Death At Sea
Stills
Gabby Young & Other Animals
Picture Book
Liam Dullaghan
MinionTV
Catfish & The Bottlemen
Benjamin James Smith AKA Movedrill
Gunning For Tamar
Pariso

If you have an iPhone, iPad, iTunes or iWhatever then you can subscribe via iTunes here.

Jethro Fox
Thomas J Speight
Professor Penguin
The Moons
Spring Offensive
The Lake Poets
Cruel Love
Soulmates Never Die
The Sea
Fitz

If you’re ‘reet modern’ then you can subscribe via iTunes hither.

Here is a fact which no one might want to openly admit to due to the “Oh FFS, really?!” response it usually generates, but I’m not here to sugarcoat the harsh realities of this shallow, aesthetically obsessed world in which we find ourselves so here you go…

You will be judged on your email address.

Now this said judgment may not hold any meaningful severity of course, but it’s definitely something that you can avoid by sorting yourself out a ‘proper’ one. And what do I mean by ‘proper’? An email address which is
[name/word]@[bandname/recordlabel/managementcompany/etc].com

Receiving an email from [info]@[bandname].com appears far more professional than [bandnamewhichisslightlydifferentfromtheoriginal]@hotmail.co.uk. I think this is something we can all agree on?

Someone recently emailed me from a [name]@fsnet.co.uk address the other day. I thought I’d woken up on the wrong side of 2004 when that popped up in my inbox.

So before we start a couple of things to note…

• .com is preferential to .co.uk despite the latter being cheaper
• The geek side of me enjoys the new fad of utilising foreign URLs in order to create a ‘word’, but beware that this could confuse people so consider that before you commit. (for example; I own the URL ‘pursehou.se’ so my email address is [name]@pursehou.se which I’d argue is the greatest thing that’s happened to me in the past decade, but trying to explain to less tech-savvy people over the phone what my email address is can be a bit frustrating at times)
• If you have a very generic band name then your URL may already be taken, or worse, cost a lot of money to purchase. If so it might be worth considering changing it a bit. If you do this though I’d recommend changing your social media addresses so they match across the board. For example if you can’t get [bandname].com, go for [wearebandname].com and change your twitter username to @WeAreBandName and have your Facebook page as facebook.com/[wearebandname]

So let’s begin…

1) Buy your URL

I’ve previously bought my URL’s from GoDaddy.com, but have since discovered that there is quite a bit of animosity towards that company due to suspect customer service and the fact that the CEO likes to shoot elephants during his holidays. Far from me to judge, ahem, a quick straw poll of my Twitter followers informs me that 123-reg.co.uk appears to be the site of choice (although there are LOADS of places online where you can buy your domain name).

So I’m going to start a band called LIKElistenUNLIKE (which is a running joke between myself and @GentlemansUnion regarding bands who make you ‘Like’ their Facebook pages in order to listen to their music, only for you to ‘UnLike’ them seconds later when you discover their music is rubbish – artists, please never make me ‘Like’ your page to listen, thank you).

To my upmost joy, my new band name is available!

Yes - I'm only buying this for a year, I am from Yorkshire after all.

If you’re certain you’re going to take over the world and become the biggest artist since Justin Bieber (he’s big yeah?) then it might be worth also buying [bandname].co.uk as well if you’re feeling flush.

Wherever you buy your domain from will then no doubt try and flog you loads of extra stuff and add ons before you get to the check out. Obviously, feel free to have a gander at these and buy them if you want, but you really don’t need anything other than the URL for the time being as we’re going to go and use the good folk of Google for the rest of the bells and whistles.

Before we move onto the email part, it’d now be a good idea to make [bandname].com link to wherever you want people to go to when they type it in. To do this go to your control panel:

(insert humorous caption here)

Hit ‘Web Forwarding’:

This is where Spiderman sends his email... HA HA HA (sorry).

Hit ‘Add’:

Would you 'add-er' look at that! (sorry)

And input where you’d like your shiny new URL to redirect to:

Any suggestions with what I should actually do with LIKElistenUNLIKE.com are more than welcome.

So now, if you click on www.likelistenunlike.com then you should be taken straight to Sentric Music’s Facebook page. Go on, try it, it’s like magic.

