I am asked this question quite frequently by new musicians looking to expand their presence on the web. I don’t blame them; the legion of music sites are both numerous and constantly changing. Ten years ago I would have pointed you straight towards the great behemoth that was MP3.com, but we all know how badly that turned out.

If you want a small sample of the sites that feature my music, hit my Contact Page and check out the grid. Do I visit these sites regularly? Hell no… but some people do, and I need my music to be there. With so many options, how do you choose which sites to hit and which sites to ignore?

To be honest, most music sites are a waste of time. Unless it’s iTunes, Facebook, or Amazon, the only people that visit the site are other musicians. Not fans, other musicians. If you’ve ever played an open mic night, you know how this works: You’re onstage baring your heart and soul for a crowd of people who are disinterested and just waiting for their turn to do the same. Posting your music to these sites would be like trying to sell time-share condos at a telemarketing convention.

My advice, for the curious, is simple: Go where your fans are. I say “your” fans, not “the” fans because there are so few “music fans” and so many “songs about robots” fans or “electric bluegrass” fans. If your fans are into manga comics, go post your music on art sites that feature manga comics. Are you an activist? Go post your music where people are supporting the cause. If you don’t know what your fans are interested in, that should be your first step: ask them.

It’s so much easier (and effective) to spread the word in communities you’re already a part of, rather than trying to build a taller billboard than the band next to you.

Every day Google sends me an update as to which blogs are talking about me. This morning I came across a review that made my day. Here’s a clip:

Ebel accomplishes something far more impressive: the songs, though catchy and great in isolation, are even more strong when listened to as a cohesive album… There are reprises, melody replications (where they makes sense), and the layout of the tracks was undoubtedly intentional.
YouMakeMedia.com

This was also posted on the album’s page in the iTunes Music Store. Very cool!

[tags]Matthew Ebel, piano rock, youmakemedia.com, Goodbye Planet Earth, album, review, iTunes, iTunes Music Store, iTMS[/tags]

If you remember Beer & Coffee‘s release, you’re probably as surprised as I am that Goodbye Planet Earth made it to the Music Store in less than a month.

Well, it’s there! And it’s only $9.99 for the whole album. Granted, if you want high-quality DRM-Free tracks, you’ll need to get it from CD Baby or MySpace, and that’s only $12.99. But if you’re dying to get your copy of the new album from iTunes, it’s there!

And please leave a review on iTunes if you’ve already heard the album! Just CLICK HERE to go straight to the iTunes Music Store.

[tags]Matthew Ebel, piano rock, Goodbye Planet Earth, iTunes, iTMS, iTunes Music Store, DRM, MP3[/tags]

So everyone’s talking about the hypothetical [tag]iPhone[/tag]™ soon to be announced by [tag]Apple Computer[/tag]. Much has been made of the fact that the trademarks and patents are already filed, not something [tag]Apple[/tag] does just for fun. Yet nobody can figure out just what’s supposed to be so groundbreaking.

A phone? That plays music? *YAWN*

I think I’ve figured it out, though, and I owe this revelation to the [tag]SciFi Network[/tag].
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