Web Marketing for the Music Business

Web Marketing for the Music Business:
How artists, bands, managers and record labels use the Internet and other digital media

Section 1 ? History and background
Chapter 1 - Development of music marketing on the Internet
a)Pre-web music forums and Usenet groups
b)Introduction of browsers, WWW, and music sites
c)Music file compression and the digital music revolution
Chapter 2 - Market description, impact on commerce, changing lifestyles, online shoppers
a)Trends in Internet adoption
b)Trends in online commerce
c)The contemporary lifestyle
Chapter 3 - Role of the Internet in the overall music marketing strategy
a)Traditional marketing (radio promotion, publicity, advertising, etc.)
b)Interrelationship of the web to other aspects of marketing

Section 2 ? Setting up your web site
Chapter 4 - Domains and hosts ? nuts and bolts
a)Web site basics ? how web sites are constructed
b)The domain name
i)Master of your domain
ii)Registering your name
iii)Forwarding and masking
c)Web Hosting
i)How much space?
ii)Bandwidth and uptime
iii)Choosing a host
Chapter 5 - The role of web site
a)Web site goals and functions
i)Branding
ii)Promoting and selling products
iii)Developing a sense of community
iv)Creating repeat visitation
b)Web site design (web design checklist)
i)Basic design rules
ii)WYSIWYG or not?
iii)Frames vs. tables vs. CSS
iv)Graphics
c)Elements/content for an artist web site (web content checklist)
Chapter 6 - HTML ? the basics and why you need them
a)HTML for page formatting
b)Cascading Style Sheets
c)CGI scripts/Java Scripts
d)RSS feeds to and from your site
e)Testing across browsers and platforms

Chapter 7 - Monitoring your web traffic
a)Setting up counters
b)Using counters to determine visitor activity
i)Page loads, viewing time, exit page, etc.
ii)Using traffic data to tweak your site
iii)Measuring the impact of promotional campaigns
c)Compiling FAQs from feedback questions
Chapter 8 - Audio and video on your web site (the sound sample page)
a)How to select appropriate audio samples
b)Editing and compressing for the web site
Chapter 9 - Ecommerce: Product ordering and fulfillment
a)Security
b)Cash or check? Payment options
c)The shopping cart, wish list, and other purchase-related items
Chapter 10 - Optimizing your web site to attract visitors (internal promotion)
a)Meta tags and titles
b)Contests
c)News
d)Blogs
e)Giveaways/freebies (free music, podcasts)
f)Bookmark/tell-a-friend
g)Visitor registration/fan club (gathering email addresses)
h)Fan message boards, fan photos

Section 3 ? Internet promotion
Chapter 11 - Finding your market online (where are they hiding?)
a)Ways to identify your market
b)Searching and lurking to find your market
Chapter 12 - Successful promotion on the web
a)Search engines, directories ? getting listed, about rankings
b)Ezines, magazine web sites, industry web sites
c)Using online retailers for promotion and fan-based promo
d)The email list ? how to set it up and when to use it
e)Internet radio ? getting exposure for your music
f)Grassroots:
i)turn your competition into your partners
ii)reciprocal links,
iii)teaming up, cooperative efforts, promotional tie-ins
g)Advertising
i)Banners
ii)Sponsored links on search engines
(1)keywords
(2)Google AdSense
(3)Yahoo Search Marketing
iii)Contextual advertising (on special interest sites)
h)Social networking sites: Web 2.0 (FaceBook, MySpace, YouTube)
i)The value of social networking sites for music and pop culture
ii)Signing up and setting up your band site
iii)Networking and promotion techniques
i)Viral marketing
i)Definition, description
ii)Examples of effective viral campaigns
iii)Ways to incorporate viral marketing into your communication plan
j)Fan-based web sites
i)The importance of fan-based sites
ii)How to find and encourage them
iii)Tips on helping fans maintain their fan-based sites (RSS)
Chapter 13 - Internet speed bumps
a)Worthless, outdated stuff and no-no's:
i)webrings,
ii)newsgroups,
iii)banner exchange,
iv)free hosting services,
v)visible web counters,
vi)pop-ups
b)Ethics and marketing on the Internet
i)A rundown of top scams: phishing, spyware, adware
ii)Just say no to spamming
iii)Accurately representing your business
iv)Customer privacy and security

Chapter 14 - The big picture'integration of offline and online marketing
a)Tying in your web presence with your products
b)Integrating other media and web promotions
Section 4 ? Mobile music
Chapter 15 - ? Hardware and the roving consumer
a)The development of mobile music devices (MP3 players, iPod, Zunes, etc.)
b)The evolution of digital wireless handsets (3G adoption and usage)

Chapter 16 - ? Digital software formats and sales
a)Digital rights management and the impact on music sales
b)Sales models:
i)A-la-carte vs. ?albums? vs. subscriptions
ii)Mobile music sales and side-loading
c)The current market for downloads, ringtones, ringbacks, mastertones, and mobile tracks.
d)Global adoption of music to mobile (IFPI sales data)
e)Sales projections

Chapter 17 - - Marketing to mobile customers
a)Setting up your site for mobile browsers
b)Mobile marketing services ? SMS (Short Messaging Service), mobile coupons, contests, mobile music ID, etc.
c)Marketing through collaborative filtering
d)The power of peer promotion and the role of ?sharing.?