promoting your band

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promoting your band

Posted by conjurework@gmail.com on July 13, 2016 at 5:40 PM

This is not going to be a complete how to on music promotion. The subject is vast and beyond my own measure of ability, since I have music to promote and I’m, well… not famous… yet.

I’m just going to brush over some of the very basics, just in case you are just starting to promote a band for the first time. Maybe someone else handled that in your last band, maybe no one did. Maybe this is your first band (or solo career) and then, maybe you have been in dozens of bands and it’s just now dawning on you why none of them ever went anywhere. Regardless, here are a few of the basics that you need.

A decent website - notice I said decent, not stunning, slick or cutting edge. You don’t need to spend big bucks. Get a free website builder, there are bunches of them, just google it. Then, spring a few bucks for a .com address, that does make a difference. But it should be just a few bucks. If it costs more than $20 for just that single feature, keep shopping.

Although, you may need to shell out more for more storage space, since music, .mp3 files take up space. Still, don’t spend more than $150-200 per year on a website unless you are getting something spectacular. If you have a friend who is hooking you up with a really great site for not much, then be cool to that friend. They should get into all shows for free, buy them dinner once in a while, etc.

Your website should have links to YouTube videos of your gigs or at least rehearsals, some downloadable .mp3 songs and any links to where they can buy your albums, t-shirts or other merch.

A business card - many will disagree with this. There are different philosophies. I think you need one. Again, stay low budget. But a card should be eye-catching. Business cards that don’t stand out end up in the trash. Make it unique and have your website address and phone number on it. That’s what cards are for; amazingly, some people forget this.

Make flyers for your shows and actually put them up - self-explanatory, except that, like business cards, you need to have the relevant info on them. List the date of the show, venue name, venue address, time of the show, opening act(s) and your website, as well as the venue’s website. Also, make it eye-catching and unusual. This works far better than simple and straightforward.

A mailing list that is out in plain view during gigs. Periodically announce that it’s there, so people sign it. Tell them to write carefully, half the time, they are drunk and the other half, they have terrible handwriting, even when sober.

Willingness to talk to everyone about your gigs - you have to be a bit of a whore. It’s been said that there is no room in the entertainment business for self-effacement. Totally correct. Also, be willing to go play anywhere for anyone until you really don’t need to do that anymore. Pay your dues.

Other social media sites - you’ll want to have pages at places like Reverb Nation, Sound Cloud, etc. Do a bit of research, Google is your friend.

My name is Magus (aka Kevin Trent Boswell) and you can find out more about my ventures at:

theplasticinfinity.com Magus & The Plastic Infinity

cdbaby.com Kevin Trent Boswell

Patreon - Magus, Kevin Trent Boswell

Twitter Kevin Trent Boswell

YouTube - MagusBoswell72 Magus, Kevin Trent Boswell

www.antiverse.webs.com Magus, Kevin Trent Boswell

Sound Cloud - Kevin Trent Boswell Kevin Trent Boswell

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