.
As a previous Venue Manager and now Online promoter for many years, I have seen it done right but unfortunately too many times done totally wrong and seeing the musician frustrated. If you are serious, then start doing this correctly and simple build from there in an organic way first. One fan, two, three and keep going till you reach a few 100 or a few 1000 if you are doing things right. Then and only then do you attempt any social media campaign but always be conscious of your loyal fans who require a different personal approach.
If you are not prepared to do all this, then you are in the wrong career and you should only play or perform music as an interest, hobby, part time job or simply entertainment. I think many Musicians get caught up in the fantasy of having a music career without knowing what is actually required in reality and waste too many years in the limbo land of the music industry. It's just my opinion from what I have seen over the years. Music is certainly one of the most beautiful hobbies one could have as it is an expression on one self but launching a music career is a whole different story. Which one are you in all of this?