Want 209Vibe to write about you?

Ian Hill / 209Vibe editorPosted April 13 at 08:20 AM

Looking to be the focus of a story on 209Vibe.com, in the 209Vibe newspaper or of Ian Hill’s Friday column in The Record? Here's how you can help make that happen:

Do something newsworthy that people in the 209 might want to know about. That typically means releasing an album, playing or organizing a show, winning an award, appearing on television or gaining some other recognition. In other words, do something that makes you stand out from the thousands of others involved in music and entertainment in the area. Preferably, make it something that residents of the 209 - those who visit the Web site and read the paper - can check out. 209Vibe probably won’t use its limited resources to write about a club show in Ames, Iowa. We are more likely to write about a band playing a concert at a venue in the 209.

Tell us about it at least two weeks before it happens. First and foremost, that means regularly adding your shows to the 209Vibe event calendar, the area’s most comprehensive calendar for music and entertainment. It’s free and easy to do. Just go to 209Vibe.com/signup and create a user profile. You’ll get a confirmation email taking you to your profile, which includes a link that says “add events.” If you have other news to pass along to 209Vibe, you can email Ian Hill at ihill@209Vibe.com. Try and put your information into the form of a press release. For more on how to write a press release, click here and here. This helps you appear professional and, again, helps you stand out from other musicians. If you send rambling emails filled with spelling, grammar and punctuation errors to anyone in the music industry, you’re much less likely to get noticed.

Encourage your fans to vote for you on 209Vibe.com. The top-voted artist on 209Vibe.com each month is featured in the 209Vibe newspaper. To vote, click the little red thumb in the corner of the photo on your 209Vibe artist page. Don’t have an artist page? Create one by setting up a user profile (see #2 above) and then fill out the form here. It’s VERY IMPORTANT to use the same email address when you sign up for your user profile and artist page. Once your artist page is submitted, a “manage artists” box will appear on your user profile under your photo. Click the link in the box to edit your bio and add songs and music to your artist page.

Be patient. The 209 has a growing music and entertainment scene that includes thousands of performers. 209Vibe receives more than a hundred emails, MySpace messages and phone calls every day. We may not be able to get back to you immediately. This is why it’s important to send us your press release at least two weeks in advance of whatever you want covered. In addition, we may not write about everything you think is newsworthy. 209Vibe tries to cover all facets of the local music and entertainment scene with its limited resources. As a result, we can’t give constant updates on the doings of any single artist. But if you regularly keep us informed, you’re more likely to be featured in the column or on the Web site.