Banned Books and the Music Business
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We’re in the middle of “Banned Book Week” and this quote just came across my desk…
“Don’t join the book burners. Don’t think you’re going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don’t be afraid to go to your library and read every book…” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
This got me thinking about the music business and how some of the “powers that be” are handling the issue of new technology. Rather than look at the good it can do, they see the problems– file sharing, piracy, etc.
You don’t have to agree with something to learn from it. And denying it’s a problem will only delay your ability to turn that problem into an opportunity.
For every “problem” file sharing has caused, there have been multiple opportunities…
Let’s take a look at basic distribution to press outlets, for example…
How much did it used to cost to get somebody a quality copy of your music? How long did it take? How many trees, pieces of plastic, and people were involved to make it happen?
File sharing changed the way the game is played and made distribution better. For example, let’s say I’m doing a last minute interview for Music Business Radio and need to get some broadcast quality music and more info on the act I’m talking to be prepared for it…
Current technology will let that happen within minutes…not hours or even days. And this opens up a lot of opportunity to do things, where there might not have been time before.
And taking that same concept of a “digital copy” that can be sent anywhere, almost instantly, think about how you connect with fans. In the old days, you’d have to go through a writer, who would have to deal with an editor, who would have to deal with a printing deadline, and then work with the postal service to get your message to your fans. Not only would it take a while, you’d also have the limitations of space, with only so much paper and ink available to you.
These days, it’s not a problem. You can set up a web page, or go on Twitter, or do any number of things which will get your message out, as you intend it, almost instantly. And since it’s in a digital format, you don’t have the “lack of space” issues you once had. Just keep typing until you run out of things to say…
Or post an audio clip, so people can hear what you’re saying and really get a sense for the emotion behind it. Or maybe video is more your style…
And think of how much less this new method costs?
Bottom line is that there is good in everything. Focus on the opportunities and make the technology work for you. Learn about it, even the “bad” stuff like file sharing, so you can use it to your advantage. If you don’t you’re going to be left behind by somebody who is.
How are you using technology to advance your music business career? Post thoughts below…
7 Ways Most Musicians Screw Up Big Time (and How to Fix Them)
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I’m not a TV person, so I’m a bit behind on this, but a friend of mine just turned me onto a show called “Shark Tank” (watch on Hulu) and I think it’s worth a mention here.
The show is based on a BBC/CBC series called “Dragon’s Den” and features entrepreneurs with big ideas, but not enough money to make them happen. Each episode, a group of self-made millionaires from all corners of the business world take their own money and offer some to these entrepreneurs for a piece of their businesses…assuming the idea is any good and everything is in order.
As I was watching, I noticed some similarities between the entrepreneurs on the show and upcoming musicians.
Here are some “big ideas” that you may find helpful in your music business pursuit, since overlooking these will likely kill your music career before it gets off the ground:
1. Attachment is Deadly
This is important!! It happens in business, relationships, and all aspects of life and rarely does it end up well.
The best example of this is the “Monkey Trap” used in Africa. Like the aspects of life “attachment” affects, there are several versions of this trap.
How it works…
The trap consists of a container with a hole cut into it just wide enough for a monkey to stick its empty hand into. The container is baited with something attractive to the monkey, such as a nut.
The monkey reaches for bait. The monkey can’t take its hand out of the trap as long it’s holding the nut.
The monkey could leave at any time simply by opening its hand, but it wants the bait so badly, it will literally stay at the trap and be captured (or clubbed over the head) rather than let go.
It’s easy to think, “What a stupid monkey,” but we humans do similar things all the time and “Shark Tank” is a great example of this…over and over again.
The best “music business” example I can think of is being attached to songs. They’re like babies and we don’t want to change them of give them to somebody else, even though that might mean a better life.
I know a guy who had a great song that caught the attention of an upcoming artist. He had the option of getting it cut and released or holding on it and working it as an artist himself.
He chose that latter…which turned out to be a big mistake, since the “upcoming artist” was Garth Brooks.
In all fairness, nobody knew Garth would be as big as he is, but even an “upcoming artist” cutting and releasing his song was a sure thing; his record deal was not.
