In the age of social media, where artists, musicians, and bands can create profile and share content easily online, having an official website might seem unnecessary. While a profile on Facebook or Instagram is free and easy to set up, buying a domain name, picking a platform, and building your site can be expensive, time consuming, and complicated. However, despite the potential drawbacks, it’s still important for creatives to have an official website.
Hub for your profiles
Let’s say you have a fan who’s trying to follow your band on Instagram. If they don’t already know your username, it can be difficult to figure out which profile is yours, especially if other people have similar band names. Google searches of your band name might not necessarily bring up the exact profile page that your fan is looking for, or it might lead them to an unofficial fan page. If you have a website with a “bandname.com” url, though, it’s likely to rank much higher in Google, and you can use that page to direct fans to your official social channels. You can also direct fans to streaming services, online platforms where you teach music lessons, and your merch store.
Sell Merch
Fans who can’t make it out to your shows still want to be able to buy your T-shirts, posters, and CDs! Online merch sales can be a great revenue stream for artists, and your official website is the best way to do that! Rather than directing fans to a long url at a third party website, you can send them to the “merch” tab on your site. This also gives you more control of how your merch page looks and which items you feature.
Host your EPK
Your website is the perfect place for hosting an online Electronic Press Kit with no additional charge. You can easily build a page on your site with all of the resources a potential journalist or A&R rep might need, like high-quality, downloadable photos, your biography, press releases, and your music. If you don’t want that info to be accessible to the general public, most web hosts will allow you to password lock a particular page or make it only accessible by a direct link.
Structured Data
Structured data, also known as schema markup, is a small chunk of code that tells Google about your band and helps it draw connections between your profiles. If Google can’t find this data, it’s forced to make assumptions which might not necessarily be correct. You can add this data in most web design platforms, and some will even generate a markup for you. Social media profiles alone can’t do this, and it’s very important for your band’s search engine optimization!
Shows dedication/investment
Just having a website in itself is an excellent way to show that your band is serious about their careers. It shows that you are willing to invest the time and money into setting it up and that you have taken steps to lay the groundwork for your career. A well-designed, aesthetically pleasing website is a great way to attract potential record labels, agents, fans, and promoters. When you have a beautiful, customized site, people will be more likely to take the time to listen to your music!
Even with the plethora of free social media platforms available to today’s musicians, it’s still important for your band to have an official website. But it’s also never been easier, as there are dozens of excellent web hosting platforms available! Just make sure to keep these reasons in mind when selecting a website provider.
