Promoting a band. What are the basics?

[SOMMS]

Howdy,

 

I have nearly worn the search function out so I thought I'd ask a few questions in this forum.

 

Here's is my situation: I'm in a decent band that makes decent music (hard rock/metal). Maybe not be the greatest music you've ever heard but its decent. We are the tightest band in the world but were decent. When we play shows people seem to dig us. We have a website (no I'm not going to spam you), a myspace with some poor quality mp3s.

 

 

We are sort of having a hard time getting to the 'next level' if you will. Basically we want to move from 'playing 1 weekday gig a month to our friends' to 'playing 2 weekend gigs a month to a small following'. Not worried about getting payed at this point.

 

 

So how do you effectively increase exposure? Is it a 3 song demo? Is it the one-sheet? Is it simply landing bigger venues (granted we put on a good show)? Better website? Friend Whoring on Myspace? Get played on local radio? Should we get a manager/promoter?

 

 

 

What are the basic steps to becoming a good, well-know local band?

 

 

I acknowledge that I'm a noob and that this post is perhaps facepalm wothy, but its an honest question that I'm hoping some of you folks in the biz can answer.

 

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

SOMMS

[Ronan Murphy]

A good 3 song demo is important so you can show people what you do. It does not have to be fancy or take a long time. A good local studio should be able to knock that out for you in 3 days.

 

Beyond that you just have to roll up your sleeves and do the work. You need to be promoting the shows you do have online and handing out flyers at other peoples shows, finding ways to get exposure using radio and print. I can not stress this enough, you need to promote your shows like mad. You need to get bodies in the door to see your band and you need those people need to want to come back and see you. Clubs and show promoters usually judge a band on two criteria: 1. are they easy to deal with 2. do they get paid people in the door that will buy lots of drinks. If the band is amazing at #2 they will tolerate lousy #1.

 

Also, I always encourage people to think of their local scene as the 4 hour radius around their home. A band can only gig so many times 5 miles from their homes but they could be gigging every weekend if they expand their idea of local.

[Dthraco]

Make a demo, best you can do, but within a budget.

 

Give it to ANYBODY that wants it. At this stage it's better to get your name out there than to make $5 on a CD.

 

Start going to the places you want to gig, on the nights you want to gig. Get to know the regulars and the sound/booking guy. But be real, don't try a home run on the first visit. Ask questions and compliment.

 

You have to BE part of the scene to be part of the scene.

[ZERO HEROES]

Get a sandwich board made and stand on a busy street corner during rush hour.

[Kramerguy]

Since I hate to assume anymore, I have to ask: Covers or Originals? Two different answers to your question based solely on that info. It sounds like you guys are originals, but like I said - hate to assume.

[MaxKincaide]

 

A good 3 song demo is important so you can show people what you do. It does not have to be fancy or take a long time. A good local studio should be able to knock that out for you in 3 days. Beyond that you just have to roll up your sleeves and do the work. You need to be promoting the shows you do have online and handing out flyers at other peoples shows, finding ways to get exposure using radio and print. I can not stress this enough, you need to promote your shows like mad. You need to get bodies in the door to see your band and you need those people need to want to come back and see you. Clubs and show promoters usually judge a band on two criteria: 1. are they easy to deal with 2. do they get paid people in the door that will buy lots of drinks. If the band is amazing at #2 they will tolerate lousy #1. Also, I always encourage people to think of their local scene as the 4 hour radius around their home. A band can only gig so many times 5 miles from their homes but they could be gigging every weekend if they expand their idea of local .

 

 

This part that I have bolded is the best post response I have seen in a very long time as far as how to put your band at the next level. It builds on what I'm always preaching about working in an outward spiral or in a ripple effect...you build your following locally, and then branch out as you become more and more popular.

 

If you add to that concept the bolded part in the above post, expanding your idea of what local is...you shouldn't have any issues. If your band is worth it's salt, it may take a long while to build a following within a 4 hour radius, but it will be the correct measure to take. It will also help you look more professional to those in the business and promoters, as you are trying to build your band up without skipping steps.

[Kazak]

Hey SOMMS,

 

I am a noob here also and have been trying to figure this out too. I am amazed that so few people are trying to help you.