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose… Still holding onto an idea (or anything) too tightly will kill it. 100% of zero is zero.
2. Know Your Numbers
What would the Super Bowl be like if nobody was keeping score?
What would gambling be like if no money was involved?
Keep score! If you don’t know how much your albums, live shows, and other expenses are costing your, or how much they’re making you, you’re shooting yourself in the foot. Without metrics, you could be losing a fortune and not even know it…or making a fortune and not know you need to do more of that to make even more money.
This works on many different levels… A club owner isn’t going to book you without knowing how many people you’re going to bring. A bank isn’t going to loan you money with your publishing catalog as collateral without knowing its value.
Keep track of your numbers. Know where you’re making money and where you’re losing it. Do more of what makes you money and less (or none) of what doesn’t.
3. Prove the Concept
Think you’ve got a great album? Think your band has what it takes to go national?
Numbers (see above) don’t lie and “measurement eliminates argument.” Prove your stuff is good by showing it on a small scale.
Why small?
For the sake of argument, let’s say you only have $1000 to spend. It’s much more effective for you to spend it all in once place, hitting the same people again and again, than spread it out over several places.
Think of it in terms of “flyers.” If you’ve only got 1000 flyers to hand out, you’ll make a much bigger impact on the guy who sees 10 of them than the guy who only sees one. One flyer, unfortunately for you, isn’t enough to do anything. Put some muscle behind it by focusing your marketing efforts on one area and hitting it hard.
Keep this in mind… If you can do it in one place, you can do it several places.
Humans like to think that we’re all different, but the reality is that we’ve got a lot more in common than not. If 1000 people make a certain decision, such as buying your music, it’s likely that 5000 people will make that same decision, if you do the same thing 5x bigger. Because of this, it’s easy to get a feel for how your music, your marketing, or anything else will do on a massive scale by testing it on a smaller one.
So go “small” to prove what you’ve got works. The people you’re wanting to get the attention of will get this since nobody in business is going to spend a ton of cash “testing” something on a national audience. They know a better option is to have less risk by working with a smaller audience, so they’ll understand.
4. Having Options Means More Money
In business, having more demand than supply is synonymous with getting the most money for what you’ve got. When there is only once product (you) and more than one person interested in buying it, the price always goes up.
Do what you can to get more than one person/company interested in what you’re doing and you’ll get a better deal. In the music business, this is knowing as a “bidding war.”
How do you make a bidding war happen? Prove the concept and know your numbers.
5. Play Big
The difference between the average musician and the ones who make a ton of cash is how they play the game. Successful musicians go balls out and take chances. They don’t wait to be discovered, they make discovery happen.
If you watch one of these shows, you’ll also see the investment made is based on the person behind the idea, not the idea itself. The difference between a “good idea” and a successful business is the person (or people) behind it.
Most musicians are like hitch hikers. They go to the highway with some idea of where they should be going, but not really, they just know where they are right now isn’t working for them. So they wait around for somebody and do things according on somebody else’s schedule and plan.
Successful musicians take risks and control their own situations. They’re the ones driving the car. It it crashes, they take responsibility, but the car goes exactly where they want, not just in the general direction. And like driving a car, they’re constantly evaluating where they are and recalibrating, based on where they want to go.
Ask yourself this question:
Are you just trying to get a little father away from where you are now or are you going somewhere specific?
6. Bet Everything
You don’t get big results by having a “Plan B.” Having something to fall back on gives you an excuse not to work as hard.
If you’re really certain of your music business success, why have a backup plan?
Uncertainty is what causes failure. Is this you? If so, all is not lost… The solution is to work so that you make your success inevitable.
What are the things you have to have in place to make your music business goals happen?
7. Get Realistic
If you’re not honest with yourself and able to get a realistic opinion of where you are now, you’ll never be able to improve.
As I mentioned earlier, “Measurement eliminates argument.”
Where do you start? If I were talking about weight loss, it would be for you to get on a scale.
