Make your Web site more than just a cache cow. Every magazine you open, every news story you see on television, every radio station you listen to is Internet this, dot-com that, high tech the other. The media mentions and discusses the Web constantly for a reason: it's the future, and the future is now.

As a musician, you're in a perfect position to exploit the Internet's multimedia capabilities. The obvious way is to create a Web site devoted to your music-but if you design your site to appeal solely to fans, you're missing a great opportunity to make it really work for you.

Don't base your site just on selling CDs and other merchandise-consider it a means of reaching music reviewers, journalists, label execs, and booking agents. Turn it into an online press kit. A virtual press kit gives you an edge because it lets you provide a lot more information than a traditional kit does, and-if you build a good Web site-it makes you look hip, savvy, and intelligent.

Pressing Matters Before we go any further, let's review some press kit basics. The concept behind a press kit is very simple, as are the elements that constitute it. The purpose of a press kit is to introduce a band or artist to the recipients (the journalists, booking agents, and other parties mentioned earlier). It's a time-honored way for industry folks to get an initial feel for an act's sound, look, attitude, and professionalism.

The ingredients for a traditional hard-copy press kit include a CD or CD-R (it doesn't have to be full-length; a demo is fine), a press release about the band's current project, biographical information on the band, a photo, contact information, a schedule of upcoming gigs, and any pertinent press clippings. Each component should be of decent quality-provide a well-written bio and press release, presented on high-quality paper, as well as a professional-looking 8 5 10 glossy photo. Place all the kit's pieces neatly inside a folder. Put contact information for the band on every piece in the press kit. Don't overlook the photo border, the CD, and the folder itself. When you send out a press kit, it's important to include a brief cover letter in which you introduce yourself and explain your objective in sending the kit (you're hoping for a CD review, want to get booked for a music festival, and so forth).

The most common mistakes people make when creating their press kits is including too much information and overhyping their acts. The industry professionals who review these materials receive hundreds of kits. They want to get a quick feel for the act without having to wade through piles of paper and unproven hype. This brings us to the topic of how to eliminate the paper from the press kit and how to make the elements in a traditional press kit really shine online.

The Paperless Press Kit The purpose of a press kit doesn't change just because it's available online. In fact, I don't advise that you entirely replace your traditional kit with an online one. A combination of the two is the best approach. One benefit of having an online press kit is that you can update it regularly for a nominal cost. Even though you can put together traditional press kits inexpensively, the cost of reproducing CDs and photos and mailing the packages can add up over time, especially if you update all the materials frequently. So save the traditional approach for times when you're making a big push to get signed, get booked, or drum up CD reviews, and back it up with an online press kit. The online kit can serve as your day-to-day calling card.

When it comes to your site's layout, think about the various people who will be visiting it and what they will want to access. The best sites I've visited combine a nice look with an easy-to-navigate layout, fast-loading pages, and buttons on each page to jump to other pages on the site. Remember that presentation is an important factor, just as it is in the traditional press kit. Think of your online press kit the same way, and make each page easy to read and pleasing to the eye.

In addition to creating a home page, dedicate a page to each element of the kit: a bio page, a discography, song clips, tour dates, CD reviews, gig reviews, and so on. Even though you can include a lot more information than in a hard-copy press kit, you should still aim to keep each written item short and sweet-but you can offer more variety.

Home page. First off, your home page is the equivalent of your press kit's cover letter and packaging all in one. It is the first impression visitors get of your band. It must include the band name, your logo if you have one, and a photo. Then you can include either a brief description of your music or an icon, which the user clicks on to move to a description on the next page.

Bio. Your site's bio page should resemble the hard-copy version, with a brief description of how the band was formed, how long you've been together, and the high points of your career (albums, important tours, and so on). You can link the mention of each band member to his or her own page and give a more in-depth history of individual members. Those pages can also offer more photos. This gives your visitors a chance to learn the history of all the band members, including their past collaborations.

Discography. A discography page obviously works best for bands that have more than one release. (If you have only one release, dedicate a page to that, but don't call the page a discography.) Display the covers of your CDs, their release dates, the tracklists, the names of the producers and engineers, and so on. If your music is available online, provide a link to the site that's selling it or to the ordering page on your own site if you're selling it direct.

Music and video clips. In addition to listing your work on the discography page, dedicate a page to clips of your songs. You can offer clips of live tracks and unreleased songs, as well as video clips of the band in rehearsal and on stage. This is a great way for industry folks to check out your act. The Zookeepers, a Los Angeles band, has a link from www.thezookeepers.com to its page on the MP3.com Web site, where visitors can get various MP3 files of its songs. This saves the group from having to update the audio content on its site in addition to the MP3.com site.

