Posts tagged promotion
41 ways to promote your Music or Band
Mar 9th
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 done, vistaprint.com offer 250 for free!
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
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.
Promote and Market your Music easily with RSS Feeds
Mar 8th
I recently made a video tutorial showing Musicians how you can use RSS Feeds to effectively Market and Promote your Music, the video is below.
Why you should indentify 3 selling points to Promote and sell Your Music
Mar 3rd
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!
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.
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!
Out of the Basement by Nick J.Townsend from Basementsound.co.uk
Mar 2nd
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 www.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…
THE ROCKET DOLLS (Brighton / United Kingdom)
http://www.therocketdolls.com
http://www.myspace.com/therocketdollsmusic
Now if you are going to stand out you need to get peoples attention. This British three piece Alternative Post Grunge Riff Metal band not only have a great image but write songs that make you want to kick down your front door and scream (which in my opinion is a good thing as it sure let’s your neighbours know who’s got the best CD collection). Catchy riffs, pounding grove beats and the Basslines are slick. Infact this is great music to f**k to, trust me I’m an expert. ‘BLEEDING THE SHAME’ and ‘DELIRIUM’ are good examples of why this band will get girls pregnant.
MOZART KHADAFFI (Denmark)
http://www.mozartkhadaffi.com
http://www.myspace.com/mozartkhadaffi
Imagine Marilyn Manson meets Mr. Bungle. Yes this is a wild child orchestra. Possibly one of my favorite underground bands too. Alternative Industrial Metal Rock with attitude and I f**king mean attitude with a lot of style and originality (it’s not clever to swear but sometimes it’s necessary to prove a point). This is a mindwarp of influences wrapped up in organized chaos. Mean guitars, insane beats, great theatrical vocals and all done with excellence. ‘DEAD CAN WALK’ is the best example if you’re new to this act. It’s got everything you need in one song. There’s one bit in the song which is the best scream I’ve ever felt like screaming along to. This music will open your mind.
STRIPPING THE PISTOL (Chicago / United States)
http://www.strippingthepistol.com/
http://www.myspace.com/strippingthepistol
Chicago makes some great music and this band sure does prove that. BLACK REFLECTIONS is the song by STRIPPING THE PISTOL that woke me up and made me masturbate more times in a single day than advised to me by the sex experts on TV. It’s a great tune. I was pleased to find out they wrote a load more cool songs as well. So kiddies if you are going to lock the bedroom door with your iPod on then this is the band for you. Great vocals and lyrics, atmospheric guitars, brutal and yet gentle at times, some great riffs and great melodies. For a Metal Rock band they provide a full package of treats. Great band name too. Hell yeah!
…..Right, that’s the first three bands I’m going to introduce you to. 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 www.basementsound.co.uk but more importantly you can go and watch them Live, download their music, write about them and get a fucking tattoo of them on your arm. This is Nick J.Townsend signing off. END OF MESSAGE.
Visit Basementsound.co.uk
Creating the ultimate Gig and Event flyers
Feb 6th
Flyer’s are a very effective method of promoting your nights to people offline, they also have an easy way of finding their way to your target audience by being left at Venues, Bars, Clubs (the usual places). Getting your Flyer’s to the right people is important, but getting people hooked into reading your flyer with interest can be difficult. The nights i used to run i tried a number of methods, designs and ideas when designing my flyers, so this article will highlight the mistakes i made and the barmy ideas that worked!
Planning is important when creating a flyer you have a few things to consider –
Flyer size – A4/A5/A6/A7 and Business Card size. When i started i went straight for the A5 size, until one day when someone give me a flyer advertising a car wash. This flyer was a5 aswell and i decided to keep hold of the flyer. I folded up, creased it and ripped it trying to get it into my pocket and when i did it went straight through the washing machine, i then had a light bulb moment. Why not make your flyer’s Business Card size? Now obviously this means all text, images and artwork have to be smaller, but if you design them to be double sided you shouldn’t have a problem. When handing out these flyer’s i noticed a lot of people slipping them straight into their wallet and i never changed back to a5. Not only did more people hang on to the flyer’s but they are also a lot cheaper to produce.
Color and Fonts – Lots to choose from, but i suggest you use the principle Keep It Simple Stupid. Nice Bold Text in an easy to read font and nice vibrant colors. I have seen many flyer’s with crazy looking fonts and unusual colors. I have good eye sight but i struggle to read some flyer’s, consider people who don’t have good eyesight if they cant read the text they wont know what your advertising. Another point i would like to make is that when you hand these flyer’s to people you are taking their attention away from their busy lifestyles, if they cant read the entire flyer within 20 seconds and make a decision whether to keep it or bin it, they will just throw is straight in the bin.
