Musicians as Marketers
March 2nd 2009 00:13
Ok, this is a subject that I really feel needs to be touched on.
Times have changed people! Seriously!
Gone are the days when a guitar guru could form a band and hope to become a rockstar by just merely being talented.
Gone are the days when you could hope to be signed by a major label, just because you had good looks and hot licks.
Those days are not here any more! I puruse the craigslist ads, the myspace ads and the sonicbids ads and it appears to me that many musicians seem to feel that they should be paid per talent.
Sadly, as much as you would think that would count, its doesn't.
The venues, promoters and industry professionals are no longer just looking for hot talent. They are looking for musicians who have figured it out. They are looking for musicians who understand how to market their music.
You are no longer judged by how big your half stack is, and instead, you are judged on your crowd count. You are judged by how popular your band already is.
The important people are in the crowds, asking everyone who they came to see. They are asking the venues about the bands that are bringing people in to their shows.
It is commonly accepted that a band that knows how to market themselves is a band that has the makings for success.
They want to see that if you never had the help of a financial backer, or a professional promoter, that you could still become something on your own. Thats what they want to see.
As an industry professional in my area, I tire of hearing from bands who have been playing for years and still cannot seem to bring more than 5 people out to see them play. And sometimes not even that many. Its pretty sad.
What makes things even more frustrating is the myspace circut.
Come on people! Its there for you to use! Use it!
When I recieve notice that a band wants to play, thats the first thing I look for.
Now, we all know that myspace is not a sure fire gauge of a bands reputation, but it IS a glimpse into how well they market their music.
If the page is basic with less then 5000 views, it looks like no body cared. And you can usually count on the fact that no one is maintaining that page, so there is no point in trying to contact them through it, or to tell people about it.
Even the pages that are maintained and decorated still need more than that. When I look at a band page, I look at how many pages views, how many music plays, and not just how many fans they have, but what kind.
A band that has 200 friends that are all other bands is not realistically going to bring anyone to their shows. A band that has 1000 friends and none of those friends are in the area the band is from, is realistically not going to bring anyone to a show.
The thing I like to see is that they have at least 5000 views on their page, a decent amount of plays on their music, of which I expect to see at least 5 songs, and a low numbersfriends list of people who are all in the area that the band is from.
If you have not figured out how to market your band, I suggest you start looking.
If you have the attitude that you should not have to be a marketer and a musician, than I suggest you look for a different career move, as rockstardom is probably not going to give you the fullfillment you desire.
If you are determined and willing to do what it takes, start out using the tool infront of you. The internet!
Get on the chat rooms, get on ALL the social networks, get onto forums, blogs, and anything else you can think of! It all helps.
Than get to work on viral marketing. Play shows for your friends, or have them come to your band practice. Put flyers in your neighbors mailbox, and tell everyone you work with. Word of mouth is your strongests asset as a band, seriously!
get to work!
Times have changed people! Seriously!
Gone are the days when a guitar guru could form a band and hope to become a rockstar by just merely being talented.
Gone are the days when you could hope to be signed by a major label, just because you had good looks and hot licks.
Those days are not here any more! I puruse the craigslist ads, the myspace ads and the sonicbids ads and it appears to me that many musicians seem to feel that they should be paid per talent.
Sadly, as much as you would think that would count, its doesn't.
The venues, promoters and industry professionals are no longer just looking for hot talent. They are looking for musicians who have figured it out. They are looking for musicians who understand how to market their music.
You are no longer judged by how big your half stack is, and instead, you are judged on your crowd count. You are judged by how popular your band already is.
The important people are in the crowds, asking everyone who they came to see. They are asking the venues about the bands that are bringing people in to their shows.
It is commonly accepted that a band that knows how to market themselves is a band that has the makings for success.
They want to see that if you never had the help of a financial backer, or a professional promoter, that you could still become something on your own. Thats what they want to see.
As an industry professional in my area, I tire of hearing from bands who have been playing for years and still cannot seem to bring more than 5 people out to see them play. And sometimes not even that many. Its pretty sad.
What makes things even more frustrating is the myspace circut.
Come on people! Its there for you to use! Use it!
When I recieve notice that a band wants to play, thats the first thing I look for.
Now, we all know that myspace is not a sure fire gauge of a bands reputation, but it IS a glimpse into how well they market their music.
If the page is basic with less then 5000 views, it looks like no body cared. And you can usually count on the fact that no one is maintaining that page, so there is no point in trying to contact them through it, or to tell people about it.
Even the pages that are maintained and decorated still need more than that. When I look at a band page, I look at how many pages views, how many music plays, and not just how many fans they have, but what kind.
A band that has 200 friends that are all other bands is not realistically going to bring anyone to their shows. A band that has 1000 friends and none of those friends are in the area the band is from, is realistically not going to bring anyone to a show.
The thing I like to see is that they have at least 5000 views on their page, a decent amount of plays on their music, of which I expect to see at least 5 songs, and a low numbersfriends list of people who are all in the area that the band is from.
If you have not figured out how to market your band, I suggest you start looking.
If you have the attitude that you should not have to be a marketer and a musician, than I suggest you look for a different career move, as rockstardom is probably not going to give you the fullfillment you desire.
If you are determined and willing to do what it takes, start out using the tool infront of you. The internet!
Get on the chat rooms, get on ALL the social networks, get onto forums, blogs, and anything else you can think of! It all helps.
Than get to work on viral marketing. Play shows for your friends, or have them come to your band practice. Put flyers in your neighbors mailbox, and tell everyone you work with. Word of mouth is your strongests asset as a band, seriously!
get to work!
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