What is the “scale” for the music business? Number of gigs you’re playing? Amount of people on your mailing list? Number of albums sold? Probably all of the above…and then some.
If you really want to do this, you need to know this information and work to improve it.
The harsh reality…
If you don’t have numbers, aren’t really committed to this, or have no idea if your “big idea” works, give up the thought of ever really doing this on a big level. There are too many people who have these things in order and that is who investors, labels, publishing companies, and fans always go with.
Why settle for anything less? It’s doubtful you do coming at it as a music fan.
Regardless of the economy, the state of the record business, or anything else, there is ALWAYS room for great artists and people will ALWAYS pay for it.
People want art. More importantly, they want a break from their day-to-day lives and they’re looking for somebody to provide it. This can be you, but you’ve got to do the work to make it happen.
How To Encourage Your Independent Record Label
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We’ve located quite a few ways to promote our independent record label, new released music and new artists. Having your business information available to your targeted audiences is the central key. There has to be visibility!
One of the perfect ways to make your business information visible and available, is to connect with others who are already visible and available! That is right, seek and search out other websites that will allow you to become linked to their website …it works! For every individual who comes in contact with a website you’re connected to, will definitely elevate the occasions of your website being viewed additionally.
I found that by asking various web site owners permission to link their web site to yours will ofttimes time cause a web site link ex change to take place… wonderful deal huh? You bet it is! Just remember this, it is all about visibility! You will be surprised how a lot of other web site owners are willing to ex change links.
So let’s get on board and start seeking out friendly website owners who want the same accomplishments for their website as you want for yours. But make sure you be careful of those who will ex change links and then remove your link from their website. Go back and check their website every so again and again.
New Ideas for the Musician Resume
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My inbox receives a continual stream of junk mail that assures me that the one thing that is most lacking in my life is the condition of my resume, and that, if I will only pay them $29.99 a month, they will help me redo my resume, get a better job and save my loathsome existence. To which I say: delete, delete, delete.
As musicians we know that traditional resume techniques used by workers seeking office jobs, and the junk mail that touts them, are not relevant to our needs. Moreover, we’ve probably at least reflected on the idea that, in general, resumes might not be useful at all in getting work. So what’s the truth?….
How to Get Your Music Played on Online Radio Stations
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Independent musicians quickly come to realize that commercial radio exposure is an unlikely prospect, and instead concentrate their efforts on online radio stations. Their audiences may be smaller, but they are generally more open to independent music. But like their commercial counterparts, most of them get plenty of material from new artists and they have a lot to choose from. Though the competition can still be tough, there are things you can do to improve your chances.
Step 1
Visit an online radio station database website to search for stations compatible with your music. Live 365 offers links to over 6000 stations. You can search by genre and each listing will have contact information as well as a link to the station’s website.
Step 2
Study the websites of those stations that interest you, and read their play lists. If you can see your music sitting comfortably alongside the names on the play lists, then put the station on your submission shortlist.
Step 3
Send emails to the contact persons of the stations on your list, politely asking if you can send them your music for airplay consideration. Be sure to address them by name, and let them know that you’re familiar with their format. This will show that you’ve done a little homework, and aren’t just sending out blanket emails to every station out there.
Step 4
Promptly mail your CD to any station that responds favorably to your query. Mail it in a padded envelope marked “Requested Material” along with a brief bio, photo and one-sheet. The one-sheet should be a basic overview of your CD with track names and their running times, along with a word or two about any standout tracks. Include a brief, personalized cover letter and remind them of your previous correspondence.
Step 5
Keep records of all submissions so you can send follow-up emails and keep track of your airplay. Remember these stations will have multiple submissions to review, so wait a couple of weeks before getting in touch again. When you do, be brief and courteous, and ask if the CD arrived and if there are any plans to add it to the rotation.
Step 6
Monitor the playlists of all stations that you submit your music to. It’s up to you to keep track of any airtime you receive.
Step 7
After airplay, thank the station for their support, and ask if there’s anything you can do to support the station. Whether it’s playing at a benefit show, or sending extra CDs for use as giveaways during fundraisers, anything that furthers the relationship will bode well for future airplay.