Images and Photos – These provide a good summary of what your flyer is about, i highly recommend you add some form of image to your flyer. If nothing else they make the flyer look more interesting. Be careful what images you use, make sure they are relevant to what your advertising.
Design for your Target Audience – If your designing a flyer for a Punk rock night then make sure it’s obvious in the color, font and design you use. Somebody should be able to walk past your flyer and have a rough idea what it’s about within a split second of looking at it.
Themes – Keep it topical! I once generated lots of interest for a gig purely by theming the flyer. The event was taking place next to Portsmouth Harbour used heavily by the navy. The Event night took place the day after the anniversary of D-Day, so i used a military theme. Purely by having a photograph of a navy boat on the flyer, they went like crazy!
Selling Points- Before you start designing your flyer you need to jot down 3 selling points, 3 points that will make people want to come to your event. Once you have these, you need to make sure these 3 points dominate your flyer design and can be clearly seen above everything else.
Include the important information – Once your flyer’s go to print there is no time to correct any errors. Make sure your flyer includes the following information. Venue, Venue Directions, Time, Dates, Participating Bands, Cost and any special discounts that the flyer offers.
Proof Read, Proof Read, Proof Read
Quick Tip: If you have room, always promote your other upcoming Gigs. If someone can’t make this one, they might be able to make the next one!
A simple summary is to use your common sense, make it attractive to as many people as possible and don’t forget people who might have disabilities. Keep it fresh and make sure it jumps out at people. Most people use Photoshop to design their flyer’s, if you don’t have Photoshop then i suggest using Gimp which can be found at gimp.org
Other Source of Information
Red Bull Reporter – Music Academy touches down in London with 30 nights of Events
Feb 3rd
Red Bull Reporter
February 7 – March 12, 2010
The Red Bull Music Academy brings its full programme of artists and events to London for the first time ever in February, hosting a truly unique and diverse festival of sonic innovations in the city’s most inspiring venues. Honouring the past, while keeping a scalpel-sharp sight on the future, the five-week series of cultural collisions will bring something for anyone who ever was or ever will be interested in keeping the pulse of the latest sounds sweeping the globe.
The line-ups feature legends in their own right, ranging from Soul ll Soul, Goldie, Carl Craig, A Guy Called Gerald, to the Heritage Orchestra, Moodymann, The Scientist, Roots Manuva, Red Bull Music Academy alumnus Flying Lotus, and many more. They’ll share studios and stages with the Academy class of 2010, 60 of the hottest young tune slingers from all around the world. The sparking frictions, where different fractions meet, the very moments when people from the most diverse backgrounds come together and creativity materializes: This is the very essence of the Red Bull Music Academy.
Red Bull Reporter is giving wannabe reporters the chance to experience some of Red Bull Music Academy’s amazing events. Check out the assignments on offer below. Reporters will be chosen around a week before each event so get applying!
Vice magazine & The Red Bull Music Academy Special
Tuesday 9th February (evening) at The Old Blue Last, Shoreditch
REPORTERS WANTED: 1 x writer and 1 x photographer (over 18yrs old)
Vice Magazine’s music editors present their favourite female artists
from the roster of Academy participants at the infamous Old Blue Last in East London.
Red Bull Reporter is looking for a writer and a photographer to head East and cover this Red Bull Music Academy event. You will hear participants from Australia, Greece, Mexico, Peru and Spain and more and review the evening – let us know which artist inspires you the most and we will get you some time with her.
Check out the assignment listing and apply here: http://www.redbullreporter.com/2010/01/red-bull-music-academy-at-the-old-blue-last/
Book Slam – The Red Bull Music Academy Edition
Wednesday 10th February (evening) at Shoreditch Town Hall
REPORTERS WANTED: 1 x writer
Join Red Bull Music Academy and Book Slam, London’s only literary nightclub, as they explore London’s counter culture with a night featuring underground poets, authors, comedians, DJs and live music.
Red Bull Reporter is looking for a writer to attend Book Slam. Not only will you get the chance to hear readings and performances from some really cool writers, you will interview two authors Dreda Say Mitchell & Alex Wheatle on their latest works and what inspires them.
If you have a genuine passion for culture and think this assignment has your name on it, check out the assignment listing and apply here:
http://www.redbullreporter.com/2010/01/book-slam-the-red-bull-music-academy-edition/
A Day in the Life of the Red Bull Music Academy
Friday 12th February at Red Bull HQ
REPORTERS WANTED: 1 x writer (over 18yrs old)
The story of Red Bull Music Academy is a unique one and we want a Red Bull Reporter to come and experience it from the inside. 60 of the hottest up and coming artists from all over the world are coming to London to learn from and create with legends like Soul II Soul, Goldie, Carl Craig, Roots Manuva and many more.
On this assignment you will be able to check out a lecture or two, chat to some of the participants and tour the Academy and head to the dedicated event in the evening.