Now you’re going to be chuffed to know that we’re going to use Google Apps to link your URL to in order to use their Gmail interface. This means that to use your new email address(es) it’ll be near enough identical to using Gmail, which is pretty much accepted to be the best webmail service going. This also means that you’ll be able to very easily link up your email to your iPhone/Blackberry/Android etc and also any external mail clients you might use such as Outlook or Mac Mail.

Firstly head over to www.google.com/a (and bookmark that page as that’s how you’ll be accessing your emails from now on) and click on the big old ‘Begin Free Trial’ (after the free trial it will cost you £33 a year, but you get so much more than just email so it’s very much worth it) button:

I really should stop adding captions for captions sake

Knock in the details it’s asking for. The screenshot below means I’ll end up having an email address of ‘pursehouse@likelistenunlike.com’. If there are a number of you in a band, your best option would be to do a generic one to begin with such as ‘info@[bandname].com’ or ‘hello@[bandname].com:

I like my passwords like I like my puns...

Google will then give you the option of either an ‘Express’ set up or a ‘Custom’ set up. As your needs are going to be on the basic side (to begin with) then select ‘Express’:

You are a small organisation, don't let your ego tell you otherwise

Next you need to ‘verify’ your domain. Click on ‘Alternate Methods’ and select ‘Add a DNS record to your domain’s configuration’:

This is not as complicated as it looks. I promise. This is coming from a man who once took an entire weekend to build an Ikea futon.

And I’m going to cheat here by linking to a post that the guys at 123-reg did themselves that explains it a lot better than I ever could. Now don’t be too put off when you initially open this link as it may look a bit confusing, but if you follow it step by step and do at it says it’ll take you 15 minutes tops and you’ll be laughing, and that’s a Pursehouse promise.

Read: ‘How do I add Google DNS verification to my domain name?’

Be sure to do as the guide above says, before you click ‘Verify’ on Google.

Next it will ask you if anyone else will be using your new URL, if there are several members all wanting [theirname]@[bandname].com then you’ll want to come back to this and select ‘yes’, for now though select ‘Set Up Your Apps’ so we can get your email up and running:

Doing this will make you 'App-y'! (sorry)

Now it’s time to fire you over again to the chaps at Reg 123 who’ve done another blog which talks you through this process in a rather concise way:

Read: ‘How do I set up Google Apps email with my domain name?’

Once you’ve done that you’re done! Send a cheeky test email to yourself to make sure it’s working and voila:

15 minutes later I received an email telling me I'd won the Nigerian lottery!

If you then want to set up more email addresses for other members of your band/your manager/your pets then head over to the ‘Users & Groups’ section, follow the steps for the ‘add users one-by-one’ option and be sure to select the ‘Show Me’ option that Google handily offers you:

It's 'Show(me)time'! (sorry)

Once you’ve followed those very easy instructions a nice little list of members should now have access to your shiny new email account.

And that, my dear friends is how you do that!

A couple of notes:

• Google Apps offers SO MUCH MORE than just a webmail service, use this as a kick up the arse to create a shared calendar between yourself and other members/managers so you know when rehearsals/gigs/releases are in the future. Also use Google Docs for shared spreadsheets (band expenses etc) & word documents (bios, press releases etc).
• The cost of Google Apps is either £3.30 per email address per month or £33 per email address for the year
• On your Google Apps dashboard you’ll find all the information you need to access your email via your mobile phone devices
• Utilise Gmail to it’s full potential! Be sure to sort out your signature to include links and contact details (in fact; I’ll probably do the next blog about email etiquette)

I hope this was helpful. Feel free to praise me/slag me off via the usual methods.

What I’m listening to this week: Rae Morris, The Kill Van Kulls and Jethro Fox:

What I’m reading this week: Down & Out In Paris & London by George Orwell

Pursehouse. 

Tall Ships
Jethro Fox
Song Of Return
Padraig Whelan
Three Trapped Tigers
Evelyn Burke
Munroe Effect
Ian Britt
Nine Tails
The Chapman Family

If you’re ‘reet modern’ then you can subscribe via iTunes hither: http://senmusi.cc/ppDRsU

February, the month of love – so why not fall in love with some new music? After all; it’ll never cheat on you or forget your birthday (granted, it won’t remember it either). 10 more ace tracks from some of the UK’s best emerging bands including:

Labyrinth Ear
Juan Zelada
Air Cav
Pariis Opera House
Dems
Married To The Sea
Arthur Rigby
Sun Drums
Battleships
Lighthouses

If you have one of those fancy iPhone things you can subscribe via iTunes as well here.

