Rock Links Music Promotion and Marketing» gigs Archives – Rock Links

An interview with Solo Indie Song Writer Nathaniel Sutton

Craig — Mon, 17 May 2010 17:11:21 +0000

It began with the inspiration of many talented artists such as Neil Young, Tragically Hip, and even Foo Fighters. Nathaniel Sutton decided to make a name for himself by becoming a solo indie singer/songwriter. He started out by recording lo fi songs on his moms computer, Although good to start out with, Nathaniel eventually decided that he would need more than his “mom’s computer” if he wanted to record the sound he thrived for.

Any music achievements?
I would have to say that my achievements are releasing two albums entitled Dramatic Scene and Starlite. I am currently recording my third album which will be my self-titled album recorded at Zounds of Sounds studios in Edmonton AB Canada.

Who is your favorite upcoming artist?
I really enjoy The Shakedowns (www.myspace.com/theshakedownsband)

Do you think there is enough opportunities to get exposure?
There are plenty of opportunities available to those who are in need. It all depends on how much time and money you are willing to spend on gaining exposure. In the end, playing gigs is definitely the best source of promotion.

How do you generally promote your Band?
Any opportunity which becomes available I usually take part. I have used promotional tactics such as advertising in magazines and gathering reviews from various blogs and websites. Every little bit definitely helps!

Do you struggle to pull in people through the doors at gigs?
For the most part, it’s quite difficult to maintain a promising outcome at different gigs. Weekdays are especially difficult as weekends become easier to create a pull through the doors.

Do you think social networking is useful to Promoting your Music?
Definitely, the music industry revolves much upon who you know. Booking agents, record labels, and musicians are all important people to be communicating with in this business.

Nathaniel Sutton is currently working with Oak Apple Records (oakapplerecords.com) and you can purchase
CD’s and other merchandise on my website (Nathanielsutton.com)

Samsung Mobile Live Launch Monte Battle of the Bands Music Competition

Craig — Mon, 17 May 2010 13:11:36 +0000

Samsung launches live music talent show at venues across the UK

Samsung Mobile L!ve today announced the launch of ‘Monte Battle of the Bands’ – showcasing the best in live regional music talent from the UK. Unsigned bands will get the chance to play the gig of their lives and they’ll need to pull out their most rock’n’roll dance moves and best guitar strums to win the ultimate prize – studio time worth up to £10,000 to record their own album tracks.

‘Monte Battle of the Bands’ will give unsigned bands the chance to perform in their home regions in front of a Samsung Mobile L!ve audience.

Those wishing to enter should sign up at www.montemobilelive.com and submit a video of their band performing – the best talent will then be invited to battle against each other and have their performances uploaded to the web site after the events. The public will then vote online to decide the overall winners who will receive £10,000 of production time at well renowned recording studio.

All those who vote on line for their favourite band will have the chance to download exclusive Monte Battle of the Bands content for free, once the winners have been announced.

The events will be taking place at the following shopping centres:
Westfield – Merry Hill, Dudley: 22nd – 23rd May

Middleton Hall, The Centre: MK, Milton Keynes – 29th – 30th May

Manchester Arndale: 5th – 6th June

The brand new Samsung Monte has full social networking applications including Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, allowing users to access their favourite bands profiles whenever and wherever they choose.
Advanced Instant Messaging capabilities mean users have access to all their friends at the touch of a screen. Available to buy now, the Monte comes in orange and graphite, or a black and silver design.

The first twenty people (aged 16 or over) on each day to purchase a Monte handset from any of the retailers in the Mobile L!ve shopping centre venues, will receive £50 worth of See vouchers.

Terms and conditions for Monte Battle of the Bands
Bands entering must have more than one person and all members must be aged 18 or over

Winners will be selected by a public on-line vote

No purchase necessary to enter

Full terms and conditions can be found at: www.montemobilelive.com

Want to warm up the crowd for Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler infront of thousands of people?