New Income Streams for the Digital D-I-Y Musician
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The digital revolution has brought about the age of the DIY musician, or as Sonicbids.com founder Panos Panay calls it, the “artistic middle class.” With technology, artists are able to produce and distribute their work easily while maintaining creative control. But big record labels, despite their floundering, still appear to be the way for an artist to go from anonymity to platinum-selling success. So how is this middle-class musician Panay speaks of making money and supporting his or her craft?
Traditionally, artists have had several income streams. These include income from record sales, live performances, performance/mechanical royalties, songs used in television or film, merchandising, and endorsement deals, just to name a few. But it can be difficult for an independent musician to access some of these streams without the help of a well-established label.
New business models are springing up all over the Web to help independent musicians get revenue from their music. The Future of Music Coalition recently highlighted some of these in its “Music 2.0” series at the 2009 FMC Policy Summit:
* Internet radio. Internet radio, which is seeing an increase in listenership, plays more artists in more niche genres than traditional radio would ever be able to. Last.fm and Pandora both stream independent music and pay royalties to performers and songwriters.
* Fan sponsorship and patronage. New online services such as ArtistShare and Kickstarter help artists raise money to fund projects and underwrite some of their expenses. Fans can donate money to their favorite artist through these sites and get access to part of the recording process, such as a songwriting session. Depending on the amount donated, incentives for fans can include everything from a free download to getting executive producer credit on a CD.
* Corporate sponsorship. Recently Gap, Coke, Burger King, Converse, Jeep and Jansport have all posted listings on Sonicbids looking for independent bands and artists to sponsor. The site’s founder, Panos Panay, thinks this is because brands realize today’s young consumers are more skeptical when it comes to traditional advertising and seem to connect most with the authenticity associated with independent artists.
It’s an exciting time to be a musician. There are new income opportunities on the Web, though the examples above will most likely be supplemental income streams for most musicians and not a significant source of revenue. For the artistic middle class — like any middle class — vertical mobility can be difficult. Hopefully this won’t always be the case.
Kelly Manix is a graduate student at the University of Washington in the Master of Communication in Digital Media program. She is an independent musician and music marketer. Her EP, Emerald City, was released this fall.
How To Turn A Show In Front Of 8 People Into One Of Your Most Important Shows
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If there is anything that can be traced to anti-depressant perscriptions and the reasons musicians are so miserable it is the immense dissapointment of night after night of playing to small crowds. It even happens to well-established major label bands. Last summer, I went to see one of my favorite bands play at a venue that holds 800+ with only about 60 people in attendance. A competing show had wiped them out despite major label cash and extensive promotion. Despite the lackluster turn out, they killed it anyway and made me and everyone there to see them an even bigger fan. After the jump I will tell you how they did it and many other ways your band of any size can make a small show into one of the most important ones you play.
Socialize
The number one thing to remember is the saying “it’s not how good you are, its who you know.” While not always the case, many bands get opportunities because they are in with another band. So how do you become “in” with another band? BE FRIENDLY! The single best thing you can do at an empty show is get together with the other bands and discuss real things. Is the other band on ReverbNation? How is it working for them? Which of the tools are they using? Do they know that skanky groupie ho your drummer slept with from their home town? Gross! The guitarist has that new Dr. Z amp, how does it sound? You just bought the new Line 6 pedal, tell ‘em what you think! Just talk! When you make friends with other bands and they think you are a nice, cool person they want to help you, whether it is getting you on shows, or when they get signed they may show your songs to the A&R etc. etc. It pays to be friendly in these situations, even to bands who are terrible and have no fans! You never know who is going to get huge, even when you think they suck, that band could get a whole lot better in two years and take you with them. If you don’t know it by now, being a dick doesn’t make you seem like a rock star, it makes you seem like a dick.
Fans
It’s not just the band you can socialize with, you can talk to the fans too! Something weird happens when you walk into a bar and it is filled to the brim with people, where as if you walk into the same size bar and it is kind of empty all of a sudden everyone starts talking to each other. This is the same thing at shows, it is totally acceptable to hang out and make good friends with the people, and in an empty venue it’s welcome more then ever. Trust me, they will like you for it as long as you don’t try to sleep with anyone’s significant other.
