PROMOTING YOUR WAY TO MAKING $$

So you've got a band and you've got some songs.....and you've even got a demo.

Then what ?

The big Q for musicians is, how to promote their music.

Here's an idea worth considering, I kinda like it. See what you think

I came accross this article at 'Go Articles', which you can get to to if you click here

Promote Your Way to Making Music and Money

By Reese Thomas

You've spent years learning how to play, and although your
expectations do not include playing for 20,000 fans at the local
arena, it would be nice to have a gig somewhere other than your
back porch. The difference between sitting home and playing for
play is often how you promote your self and your act. You can
create an effective local promotional campaign that will enable
you to play and get paid. You do have to have a listenable act,
whether it's a single, duo or full band; you do have to play
music that people want to hear. Once you have this product,
however, you still have to promote it. Paying jobs do not just
happen; often it's left to you to make them happen.

You first need to create your promotional materials. A good
promo kit is crucial; this is often the first impression you
will make with the entertainment buyer. Many musicians believe
recording a demo CD is an essential first step, I disagree. I
have not used an audio demo to book a job in many years; my
promo kit consists of nice business cards, an attractive logo I
print on the header of all written correspondence, a portfolio
of references, quotes and pictures, a list of sample songs, and
my secret weapon. This item in my promotional toolbox is so
effective; I don't know why everybody isn't using it.

To duplicate my secret weapon, you need to create an full color
11"x17" poster. This can be done on your home computer with any
one of a number of graphics programs. You need to include simple
but attractive graphics, your act's name, a very brief
description of what you do, a photo of the act, and a white
rectangle about 4" x 8" located either near the center, or at
the top. If you do not have the expertise create this poster,
find a friend that does, check out your local high school's art
department or pay somebody in your local newspaper's advertising
department a few dollars to do it 'on the side.'. Have them save
it in PDF format on a CD. Take your CD to your local Officemax,
Staples or other office superstore. They can make a digital
11"x17" print very reasonably. Then you should have them make 5
full color copies from your 'master' and laminate them.

Now you have five very glossy, very professional and very
effective promotional tools. When you attempt to book a job,
take a dry erase marker and write in the empty white space
"appearing at Fred's Restaurant (or whatever business you are
trying to book) Saturday the 2nd" and explain that giving him
several of these to display is just one way you help him promote
his event. You can re-use these many times, and they always make
a huge impression. I've been told several times "I never thought
of having music at my event, but when I saw your poster with my
name on it, it just seemed like a wonderful idea."

Getting the word out and booking jobs is your final step. You
will probably want to play some free gigs in the beginning.
Offer your services for any social occasion you can think of,
your town's civic festivals, church bazaars or anyplace a crowd
forms. Bring a camera and have somebody take some pictures. One
local band in my home town stage rented a hall on a Monday
night, asked all of their friends to dress up and come to the
party and hired (for a nominal fee) a local newspaper
photographer to shoot for an hour and save every picture on a
CD. They ended up designing their poster as a collage; it was
one of the most attractive pieces of promotional materials I
have ever seen.

You might go to the local radio station that plays music similar
to what you do; tell the advertising director you would be
willing to play select radio remotes free for the publicity. You
might even wind up with a local radio personality saying nice
things about you that you can use in your promotional materials,
Try to write every complimentary quote down anybody of
prominence says about you; when they say it ask them "can I
quote you ?"

Once your act has a track record, you are set to book some
paying jobs. Find out what other acts are making in your area,
approach businesses, make your pitch, and don't get discouraged
at first. Do not make the mistake of pricing yourself too cheap,
not only will you earn the enmity of other performers in the
area, but the buyers will perceive you as cut rate as well. I
have a cardinal rule; I'll work for free for a worthy charity
event occasionally, but I'll never work cheap.

When you look for paying gigs, be creative, do not limit
yourself. I always use the term 'entertainment buyer,' rather
than 'club owner.' While bars are still one market for live
music, there are many other venues. I have made money performing
for malls, car dealerships, gated communities, weddings,
retirement parties, boat dealerships, fraternal organizations,
radio remotes, fairs, festivals, company parties, restaurants,
flea markets, bowling alleys, RV parks as well as bars and
lounges. You need to check your area out, not just for who has
live music, but who could use live music and might be willing to
pay for it.

A good approach in selling your act to businesses is always put
yourself in the buyer's position. What is it you can offer the
buyer? Keep in mind it is the buyer's needs, not yours that he
or she is concerned with. Statements like "I've always wanted to
play here" should be avoided. Try something like "We are an
exciting act that your clientele would really love and we have a
following." If it is a retail business's special event you are
trying to book, instead of stating "gee, I'd really like to play
for your grand opening, you might say, "I know you are spending
quite a bit advertising your grand opening, why don't you ad
something special so the people you attract really have a
memorable time?"

The sales pitch is definitely not a time for false modesty, you
should sound confident, but never promise something you can't
deliver. The most important thing about selling your act is, be
persistent. Selling yourself will be hard at first, but you'll
learn and it will get easier. You might be turned down the first
20 times, but soon, you'll be playing and getting paid.

About the author:
Reese Thomas is a 35 year veteran of the live music industry.
To check out Reese's site just click here

[Resource http://www.goarticles.com]

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