Self Promotion Part 1

Music Biz Guide # 2: Self Promotion

If you are one of those people who sit down at home, waiting for some big shot to bump into their Myspace account, and turn them into complete rockstars overnight. Stop dreaming! I happen to have worked with some people like this. You can't wait for things to happen for you, you have to make it happen yourself. You have to approach people yourself, do some networking once in a while. Its not easy being thick-skinned, but it takes you a long way.

Though Myspace is still arguably the best site to stream music, it has been outdone in many ways by its competitors. Take the Facebook Fan Page for instance, its the easiest and most convenient way to update your fans on the bands latest happenings. A single click, and all your fans have been updated. You just saved yourself a lot of time and energy. The best part is, you don't even have to register a seperate account to set up your bands Fan Page. It can be done through you own personal account. While you're at it, might as well check out the ReverbNation application that can be added onto your page. It's pretty much the same old thing. You know, streaming songs, charts etc. Its best that you fully utilize these platforms, its free anyway, and you've got nothing to lose.

Youtube has also helped many artistes rise to fame. Marie Digby comes to mind, but there's no shortage of local Youtube superstars either. If you have been following the local scene, you might have heard of Kokokaina. This girl attracted interest from all over the world. If you haven't heard of her yet, now might be a good time to check her out. Then, there's the famous controversial Negarakuku rapper. I bet you have at least heard of that one. Even though he did not expect it to be well received, it turned out to be a very good marketing and publicity stunt. I will touch on marketing and publicity in another post. To attract attention in Youtube, you have to be really really good, or you can be creative and try a different approach, like what Namewee did with Negarakuku. So take out your cameras and start shooting. Also, don't forget to upload your live performances, as well as behind the scene shots. Sometimes, fans wanna see how the bands are off stage. They want a more personal approach, they wanna feel involved. Another way to do that is with blogs.

Blogs are great marketing tools. It lets you be more intimate with fans. Typically, bands will post about the shows they played, or sometimes a sneak preview to their recording sessions. Yes, those things are necessary, but it gets boring after a while. You gotta give them more. Like i said, they wanna get personal. They wanna feel like they know you personally, like you're that dude living right next door. For example, if you're into scuba diving, then post some pictures and tell them all about your scuba diving experiences. Or if your family is celebrating a special occasion, show them how your family gets together and celebrates it. In other words, show them that you're human too. Other than that, the amount of blog hits you get can actually bring in revenue for you. Advertising for example is really huge, so you might wanna consider that. Or you can also use it to get endorsements and sposnsorships by offering to feature those endorsed products on your blog.

I will write more about promoting your band in the weeks to come. Watch this space!

Please feel free to leave any questions in the comment box or email directly to me at musicbiztimes@gmail.com

Have a nice day.

Cheers!