Craig — Thu, 06 May 2010 14:20:06 +0000

I’m guessing you would? Luckily LG are offering a fantastic opportunity to warm up the audience before headline acts such as Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Steve Winwood and John Mayer take to the stage. The selected winners will have the opportunity to play their stuff in the forumLive, the Arena’s fantastic Pre/Post show entertainment space that can hold upto 6000 people and on a full house concert has traffic of more than 15000 people. The first Event on the 18th of May will see Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton followed by Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits on the 23rd of May and ending finally with the international superstar that is John Mayer on the 24th of May.

For more information and to enter please check out http://www.lgblog.co.uk/2010/04/5983/

Broccoli Events – UK Events and Promoters

Craig — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:27:11 +0000

What’s new? Broccoli Events is new!
Having worked as promoters in the UK new music scene for the past 5 years it seems like an obvious and natural progression to add an events company to Broccoli Music and that’s exactly what they’ve done.

Events and music go hand in hand so Broccoli Events has an advantage on the rest with sister company Broccoli Music feeding them the best emerging artists on the scene. Companies want links into the youth market and thats what Broccoli Events has the ability to offer. Companies like XFM and Nokia were using Broccoli Music’s connection with bands and the scene that comes with them to link to the youth market and this is a valuble tool that Broccoli Events has to offer to clients.

So what do they do? They do parties, that’s what they’re known for, be it a private party, after show party, brand launch or beyond. They work closely with you developing ideas and designing an event package that ticks all the boxes.

What else is different? They have access to a network of affiliates, all of which are proven industry professionals, so whatever the event requires they can put together a specialist team.

Broccoli Events are always on the look out to add to their team of affiliates so check out the website and get in touch.

Broccolievents.com

Showreel

Nick J.Townsend returns with another killer column

Craig — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:27:37 +0000

Greetings Rocklinks….
This is Nick J.Townsend from BasementSound Radio, the world’s most underground internet radio station. This is a special column exclusive to Rocklinks.co.uk, every month I’m going to talk about some of the best underground artists that get featured on basementsound.co.uk and I know what I’m talking about. I’m not here to sell shares in record companies, I’m here to reveal who’s making the music that real people listen to. Nuff said…

WRAPPED IN PLASTIC (Mortville / United Kingdom)
http://www.myspace.com/wiplastic

This is a British band that reminds us all why the early 90’s was very important in music history. Great alternative music is still alive today and W.I.P. are a fine example of the people that grew up with it, they have forged their own sound from some of the greats. Imagine a band with elements of White Zombie, Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson….but British, underground, very experimental. Weird samples, Crazy sounds & equipment, punked up industrial songs and shocking imagery. A great live band that many closed-minded people may find offensive as they give their crowds live visual art with their theatrical performance. They make the stage theirs from the moment they step on it and they aren’t afraid to speak their minds for the sake of art. Warning: This band will inspire you. Check out the tunes ‘Unreal’ and ‘Your Face’ from W.I.P. for an idea of what this band sound like.

LIZETTE & (Sweden)
http://www.lizetteand.com
http://www.myspace.com/lizetteand
I came across Lizette & in 2008 and was totally hooked on the passion coming out of the music. Lizette & is a one-woman army, produces and records everything herself in her studio which is based in Stockholm Sweden. However let’s not forget that Lizette has very talented band members who make the Live shows happen. Female industrial music which sounds at times like it could be used as a soundtrack to hell itself. ‘Crush U’ is atmospheric, heavy, yet gentle with a sense of dark poetic humour. ‘Worst Fuck’ is a brilliant song, the title is not the most commercial sounding, but probably the best song you’ll ever hear, you’ll play it again straight after hearing it once I promise. A powerful cyber-maiden of metal and one of the future queens of modern rock and industrial music. If a female terminator made music then it would sound like this.

REBEL CITY RADIO (Stourbridge / United Kingdom)
http://www.myspace.com/rebelcityradio
Now I don’t give a fuck if you don’t like punk or if you think there’s nothing new to hear…this is something new and it’s covered in punk. It really is the real thing, no fucking about here. This is what a band should be all about, attitude, songs which make you want to punch the sky and yell a chorus. You could be on fire and I still think this music would be more dangerous to you. It’s very addictive. Raw, high energy and there’s no pretending like some bands do. Everything is here. Infact…you may as well get used to listening to just one band from now on coz this music is more permanent than a tattoo. Check out the songs ‘Hunt the pack’ and then remember to not smash your room as you listen to it.

