Welcome to Making Tomorrow Better

Taking Digital Action in the Performing Arts

Evently

Stay Connected & Follow us

Simply enter your keyword and we will help you find what you need.

What are you looking for?

Good things happen when you narrow your focus
Welcome to Conference

Follow Us

  /    /  Embracing Wikidata: For Musicians

How to Increase Discoverability for Musicians Online

Discoverability in the arts means ensuring audiences can find you, your music, your shows, the venues you play with ease. It means positioning yourself online. Unlike search (finding something a user was looking for), discoverability is finding you when a user is looking for someone or something else, but in some way similar to you. To increase discoverability requires that information about you, your band, your music is presented so search engines, and other digital tools, can digest, understand, extract and re-present your information to their users. It means competing more effectively in the digital world.

Search engines, like Google, look for information from a variety of sources. Wikidata is one of them. If you have a Wikidata listing, information about you will come up in Google searches more readily. Other, newer information tools in the live arts, like artsdata.ca, draw on Wikidata for accurate information about the performing arts and concerts.

This guide is focused on Wikidata as a key component in the linked, open data directory eco-system. Wikidata is factual, multi-lingual, open to anyone to edit and use. It, together with adopting “structured data” standards for your own website content, is a powerful avenue to increase your discoverability online.

Importantly, efforts to bring the performing arts and music to the forefront of discoverability are still young. Many folks have not realized the importance of linked, open data. That makes you an early adopter of a proven tool and process!

So go ahead! Use this guide to learn how to improve your digital presence and see the rewards as your career grows.

This guide is part of Home Routes / Chemin Chez Nous’ commitment to lift up and support musicians by using digital tools and processes with purpose, including through the development of Home Routes / Chemin Chez Nous musicians’ listings on Wikidata.

View or download the PDF of Embracing Wikidata: How to Increase Discoverability for Musicians Online 2022

Leonard Podolak_Before_After Creating a Wikidata profile
Embracing Wikidata 2022 Cover

View or download the PDF of Embracing Wikidata: How to Increase Discoverability for Musicians Online 2022

Written by Felicity Buckell, Briana Doyle, Troubadours & Vagabonds Productions, and Inga Petri, Strategic Moves

Project by Home Routes / Chemin Chez Nous

May 2022

Table of Contents

Introduction – Why do I care and How to use this guide

Step 1: See if you are already listed in Wikidata

Step 2: Create a Wikidata Account

Step 3: Create Your Wikidata Profile

Step 4: Edit Your Wikidata Profile

  1. Add Statements
  2. Add References to Statements
  3. Add Qualifiers to Statements
  4. Add Identifiers
  5. Add Images to Wikimedia Commons

Now What?

Seeing the Impact on your discoverability within and outside Wikidata

Appendices

  1.  Information to Gather Before You Begin
  2.  Quick Visual Guide
  3.  Quick Guide to Properties for Musicians
  4.  Quick Guide to Properties for Performing Arts Organizations
  5.  Quick Guide to Properties for Performing Arts Venues
  6.  List of and Links to Wikidata Tech Tips in this Guide
  7.  Useful Resources