Wisconsin Polka Music

All eligible polka bands, establishments, public dance operators, and related businesses & organizations active in the state of Wisconsin are encouraged to participate on 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

What are the eligibility requirements?

Bands: You must either be a polka band from Wisconsin, or a polka band outside of Wisconsin that plays a significant number of its jobs (at least six/year) within the state.

Dance Halls, Ballrooms, Taverns, etc.: Your establishment must be in 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 their primary entertainment is polka music. If you would like for us to link to your event's web page, the page must be permanently dedicated to the event itself, and list a schedule of polka entertainment. We will not link to any event web pages/PDF files for which the URLs (addresses) change every year.

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

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

Radio Shows - Over-the-Air 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?

Your contact information
Up to four or five photos
Up to three MP3 music files (bands only)
Up to several paragraphs of information
Photos of, and track listings from, your available CDs (bands only)
Your dance dates will be included on the public dance schedule
Your flyers advertising your upcoming events will be scanned and posted (businesses and organizations only)

How much will my web page cost?

$90 for the first year (includes a one-time $30 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.

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's 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. As they search for polka music online, they'll see only as much of the polka scene that is online, and naively assume that what they see comprises the entire polka scene. If half 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, 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 hiring is done these days. 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 assure you that you'll miss a lot 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? Your web page is designed to "describe" your band through information, pictures, and music. The more you have on your web page for potential employers to see and hear, the more comfortable they will be in hiring you.

If my band is from Wisconsin, but we don't have any gigs in Wisconsin, can we still be listed on this website or purchase a web page? Yes. Because you are from Wisconsin, you automatically qualify for a listing or web page service even if you have no jobs or dances booked within the state.

If my band is from outside of Wisconsin, but we have some gigs coming up in Wisconsin, can we be listed or purchase a web page? 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 outside of Wisconsin, and we don't have any public jobs in Wisconsin, can we be listed on this website or purchase a web page? No. This site is dedicated to promoting the live polka music scene in Wisconsin only.

If we purchase a web page, will you list all of our public events on the dance schedule, or just the events in Wisconsin? Every one of your public events may be listed, whether you're scheduled to play in South Milwaukee, South Dakota, or South Africa.

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 few paragraphs of information, and having your dance dates added to the dance schedule. We will publish as much information on your page as you'd like, but please remember that cluttered web pages can be very distracting.

How much information can you put on the dance schedule? The dance schedule information is limited to the basics: who, what, when, and where. We'll include pertinent information that people will need to know to attend your event, such as bus trip info, reservation requirements, and unexpectedly-high admission fees, but we will not add any more information than needed. Our goal is to keep the schedule uncluttered so that it is easy to read.

How often do you update the dance schedule? Your $60/year fee guarantees at least one schedule update per month, however, we usually perform additional updates during the month at our convenience. Please allow anywhere from two minutes to two weeks for your updates to be posted, although most are posted within a day or two.

When should we send you our schedules? Please send us your entire schedule for the year. Over the course of the year, send us updates whenever it's convenient for you.

Do you offer advanced services, such as 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, the $30 setup fee would end up being well over $300. 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.

Are there any alternatives to WPM? Yes, as long as you have some intermediate knowledge of the internet and electronic media. Websites like Madtown Lounge and MySpace offer free web page services tailored toward bands. Such websites are self-service, which means that you must upload and manage all of your page's content: photos, music files, performance schedule, information, links, etc.

How do I pay? We will invoice you. When you receive your invoice, 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@att.net, 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 $30 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.