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Looking to hire a polka band for your upcoming event?  For the very best in polka music, hire a real Wisconsin polka band!

The Polka ConnectionThe Polka Connection

Would you like to be listed on WPM?

All polka bands, establishments, public dance operators, and related live polka music businesses & organizations active in the state of Wisconsin are encouraged to participate in this website in one of two ways:
  
1. Free Link: If you have an existing website or web page, we will list it on this site and link to it absolutely free of charge.
  
2. Purchase of a Web Page: You may purchase a web page on this website.
  

 
What are the eligibility requirements for getting a free link or purchasing a web page on this website?

Bands:  You must be a polka band currently based in the state of Wisconsin, or a polka band based outside of Wisconsin that plays a significant number of its jobs (at least six/year) in Wisconsin.  (To understand what we consider to be a "polka band", please read the FAQ section below.)

Dance Halls, Ballrooms, Taverns, etc.:  Your establishment must be based within the state of Wisconsin and host regularly-scheduled polka dances either year-round or seasonally.
 
Dances & Festivals:  Your event must be held in Wisconsin, and must be one that features a significant amount of polka music.  Ethnic festivals in general do not qualify unless they feature polka bands.  If you would like for us to link to your event's web page, the page must feature a schedule of polka entertainment.  (In other words, we will not link to any pages that do not have enough polka-related information.)

Organizations & Clubs:  You must be a polka-related organization based within the state of Wisconsin.  (Instrumental clubs such as accordion or concertina clubs do not qualify unless they regularly feature and promote polka music.)

Note: If your organization's web page will require regular updating of photos, news, and other content, then you should have a dedicated website designed and built for your business or organization.  Our hosting service includes regular updating of public dance schedules only.

Radio Stations:  Your polka radio station must be based in Wisconsin.

Radio Shows - Traditional Broadcast:  Your polka radio show must meet one of the following criteria:
  • The broadcast originates from Wisconsin
  • The broadcast originates from outside of Wisconsin, but a relatively strong signal reaches well into Wisconsin's borders
  • The broadcast originates from outside of Wisconsin, but it is syndicated on one or more Wisconsin radio stations
Radio Shows - Internet Webcast: You and your show must originate from Wisconsin.

Related Links:  We will link to all Wisconsin-based web pages that are directly related to polka music.



What will my web page all include?

Mandatory:
  • Contact information
  • Public dance schedule (bands & dance halls)
Optional:
  • Up to four or five photos
  • Up to three MP3 music files (bands)
  • Up to several paragraphs of information.
  • Photos of, and information about, your available CDs



 How much does a web page cost?
  • $85 for the first year (includes a one-time $25 page setup fee)
  • $60 per year thereafter, billed annually


Are you ready to join?  Please contact us!

To purchase a web page:
If you
meet the eligibility requirements above and are interested in purchasing a web page on this website, please send us an email and let us know.  We'll quickly get your web page created, published, and listed (usually within 24 hours.)

To get a free link: If you meet the eligibility requirements above and would like us to post a free link to your website, send us an email with your website address and ask us to post a link.


FAQs
(Frequently Asked Questions)

What do you consider to be a "polka band"?  A polka band is any band (or solo musician) in which polkas and waltzes comprise a significant part of its repertoire, and is often hired for just that purpose. A polka band is one that can play nothing but polkas and waltzes for a three or four hour job without repeating any songs.  Most polka bands play a variety of music, often mixing foxtrots and popular standards into their jobs, so many polka bands may also be considered "polka-variety bands".  However, we do not consider "variety bands" (i.e. wedding bands with very limited repertoires of polkas and waltzes) to be true polka bands, and therefore will not list them.

We hardly play that many jobs anyway, so why should we bother being on the internet?  Because you hardly play that many jobs!  Bands are contacted and booked online nowadays.  If you want more work, you MUST get your band publicized online.

We play just for fun and don't need more gigs that we already have.  So why should we care about being publicized on the internet?  If you're satisfied with the number of jobs you're currently playing, and don't care much for private work, then there's no need for you, personally, to be publicized on the internet.  However, there is a much greater, global reason why you should be.  When the general public needs information, it goes straight to the internet.  When people search for polka music online, they see only as much of the polka scene that is online, and naively assume that what they see comprises the entire polka scene.  If fifty percent of all polka bands, festivals, and organizations choose not to be publicized online, then the entire polka scene appears to be only half as big as it really is.  If you want polka music to survive for future generations, then don't hide your band from the public.