…..Okay suckers that’s all for this month. Short but sweet. Think about it, I’ve just told you about three bands who are going to be included in your record collection. These are all world class artists for different reasons. No f**king around here. The underground may well be filled with music but only those that display originality and balls make it to my column. You can hear all these bands on basementsound.co.uk but more importantly you can go and watch them Live, download their music, write about them and get a f**king tattoo of them on your arm. This is Nick J.Townsend signing off. END OF MESSAGE.

An Interview with SkyRocket Love – Upcoming Unsigned Band

Craig — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:50:21 +0000

Sky Rocket Love

What Rock Links thinks of SkyRocket Love
SkyRocket Love seem to be the first american Band not to sound like an american Band, which to us is a breath of fresh Atlantic air! They seem to have some good solid song structures, catchy rhythms and use backing vocals very effectively. In a nutshell we like!

How did the Band first get together?

Merritt: I’m from Iowa City, Iowa. Jeremy is from Tampa, Florida. We met out in Los Angeles through a mutual friend and hit it off right away. We both liked a lot of the same stuff and we could each do stuff that the other one couldn’t so it quickly became clear that we should work together.

Jeremy: In life and in music we both understood things in different lights but still seemed to find a common ground which summed up to the same conclusion, “we should work together”. This ultimately led to the formation of Skyrocket Love.

What makes you different to other Bands?

Merritt: We care as much as anyone could. We pour everything into the music, we answer every email or message from a fan, and with the help of a few people who are sticking up for us – we do everything ourselves.

Jeremy: We bring something that hasn’t been seen for a very long time. I’ll sure try to make it that way, at least.

Do you think there is enough opportunities for Bands to get noticed?

Merritt: There are more opportunities, but there better be, because there are more bands than ever right now. The barriers to entry to have come way down; anyone can record their own music now and distribute it online. Now, it’s just a matter of distinguishing yourself in this sea of content.

Jeremy: I think there are a lot of opportunities to get noticed for us, even though the industry is so saturated now. If you bring something new and unique to the table and you have a good following, then someone’s going to notice you sooner or later.

What are your views on the current Music scene?

Merritt: The label system has been the mechanism that has connected bands to the capital they need to promote with, and since the label system is in dissaray, they’re left to fend for themselves. Most people in bands are artists, not promoters so its obviously tough. It’s going to be a rough transitional period, but as the sorting mechanisms get better on the internet, I think what will emerge is a system that will be much more fair and democratic.

Jeremy: It’s even more difficult now than it used to be for any artist or band to make it. I think a lot of bands today struggle with just being themselves and being original since it’s all been done before. Plus, people can promote themselves online and get signed just from that. On the other hand, there are some positive things about all the internet self promotion that we can use to our advantage.

Do you prefer buying CD’s to Downloads? Explain why

Merritt: I’d rather download it so It’s already on my computer. It just removes a step from the process and makes it easier to listen. CD’s are pretty much functionally dead. They’ll still have value because of the insert, the artwork and the physical connection you can have to the music, but it will more and more become only something that is sought after by fans and collectors, not casual listeners. I still do buy my favorite bands’ CDs.

Jeremy: Downloading is usually more convenient and saves time. I’d still buy a cd that was worth it, though.

How did you get your first booking for a gig?

Merritt: We’ve had to do a lot of it on our own, but we’ve also been fortunate to have a really strong group of people around helping and advising us. Every show we’ve played have been either booked by us or by friends of the band.

Jeremy: Most of it has been on our own and with our amazingly supportive friends and fans.

Do you have a favourite Unsigned Band?

Merritt: The Capitals have this song, “A Spectre Is Haunting” that is really good. http://www.thesixtyone.com/#/s/CwaEAp9X3c4/

Do you use social networking to promote your Band?

