Using the Web for Self Promotion as an Artist or Musician

Musicians, DJs, record producers, emcees, sculptors, painters, photographers, filmmakers and creative types in general - take note:

The age of self promotion on the internet has arrived. Unless you have some sort of exclusive contract, in which case you most likely would not be reading this article, the 'net can be a great tool for self promotion of your work, if you know which Web sites are worth your time.

Here are some of the top Web sites that allow individuals to promote their work without paying anything, signing any exclusive contracts or otherwise going through a lot of hassles. You may be surprised how many people are surfing the internet looking for talent, for their own enjoyment or for hire. This goes far beyond YouTube and MySpace.

If you are a musician or producer, you should really take a look at OurStage.com. This is a great place to upload your original music, where it can then be heard, voted on and purchased by anyone who happens upon the site. While industry leaders such as MySpace and mp3.com have a more established user base, OurStage is growing quickly and gives prizes to artists who are ranked the most highly.

It is a supportive community, and if your main motive is to get your music to listening ears, it is a great place to start.

Another site for audio artists of all persuasions that is worth a shot is SNOCAP.com. Like OurStage, it allows users to upload any file that they themselves have created. With SNOCAP, the artist can then make that track available for demo, and for sale. Where this site really comes in handy is they will automatically generate HTML code to create a store to sell your music, where you can profit directly from the sales.

This nifty little music player applet can be built into your MySpace profile, or some other Web sites.