Also – a bit chuffed to announce that the podcast has been featured by the good folk of iTunes!

Next to good old Steve...

The iPhone recently turned five years old which means it’s the same age as my niece and despite Emily being cuter, more adorable and full of innocent wonder, when it comes to giving me directions to find The Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, or telling me how many league goals Des Walker scored in his career (one), the iPhone definitely has the edge.

The lovely people at Music Week posed this question over on Twitter, you can see my reply below…

@MusicWeekNews - Stoking the fire of debate as ever

I kept one eye on the debate throughout the afternoon and I was rather surprised to see there were quite a lot of naysayers out there, saying the iPhone and iTunes have had a negative impact on the industry. Now I may have been told my incessant optimism resembles that of puppies sliding down rainbows whilst singing S Club 7’s ‘Reach’ over and over again, but I believe these people are wrong, so I thought I’d do a little blog on why I think so…

Come with me on a journey back to 1999 and imagine a young man with awful hair, a bulging waistline and questionable musical tastes – ladies and gentleman, you’re currently picturing me as a fourteen year old adolescent. Being a December baby I did the classic ‘Christmas + Birthday- present combined’ trick to bag myself a Sony Minidisc Walkman. This beauty in fact:

All technology is better when it comes as an equilateral square. Fact.

At the time this was an utter revelation; it allowed me to create mixes just like a cassette does, but at CD quality?! “THIS IS THE FUTURE” I exclaimed to my parents and peers before locking myself in my room to record a mixtape *in real time*. Baring in mind this is a good few years before broadband made it’s way into the Pursehouse household and at the time only one kid in my entire year at school had the ability to burn CD’s (I used to pay that said kid £10 a go to make me a mix CD of the 15 tracks I was currently enjoying on KerrangTV/MTV2 which he pirated over dial up Internet – halcyon days).

Fast forward five years and after saving up my wages from working in a call centre selling catalogue insurance to pensioners with more money than sense (they had very little of both it would appear) I purchased myself a Creative MP3 player (I couldn’t even find a picture on the internet of the first one I owned it, so here is the second, a ‘Zen’. Flash eh?) :

I adored this. With hindsight it was rubbish and crashed a lot.

If the Minidisc Walkman was a revelation, the Creative Zen was life changing. I had my *entire* music collection in my pocket. Every single song I had acquired (either legally, or illegally) was in my hand, ready for me to listen to whenever the mood took me. On the bus to town and fancy listening to a bit of JJ72 Simon? Don’t mind if I do thank you very much. Follow that up with a Seahorses B-side? Oh go on then.

Then the iPhone came along and with it the ability to listen to pretty much any song ever released whenever you want.

Any song ever released. Whenever you want. Wherever you are.

That, my friends, is awesome. And I mean “awesome”. It inspires awe within me.

I was in the car with a friend the other day and he was playing something that caught my attention.

“What’s this?”
“Erm, DJ Format I think”

I got out my trusty iPhone, Shazam informed me it was Ill Culinary Behaviour by DJ Format, I pressed ‘Purchase on iTunes’ and I then owned it.

Before the record had even finished on his stereo, I had discovered what it was and bought it. If you can tell me that scenario is bad for the music industry then I’ll eat all the hats in Western Europe.

My inkling on why the naysayers were naysaying is because the rise of iTunes and the iPhone paralleled the rise of piracy. As internet connections become cheaper, quicker and more accessible so has the ability to pirate music, but, least we forget, also the ability to legally purchase and consume media in all forms.

What Music Week asked was what effect the *iPhone* has had on the industry, not what effect the continuing improvement of technology has had. Using iTunes and owning an iPhone have caused me to purchase more music than ever before, and I’m not just talking a bit more, I mean a lot more. I buy more albums because the Spotify App on my iPhone allows me ‘test run’ them first, and I would have never previously spontaneously bought singles à la carte like I did in the DJ Format example above.

