# 1. Keep it old-fashioned.
Sure, we may be residing in a digital era. Streaming platforms are dominant, and CDs work only to anthropologists. But, there will always be music fans who value all things vintage. Plus, over the past 12 years, yearly sales of vinyl records in the U.S. have actually risen by 15 times!
Go to record stores and promote your band however you like– posters, sticker labels, buttons, etc. If they’re willing to play your newest music, you can also ask a staff member. I was in a record shop when I first heard Australian prog outfit King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, and I have actually been a huge fan ever since!
Get on social media …
Americans spend roughly Invest hours per week on the Internet. That comes out to over an hour per day of social media intake.
Is social media an important part of your technique? Is Radiohead’s In Rainbows criminally neglected since people think it’s edgy to state Kid A is their preferred album?
Facebook is excellent for organizing and promoting approaching performances. Monthly, hundreds of millions of customers utilize Facebook Occasions to find things to do in their cities and neighborhoods. In fact, Facebook Resident, a standalone app, is designed to direct users to nearby Occasions based upon their locations.
And, since August 2018, Facebook allows you to sell performance tickets directly through the platform. Before, you had to hope that someone who saw your Occasion would remember to search for tickets on line. No longer do you have to worry about losing that concert-goer.
# 3. … and develop an incredible cross-platform community.
Individuals often generalize hashtags as spam. But, did you understand that your band can use them to bring fans together and produce an incredibly fun online neighborhood?
The amazing thing about your fans is that they want to spread your music to brand-new listeners. If you develop a hashtag for the release of your latest single, EP, or album, you can rest guaranteed that your devoted followers are going to utilize that hashtag. And each time one of your fans shares it with their social media circles, lots of individuals you have actually yet to reach are getting exposed to your band.
Every music fan fantasizes about getting the possibility to have a conversation with their preferred artists. Be the artist who thanks fans for listening and responses their random concerns!
# 4. Usage contests to get more people to your programs.
Music– especially live music– is all about community. One of the best parts of seeing your favorite band live is reliving the experience with your good friends right away later on.
Your band can use the social aspect of performances by releasing a contest! When you produce a Facebook Event for your approaching show in Seattle, let your fans know how it works. Whoever invites the most new people to the Event gets a reward of your (or her) choice– a backstage pass, a totally free product of merch, and so on.
Running a contest like this is an enjoyable, appealing method to get more individuals at your programs. Plus, you can do it for as many or as couple of programs as you desire!
# 5. Play a totally free show.
It’s complimentary live music if there’s one thing that beats live music. Of course, from an opportunity cost point of view, it’s pricey to quit a night that you could be using to make money from a routine show. Nevertheless, if you have the flexibility to sometimes play totally free shows in parks, town commons, and coffee homes, it can be a wonderful way to get your music out there and find brand-new fans.
Plus, in a period when ticket suppliers charge expensive costs for no apparent factor aside from making a profit, putting your music out totally free is a surefire method to brand yourself as a cool, down-to-earth artist.
# 6. Play your brand-new things on a radio program.
Much like vinyl, great radio is never ever going to pass away. Perhaps I’m just in rejection, but I really believe that music consumers will constantly discover value in the regional (typically college) radio stations that play stuff you would not otherwise hear over the airwaves.
If there’s an awesome indie station in your hometown, or if you have actually a show scheduled in a city with such a station, connect and attempt to organize an album release appearance. Ideally, they’ll have a set-up that permits you to play reside in the studio. But, if you’re restricted to simply spinning a couple of tracks and offering commentary, that’s perfectly good, too.
In either case, local radio stations offer a method for your band to create buzz and reach a captive audience that can (probably) get something out of your music.
# 7. Go on trip with other artists.
What much better way to get brand-new listeners to hear your amazing music than to play a show for a totally various fanbase? Opening for a more popular band– ideally one with a sound comparable to yours– warranties that you’re reaching audiences who want to listen. One remarkable set is all it takes to get hundreds, if not thousands, of Spotify users to search for your profile before the headliner comes on stage. If you can get brand-new fans out of every program, your band will be the one trying to find openers some day soon.
# 8. Dip into genre-specific festivals.
When you consider music festivals, the ones that enter your mind are the major players: Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Governor’s Ball, and so on. While it’s no small accomplishment for a small indie outfit to get on the expense at one (or more) of these celebrations, playing them may not produce as much buzz as you would hope. Your band might be superb, however if the majority of guests exist to get lost and bop to Travis Scott, they’re most likely not going to pay much attention to your dream pop songs.
Additionally, you can focus your festival energies on the festivals booked for artists within your genre. For folk artists, there’s the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island. For literary types, there’s Objective Creek Festival in Iowa City, IA. For indie artists, there’s MAHA Festival in Omaha, NE.
By going with more specific niche festivals, you’re playing your music for audiences that genuinely wish to hear it. Since they like the category and desire to discover more artists within it, you know the attendees are there for more than the alcohol and the food; they’re there.
# 9. Document your presence.
For whatever reason, we’re a little consumed with the personal lives of the artists we admire. We hate to break it to you, but your most dedicated fans most likely question what you eat for breakfast and which Netflix reveals you enjoy. A little creepy? Sure. Something you can build on? Definitely!
You can utilize a blog as a platform for lots of different things. Offer inside checks out your songwriting procedure. Inform funny stories from the roadway. Suggest other artists that you love. Publishing content like this makes you a more likable persona and develops opportunities for individuals who have never become aware of you to discover your site while poking around Google.