Check out the assignment listing and apply here: http://www.redbullreporter.com/2010/01/a-day-in-the-life-of-the-red-bull-music-academy/
The Red Bull Music Academy Presents 3-D Soundclash
Thursday 18th February (evening) at The Royal Albert Hall
REPORTERS WANTED: 1 x writer
Take an iconic location, add Martyn Ware’s 3D Audioscape and you have some kind of audio version of Avatar . We’re all aware of music’s power to transport us to another place and Red Bull Reporter are searching for a budding young music journalist to take us and our readers on this journey.
The historic and beautiful Royal Albert Hall sets the scene for this assignment so if you have a passion for music and truly new experiences this could be for you.
Check out the assignment listing and apply here: http://www.redbullreporter.com/2010/01/the-red-bull-music-academy-presents-3-d-soundclash/
Red Bull Music Academy x A Taste of Sónar
Fri 5th March & Sat 6th March (evenings) at The Roundhouse
REPORTERS WANTED: 1 x writer and 1 x photographer (over 18yrs old)
Sonar is back and Red Bull Reporter needs a writer and a photographer to head to the taster event in London!!!
Since its inception in 1998, the Red Bull Music Academy has built an
unparalleled reputation for unearthing those studio wizards who shape our musical
future. Flying Lotus, Hudson Mohawke, J-Wow of Buraka Som Sistema, Aloe Blacc and Mr Hudson have all been students at the Red Bull Music Academy at some stage of their remarkable careers.
This is why, for the very first time in its longstanding partnership with the Barcelona-based festival, the Academy has been commissioned to curate the emerging talent stage at Sónar’s taster event in London.
Check out the assignment listing and apply here:
http://www.redbullreporter.com/2010/01/red-bull-music-academy-and-a-taste-of-sonar/
The Red Bull Music Academy presents 12×12’’
Thursday 11th March (evening) at Scala
REPORTERS WANTED: 1 X photographer (over 18yrs old)
The Academy pays tribute to London’s thriving scenes, hardcore
and beyond, by inviting twelve landmark producers to the stage who all present their biggest anthem that helped shape a new generation in sound.
Red Bull Reporter are looking for a photographer to capture the strong visual element of this event.
Check out the assignment listing and apply here: http://www.redbullreporter.com/2010/01/the-red-bull-music-academy-presents-3-d-soundclash/
Further reading:
Redbullreport.com
Red Bull Music Academy
Rbmradio.com
Starting your own Music Magazine or Zine – Self Published and Funded
Jan 30th
The reason for me posting this article is because of my previous post on “Weak 13’s Nick Townsends impressive approach to promoting his Band”. Nick successfully started his own magazine promoting his local Music scene along with his Band. I was very impressed by Nick’s spirit and thought i would create a follow up on how to create your own magazine.
Time to ask yourself a few questions before we get started
Do you have hours of time each week to commit to publishing your magazine?
Do you think you can produce enough content to make it worth while doing?
Do you have plenty of volunteers to help you write content?
Can you use a computer?
Do you have basic knowledge of Graphic software?
Can you write?
Do you have money to self fund the magazine?
These are all really important questions that you need to consider before committing yourself to starting a magazine.
All ok? on to step 1
Step 1)
Like any Business or product that you want people to use you have to solve a problem. Since this is a Music Website lets focus on starting a Music based magazine. What problems can we solve? is their a niche genre that currently doesn’t have a magazine? Does your local Music scene need a magazine? You need to decide what problem you are going to solve, if you don’t then why will anyone read your magazine? You will also need to consider a catchy name, a nicely branded theme / logo and of course the amount of pages and how much each edition will cost to print. Which brings nicely onto how much your going to charge for the magazine. I suggest setting the price at a cost level, most black and white paper based zine’s can be produced for around 80p each these days depending on the size and content. I suggest spending a few hours researching similar magazines, finding out what content they include, how many readers they have and how much they charge for each magazine. It might also be a good idea to find out who prints the magazines. Another point you should consider is how often will you be releasing your magazine, below are the most common release dates.
Weekly, 2 weekly, Monthly, 2 Monthly and every 6 months. I suggest Monthly as a start up magazine.
Step 2)
Preparation is important! If you have rushed through step one without doing your research and without any idea of what your magazine is about, what it will look like or what content will be included then you might aswell give up now. Preparation is they key to most successful projects, you need to be ahead of the game at all times. I suggest working about 2 issues ahead which gives you plenty of time to correct any problems that may arise. You need to start getting together juicy stories, pictures, events and anything else your going to be included in the magazine. It might also be a good idea to get friends involved as columnists (i write for many of my friends small publications), they write the content so you don’t have to. Most people like to express their opinion and if your going to offer them the opportunity to voice their opinion to a few hundred people at a time then they will likely jump at the chance.
Next Steps coming very soon!