This post may very well just be going over old ground and you may have agreed with everything I have said, if so I apologise for wasting your time. I was just genuinely surprised to see some of the discussion happening online around the impact iTunes and the iPhone has had on the music industry in the past five years.

So the next time you’re iPhone battery dies on you, don’t swear at it, just remember what your life was like when you had a Nokia 3210 in one hand and a CD Walkman with two dead AA batteries in it in the other.

Anyhow, feel free to make your feelings known via the usual methods.

What I’m listening to this week: Lykke Li, BOY and Kankouran.

What I’m reading this week: 1Q84 (Book 3) by Haruki Murakami

Pursehouse.

If one of your New Year’s resolutions was to ‘discover more new music’ then you’ve come to the right place. New year, same old nonsense sprouting from Pursehouse’s mouth as he introduces ten tracks by ten rather brilliant emerging UK artists. This month featuring…

Kankouran
Vinyl Jacket
I Dream In Colour
Mammal Club
The Nice Sharp Pencils
Young Liar
Auction For The Promise Club
Pandas And People
Deafen The Creatures
The Day I Snapped

You can also subscribe via iTunes if you’re really modern and all that here: http://senmusi.cc/a0Ljzs

Yes, you’ve read correctly, it’s the now ‘regular’ (there have been three, how many until something becomes regular? Let’s say three) yearly blog where I look forward a whole twelve months ahead of other lists and give you my tips on who I think has a decent chance of being on the populous’ radar in 2013.

So what is the purpose of this list?

I started it a few year’s back when the ‘BBC Sound Of 20XX’ list was evolving from pretty much being a little feature on their site to becoming a fully fledged ‘thing’ in the industry which now receives a bucketload of attention from pretty much anyone who has anything more than a passive interest in music.

It’s widely acknowledged that the lists are usually ‘safe bets’. For example out of the fifteen artists on 2012’s longlist, only one of the artists doesn’t have a major label backing them (Friends). And whilst Joe Public might not be aware of that fact and therefore when they’re plastered all over BBC Radio 1 next year they will be genuinely ‘new’ to them, us lot (and I include you in this as you clearly have enough interest in the music industry to at least be reading this) probably already saw this coming.

There has been an alarming backlash towards end of year lists in 2011, so much so that ‘slagging off end of year lists’ has become the new ‘end of year list’, but as the ever knowledgeable Andy Malt said on the CMU podcast; “It’s just a list”.

So with that perspective in mind, read on and hopefully you’ll come across something you quite enjoy. At the end of the day and other such clichés, it’s all about the music isn’t it?

James Njie – Facebook – Twitter

When DeadMau5 believes in you enough to take you under his wing then you’ve clearly got ‘dem mad skilz’ and London based Norwegian producer James Njie (which I believe is pronounced Nigh, as in; ‘The End Is Njie” – just think of the merchandising opportunities) has quite the ear for a catchy beat. I also went to university with him and he’s bloody lovely *AND* once completed a Rubix Cube, but you can make your own mind up by listening to Anti Crisis below.

Mammal Club – Facebook – Twitter

Responsible for one of the best EP’s in 2011 ‘The AU EP’ (which you can listen to here) and after hearing a couple of their newer tracks set to be released early 2012, I can confidently say that Mammal Club are maturing beautifully. Their ‘sound’ is becoming more unique and accomplished and they’ve also just bagged themselves a rather brilliant manager, which always helps. Have a listen to ‘Hang’ below.

Cattle & Cane – Facebook – Twitter

Despite it not being a competition; the North East is well and truly ‘winning’ when it comes to churning out talent at the moment and Cattle & Cane are up there as some of the best raw emerging songwriting talent the UK has to offer. Listen through their two EP releases on Spotify and you’ll quickly notice that when they get it right, they get it absolutely spot on. This track ‘Sold My Soul’ has BBC Radio 2 playlist written all over it.

ItsNate – Facebook – Twitter

North London based Nathan Anidugbe released his debut mixtape ‘Never Ask Take Everything’ (which you can listen to here) late 2010 to much acclaim amongst the blogosphere of that scene. After several features on SBTV and a string of live performances under his belt, if this young gentleman can carry on growing his reputation like he has so far then he shouldn’t have much to worry about. Listen to City Lights below.