Merritt: Definitely. The social networks have given people a chance to quickly and easily share the music that they’re listening to.

Jeremy: Yes, that’s a huge part of our marketing that we use. We’ve developed relationships with our fans this way

To find out more about SkyRocket Love visit http://www.skyrocketlove.com or http://www.myspace.com/skyrocketlove

41 ways to promote your Music or Band

Craig — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:05:12 +0000

1) Make sure people have resources available to find out more about you. Websites, Myspace, Facebook and Twitter

2) Make sure people can easily find out how to find those resources.

3) Word of Mouth is best the form of promotion! Give them something to talk about

4) Get involved with your local Music scene. Go along to local Gigs, see other Bands, get to know promoters and network.

5) Get some Business Cards printed, vistaprint.com offer 250 for free!

Please note, Rock Links is a free resource and we don’t offer any form of membership. Please show your support for Rock Links by taking the time to check out our below sponsors. Article Continued below Video.

6) Brand your Music, get an eye catching logo designed.

7) Set up a mailing list, notifylist.com, aardvarkmailinglist.net, yourmailinglistprovider.com, freelists.org

8 Set up a Blog wordpress.com www.blogger.com and write about your Music, other Music anything that will pull in readers. Make sure you write about well known artists similar to your Music style, by doing this you will attract fans for that artist and will then be able to market your Music to those fans.

9) Get involved in Music sites, forums and internet radio. There are hundreds of Music sites available and some of them only concentrate on certain music styles. Target the small ones and they will love to have you onboard, then the big sites will follow suit. Music forums are also brilliant for promoting music, include your website links in your signature and your traffic will grow.

10) Keep your fans updated. Read my article on how to do this easily

11) Start a video advertising campaign, upload videos to youtube.com, vimeo.com and www.muzu.tv. Ideally you want to upload music videos, if you don’t have one then create video blogs talking about your music or reviewing other artists that are similar to you. For example if your Music sounds a lot like The Beatles then review The Beatles or make a video which has a connection with the Beatles. Include your website details at the end of the video and in the Descriptions and Tags that go along with the video. This way whenever someone searches for the beatles, your video has a chance of appearing and interest will lead them to your site. Another handy tip is to also have your username as your domain name. For example my username on youtube is rocklinkscouk.

12) Get more Twitter followers, the average rule with twitter is the more people your follow the more followers you get back. Tweetadder.com is a really cool tool to automate the process of following people, not only that you can also target certain twitter members by interests and location. For example a keyword could be Music, and a location Portsmouth, tweet adder will then find users in Portsmouth who have the keywords music in their profile. Now you should be able to see the awesome power of this tool!

13) Add a Twitter widget to your Website or Myspace. Login to your Twitter account and click on Gadgets at the bottom.

14) Create a page on Facebook so people can be come a fan. Invite all your friends to become a fan.

15) Add a Facebook Page widget to your website, so your website users can become a fan.

16) Be social on your social networks

17) Start a local magazine? Like our good friend Nick J Townsend did

18) By a shed load of custom printed t-shirts and give them out for free. When everyone turns up at your gig in the same t-shirt it really attracts attention. I know for a fact this works as I have done this on a number of occasions.

19) Appear on Videos and TV, a prime time slot on itv3 might be hard to come by but not impossible (there are loads of big name acts who have been discovered this way). If your not lucky enough to get these opportunities then create your own, send emails to film organizations, art councils and anyone involved with film. You can also attract attention by contacting small film companies and another good idea is to contact extreme sports style websites who create sports videos.

20) Create a lens (a page) at squidoo.com it really does create a wealth of traffic for your site

Please note, Rock Links is a free resource and we don’t offer any form of membership. Please show your support for Rock Links by taking the time to check out our below sponsors. Article Continued below Video

21) Create a decent Press Release, I personally feel press packs have become extinct. If someone is seriously interested in working with your Music the first place they will go is your myspace or website.

22) Contact Newspapers and Magazines

23) Offer freebies everyone loves Badges and Stickers!

24) Get out on the streets and talk to people about your Music, invite them to you upcoming Gigs.