 

What you are asking about are the most fundamental issues that any starting band needs to know, and should be well documented and easy to find out. Evidently not so.

 

I was recently approached by a bar owner who wanted to increase his business by bringing in some live music, and I thought I could help him.

 

I posted an ad on craiglist for bands to come and play at the bar. Six bands responded, and when I asked for a link to hear what they sounded or looked like, four said they could snail-mail me a demo CD, two had myspace pages I could hear some pretty badly recorded demo tracks. One had a piece of video on youtube shot by a friend with a single video camera but the sound quality was so bad that it was painful to listen to.

 

My point here is, that it is very difficult from the venues side too, and what I would recommend is that you make it as easy as possible for people to find you, and when they do, make sure they see and hear the very best you can do.

 

I would strongly suggest you take advantage of the web as much as possible, myspace and youtube are free promo tools, use them to the fullest extent possible.

 

One other thing I have noticed while out and about watching bands on Friday and Saturday nights is the bands collecting or not collecting email addresses. Those that do, invariably have more people in the bar, and are still collecting more. Have a girlfriend go around and collect email addresses every time you play out, and send out an email to your entire list a couple of days before each gig, and include links to you website, myspace and youtube.

 

The bottom line is that a band is a business, and very few businesses survive without a strong marketing and sales team. Show a great product, and show it to everybody as often as you can.

 

I think Ronan has some good advice too, about rolling up your sleeves and working as hard at promotion as you do at performing, and expanding your "local" area to as large as possible.

 

It all comes down to the people who go out to see live music, they are the ones who pay for everything, the bar the bands and everything, treat them with great respect, and thank them constantly for their patronage and support, and give them whatever you can as often as you can.

 

Good luck with your band, and let us know how it turns out.

[Poker99]

 

Hey SOMMS, I am a noob here also and have been trying to figure this out too. I am amazed that so few people are trying to help you. What you are asking about are the most fundamental issues that any starting band needs to know, and should be well documented and easy to find out. Evidently not so.

 

 

SOMMS,

 

We have already discussed those "fundamental steps" a lot already. That's why some guys here are not answering the question everytime it pops up. There's the search function you guys could use too.

 

There are no easy answers. Most people who "document" these steps are full of it. If it was that easy, everyone would be successfull.

 

I'll suggest one thing. The most important STEP.

 

THE SONGS. HAVE GREAT SONGS. If you don't, don't even bother promoting your band. Go back to writing.

[daddymack]

 

Hey SOMMS, I am a noob here also and have been trying to figure this out too. I am amazed that so few people are trying to help you. What you are asking about are the most fundamental issues that any starting band needs to know, and should be well documented and easy to find out. Evidently not so. I was recently approached by a bar owner who wanted to increase his business by bringing in some live music, and I thought I could help him. I posted an ad on craiglist for bands to come and play at the bar. Six bands responded, and when I asked for a link to hear what they sounded or looked like, four said they could snail-mail me a demo CD, two had myspace pages I could hear some pretty badly recorded demo tracks. One had a piece of video on youtube shot by a friend with a single video camera but the sound quality was so bad that it was painful to listen to. My point here is, that it is very difficult from the venues side too, and what I would recommend is that you make it as easy as possible for people to find you, and when they do, make sure they see and hear the very best you can do. I would strongly suggest you take advantage of the web as much as possible, myspace and youtube are free promo tools, use them to the fullest extent possible. One other thing I have noticed while out and about watching bands on Friday and Saturday nights is the bands collecting or not collecting email addresses. Those that do, invariably have more people in the bar, and are still collecting more. Have a girlfriend go around and collect email addresses every time you play out, and send out an email to your entire list a couple of days before each gig, and include links to you website, myspace and youtube. The bottom line is that a band is a business, and very few businesses survive without a strong marketing and sales team. Show a great product, and show it to everybody as often as you can. I think Ronan has some good advice too, about rolling up your sleeves and working as hard at promotion as you do at performing, and expanding your "local" area to as large as possible. It all comes down to the people who go out to see live music, they are the ones who pay for everything, the bar the bands and everything, treat them with great respect, and thank them constantly for their patronage and support, and give them whatever you can as often as you can. Good luck with your band, and let us know how it turns out.

