Playing in a cover band is a great way to make money and grow your career as a musician. It opens up a world of playing possibilities from private events, to bars, concert halls and weddings, all of which can be gratifying, both emotionally and financially.
With cover bands playing so frequently, you’ll want to make sure your cover band looks professional, experienced, and ready to entertain. One of the best ways to do this is with a stunning website that will help make your band easy to discover, easy to contact, and easy to book.
Let’s touch on a few must-haves that will help get your cover band website noticed.
1. High quality imagery
Your band image is the first thing promoters, bookers, and potential contacts will see when they visit your website, so you want to make sure you look the part. High quality photos will show that you’re a successful cover band that takes the music seriously, and aren’t just in it to crash a party and cash a check.
When designing your cover band website, consider what you would like your visitors to take away after visiting. Are you a tribute band? If so, do you bring the full experience to the stage? We’re talking outfits, guitars, lighting, all coordinated to a specific era of your favorite band. If this is what you’re selling, make sure you feature that on your home page and even a dedicated Photos page. It could be the game changer, helping the band grow from a ‘once-a-month’ booking, to “sorry, our next available weekend is six months from now.”
For example, visit The Rocket Man Show website and you can see you’re getting a taste of Elton John through the decades. Complete with era accurate outfits, there’s no denying anyone catching The Rocket Man Show will be reliving an evening with one of the greatest performers of all time.
Cover band website: The Rocket Man Show
2. Add plenty of videos
Prove that your cover band is the real deal. Including videos on your website is important to help secure a gig. Whether it’s a live performance or a promo music video, it will give your visitors the chance to decide if it’s a good fit for their event or party.
Adding professional videos to your website is also a great way to promote your project. You can stop any doubters when they ask, “Yeah, but are you any good?” Simply send them your latest video and watch the offers roll in.
Rumours of Fleetwood Mac, a tribute band dedicated to one of the most legendary bands of all time, has a section of their site dedicated to videos. The videos are all professional looking and highlight some of the band’s strongest songs, showcasing their extensive repertoire.
Just from watching a few seconds, you can see that this band is at the top of their game and offers audiences the chance to experience the music and world of Fleetwood Mac live. So much so that the original members have actually joined the tribute band on stage.
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Cover band website: Rumours of Fleetwood Mac
3. Include a detailed song list
By now your visitors have been looking through your website you built for your cover band and they think you look and sound pro. However, they may be asking themselves, “Are they going to play my favorite songs?”
Leave no doubt in their mind with a Song List page dedicated to your set list options. A Song List page can be the deciding factor when offering your band the gig. Some bands like to divide the song list page up depending on the era or the different sets you’ve prepared, or sometimes it’s a full list that’s front loaded to display the classics at the top, leaving no doubt that the crowd will be singing along all night long.
You can also mention on your song list page if you’ll learn certain songs for an event, like a wedding - another way to secure a booking.
Cover band example: Jackson Miles
4. Build a cover band EPK
Building an EPK for your cover band website is a must. You’ll want to be sure to include a bio that highlights your achievements, past gigs, and a stage plot that offers a detailed description of what is required to make the show happen. Are you a Simon and Garfunkel cover band that requires little production and focuses more on intimate events? Or are you a KISS cover band that requires a large stage for your stack amps and high heeled boots, equipped with the proper permits for your pyrotechnics?
Overall, you’ll want to make sure that your EPK gives promoters and bookers everything they need to promote the show, such as your latest press shots and videos, and to make sure to provide all the production needs required to make sure the show runs as smoothly as possible. The last thing you’ll want is a bar owner running out an hour before the doors open to locate a P.A. because they thought the band would be supplying one.
The Van Halen Invasion, a tribute to Van Halen, includes an EPK page that’s a great EPK example for a cover band. It’s complete with easy to download press photos, a promotional video, fan reviews, and downloadable spec sheets for venues and production managers.
Cover band EPK example: The Van Halen Invasion
While building an EPK for your cover band may take some time, it’ll help guarantee that the show runs smoothly and the event organizer is happy. You may even end the night with the next gig confirmed.
5. A detailed contact page
One thing you need to include to help with bookings is a detailed contact page. Long email exchanges can cause you to lose a gig, so make it as easy as possible to reply with a confirmation.
With a Bandzoogle website you can create a custom form with dedicated questions relating to your project. The Infinite Journey band, a tribute to Journey, provides an excellent example. Their form includes sections to fill out from contact information, event date, location, type of venue, and a message box to include any other important details. This type of form will limit the back and forth and help you confirm your gigs more quickly.
You can also add a mailing list sign-up form to your contact page, making sure that new fans visiting your website can get in the know about upcoming events.
Cover band example: Infinite Journey
6. Link to your social media
People want to share their experiences. They may have been dragged to the bar by a friend only to be blown away by the reincarnation of Mick Jagger on a Friday night in Lowell, Massachusetts. They’ll want to share it with the world, so make it easy for them to find how to tag you and shout you out.
A concert used to be limited to only the people in the room. Now, your performance reaches hundreds if not thousands more online through shared stories, and posts. Make sure your band is set up on social media, and links to your social accounts are clearly visible on your website. It’ll make it easy for fans to share videos and reactions online for all their friends and followers to see. It will also help you to be sure you don’t miss out on a great promotion opportunity for your band.
Being in a cover band is a unique and beautiful experience. You get to hang with your friends, playing the songs you love, and allowing fans to forget their stresses as they sing their favorite songs as loud as they can back at you. Creating a professional website for your cover band will help grow your presence online and on stage.
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