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Starting off in a band can be tough. Where do you start when promoting your band?

Of course there's sites such as MySpace and other music profile sites, but how do you get noticed among the millions of other bands touting their wares on there?

Planet-Loud.com is a burgeoning metal music site dedicated to those bands who, you guess it, like to play their music loud.

Site owner Graham Finney lives in Reading and established the site six years ago with partner Dijana.

He says: "Planet-Loud is an online music resource that covers anything alternative from heavy metal, rock, punk to emo, everything from new bands to more established bands.

"We do album reviews, gig reviews and we have an online jukebox where we feature new bands."

Planet-Loud logo

Graham, who's worked as a freelance journalist for 14 years, writing for magazines such as Metal Hammer and Rock Sound, is keen to promote new bands and currently champions Berkshire metal bands Malefice, Mia Hope and Exit Ten.

"We do a lot of unsigned bands stuff," says Graham, "sponsor their tours and do a lot with the local Reading scene with bands like Malefice and those sort of bands who've been up and coming for a while.

"At the minute we help out with bands that we like, but we like to give a bit of space to bands who wouldn't necessarily get it in the mainstream magazines."

Planet-Loud logo

As well as writing about new bands Planet-Loud also features short introductory interviews where bands have the chance to talk about their local scene, bands they recommend and more.

"In Berkshire the unsigned band scene is great," says Graham, "there's a lot of upcoming bands.

"There are a few that are getting there but who just that need an extra push - we help out where we can."

Graham spends hours trawling the Internet for new music, but greatly appreciates music fans getting in touch with their own recommendations.

"A lot of it's word of mouth," he says, "we've got a really good team and we get kids on MySpace who send us links to bands, so a lot of it is a community thing."

So if you think you fit the bill, email the site with your MySpace link to:

Or send off a demo to:

PLANET-LOUD
PO Box 2581
Reading
Berkshire
RG1 7GT
United Kingdom

"We do try and listen to every demo that gets sent," says Graham.

And if you're interested in writing or taking photos for Planet-Loud, then you can contact Graham direct.

"We're helped immensely by our team who work as hard as we do to make the site what it is," says Graham, who also works tirelessly with partner Dijana on the editing, design, promotion and administration front.

Graham says: "My reviews are honest and straight to the point, nothing too fancy - we're not Q Magazine where readers are 40-year-old solicitors.

"We don't have a writing style as such but a lot of our readers are young and our writers are young."

Email Graham with a sample of your writing to:

And finally, what advice has he got for new bands trying to break through?

"Be honest about what you do, don't just follow anything that's fashionable and bear with it - be prepared for a few knocks along the way."