Heather McDonald is a music journalist and press agent. You can read more of her work on About.com's Music Careers website.

Even for a cliché, the saying “it’s not what you know, it’s who know” is pretty overdone. In the music biz, however, it’s worth repeating. You can be sure you’re sitting on the next number one song (or you can be sure you’re managing the band with that song, putting that song out on your label or any other music industry shaped scenario), but if you can’t get your foot in the door, you’re going nowhere. And if you don’t have any contacts, that door isn’t going open wide enough to get your little toe through. So, the question becomes, where does one get these “contacts” when they’re just starting out? Enter the Musician’s Atlas.

If you’ve been involved in music for any length of time, the name Musician’s Atlas won’t be new to you. The print version of the Atlas – which is roughly the size of War and Peace, but easier to read – is chock full of contact details for everyone from record labels to promoters, magazines to trade shows. It has long been required reading even for music industry folks who are themselves listed in the directory and no doubt has been the matchmaker behind plenty of deals. But times, they have a-changed, and the Musician’s Atlas has changed with them. No need to break your back carrying around the book anymore (though many do). Now all of that info you need is a mouse click away with Atlas Online. But is it really the same? And more importantly, what can the Atlas Online do for you?

Atlas Online – You, Except Organized and With Better Contacts

There’s one thing the print version of the Atlas can’t do for you – it can’t get you organized and motivated to actually follow through with your plans. Now, given that we tend to be a little, well, organizationally challenged in the music business, that can be a problem. Atlas Online does everything but wake you up in the morning and put the coffee on. Members, who pay a monthly fee for access, can use the site to set up a list of tasks with reminders about phone calls that need to be made or promos that need to be sent, manage fan databases, create a mail merge and more. Managers can even keep track of their expenses on their private profile. You can log into your Atlas profile and send emails to contacts you find there that will appear to have come from your own Gmail or Yahoo account, so you don’t end up with any branding but your own on your message. All handy stuff that might just help you stay on track.

But what about the contacts? After all, that’s really what you’re here for, right? Your luck here is going to depend a little bit on who you are and what you’re looking for. For instance, if you’re a manger looking for a promoter in town X or a label looking for media outlets for promotion of your new release, you’re golden. You’re going to find everything you need here. Record label policy being what it is these days (don’t send me your demo – I’m afraid you’ll sue me for copyright infringement later), bands looking strictly for label addresses might end up with mixed success. However, you can find plenty of other good things on Atlas to guide you through the delicate demo stage, like studios, producers, media contacts and more.

Atlas Navigation – Guided Tours

Checking out the Atlas for the first time might make your eyes cross a bit. There are so many options, just finding your starting point is a little overwhelming. The best plan? Dive right in and start clicking. The good news about the site is that when you get the lay of the land, it’s easy to navigate. If you get stuck, however, or if there’s a feature you’re not sure about, the Atlas provides video tutorials to walk you through the steps. These guides are great – they take over your screen and show you exactly where to click when and what different tools are for. Even if you think you understand a tool, it’s worth checking out the tutorial. For a few minutes of your time, you might discover a new shortcut to help you blow through your tasks faster.

The bottom line on the Atlas Online? The book is good, but the interactive subscription service offers so much more. Put a little time into using it, and your contacts – and your opportunities – will be booming.    

Musician’s Atlas is graciously waiving the $30 activation fee for access to the interactive Musician’s AtlasOnline and offering 35% off the Musician’s Atlas print edition for KnowTheMusicBiz.com members. To learn more click here.