25) Contact Radio stations, radio is a massive asset to promoting Music. Luckily there is a lot of National and Local Radio stations opening their doors to unknown Artists. Use this to your full advantage.

26) Get involved with a charity. By scratching their back they will also scratch yours.

27) Create an account at eventful.com

28) Start a text service, like the t-mobile advert or using a service such as txtlocal.com

29) Make people feel apart of what your doing, you should make time for everyone who comes along to your gigs.

30) Contact build, it’s what makes the Music Industry work.

31) Start a facebook event for every gig. This has always been successful for my own gigs you can also persuade other people to invite their friends. Make sure you do periodic status updates reminding people of the gig.

32) Go round local Music Shops, get to know the staff and ask if you can leave some promo gear in the shop. I find a lot of music shops actively try to promote the local music scene.

33) Create a Last.fm account!

34) Start podcasting, they weirdly attract a lot of attention.

35) Pay a professional photographer to take some snaps of you.

36) Get your Music reviewed

37) Get Interviewed

38) Place carefully positioned Posters around your local area, cafes, bars, clubs, venues ect

39) Flyers are handy when used effectively. I wouldn’t suggest handing them out willy nilly. Use them to your advantage at Gigs, leave them on tables, at the bar, hand them to people as they leave a venue. If your Band is playing that night then great, if someone likes your music they will more than likely pick up a flyer and keep hold of it.

40) Get involved with local Music sites

41) Leave a comment below with a link to your website. If you have another method of Promoting Music that I haven’t mentioned above then please add it below.

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Why you should indentify 3 selling points to Promote and sell Your Music

Craig — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:10:52 +0000

I have a little saying that i say to most Band’s “it’s about time your turned your Band into a Brand”, although i’m not directly writing this article about branding your Band, it does come under the same bracket. From when you walk past a product on the shelf in Asda to driving past a billboard on the M3, they all you use the same principles to get your juices flowing. Every product or service that is advertised identifies 3 selling points for that product and it should be the same for your Music. Most people who read an advertisement will make a decision on that product or service within 10 seconds, if they haven’t identified keywords that interests them in a product they will most likely put it back on the shelf. If you think of your Music as a product you will start to see how advertising your Music properly is important, by identifying 3 selling points about your Music that will grab the reader within 10 seconds you will more than likely generate more interest. The Human mind is very curious so make full use of this fact!

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So how do you identify selling points?
Selling points are everywhere, back in 2008 Rock Links was awarded an Innovation and Entrepreneurial Business award, so one of our key selling points is “The Award Winning Rock Links”, maybe your Music has won an award? Maybe you won a talent contest?

I happen to know a few all Lesbian girl Bands, imagine walking past a poster with the words “Band name! The all Lesbian Girl Band”. It provokes interest to read more!

Have you been featured on a National or Local Radio Station? In my local area we have Heart FM, although i don’t think they actually play Unsigned Acts i’m sure other local Radio Stations do, so again “Band Name! As featured on Radio FM”.

Maybe your age is a key factor? Maybe you under 16? Maybe your over 60? Again this provokes interest.

Maybe your a Country/Electronic/Funky/Banjo Playing act? Now that i would like to see!

Other key selling Points
Genre style, Size (maybe you have 8 Band members), fashion, bizarre instruments used, connection with a charity, jedward hairstyles, Free Music, Cover Songs, Endorsements, maybe your all born in the same city / town? (people love to support local people), basically anything that sets you apart from the rest that people can relate to or would want to know more about.

Please note, Rock Links is a free resource and we don’t offer any form of membership. Please show your support for Rock Links by taking the time to check out our below sponsors. Article Continued below Video.

Once you have identified your key selling points, make sure they are the first thing anyone reads, your Myspace, Website, Press Releases, Artwork, Posters, Facebook, Twitter, i’m sure your getting the picture. Like i have previously said, you have about 10 seconds to ‘catch’ the persons attention, choose your selling points wisely and the rewards will be more interest in your Music, it’s guaranteed and has been used by marketers since the first roman sandal hit the south coast!

