10 Additional Steps to Promote Yourself (Artists & Bands)

1. Act professional.
This may seem obvious, but it's surprising how many bands fail to act professional before, during, and after a gig. There is no quicker way to sidetrack your musical career than to be labeled unprofessional. So, the basic rule for acting professional? Do what you say you will. Show up on time, come prepared (music, instruments, etc.), and play your best regardless of how many people are listening. You never know when a rep who could give you the break you were waiting for will catch a set.

If you're distributing media kits, follow up with a phone call or an e-mail. Ditto for all press-related info, meetings, and reviews. Separate your musical ego from your musical business and treat everyone, no matter how low on the food chain, with respect. You never know when you will meet up with these people again!

2. Designate a manager.
Every band needs a manager. Someone has to assume the responsibility of handling the business side of things. You need someone who is obsessive about detail, keeps records of everything, and isn't scared to go out and market your music. It's always a plus if they're a big fan of your band.

A good manager plays an essential role in the success of a band. Making one person accountable helps to ensure that things get done in a professional manner - flyers get printed and posted with the correct info, demos get distributed, reviews get collected and added to the press kit.

3. Build a following.
A loyal fan base - what every band dreams of. Fans are essential to your band's success. They will come to watch you play, buy your music, promote you to the people they know, and provide useful feedback on your musical development.

How to build a following? Play live as often as you can. Be consistent in promoting these events so that people who have seen you before know that you're playing. Start a mailing list - collect fan names and email addresses (and ask their permission to use them) - and then email them updates on what the band is doing - personnel changes, new releases, upcoming play dates.

4. Have a web site.
It's hard to build a following without a central source of information that your fans and critics can visit. The best route - by far - is to register your band's name. Go to www.networksolutions.com and see if it's available. While there's always free resources for creating and hosting web sites (Yahoo/Geocities, etc.), it's worth the money to be able to send people to www.myband.com.

Design your web site with the browser in mind. Don't throw up a lot of photos of you playing just because you have them - most people will get frustrated waiting for the page to load and click out. Keep it clean and simple. If you're going to offer music samples (e.g., MP3 files) for download, offer a link to download a player as well. Make the site backward compatible - CSS and XHTML don't work on older browser versions.

Keep information on the web site current. To drive repeat visits to the site, make sure the viewer has something to read when they come back. Include contact info so that fans/critics can email you with their comments.

Finally, publicize the URL on everything the band puts out. If you've put the effort into the site, you want people to check it out. We've seen URLs on tear-away strips at the bottom of band flyers, on stickers, on clothing, on CDs, etc. The possibilities are endless.

5. Find a mentor.
A mentor - someone who has the experience in the business - can be invaluable. A mentor can provide reality checks, give you feedback on your music, suggest band promotions, and help you tap into their network of contacts.

A mentoring arrangement can be as formal or informal as you want it to be. Start by contacting any professional music associations in your area and asking if they offer a mentoring program. Failing that, you can try local business organizations or professional music schools. Sometimes the direct approach is best - ask a musician you admire if they would consider acting as your mentor.

6. Design a media kit.
A media kit is your calling card in the world of music. It should contain an introductory letter, your band bio, a band picture (8x10 black and white is standard), and your current demo CD/cassette. There are special folders you can buy to hold all of this, or you can get one specifically designed for your needs. If you can't afford to get your folders printed with your band name/logo, stickers are always a good alternative.

It is essential to put your contact info on everything that goes in the folder - band name, contact name, address, email address, web site URL, phone number.

7. Get your CDs replicated.
It's hard to convince anyone to listen to your music without offering them a copy of it to take home and play. While it's true that MP3s and other file types are becoming more prevalent on the web, the vast majority of people still find programming their VCRs a challenge. Make it easy for them.

CD Replication involves recording a top quality disc, designing the cover and whatever insert material you decide to include, getting film done, and ordering replication. If you want to get a quote on what all of this will cost, contact a Cinram broker for more info.

Decide what you want these discs to accomplish. Are you going to treat them like a demo and just distribute them to get the music heard? Are you going to try to recoup some of the investment by selling them? Whatever the goal, keep price points in mind. People are much more likely to buy a CD of an unsigned band if it sells for $5 rather than $20.

8. Make media contacts.
Media contacts are as important as fans when it comes to promoting your business. Start out by making a list (or asking your manager to) of contacts. Decide on what geographical area to cover - your local area? Any places you currently tour or would like to? Then make a list of all the media outlets that cover music for that area. Consider community newspapers, magazines, web sites, radio stations, television stations, community access television, and venues. Call each of these and ask for the name of the appropriate person (e.g., music critic, music reporter, etc.). It's always a good idea to try and speak to the person directly - introduce yourself (politely!) and explain why you are calling.

Use this list for newsworthy reasons - performance schedule, personnel change, new releases, sales target reached, awards received, etc. For more on this, check out How to Write a Press Release and Press Relations.

Finally - DO NOT SPAM THESE PEOPLE. Do you really want to make an enemy of a music critic? Deliver relevant information only - think quality, not quantity.

9. Market yourself.
As you may have noticed, we've been talking about marketing yourself. If you want to succeed in the industry, you have to work at selling your music as well as playing it. Be proactive in promoting your band through every venue available. Create an image and keep it consistent.

What's your hook? Consider converting your car to a Bandmobile - painted to promote your band. If you can't get airtime on local radio, think about starting your own community access cable show - you'd be surprised how many people will watch it. Whenever possible, pass out stickers or business cards with your contact information. And don't be afraid to ask people for advice - most will be glad to share their experience with you.

10. Look for PR where you can get it.
The current state of music is inextricably tied to merchandising. This is not necessarily a bad thing. If you want to stand out from the crowd, think of ways to distinguish yourself.

Think sponsorship: try following in the footsteps of bands that tour courtesy of Zippo or Jack Daniels. Are there any local companies that would be interested in supporting your band? Is there an opportunity for cross-platform marketing? For example, thrash metal/punk bands may find an audience in comic books or retail skateboard stores, country music artists in western wear retail stores and truck dealerships, and classical music quartets in lingerie stores or exclusive jewelers. Find a connection between your music and the things you like to do and pursue it with a business proposal.

Another opportunity for PR comes with newsworthy events. These can be stunts (Band marathon), free shows (all ages, local event like civic holiday), or charity benefits (bring a can of soup for entrance to show, with proceeds going to local shelters, etc.). If you are going to go the charity route, make sure and pick one that means something to you - coming across as a hypocrite does nothing for your career.