The competition for attention on MySpace is intense. Each band, musician, artist, comedian, actor, etc, is vying for attention and aiming to stand out from the crowd. But, with so many pages (and so many more being added all the time), it can be very difficult to break through the clutter.

Many artists on MySpace have started to discover the benefits of building a MySpace mailing list. This means they place a signup box on their profile and let their fans, friends and family signup to receive special email newsletters, notifications of new releases, show dates, etc. While these artists still have to get fans to their page to signup, once they have captured their fans" information, these artists can send fans targeted email campaigns that take place off of the MySpace universe and away from some of that clutter.

With the right email marketing software, this can be very easy to accomplish. After all, these artists need to focus on their craft. And although "marketing manager" is a hat that many artists must wear, the management aspect should never overshadow their core creative focus. Most email marketing software solutions require little to no technical skills, so anyone can dive in head first and start creating professional email marketing campaigns within a few minutes.

The key towards making email marketing effective for the MySpace artist is to build the biggest mailing list you possibly can. Many artists have realized that placing their MySpace mailing list signup box higher on their profile produces far greater results than burying it deep on their pages. Also, in an effort to put their MySpace mailing list growth on turbo, many artists have started including tag lines in their private messages, saying something to the effect of "Join my MySpace Mailing List by visiting our profile". Since many artists on MySpace (in this case, they can be referred to as your competitors) haven"t realized the value of a MySpace mailing list, this is your opportunity to get an extra edge. When you couple that with some easy-to-use email marketing software that offers lots of template options so your create juices can flow, you rapidly move yourself into a whole different league, way ahead of the competition.

Once you have built your MySpace mailing list, you can put your email marketing software to work in a variety of ways. Many bands have discovered that sending out an email marketing blast to their mailing list announcing a new song they have released can heavily boost the amount of ‘plays" it receives on their profile. Your MySpace mailing list can also be used to pack a concert crowd, as most email marketing software solutions will let you send out invitation-type emails, where you can invite all of your mailing list subscribers to attend your event - whether it is a concert, comedy night, art show, etc.

Some artists are harnessing the power of their email marketing software and MySpace mailing list even more and have started to promote their merchandise through targeted email campaigns. If you have an online store, you can use your emails to showcase your latest product offerings and give your mailing list subscribers one-click access to make a purchase. Not all MySpace artists have merchandise to sell, but even if you"re thinking about it, it"s good to know the variety of options you have after you have successfully built your MySpace mailing list.

One very important issue that needs to be addressed is spam. Anytime you are launching email marketing campaigns, the issue of unsolicited email (UCE) must be brought into play. Most email marketing software programs will confirm your subscriber"s intent to join your mailing list, so a large part of this is handled automatically for you. In this process, once fans fill out their information on your MySpace profile, they receive a confirmation email with a special link they must click. Once they click this link, it confirms they want to be added to your mailing list. (This is referred to as ‘double opt-in" or ‘closed loop".) Where MySpace artists can run into trouble is if they start randomly adding people to their mailing list who have not expressly requested to be on their list. Just because your bass player knew someone 10 years ago in high school, that does not give you the right to automatically add them to your MySpace mailing list. While email marketing software can be very powerful towards helping you achieve your goals, it"s important that you don"t inadvertently send out spam and cause unnecessary headaches.

MySpace provides an excellent platform to get exposure on an international scale. When your MySpace profile is coupled with a MySpace mailing list and email marketing software, you can rise above the crowd and get more face-time in front of your fans. This leverage can go a long way towards achieving your goals, whether they are increased traffic to your page, more plays of a song, more people attending your show, or anything else you may be seeking.