Will my band be likely to get more job offers we have a web page?  You can count on it. People looking to hire bands appreciate the convenience of discovering, reading about, and booking them online.  That's just the way it's done nowadays.  Wisconsin Polka Music is serving as a great benefit to bandleaders who have web pages on our site, because those bandleaders occasionally receive inquiries and are contracted for lucrative, private jobs through the internet.  We can't guarantee bookings will magically roll in for your band, but we can guarantee that you'll miss a good number of job offers if you don't have your band publicized online.

What can I do in order to attract more job offers to my band?  If you were to purchase something sight-unseen, you'd naturally want as much information about the product as possible, right?  Potential band employers can expect to pay hundreds of dollars for a band's services, so naturally, they'll want to find out as much about your band as possible before hiring you.  WPM offers you the options of posting information, photos, and music on your website.  We recommend you take advantage of those options so that potential employers don't pass you over.

If my band is from outside of Wisconsin, and we don't have any public jobs in Wisconsin, can we participate in this website?  Unfortunately no. This site is dedicated to promoting the live polka music scene in Wisconsin only.  If your band is from outside Wisconsin's borders, then you'll need to have a significant number of your band's public jobs booked in Wisconsin in order to qualify for a listing.

If my band is from outside of Wisconsin, but we have some gigs coming up in Wisconsin, can we participate in this website?  Yes, as long as your band plays a significant portion of its public jobs (at least six per year) in Wisconsin.

If my band is from Wisconsin, but we don't have any gigs in Wisconsin, can we still participate on this website?  Yes.  Any polka band from Wisconsin automatically qualifies for web page service on this website even if the band has no jobs or dances booked within the state.

If we purchase a web page, will you list all of our public events on our schedule, or just the events in Wisconsin?  Every one of your public events may be listed, whether you're scheduled to play in Stevens Point, St. Louis, or Scotland.

How much information can you put on our web page?  Your $30 web page setup fee includes four or five photos, photos of your CDs, your contact information, up to three MP3 files, a public dance schedule, and a few paragraphs of information.  We will publish as much information as you'd like, but please remember that nobody likes a cluttered web page.

Will you update our schedule twice in one month?  Sometimes.  On slow days, we often take the time to perform extra updates for our clients, but please understand your membership/maintenance fee guarantees one schedule update per month.

When should we send you our schedule updates?  Send them in whenever you can.  If you need to make lots of changes, please send them in all at one time before the end of each month.

Do you offer advanced services, such as streaming video or online credit card transactions?  No.  This website's main purpose is to provide information to the general public in a manner that is easy to access, read, and understand for the purpose of promoting Wisconsin's live polka music scene.  The text portion of your web page can include links to third-party services for credit card purchases or multimedia presentations, but we do not provide nor maintain those advanced services at Wisconsin Polka Music.  If you already know you require such advanced services, we strongly urge you to invest in a custom-built website of your own.

Can you design our web page to look different from the standard template you use for all of the other WPM web pages?  No.  Using the same template for each band is a very critical factor in keeping the cost of the web page service so low.  If we custom-designed a web page for each band, that $25 setup fee would end up being well over $250.  Also, by using the same design template for each band's web page, people navigating this website further appreciate the simplicity and familiarity of the site's layout.  We are not in the business of building web pages, but rather promoting polka music.

How do I pay?  We will bill you.  When you receive your bill, you'll have two ways to make a payment:

  • 1. Check or money order:  Please send your check or money order, made payable to "Polkasound Productions" to:
Polkasound Productions
4055 S. 103rd St.
Milwaukee, WI  53228-2005
  • 2. Online payment:  You may pay online using your credit card via PayPal.  Payments should be addressed to tombrusky@execpc.com, a verified, premier PayPal account.
How do we cancel our services with WPM?  If you no longer wish to use WPM's web hosting services, email or write to let us know.  We will refund you for any unused time remaining within your current billing cycle.

You may also cancel your services by simply not paying your bill. Your web page will expire thirty days after your payment due date if your payment is not received.  Please note that if your web page expires and is removed from the site, you will need to pay another $25 setup fee if you wish to have your page relisted.

Why should we have WPM host our web page? 
Wisconsin Polka Music is firmly propagated on the internet.  Anyone around the world executing a general search for "polka music" will find your band or business with guaranteed ease.  Perform a search for any one of our clients on any search engine, and you'll see what we mean.



If the answer to your question was not found here, please contact us.
 

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