Impress
True story! Once, a long, long time ago, I was in a band. We rolled into a desolate town and played a show to a dozen people. There were more people in bands than people in attendance. Despite this fact, we went on stage and did what we always did, gave it 110%. After the set, about ten of the dozen people in attendance came up to us and said they had never seen a band go so crazy despite no one being around, and we were rewarded with everyone in the audience buying tons of our merch, to make up for the fact that their town was so lame that no one came to see what they found to be an amazing experience. It gets even better! It turned out in attendance that night a girl was in the audience whose brother was A&R at one of the largest Indies in the country. A label we dreamed of being on, with our favorite bands all over their roster. After listening to our demo, the girl called her brother and said she just saw the second coming of Christ and even though no one was there to see us, we destroyed the stage and had the most amazing demo ever. The next thing you know we are on the phone with an A&R man being wined and dined. Nothing ever came of it for other reasons that will be discussed in a lengthy tell-all blog in the future, but playing our asses off for no one really made us worth talking about, and it gave us an amazing opportunity that could have been life changing.
Word Gets Around
When you give it your all live in front of a small audience, it isn’t just about the sibling of a famous A&R person. When I have seen bands play their asses off to small crowds, I tell everyone. The thing is, the less people at a concert the more powerful this feels. I am sure you have heard someone talk like it was the rapture when a band gave it their all to a small crowd. That’s the thing, if you play great, the 8 people in attendance will tell 16 more people how great you are and the word will keep spreading. The next time you roll into town the show won’t be so empty.
Keep It Clean
I am not one to say you should play every show sober. I have seen some of my favorite bands play some of the best sets I have ever seen, intoxicated out of their minds. What I will say is this – do not use the show where no one is there as the time to test if you can really drink a whole bottle of absinthe and still get through the set. As we stated above, this is an opportunity to blow some people away, not become a meme on the internet after someone posts the picture of the vomit all over your drumset on Flickr and then the kid from Hipster Runoff turns it into a post. This is the night to get 8 people telling everyone of their friends “I saw ____ and even though no one was there they blew me away with how amazing they played.” Save the drinking contest for practice or the next time you play a party.
Take Requests!
If you are in a band and some of those 8 people are actually people who like your band and know your music, make it fun and engaging for them. Like I said at the beginning of the article, I went to a poorly attended concert of a semi-popular band. What they did to make it amazing for us was bribery. If we reacted well they would play whatever we asked. They had a tambourine and said if we rocked out hard on the next song whoever danced the hardest got to play it in the chorus. The crowd went crazy! They even attempted to play a song they have never played live to mixed results. I was so psyched and told everyone I knew about how great it was. Because of that some of my friends got into their band and they made new fans. Don’t look at an empty room as disappointment, but instead as good practice and occasionally an
The Musician’s Guide To Creating A Band Facebook Page
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Unless you are living under a rock you may have heard Facebook is taking over! Now nearly double the size of Myspace, Facebook is still not quite as friendly to bands, but with all those people on there, it is time to get your band on there. We will help you navigate through Facebook’s confusing landscape and get a great profile for your band!
See part 2 here
Ed note:
This Is Not A Facebook Group
Some people looked at me a little crossed in the last article since they have already made a Facebook Group for their band. A Facebook Group does not have half the potential a band profile does, it is very important that if you have a Facebook group you link it to your new Band Page.
Setting Up A Profile
Like we said before, Facebook is very unfriendly to its gazillion users. The first thing we need to do is login to Facebook using the profile your normally use to login. Now you are at that screen where all your friends post about what they ate for lunch. Click this link here. You now want to choose the item Artist and Band button. If you are a musician you should choose that tab. If you are a solo artist you can go either way. Then you need to type in your bands name. Remember that this is not Myspace, you need to write your band name not “YOUR BAND NAME (HAS NEW SONGS)”. Click “Create Page” and you have a new Facebook Page.
Now What Do I Do?