Rae Morris – Facebook – Twitter

Young. Beautiful. Voice that makes you realise life’s worth living. What more could you want? Her performance on the BBC Introducing stage at Leeds festival this year was one of the musical highlights of my year. A genuinely special talent. Have a listen to Wait A While below.

Tarek Musa – Facebook – Twitter

Self-confessed Sound Engineer/Producer rather than solo artist, this doesn’t change the fact Tarek Musa has penned some bloody catchy songs over the past twelve months. His ‘Kankouran’ EP is a hidden gem on Spotify with track ‘Rivers’ being my personal highlight. If all goes to plan you should be hearing his music on some rather high profile UK TV shows next year.

Young Liar – Facebook – Twitter

More geordies! I’m a sucker for a good bit of instrumental music and this track ‘The Line’ pushes my buttons in ways that only fantasies of time spent alone with Mila Kunis can. I’m informed their second EP is on its way early 2012 and I’m rather interested in finding out where they’re going to go next. Be sure to follow them on Twitter as well, they’re pun-tastic.

Professor Penguin – Facebook – Twitter

I’ve had Professor Penguin’s debut album sitting on my iPhone for a good few months now and I can assure you now it’s one to get your grubby little hands on as soon as it’s released in early 2012. Brian Eno likes it FFS, what other proof do you need? The brainchild of Jonny Abraham, Professor Penguin is a collective of various musicians who’ve genuinely created something rather special in the form of ‘Planes’ (the debut album) and you can listen to the lead single ‘Pilot’ below.

So they’re my picks for you. You like? You dislike? Let me know your thoughts via the usual channels.

As ever I’ve asked a few chums of my to contribute…

Natalie Shaw - Music Journo/Label Owner/DJ/Raconteur – Twitter

After writing last year’s tips for next year, something unbelievable happened – my top tip, Canadian duo Bonjay, ended up getting in touch. A few months later, I released their debut European single on my label One Bird Records, and ‘Stumble’/'Creepin’ attracted high praise from The Stool Pigeon, The Fly, The Guardian and heck, even people who don’t write about music for a job. A few copies of the single are still available here (the release is on a physical, touchable notebook – with a download code – don’t you know), if you’re that way inclined. It’s ace.

I made great friends in Bonjay, so if any of the below people want to get in touch this year, I’m at @natalie_shaw. Apart from that, treat it as silly:

Jhené Aiko – Facebook – Twitter

Unbelievably, it’s the girl who appeared on B2K’s remix LP back in 2002 – nine years on, here with her own hauntologically eerie slow jams. Her pure, soft, understated vocal brings up the obvious reference-point of Aaliyah, but her sparse beats and swirling, crushed production are unmistakably present-day.

Beyonce’s ‘I Care’ is the nearest we’ve come to a crossover of ~obvious names~ The Weeknd and How To Dress Well’s spooked-out sounds into the big old proper mainstream. and with her off having a baby in 2012, we’ll have to wait for another while longer for the doors to open again for Jhené.

And besides: a free mixtape is a literal flash-card for “Hi, I’ll be big in two years’ time”, and you can even ask Daley if you don’t believe me.

Have a listen here.

Astro (The X Factor USA) – Facebook – Twitter

The indiest activity I’ve partaken in this year has been closely following The X Factor USA. The stand-0ut for me was Astro, a 15-year-old rapper from Brooklyn.

His passion, drive and flow are impeccable, and it’s been fascinating to watch the kid deliver his own rhymes week in week out – but what he’s lacking at the minute is maturity. Given a year (or two – durrrr), he’ll turn up once again with something incredible.

Have a listen here of his refix of Drake’s ‘Over’.

Vanessa White from The Saturdays - Facebook – Twitter

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of working with The Saturdays on their social media and digital properties, and getting to hang out with the girls for a while. Vanessa White is a lady who loves music, be it SBTRKT, JoJo’s new stuff with Drake, Marsha Ambrosius, Jazmine Sullivan…

Her vocal is the lynchpin of ‘Notorious’, ‘Issues’, ‘Forever Is Over’, ‘Higher’, All Fired Up’ and more, but I find that all too often now, she’s pushed into head voice to avoid taking over.

