With the internet and especially MySpace it suddenly became exceptionally easy for bands to publish and share their music with the whole world, and on the back of the Arctic Monkeys and Lily Allen “discovered on MySpace” success stories a veritable gold rush ensued. But is it possible to make it in music today without an online presence? Guest blogger Eduardo Alonso from Glue takes a look at MySpace and the internet as a promotion tool.

One of the wonders of the internet is that bands and artists are able to make their music available to a potential audience of millions as soon as they walk out the studio and hit the upload button. A few years ago it was all about MySpace and now you have to add Facebook, Twitter, Spotify and any other imaginable way of distributing music online to the equation. But is the internet a good tool for music promotion? When I visit some MySpace profiles and I notice that songs have been played just a couple of hundred times, I cannot help wondering if the promotion is that effective.

Probably the guys of Epilä had similar thoughts because they have deliberately avoided having their music exposed on the net. In fact, they do not even have a MySpace page. This indierock band from Tampere have made some noise over the past couple of years through concerts around Finland, and now they’re ready to release their debut album which will be out in late January. The old-fashioned strategy worked as Epilä was a much talked about band before most people had even heard a single note from them.

When the first single, ‘Ajatuspoliisi’, finally came out, it did pretty well and ranked high on the list of the most requested music at the YleX radio station. Mission accomplished. The hype was created. Of course it remains to be seen if the whole debut album will live up to the expectations, but at least Epilä have proved that it’s still possible to take the first step without the internet.

Perhaps the lesson to be learned for new bands is that the focus must be on composing good songs and growing as musicians instead of creating fancy websites, home videos and distributing the first songs they are able to put together. Because it is very frustrating to find bands that look like the ultimate rock stars, but then their songs sound like amateurish and unrehearsed demos.

In times of media abundance a MySpace profile is not a guarantee that a band will find its audience, so musicians should not rush to throw their music in the huge bargain bin of cyberspace. In many cases this gold rush is creating cheap, forgettable music instead of pushing the artists to get the best out of themselves.

What do you think? Is MySpace and other such outlets needed?

PS: It is possible to listen to one song from Epilä’s debut album ‘Avohakkuu’ on their label Terra Recordings’ website. Still no MySpace page, though…