BandTools Blog

There are few things more frustrating than putting real work into a gig and then playing to a half-empty room. You rehearsed. You made the poster. You posted about it on Instagram. You invited people on Facebook. Maybe you even made a little video or paid to boost a post. Then the night comes around and somehow, despite all that effort, not enough people show up. It’s easy to take that...

You have followers. You have streams. Maybe you have a decent crowd at your gigs. But if Instagram went down tomorrow, or Spotify changed its algorithm again, how many of those people could you actually contact? For most artists, the answer is zero. That’s the problem. And an email newsletter is probably the simplest way to fix it. Your followers aren’t really yours This isn’t...

This is a question that comes up constantly in musician communities online, and the conversation usually gets framed as a choice. Email or social media. Old school or new school. Pick a side. That framing is wrong, and it leads to bad decisions. The real question isn’t which one is better. It’s which one is better at what. What the numbers say Let’s start with the...

Hi, Alongside BandTools updates, I’ll occasionally share thoughts on audience-building, fan engagement, and promotion, which are the kinds of challenges that inspired BandTools in the first place. This is the first of those posts. The problem with building on rented land If you’re an independent musician, there’s a good chance that most of your connection with fans...

Hi there! 2026 is off to a flying start with the announcement of two exciting major new features for BandTools. Custom domains If your BandTools plan includes the feature, you can now use custom domains when sending newsletters and for your public newsletter archive. Custom domains are a great way to achieve a more professional look and to help build your reputation and brand...

Hi, Hot on the heels of last time, we’ve added two more great new features to BandTools. Send newsletter later If your BandTools plan includes the feature, you can now schedule the sending of a newsletter up to 30 days in the future. Clicking the new Send later button will open a window where you can select the date and time the newsletter will be sent: Select...

Hi, We’ve added a couple of major new features to BandTools. Read what’s new below. Create a newsletter from an email If your BandTools plan includes the feature, you can now send a newsletter by writing an email and sending it to your BandTools account. Each account with this feature gets a unique secret email address. You can view or copy this email address on the new...

Hi there! We’ve been hard at work making some exciting updates to BandTools. Read what’s new below. Newsletter attachments As well as images, you can now send other kinds of file with your newsletters: • MP3 or MP4 audio clips • MP4 video clips • PDF documents Simply click the paperclip file attachment toolbar button or drag a file into the newsletter editor to attach it. The...

Hi, We’ve made some exciting updates to BandTools. Here’s what’s new! Subscriber activity The Your subscriber list page is now a tabbed interface with a new subscriber activity view. Every time someone subscribes, unsubscribes or is removed from your list, the details will show up here: Improved newsletter deliveries information Clicking on a...