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RnB star Shola Ama confirmed for the Judging Panel for Live and Unsigned Festival

Craig — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:54:59 +0000

RnB mega star Shola Ama has just confirmed her place on the judging panel at the Live and Unsigned Festival!

Billed as one of Britain’s most successful RnB artists, Shola will be taking her place on the judging panel in July and casting her eye over some of the UK’s best unsigned talent. The London based singers debut album Much Love sold over one million copies and she enjoyed chart success with the top five singles You Might Need Somebody and You’re The One I Love.

The culmination of her critical and commercial success resulted in four MOBO nominations with Shola going on to collect two awards for Best Newcomer and Best RnB. She also impressed the industry and her fans when she was nominated for two Brit awards, taking home the title of Best British Female.

Amongst her many achievements within the music industry, Shola has collaborated on the Glamma Kid single Taboo, reworking the Sade classic to make it her own and scoring her another top ten single. She released her sophomore album, the critically acclaimed In Return, co-writing 11 of the 16 tracks with a host of international writers and producers. She’s worked with legendary names like Darkchild, Babyface, Stargate, Ali Shaheed Muhhammed, Angie Stone and Shaun Labelle. Her single Imagine remixed by Asylum, went on to become one of the biggest club singles of the noughties. Shola co-wrote her third album, Supersonic, which is one of her most personal works to date. Chris Grayston, Events Director of Live and Unsigned, commented, It’s very exciting to have one of the UK’s best RnB acts involved in the competition. She’s had huge chart success, spent years in the studio and knows exactly what it’s like to be in the spotlight. I’m confident that her appearance on the judging panel will be popular! I’m sure most of the acts in the Urban category of the competition will want to ask her lots of questions!

Shola is now back in the studio once again, writing tracks for her fourth studio album, due for release on independent label Dirty Canvas. The new single DJ Play has already received great reviews and lots of airplay! And of course, watch out for her at the Live and Unsigned Festival!

Main Man Of BBC Introducing Vic Galloway Joins Live and Unsigned

Craig — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:40:03 +0000

The main man of BBC Introducing in Scotland, Vic Galloway, is set to join the Live and Unsigned 2010 judging panel.

With an extensive background in music and a thirst for unsigned, fresh acts in the UK, Vic’s knowledge and experience is sure to be a hit on the panel!

Currently fronting the BBC Introducing show in Scotland, Vic is obsessed with unsigned and established musicians. He was launched into the world of music after he witnessed his first live concert by The Damned, and as his obsession grew so did his record collection!

Vic began his career as a musician himself. He immersed himself in Rock ‘n’ Roll when he left school and set out to form a band, get into recording and perform music. And to prove his dedication, he busked his way around Europe for 6 months.

Vic moved onto to working on the other side of the industry, writing for fanzines, working as a venue lighting director in Edinburgh, helping to set up and develop independent labels and working as a press and radio promoter. It was when he was prompted to make a tape for his new regional Radio 1 show that he moved onto the airwaves.

Hayley Stovold, Press Officer for Live and Unsigned commented, “It’s fantastic news that Vic’s joining us for the 2010 live shows, he’s a very influential name. He’s already so busy with the station and his packed out events! He’ll be joining a few other famous names from the world of unsigned music, so we’re sure lots of bands will want to ask him lots of questions about the industry! And let’s face it; he’s always after new bands so some bands might even get played on his show!”

Nowadays, Vic fronts the Introducing show in Scotland and also writes and produces his own music – he’s currently working with prog-pop pioneers Deaf Mutes and punk band Family Man. You’ll also find Vic co-running a club night at the Glasgow Barfly every Friday, called the Funhouse. He’s been pulling in crowds of over 400 people for the last three years. He also spends a lot of time DJ’ing in clubs and writing a freelance column for The List magazine.

Vic lives in Edinburgh , likes getting tattooed, eats spicy food and wants World peace…

For more information on Live and Unsigned please visit http://www.rocklinks.co.uk/music-competitions/live-and-unsigned-2010-the-largest-national-music-competition-for-band-singers-and-musicians