* Add a Photo- If no one knows who you are, I suggest using a picture or logo associated with your band. This means do not use the picture of your drummer barfing all over his fling in Ohio. When people are on Facebook, they will see people becoming fans of your band in the newsfeed, the more recognizable your band is in that stream the more likely they will recognize you and “friend” you.
* Click “Edit Page”- Once you do this, you have a lot of options! In our next blog we will cover the more advanced parts of this process.
* Make Yourself A Fan!- I hope you are a fan of your band, so make your self the first fan. This will get added in to the newsfeed and your friends will see you now have a page for your band and hopefully they will add your band. If you have your doubts, you may wanna give them a nudge by posting a new “note”, announcing your page.
So now you made yourself a spiffy profile and logged out of Facebook. Now let me tell you what happens next: you will login and have no idea how to go back and get to that band page again! Facebook is so user-friendly! Anyway, I am here to help – scroll to the bottom and click the “Page Manager” button (see pic below) and then you will get to the screen pictured below where you will want to click the button that says “Pages” this will bring you to a choice of your pages. You can now select your bands page! Whew!
The Musician’s Guide To Twitter
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Twitter! TWITTER! Tweeting! SRSLY! WTF?!?!? Yes, even your Dad is doing this right now. Old curmudgeons like John McCain are even doing this. Now everyone is telling you that you/your band has to join Twitter (does this mean you become a Twit???) or else you will never succeed and fail at all your hopes and dreams and end up a loser like, ughhhh, JOHN MCCAIN! Seriously though, I still hate Twitter and have committed the next few hours of my life to why we need to be on Twitter and how to get there. Let’s do this together!
For More Of Our Twitter, MySpace And Facebook Tips Go Here!
OK I lied, I have been on Twitter for a while. I don’t use it too much though, and everyone tells me that I don’t get it. Well, it is time to get it!
I am going to start with a list of why you need to get on Twitter. Hopefully this will convince both of us:
* Your fans are there waiting for you
* It is a really fast and easy way to tell your fans what you are up to
* Your fans aren’t yet burned out by every band trying to be their friend YET(ACT FAST!)
* This is a great way to show off your band’s personality and bond with your fans
* It is a fantastic way to network and bond with fans, other bands/musicians and other industry types
Okay so now that you are convinced go here. Sign up for Twitter using an email address you are going to stick with! Choose a name that tells people who you are. Get while the getting is good, so you don’t have a stupid name that isn’t going to come up high in searches. Now FILL OUT YOUR PROFILE. People are cruising around this thing all day looking at posts and deciding who to be friends with. If you don’t fill out your profile and put up a picture the odds that anyone who is going to care about you are minimal. Be sure to list your website as someone where people can hear your music! You also want to make a wallpaper for your background to make it look all nice and snazzy!
Next you need some friends. Click “follow” on a few peoples profiles. Here are your first 3:
http://twitter.com/JesseCannon
http://twitter.com/musformation
http://twitter.com/sensuaulharass
Now we need to make a post! Just start off saying Hello! In the next segment we will get into what you should be twittering about.
Get on your website/myspace/facebook/mailing list etc. and start telling them about your awesome new Twitter acount. Send out bulletins and put a permanent link to your Twitter on all your other sites and promote it!
Now start to find your own friends on there! Look up bands you have played with, your friends bands, friends in the industry, superfans etc.
This should get you started gaining some friends in this Twitter game, as people see your profile they will add you. Next time we will discuss what you do now that you are here.
For More Of Our Twitter, MySpace And Facebook Tips Go Here!
Posting and announcing your gigs
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So you have a show and you want to promote it. Many artists take this pretty simply. They post on their website, announce it on Myspace, share it on Facebook, sometimes list it on Craigslist and then maybe send it to a local music magazine. There is this idea that people will just make the effort to find out about you. Now in some cases that can be true, but with each gig and show it is much more effective to pull those that already know you, reach out to those that might be some what familiar with you and connect with people that have never heard of you before.