 

Kazak, I think SOMMS is not ready, just like the bands you were dealing with. This all goes to what we call the overly beaten dead horse around here....any band can have a myspace page with something on it...they can play for free...they can hang flyers all over town, etc...but if they are not ready to accept the level of hardwork and commitment required to really get working, then it is all just a form of masturbation.

 

Give them the best you can...not 'whatever you can'...that is the main thing I take exception to in your post.

[SOMMS]

 

Since I hate to assume anymore, I have to ask: Covers or Originals? Two different answers to your question based solely on that info. It sounds like you guys are originals, but like I said - hate to assume.

 

 

 

Ahh...should have included that. We do originals.

 

 

SOMMS

[SOMMS]

 

and I assume you meant you were not the tighest band in the world, as well. So here's the truth...And this truth doesn't matter whether you are a cover band or an originals band....you are not ready to compete if you are resigned to being 'decent', 'not the best'...and representing yourself with 'poor quality'. Fix the attitiude, accept nothing that is not great ...forget 'good enough', 'decent', 'passable'...those are all excuse level borscht. When you get past that point, then come back. Yes, you need a good demo, but that doesn't mean you need to do a full studio thing, in fact, most bookers want to hear what you sound like live. Why? Because that is what they are buying from you. A tight live good quality recording is a great calling card. That will get you gigs, then you build a following... Kazak, I think SOMMS is not ready, just like the bands you were dealing with. This all goes to what we call the overly beaten dead horse around here....any band can have a myspace page with something on it...they can play for free...they can hang flyers all over town, etc...but if they are not ready to accept the level of hardwork and commitment required to really get working, then it is all just a form of masturbation. Give them the best you can ...not 'whatever you can'...that is the main thing I take exception to in your post.

 

 

 

 

Well here's what I mean: we are better than every band we have played with.

Are we the next Beatles/Stones/U2...no.

 

We are pretty tight. Are we as tight as a band like Dillinger Escape Plan or Red Hot Chili Peppers...no.

 

I just don't want to come on here asking questions and then sound like an ass cause I think 'we are the bestest band in the world evar' type of thing.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the info though man.

 

 

SOMMS

[Kazak]

 

SOMMS, Kazak, I think SOMMS is not ready, just like the bands you were dealing with. This all goes to what we call the overly beaten dead horse around here....any band can have a myspace page with something on it...they can play for free...they can hang flyers all over town, etc...but if they are not ready to accept the level of hardwork and commitment required to really get working, then it is all just a form of masturbation. Give them the best you can ...not 'whatever you can'...that is the main thing I take exception to in your post.

 

 

By "whatever you can" I meant CDs, Tees, Tixs to the next show etc. And completely agree with you about the "Best you can".

 

SOMMS, now I would be really interested to see your website and myspace, because I get the impression you were being overly modest about your accomplishments.

[danosongs]

In my opinion you only REALLY need three things:

 

1. Three excellent, polished recorded tracks

2. A bio that outlines your credibility in some way.

3. One really good picture.

 

I review allot of artists on musicsubmit to interview on my blog and you would not believe the hundreds of people who do not have those basic things in place.

 

You can open lots of doors if you have those three things done right.

 

The next thing you want, but its not an absolute requirement is:

 

4. Your own real professional Website with blog

5. A complete high quality produced and recorded CD

[pjrake]

 

In my opinion you only REALLY need three things: 1. Three excellent, polished recorded tracks 2. A bio that outlines your credibility in some way. 3. One really good picture. I review allot of artists on musicsubmit to interview on my blog and you would not believe the hundreds of people who do not have those basic things in place. You can open lots of doors if you have those three things done right. The next thing you want, but its not an absolute requirement is: 4. Your own real professional Website with blog 5. A complete high quality produced and recorded CD

 

 

good points!

 

to the OP, having a few tracks (2-3) that's well produced is probably the first step in beginning to promote your band.

 

if you're out there promoting your band and your band's website (or MySpace), people will probably check it out for a few seconds, and if the only tracks you have are bad quality "rehearsal" recordings, chances are they'll never go back (not that that's what you have on your page, but you'll be surprised at how many sites have really bad recordings).

 

best of luck!!!

 

-PJ

[BlackBelt]

To get decent club bookings, most bands I've played with had to start playing 'off nights'. Like the Thursday night beer bust for $100.

