20 ways Bandzoogle is the best website platform for musicians

It’s just incredible that 20 years have passed since Bandzoogle was created to help musicians bring their music online. As a website builder for bands, Bandzoogle has aged like Ann Wilson’s vocals: better every day. We continuously work at updating our toolset, to meet the needs of modern musicians and better support their success every day. 

What artists needed to be successful in 2003 is drastically different today, shifting from HMV to Spotify, and Bandzoogle has been the independent artists’ trusted web tech at every turn.

For our 20th anniversary, we thought we’d highlight 20 of the best things about Bandzoogle as a website platform - from our most loved features to our award-winning support team! 

1. Everything is in one place

We know musicians are short on time.They wear many hats, trying to squeeze writing, recording, and rehearsing into a tight schedule while balancing other monetization efforts like teaching music - and that’s not to mention music promotion! Here at Bandzoogle we’ve worked to put as many artist tools as possible into one place, so that you’ve got your domain name, web hosting, band email, EPK for your music, mailing list, Smart Links, landing pages, virtual merch shop (and so much more) all in one easy-to-access spot.

2. Everything is commission-free

We have never taken a cut of sales. This goes for any sale made through your website, from subscriptions to merch, to tickets - really: everything.. We care about artists and we know that every dollar counts. At the outset of 2023 we were thrilled to announce that Bandzoogle members achieved a considerable milestone by selling over $100,000,000 worth of merch, music and other items through their website – all commission-free. That amount of sales has only continued to grow.

3. Connection and integration

To help build or update things quickly, Bandzoogle tools are integrated with many other music services. You can build your website quickly by adding music from SoundCloud and Bandcamp, syncing events from your Bandsintown listings, connecting to your Dropbox account, integrating Facebook pixels, adding merch items from Printful, among other options.

Get your own website up and running in minutes with these features and more. Try Bandzoogle today!

4. Marketing tools at your fingertips

Marketing tools for musicians have evolved over the last 20 years – even just in the last 5. In that time we’ve added Smart Links, Landing pages, Facebook pixel integration, and more - we are always evolving to offer the most relevant tools.

5. EPKs are easy 

Artist EPKs are an essential tool in promoting your music and booking shows. Our EPK offerings are continuously being updated to help you look your best. Recent changes include offering a downloadable EPK option and pre-set layouts to help you put together a professional EPK in just minutes.

6. Full creative control

All Bandzoogle websites begin with a template to ensure that your content is fully responsive on mobile, and adaptable on all screens. From this framework, you can completely customize your colors, fonts, sections, text placement, images, and so much more to be sure your artist brand is proudly on display.

7. More merch options for musicians

In 2023 Bandzoogle members crossed the milestone of $100 million dollars through commission-free sales on their websites. Much of that has come from online merch sales. We recently implemented a Selling Tools dashboard to help musicians seamlessly organize sales - on the Pro plan you can create product bundles, offer discount codes, integrate Printful into your website store, export transaction data, generate shipping labels, and much more.

8. More mobile options

More and more people browse band websites on tablets and phones. We’re always updating and improving our interface for mobile-friendliness, to ensure all our  templates are responsive with mobile-specific options. Recently we also rolled out a new shopping cart with mobile merch shoppers in mind, to make mobile purchases even smoother.

9. Preset content layouts

In addition to EPK layouts, we updated our ‘Add Page’ user interface this year to make it easier than ever to choose from suggested content layouts. This takes the guesswork out of creating pages, so that all you have to do is add content. Setting up a website quickly has never been easier. 

10. Designs on trend 

From super simple and clean layouts, to loading animations and parallax sections with fixed imagery, our design team is always workshopping new templates and embellishments to appeal to every possible genre of music. We want every artist to be able to make a music website they can be proud to share. Allowing you to change your website template without needing to update any content has also been an important factor in our design updates, knowing that bands love to remodel their online home regularly.

11. Loads of music options 

Packed full of music players and options for musicians, you can add FLAC, MP3, or WAV files to your sitewide or compact players. Pre-ordering and inventory tracking is built-in for CDs, vinyl, and cassettes through your Pro Bandzoogle store. You can even offer free tracks for mailing list signups, or sell download codes to your fans.

12. No need to use code 

There is no need to know any code to create content, tweak design, or sell merch through your website. Just add your text, upload your tracks and images, post any upcoming shows, and your website is ready to go! Updates are easy on the fly – particularly good for musicians who may need to update something while out on the road. 

13. Customization options

While there are hundreds of turnkey templates for you to plug in and post, you can also extend full control over your website’s design details to match your current branding or create a fully custom look. And if you DO want to use code like CSS, you can!

14. Supporting you every step of the way

With all of these great features and options, you might want a team of computer-loving musicians to guide you along the way. That’s where our award-winning customer support team comes in: live chat and emails are expertly answered quickly. What’s more, our techs are mostly musicians (or former musicians) themselves! In a hurry? Search any topic  in our extensive Help section for detailed instructions, or on our YouTube channel for video walkthroughs.

15. Fan building

Build a music marketing strategy around your fans, based on authentic connection, and you’ll receive loyalty in return. There are lots of ways to grow this engagement right through your website, ranging from simple mailing list campaigns to multi-tiered fan subscriptions. Leverage content that already exists in your website, like a pre-order, or merch discounts, or access to behind the scenes footage – whatever you think will draw your community closer.

16. SEO

For every Bandzoogle website,  we offer musician-specific SEO tools and optimizations that set you up for search engine success, including built-in metadata for music and events. Showing up in Google search listings is important to any website’s effectiveness – especially for musicians! – and we’ve got the tools to help you position your website for those optimal results..

17. Using the numbers

Using Google Analytics to drill down into your data is a game changer for musicians who live by the numbers. We include page-level data right in your Reports dashboard to help you plan successful marketing initiatives, alongside location data you can use to inform upcoming tours. 

18. Save time with sitewide options

Built into your website are several sitewide options to not only offer a consistent design aesthetic, but to save you time, too. Update your page footer or social and streaming links with sitewide options that apply to each page. You can also remove the menu from select pages if you want to change things up.

19. Resources and inspiration

Whether you’re starting out with a new website or want to redesign the look of one you’ve had a while, we’ve got you covered with website tips for musicians on the Bandzoogle Blog. We add content that speaks to the challenges and successes faced by musicians in their daily lives, from writing a song to planning a tour to tips for productivity…and more!

20. No one cares more than we do

No chatbots here. Our support team is made up of real people, always ready to help and who truly care about Bandzoogle members – as musicians, we use the platform ourselves! We also continuously update the Bandzoogle platform with user requests and member feedback in mind. 

The Bandzoogle team has grown a lot over the last 20 years, but our members will always come first. Since I started out as Bandzoogle’s very first customer service representative 17 years ago, and into my role as CEO today, I champion the needs of our members and lead our team and roadmap with a clear goal: to help independent musicians across the globe.