Established as one of the biggest online distributors in the game, CD Baby has consistently provided a number of online features, including the option for artists to host their website through a company called HostBaby. No more, however, with the parent company recently announcing their plan to transfer all artist site accounts to Bandzoogle.
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Guest post by Bobby Owsinski of Music 3.0
CD Baby has been one of the largest online music distributors for some time, and it’s always offered a number of additional features. One of these features is a place for an artist or band to host their website, which the company called HostBaby. Now the company has announced that it’s shutting down HostBaby and transferring all accounts to Bandzoogle.
If you’re a HostBaby user, this might sound ominous, but you may not see that much of your online life affected. The company said that you’ll be able to keep your domain name, any email inboxes, all hosting time purchased through CD Baby, and all deals made through CD Baby with no problem.
Bandzoogle has a lot to offer that users might find useful as well. Things like mobile-friendly templates, direct-to-fan eCommerce features to sell their music, merch and tickets, crowdfunding and fan subscriptions, and integrations with platforms such as Bandsintown and YouTube will be welcome additions for most artists.
No timetable has been announced for the transition, but both companies say that they expect it to be seamless and transparent to its users. In the meantime, HostBaby is no longer accepting new subscriptions, and their website even seems to be offline.
Unfortunately, having a platform either substantially change or shut down is a fact of online life. It’s best not to get too comfortable with any social service or media platform because adjustments are inevitable. The best you can hope for is for something like what’s happening between HostBaby and Bandzoogle where the account transfer is easy and painless (if indeed that ends up being the case).