Live dates. Keep a fresh list of your upcoming shows on your site-and make sure the dates are no more than a couple of weeks old. It looks bad if someone checks out your gigs and sees a bunch of old dates. You may look like you're not playing anymore, and it calls into question the freshness of other information on the site. The Zookeepers band lists the names, addresses, and times of gigs on its site, and in many cases hyperlinks the venue name to a map showing its exact location. This small touch shows the group has given a lot of consideration to how visitors will use the site.

Reviews. You can divide the reviews section into two pages: one for reviews of recorded material and one for show reviews. Provide as many reviews as you like, but list the most recent one first. At jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter's Web site, www.charliehunter.com, the reviews appear in a list along with the publication and the date, and each title links to the review itself. The advantage of this approach is that the user doesn't have to scroll through a ton of text to get to the next review; it's easy to move around out of sequence. The Zookeepers band bucks widely held marketing theories by including a negative review of one of its own shows. The band injects some humor by highlighting parts it doesn't particularly agree with or finds ironic (for example, the fact that the reviewer didn't stay for the entire set). Done judiciously and with humor, this tactic can work in a band's favor.

Other press. Include any other press coverage you've received. Remember: you're not limited to the written word. If you've had a radio or television interview, try to secure a copy of the tape for use on your site. It doesn't have to be a performance on Saturday Night Live or Good Morning America-it can be a local broadcast or cable-access television show. (Check out Charlie Hunter's site for clips of his interview on a local television show.) Once again, fully exploit the Internet's audiovisual capabilities.

Fun stuff. Even though we've looked at ways to optimize the promotional aspects of your site, don't forget the fun factor. For example, the Zookeepers have a name-the-RV contest for the vehicle the group is taking on its upcoming tour. Set lists and photos from your tour van or backstage are hits with fans and press alike. These touches let people feel they know you a little more personally than they might from reading a press release about your latest album. Another idea is to take a digital camera on the road with you and update your site with a travel diary. You can write about your shows and travel experiences and illustrate the text with photos.

Consider listing your live and recording gear. This is a great help to editors (from magazines like Onstage) who need such references. Charlie Hunter has a nice gear section that provides lists, specs, and photos of his guitars and gear. Most sites also have links to other sites. These can be your favorite bands, others in the same genre, favorite music and resource sites, or even nonmusic sites you really dig.

Contacts. As with hard-copy press kits, make your contact information readily available to all visitors. Every page on your site should include a link to a contact page that provides e-mail links, telephone and fax numbers, and mailing addresses. If applicable, also provide contacts for the band, label, manager, booking agent, and Webmaster. If you're the sole contact, just say, "For all band and Web-site inquiries, contact . . ." and include a link to your e-mail address. The whole idea of a press kit is to drum up interest in your act-make sure visitors can easily contact you if the virtual press kit works its magic.

Become the Duke of URL Gee, it all sounds so simple. Actually, setting up a Web site is quite a bit of work, but once you've done it, you just refine and update your site to keep it fresh. Also, some large Web companies, such as Yahoo/GeoCities (www.geocities.com), offer free Web-site hosting. The only hitch is that you have to let your host advertise on the site. On the plus side, not only does the company host your site for free, but it also provides easy-to-use templates that let you design the site and upload music even if you have no previous Web design experience.

Another task you have is to encourage people to check out your band on the Web. While this topic is big enough to fill a feature story, here are a few tips to get your mind rolling. First, make sure every piece of printed literature your band puts out (posters, flyers, palm cards, business cards, photos, and so on) includes your URL. Launch an e-mail campaign, sending out a link to your site. Collect e-mail addresses on your mailing list at every show (you do have a mailing list, right?), as well as from any industry reps you may meet on your musical journey.

Also consider mailing traditional press kits that highlight the availability of more extensive and constantly updated information on your Web site. Another idea is to make a banner for your gigs that displays your URL prominently. Announce your URL over the mic during shows. In short, do anything you can to get that Web address out there.

Register your site with as many search engines and Web directories as you can track down-this can nab some casual music searchers. Finally, trade links with other bands and get listed on music-oriented sites. Networking is the way to succeed in just about any aspect of the music business.

For many people, the Web is becoming the primary way to search for information and entertainment. By creating an engaging and informative press kit online, you can reach a far larger audience of fans and industry types than the press kit of the past could ever have captured. Get with the times and get online.

Mary Cosola is a contributing editor for Onstage and is the author of The Independent Working Musician (Mix

The Ultimate Band List www.ubl.com Lists thousands of bands, alphabetically and by genre. Provides links to bands' official and fan sites. List your band here, and use the links to check out other music sites when designing your own.

Web Site Garage www.websitegarage.com Provides free diagnostic analysis of your Web site. Gives suggestions on how to make your site function better. More services are available, but you have to pay for them.

Fast Atmosphere www.fastatmosphere.com Specializes in Web-site design for musicians. Created sites for Charlie Hunter (www.charliehunter.com) and Galactic (www.galacticfunk.com).