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Your online music profile is the bottom-line essential information on WHO you are as a band, singer, songwriter and/or musician. Your profile, as to how it fits in the big picture at Artistopia, an artist development site for indie and unsigned artists, is your biography or resume that presents you to the music industry, other musicians, and your potential fans. That makes it a very important page on the Internet, right? It needs to be interesting, well-written, informative and to-the-point, for this is you marketing yourself. When writing this document, there is much to consider to make it presentable.

Consider these scenarios:

1. An A&R rep is listening to your music on an indie radio webcast and thinks, “who is that?!” So they click on your name to learn more about you. Your music brought them to your profile. Will they be impressed by what they read?

2. A label rep is browsing the artist profiles for a band they need for a certain project, perhaps local to them. Does your profile, gig information, and band description quickly give them enough details to discover you?

In the Internet world, any webmaster will tell you content is king. Why? Because it is how online visitors find you. The number one source for driving traffic to web pages are search engines, and it is content they want and nothing else. (Content is literally text, characters, paragraphs, sentences – it’s information.) You can easily improve the traffic to your profile by entering as much relevant content about yourself as is necessary to describe your music, history, act, image, and musical goals.

Knowing this and knowing that in this busy-busy click-happy Web world, you have to have your band description clearly stated at the top of the bio! The rest of the fill-in details are at the bottom. If you have captured the readers attention at the top, they will follow through and read more. Otherwise, they will leave your profile and look for another band that presents themselves better than you did.

The best place to start is by creating an outline, in Word (or other program). Know how many total characters you can use in the field you are entering information in. Use spell-check and save it for later updating. Collect your thoughts and make notes about your background, your musical history, goals, accomplishments, band members, who plays which instrument, etc.

* The music business is a BUSINESS so present yourself professionally.

The first paragraph should be an introduction. It is the lead-in to who you are, what your music specialty is (genre), where in the world you are from, and perhaps an enthusiastic quote given to you about your music. If you sound like a certain pro band or artist, what makes you different from them?

* Busy industry people may not finish reading after a few lines if the opener does not capture them quickly. And you have to live up to the hype you dish out!

The second paragraph could cover what you are currently up to musically. Here you might mention a new release you are working on, or music projects you are involved with. What promotional plans do you have to support your current activities? Mentioning an upcoming tour or gig would be good here.

The third paragraph will include band member information (who plays what) or brief mention of background experiences, instrumentation, and/or accomplishments, that accentuates your artistic development. Artistopia offers locations for detailed information on these entries, so use the available space to present yourself wisely.

The Mission Statement section will cover your music career goals and is aimed at the industry professionals that might be searching for your particular talent. The Influences section will be who your musical influences are, so there is no need to waste the readers time mentioning them elsewhere.

You have to remember, A&R reps, labels, producers, potential collaborators, are all very busy people that have heard it all before. Do not waste words but find a way to stand out from the typical. The music you create may bring them to your profile after they heard it to learn more about you, so it is up to you to show them that you are a person that they can work with.

It is absolutely amazing to see artists that don’t take the time to do this. In countless web travels and thousands of music profiles, you see artist descriptions from as short as a one-liner like “We want to be heard,” to certain social site artist descriptions that go for MILES. There is a big difference in giving the reader vital information that should be included your profile and info that no one will ever care about that should not.

Therein is the essence of what your music profile should be saying about you.

TOP 5 Reasons every Indie Band should Make A Music Video.

It legitimizes you and sets you apart from other indie bands. A music video says we’re serious about our craft. We not only have songs but a well thought out plan and image. The majority of Indie Bands don’t have a Music Video besides some home footage of themselves at a gig. Having a real music video makes a great impression on Industry Contacts who are considering you for high profile gigs and gives you a leg up on the competition.

It enhances the fan experience. It provides another means for fans to have access to you and see you in a new light. You can even use it as a reward for fan loyalty and street teaming. It also makes for great bonus material. You can now add it in your enhanced cds, and special editions albums.

It provides yet another potential revenue stream. You now have the ability to offer your music video for sale through your own webpage, and through online and television distributers like Itunes, and cable networks.

It opens doors to new markets by utilizing music video sites and tv demands. Music video-only websites are starting to crop up on the internet and being one of the bands that partakes in them gives you more exposure without a lot of competition (for now at least!) Gone are the days when you had to be on a major label and pay thousands of dollars to make an impact on new markets. Someone in another country who wouldn’t understand the lyrics can get to know your band through your music video!

It enhances your single and can give added meaning to support its message and your band persona. If you wrote a song about freedom wouldn’t a scene of you driving a car on an open road or footage of someone jumping into a pool fully clothed make your song all the more impactful? Or if you wanted to showcase an aspect of your bands persona you can take simple pop single and make it into a funny parody. If starring in your own music video isn’t your thing you can always use footage or animation- anything you can think of. Have fun with it!

Check Out More Useful Indie Musician Guides on: WWW.INDIEBAND.TV

Getting a good live music band for your wedding reception in Phoenix means assured fun, even for the newlyweds. After months of preparations, serious ceremony when life-long promises were made, the wedding reception is the time to unwind and enjoy. Drinks will help, but nothing works like a good live music.

It is interesting that people spend so much money on wedding gowns, renting expensive reception venues, pay for food for hundreds of guests – and then get their cousin Al to be a D-J.

Good live music can make a difference between a wedding reception that stays in everyone’s’ memory as the best bash of the year, or it can be remembered for the fight between the in-laws and soggy potatoes for dinner.

Professional entertainers, especially those that specialize in social events like weddings, bar mitzvahs, birthdays and corporate gatherings, know how to keep the atmosphere cheerful and to control the crowd by choosing the type of the music they play. They know to play quiet, romantic stuff during the speeches and dinner, and to light the fire under everyone’s feet afterwards and to make everyone dance long into the night.

Keeping the crowds entertained is not an easy task. Weddings in particular have a mix of people of all ages, with widely varied taste in music, some cranky, some judgmental, some plain unhappy. It is not only a party for the wedding couple, but an opportunity for two families to get to know each other, to take each others’ measure, maybe to create some friendships that will last the rest of their lives. After all, weddings are famous for bridesmaids to get hooked with grooms’ friends. Music is the key to creating the right atmosphere.

Night Groove Band has been entertaining people in Phoenix since 2006. This eight-people band has an impressive repertoire of more than 250 songs of all genres: R&B, Soul, Motown, Pop, Rock, Jazz, old favorites, disco, you name it, they can play it. They are famous for their driving rhythm and great horn section, but what makes them really special is their range of vocals. They can play small, intimate venues for private reception, or large clubs for hundreds of people.

By hiring a professional Phoenix live music band for your wedding, you have at least one thing less to worry about: that your guests are having fun.  Once the music starts, the guests will forget the tight shoes and choking collars, killing corsets and leaking makeup, they will get into the groove and have fun. And the happy couple will have the wonderful beginning of their life together, dancing the night away, before slipping into the night to run to their honeymoon.