Facebook has become one of the most convenient and effective ways for musicians to communicate with their fans, and adding an online store to your Facebook page is a great way to get your music out there. Many music player apps exist, but Bandcamp’s Facebook app makes featuring and selling your music through Facebook easy. Setting up your online music store will only take a few quick steps.
Selling your Music Online: First Steps
Before you get everything up and running on your band’s Facebook page, you will need to set up an account with Paypal and Bandcamp. Bandcamp.com is a fantastic website that allows bands and djs to put their music online and sell it. It is free and easy to use, providing a slick storefront music player that can be accessed directly on your Facebook page. If you don’t already have a Paypal account, it is crucial to set one up to sell anything online.
Once both accounts are up and running, you can link your Paypal account to your Bandcamp page for payments via the Payment Details header under the Profile option on Bandcamp. Bandcamp will make 15% of your sales revenues, but allows you to set your own price for your music, even providing the option for fans to pay what they want for a download (a model made popular by Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails).
Getting your Music Store onto Facebook
Conveniently, Bandcamp has it’s own app to sell your music on a Facebook page, which can be found here. You will be asked which page you would like to link your online music store with and once you’ve selected your band’s page a tab entitled “music” will appear on the left side of the page. Click on the music tab and enter your Bandcamp username and password inside the app to confirm your account. Now you have a fully functioning music store right on your Facebook page.
Customizing Your Online Music Store
There are a few different options to customize your store app. Firstly, you can rename the “music” tab to be anything you want, such as “Store” or “Buy Our Music.” Secondly, you can make a custom photo or graphic to put on your app page, where you can display your band name or a catchy logo. Lastly, you can make the online music store the first page a fan sees when they visit your band’s page. Doing this is a great way to increase your online sales and get more people listening to your music.
You’re Done!
Congratulations, you can now sell your music online. Promoting the new app on your Facebook page is a great way to draw more visitors to your online storefront. Also, offering discounts or a free sample download can help to increase traffic and sales on your site. Now all you have to provide is the music!