However, we were always polished and very entertaining, so always before we left, the manager would ask us to book a weekend gig. That pretty much happened every time. Every band that I've ever been in has also learned that a waitress at the bar talking you up to the other girls has an effect on the manager. More than once we've overpaid the girl taking care of us...by enough to almost make her car payment. And then the phone rang...

The other thing that we did was offer to take ANY cancelled gigs. We let it be known that if another band cancelled, even an hour before the performance, we would be there, set up and ready to rock at a moments notice. The funny thing about that was that the club owners would say, "That never happens."... and then usually sometime in the next couple of months the phone would be ringing...

So basically, I would say that the most important thing is that people really like your band and music. Be professional and very friendly at all times. Always smile, no matter what. And be super nice to the club managers and the waitresses. Not just a 'business type' of relationship, but really get in their and make their business success part of your formula. And most importantly, stay in front of them to keep you on their mind, even if you aren't playing that night. Don't be a pest. Be friendly and DON'T overstay your welcome.

This has worked for all the bands that I've been in during the last 25 years.

[chevybusa]

Hey SOMMS, I can appreciate your frustration, but I think a big part of why it's so hard to get some concrete info on what you;re looking for is that everyone has a different idea of what works and everyone has had different experiences of what has worked for them personally; hence there really is no "one way" to do things.

 

Just to give an example, some folks will swear by putting up flyers, while some people think it is a complete and utter waste of time and money.

 

That said though, take all the advice you can get and decide what you think would be best for your goals and situation.

[Kramerguy]

there really is no "one way" to do things. Just to give an example, some folks will swear by putting up flyers, while some people think it is a complete and utter waste of time and money. That said though, take all the advice you can get and decide what you think would be best for your goals and situation.

 

This is true

 

Every band has different experiences with success. A few noteworthy things - some that have already been stated:

 

-studio demos are useless to booking agents and bars that may want to book you. I won't bother with a band that I can't get a live demo from. Everyone knows a video-camera mic sucks, and nobody cares. Anyone can have a great studio quality demo and completely suck and not be able to get through one song live.

 

-There are lots of easy and well documented tricks and tips to growing a band... if you are in a cover band. Originals are MUCH more difficult to market on every level, and there's little to no appreciation for original music these days. It's a tough world for you.

 

-It's almost always not about what you are doing, but what you are not doing. The two biggest mistakes I see bands make are these:

 

1. No "SHOW", the band just stands there and plays. There's little to no audience participation, no energy. Think about it, outside of playing the music, what are you doing throughout each and every song to keep people interested?

 

2. No 'persona'. Also known as 'image'. Let's face it,if the band doesn't have a fluid and well thought-out shared image, nobody will follow them or care. Think about it, if you saw a band where everyone was wearing white tuxedos and black tophats, and the frontman was wearing a black tux with a red tophat, you would remember them, regardless if they sucked or not. Now all they gotta do is be able to play, and have some sort of show to put on. ...and that's precisely what Serj did on his solo tour last year. I've seen another local band to here do the same thing- check out "sexy heroes in transit", they have a spectacular show based on choreographed moves and a shared concept-

[SOMMS]

Thanks a lot fellas,

 

Some great information on here. So basically what the fellow a few posts up said was to have a decent one-sheet.

 

So my thinking is...

1-get a decent one-sheet put together.

2-peddle that around the local venues...land some shows.

3-play shows and hopefully build a fan base.

 

 

What are a few affective ways of promoting a gig (once we have them)? Do flyers work? Any other ideas that work?

 

 

Thanks again,

 

 

SOMMS

 

 

Ah...and somebody mentioned that I may be being modest. I'm not so sure but you guys can check for yourselves (all constructive criticism is appreciated)...

 

 

buckleymusic.net

 

 

Links to myspace are there.

 

 

Thanks again guys.

[Matximus]

Uhm... two words: Assless Chaps...

[miimusic]

Check this article out. http://www.waycooljnr.com.au/2009/06/11/the-online-artist-report-card/

 

I found it today and tweeted it and lots of people thought it was very on the money. So, its a list of ways to promote online and it doesn't cover getting the material together and doing the real world promo that you need to do, but it is an excellent checklist.

 

Ian