It’s inevitable that The Saturdays won’t go on forever, which is great because it means eventually, Miss Vanessa White will be given songs all of her own. Maybe that’ll be 2013, maybe not – but whenever it happens, it’ll be a bolt out of the blue.

Have a listen here.

Khaliyl

Here is a two-year-old boy who I found on YouTube the other day, rapping with his dad.

He’ll be at least four by the end of 2013, therefore old enough to have either (a) expanded his repertoire of vocabulary, or (b) learnt a pre-existing language. The boy’s got flow!

Have a listen here. 

Jim Warburton – Music Supervisor at Lime Pictures (Hollyoaks/The Only Way Is Essex/Geordie Shore)

DEMS – Facebook – Twitter

Taking influence from the XX’s intricate sound scapes and Burial’s fractured way with samples and augmenting them with confident and powerful vocals, Dems create a mysterious and beautiful sound all of their own, which is very much a sound of the future.

Have a listen here.

Heart-Ships – Facebook – Twitter

Rabble rousing vocal chants, inspired lyrics, deft and subtle instrumentation, all coupled with a powerful rhythm section. For fans of Sunset Rubdown and Arcade Fire.Heart-Ships create songs with the depth and the power to take them to the top of festival line-ups around the world.

Have a listen here.

Boaz Sachs - Music Blogger, Dilettante Photographer and occasional DJ - Twitter

Takeshi Miyaki 

Its 2011 and this band don’t even have a twitter account or a “marketing strategy”. Strangely refreshing actually and having seen them live by complete accident in the build up to Halloween (dressed in full animal suits I should add) this Californian duo held my attention for their whole set (quite a feat considering the kind of costumes people were rocking out). Singer and drummer Lucy has a soothing and almost hypnotizing quality to her vocals whilst her guitarist Rocky showed some Jack White-esque fire. There are just a handful of songs available right now through their Soundcloud but the band suggested they have plenty more ammunition come 2012.

Have a listen here.

Tigercats – Facebook – Twitter

Londoners Tigercats continue in the fine tradion of twee British indie mashing Belle & Sebastian and Los Campesinos style sensibilities. Frontman Duncan Barrett, once with Hexicon, offers a slightly twisted viewpoint with his unmistakable vocal delivery while the rest of the band do a great job keeping it nice and keeping clean. The band have recently recorded new material with Darren Hayman from Hefner at the helm and I cant wait.

Have a listen here.

Kick Up The Fire – Facebook – Twitter

South East London’s Kick Up The Fire released their debut EP late in 2010 to great reviews but initial indifference from “the public”.  Still, they plugged away playing the traditional London watering holes and beyond building a following. Tracks like ‘No Fun In London’ personify why this lot hold so much promise and arguably ‘These Canvas Shoes’ offers an even more outstanding single material. The band were recently reunited with producer Ben James and if the progress they showed under his tutelage last time is anything to go by we should expect some great new material soon.

Have a listen here.

Alana Stewart – Facebook – Twitter

Alana Stewart is another one of those artists that I knew very little about until she hit the stage and wanted to know everything about her by the time she got off. The West Coast native who relocated to NYC was first spotted busking in NYC before someone wisely whisked her off for that impromptu set of shows in London and what struck me right away was how sincere she comes off from the stage. With that comes a degree of vulnerability which endears you to her further.

Have a listen here.

The Difference – Facebook – Twitter

Here is something  a little different with this selection as The Difference are not actually an act per se but a pair of producers based out of LA. I started following their in my time in LA where I witnessed their collaborations and beats start to infiltrate the local scene. I had the pleasure to drop into their studio for a jam session they were recording and I have to say their production ideas where both meticulous and interesting. Clearly the twosome bring different qualities to the table that augment each other and it was a pleasure to watch. They’ve got a bunch of collabs planned for 2012 so we may hear them on our shores soon.

Have a listen here. 

Bastille
David’s Lyre
Polarsets
Sound of Guns
Three Trapped Tigers
Tall Ships
Young Runaways
Kowalski
Revere
The Loud

You can also subscribe via iTunes if you’re really modern and all that here: http://senmusi.cc/a0Ljzs

Facebook. You’re on it. I’m on it. The vast majority of people who are ever going to show even the slightest bit of interest in your music whatsoever are on it. So you’d better ‘do’ it right eh?

