In a press release dated the 16th April, Bandzoogle, a DIY custom website builder for musicians, announced that its member artists have turned over more than $1 million collectively in music and merchandise sales through the service.

“The fact that Bandzoogle lets artists keep 100% of their sales sets us apart from the vast majority of e-commerce solutions for musicians,” says Chris Vinson, President of Bandzoogle, adding “our team is proud to have helped our members reach this million-dollar milestone which demonstrates how our tools are helping musicians succeed on the web.”

For a $15 to $20 per month subscription, Bandzoogle allows musicians to quickly build and customize a professional website with all the necessary features to showcase their media and gig schedule, sell music and merch, publish a blog, manage fan lists, and more.  Considering the cost of hiring and depending on a professional developer to create and manage a custom artist website, Bandzoogle will argue that its websites are cost effective and as easy to maintain as a social network profile. 

I previewed some of the sample sites and they do look good.  There’s no doubt that launching your own website can be a headache, however, if you’re cash strapped and can’t be bothered (as many musicians are), surely a free social network profile will suffice?  Apparently not.