When you take the approach of announcing a gig where you are reaching out to every one possible for that show but also keeping in mind you are continuing to work on your overall promotion for other shows to come as well as your awareness in that given town or city, you are taking the most effective path. So use the three-way effect when you announce a gig. Make that announcement, work for your existing fans, then the ones that might have heard your name and the people that have never heard of you before. Ads, posters, fliers or what ever that are designed that way are designed for the optimal effect.
Who, What, When Where, Why, How (much) Detail = good
Give people the information they need to see you. Do not assume you are that well known, even if you are. You can always attract new fans, new customers and a bigger audience. Make sure in the release about the show or the event posting you cover the who, what, when, where why and how much scenario. Give them all the information they need so they will come to see you. Too many people go too simple. Remember the economy is bad, people are going out less or they are going out to see their favorites. What can you add to your listing, announcement or release to inspire a new fan to check you out?
Don’t just list the venue, give the address, give a phone number and a website and add the bands site as well. Draw them in with information. In an over saturated world of music right now, the more information you can deliver, the better results you will have at some one looking at you as not just being another band in the blur of the hundreds of bands playing every night.
This goes for the poster too.
Make sure your poster is easy to read, clear with your logo, your tag line, the date, the venue, the address and all the other pertinent information so that the potential person walking by that has never seen you might take a second look and then maybe even show up. Put some more effort in to the posters and use them to attract those that know you but also those that might have heard of you and especially those that have no idea who you are.
Web, Magazines, Radio, TV, Newspapers
With your announcement that has all the information one would need to have a basic idea of what you are about as well as where they can find out more, the show, the location and the rest of the basics, you need to get it out to for the best most productive effect.
Remember, when you are posting online or sending out a release or announcement, it is about that show of course but it is also about bringing attention to your group, your music and why you are interesting as a whole. The more the word is out about you and what you are up to, the more chance some of these sites might look to doing a story, a feature or a review on you. Yes, you want people to come to the show, but if you are advertising the show, while building your marketing, your name recognition and your promotion, then you are getting the most opportunities out of a single action.
Where to post
Of course post to your websites and your networking sites but shoot for other places too. Set up a database of contacts of websites, magazines, radio stations, newspapers and TV stations. Collect emails and information so that each gig you have, it can be easier. Make sure to individualize the email and send to the right people. Do not spam or you will set up a bad reputation for your name. Give a good subject header and address the email to the right person.
This can include colleges and local show reviewers. Entertainment bloggers and any one else that has a pulse on the music industry in that given area just reach out and make that list. Now this is a list you are not going to want to over abuse if you have the weekly gig. Personally, I think an artist should not be playing in a given area too often but if you are going to, then choose the best show every six to 8 weeks and do the full scale send outs for that. Do not overly hit the list too much or you become the option to maybe go see instead of the must see. Again, I don’t think you should play a given 25 mile radius more than once every six to eight weeks and spend the time working to play elsewhere instead of over saturating a scene, then in turn build up the excitement for the show.
When to post
By starting to send out four weeks or so early, you are also adding to the chances about getting a story or some build up in one of the papers, magazines or websites to have an interview, feature or some kind of additional review for your coming show. It also clears all deadlines for getting posted in as many places as possible.
This does not need to be done all in one day either. The most effective way to promote is to do the large announcement and then once a day, continue to work that list you build up. Just spend five minutes a day sending to reviewers, bloggers, writers, editors, posting websites, event listing sites. This will build more possible listings as well as more contacts and more optimization across the scene, city or area you are playing in.
As you build up the list, find out when the best times are to send information and how they prefer it formatted. The more you can specify the information to how the specific media outlet or media person wants it, the more that person or outlet will recognize you both as professional and potentially as story or listing worthy. Some places are going to want announcements or releases a few weeks out while some radio stations may want the information the day before for some calendar listings. Find out and send accordingly.
Conclusion
Stupid simple….Advertise, market and promote your shows the right way. Work to bring people through the doors for the night you are playing but also keep in mind how sending out announcements, releases and information for shows can help for future shows and other media opportunities. Work smarter not longer or harder. Make every minute you are working on the promotion count so you can spend more time with the music.