Judging by the amount of emails I receive from musicians trying to flog their wares to me, it appears Facebook has now become the default destination for an artists’ social media presence which I’m all for. Despite my incessant joie de vivre; if you had asked me a year or so ago what I thought about Facebook as a tool for musicians I would have told you it still had some substantial flaws which now appeared to have been fixed by various apps and plug ins.

So, as ever, this blog has been written like all my other blogs have – basically this is what *I personally* want to see from your Facebook page as someone in the industry. I’ve no doubt there will be other posts out there which will delve into the nitty gritty features of Facebook Insights and what not, but you’re not going to find them here. Just a good few tips which, if followed, will stop me from shouting at my computer because after ten minutes of browsing I still can’t actually find where to listen to your goddam music.

• 1) Sort out your Facebook URL

Have you got one of those Facebook web addresses that goes on longer than an aristocrats full name? If so all you have to do is head over to www.facebook.com/username and within seconds you’ll have a nice clean succinct URL. I’ve done it, that’s why ours is www.facebook.com/sentricmusic and not www.facebook.com/pages/OMFG/WTF/ROFL/ShouldHaveReadSentricsBlog/FENTON!

• 2) Utilise plugins so I can listen to your music

You’d be shocked and appalled by the amount of artists’ FB pages I mosey on across to only to discover that they’ve not actually put any of their music up there for me hear. It’s baffling. Currently for my money there are three strong apps you should look at using

ReverbNation (as modelled by By The Rivers)

ReverbNation Facebook App

BandCamp (as modelled by Kowalski)

Bandcamp Facebook App

BandPage (as modelled by Bastille)

BandPage Facebook App

If you already have an account set up with one of these guys then utilise their app. They all do their job wonderfully and allow me to listen to your ditties.

• 3) NEVER, EVER, EVER make me ‘Like’ your page to listen to your music

I hate this. Don’t do this. There is a strong chance I will just leave your page and not listen to anything if you make me do this. Sorry, but it’s the truth.

I understand why you do it; I truly do, so let’s meet in the middle and compromise:

Let me stream at least one track without commitment, but if I want to hear to more because I’ve enjoyed that song then it’s okay to make me ‘Like’ the page in order to listen.

That’s fair isn’t it?

• 4) Include Tour Dates

Pretty basic stuff, but again, you’d be surprised the amount of pages I come across which doesn’t include this info. The plugins mention in point two should offer this, if not then check out the Songkick App which is rather lovely (as modelled by Antonio Lulic).

SongKick Facebook App

• 5) Include information on who you work with

If you have a manager, an agent, a lawyer, regional press, national press, online press, butcher, baker, candlestick maker then list them so I know who believes in your music enough to put their name to it. You don’t have to list their contact details, or even their name if they don’t want you to, but at least the company. Seeing that an artist has a team around them instantly makes them more attractive to work with.

• 6) Let me see what you look like

Good up to date photos or a video will do nicely here please. If I’m spending a day rooting through new music I’ll always watch a music video before streaming a song because a) in theory it should be one of your strongest songs or else why on earth would you go to the hassle of making a video for it? And b) I get to see what you look like. If you look like this gent Heino then I may move on (or fall in love with you instantly):

Heino. May he haunt your dreams/nightmares forevermore.

• 7) Keep your fans and your friends separate

This is a side note which doesn’t really affect me on a day to day basis as a casual observer, but if you have your personal account and your artist account then don’t be that person who posts the same thing all the time on both. No one likes that.

If your friends chose to ‘Like’ your artist page then fool be them; you can spam the hell out of them with your musical shenanigans, but in the grand scheme of things remember that your friends aren’t your fans. The ones who want to know about your lunch via a status update where you showcase your rapier wit may not want to know about your day in the studio where you “lost my tuner LOL’.

There you go – follow those steps and I’ll be a happy bunny. Feel free to agree/disagree via the usual channels.

What I’m listening to this week: Daughter, Dry The River & Professor Penguin.

What I’m reading this week: 1Q84 (Parts 1 & 2) by Haruki Murakami

Stay tuned.

Pursehouse.