How easy is it these days to put your songs up on a website and make your unique music available to 20 million potential internet surfers? How difficult is it to get 1% of that potential figure to find your unique web page? There is enormous competition out in cyberspace and every one of them screaming 'listen to me - I'm better than the rest'. What makes you stand out from the crowd and achieve more than a 'needle in a haystack' response rate? The answer is simple .. Finding *Unique* Visitors .. or more specifically, helping them to find you.

It's all too easy to think that the job is done once the music page has music on it. But I noticed fairly early on in the process that beyond my immediate live fan base, family and friends, most of whom I would only consider acquaintances, expected a free CD anyway - support needs to be far more wide reaching. Don't be short sighted in your approach. Keep spreading the net and you will catch more and bigger fish.

   One website is not enough.

Stand up if you believe the 'World Series' is important beyond Coney Island.. There is a WORLD out there. Everybody knows mp3.com, Javamusic, IUMA etc I could list 20 in the USA alone. Each website generates it's own traffic flow. The trick is to find the one place you find most comfortable or can generate some income, and divert traffic from all the other websites to the 'home' base where you supply the most songs or information. Many websites have scant facility for internal promotion so it really is the luck of the draw, but the more visible you can make your presence, by using noticeboards, forums, newsletters, stations, playlists, approaching charting artists in your chosen genre, entering competitions etc etc...

It's a full time job but somebody has to do it. You can only reach people one by one. If you get email from a new fan - answer it, keep that contact going, listen to their music, they will totally appreciate your interest and comments and remember you months afterwards when you send out that newsletter. Build up your mailing list daily. Don't be afraid to promote others either .. You will inevitably come across great music yourself by other artists, tell the world about it on the the noticeboards - how many notices have you seen saying 'New at this website - Please check me out'. You will see the same message sat there 6 weeks later with no replies. I recently posted a thread at Javamusic promoting World Music, obscure artistic acts from around the globe that nobody listens to .. I went in search of a few top class acts and listed them with links and comments (all the time maintaining a high profile myself but never saying listen to me).

The thread was the most popular read by far with well over 100 views in a few days and a stream of responses. Each artist I mentioned came to my page played all the songs and received new traffic and a higher profile themselves. And Jeza reached the Top 10 at Javamusic for the first time ..

It's called 'networking'. Each country has it's own music websites, you will find them in Japan, South America, France, Italy, Germany, Argentina and Australia ... I operate a policy of opening 2-3 new websites every week. Take a little time with each one. Have your favourite text, reviews and information handy in 'cut and paste' format. Web ready graphics etc. Load 2 or 3 best songs to each website and a hyperlink to your 'home base' and/or where to buy your CD. Where language is a barrier, try writing a friendly email to the Brazilian /Czechoslovakian webmaster explaining your music in simple English and how you'd like to reach more fans.

More often than not, they will speak a little English and happily open the web-page for you, translate your text and even upload your tracks if you supply good information. I have my text translated into half a dozen European languages now - not everybody speaka da lingo .. (check this out using the translation facility at http://www.besonic.com/jeza - 5 languages available = 5 times the potential fan base) Spanish or Portuguese for example will open up hundreds of potential European or South American websites. Even if you can't haunt the forums in Portuguese, when that unique fan in South America discovers you and wants more .. that is far more important than a good word from your cousin.

KEEP SPREADING THE WORD.

Jeza