Sexy promo tips for your sexy band!
Jul 16 '00 (Updated Oct 10 '07)
The Bottom Line Promote, promote, promote! That's the key to this game called ROCK N ROLL!
It's not an easy life, being a Rock icon... everywhere I go, people yell and scream my name, girls chase me down the street ripping my clothes off, I can't even go to the local supermarket to shop for fresh fruit anymore 'cause the cashiers always say "Hey everyone look! It's that guy, blah blah blah!" I've been reduced to wearing wigs and sunglasses when I go out in public, but the people still recognize me by my big nose.... Anyway, enough rambling. Here's how to promote your band, using the Paul Blow Method (tm)...
the Internet- The internet is a valuable tool for promoting your band/music/CD. It is now possible to get world wide exposure using the web. All you need to do is make your own band website (you can get free webpages from Xoom.com, Geocities.com, Tripod.com, etc., etc.) with photos, band info, show dates, and links to where your music can be downloaded.
Mp3 sites -There are many free mp3 sites where you can upload your mp3s so people can listen to your stuff and download it if they like. The best mp3 sites are: Mp3.com and IUMA.com. These two sites will actually pay you some money for downloads. Of course, at Mp3.com there is a minimum daily number of unique listens/downloads you must get before qualifying for any money. IUMA.com will pay you for page views, real-audio listens, and mp3 downloads. Mp3.com is the biggest of all the mp3 sites, and they get the most traffic, but the downside is that if you don't actively promote your page there, few people will probably ever see your page, just because there are sooooooo many bands/songs there and it's easy to get buried deep in the charts.
I've had a band page on Mp3.com for a year now, and the highlight was when I received an email from the band Electric Frankenstein (a killer punk rock band) asking for a song for a 13-volume punk rock'n'roll compilation series titled "A Fistfull of Rock'n'roll"... It's very possible to make some good connections with other bands through these mp3 sites.
Sell Your CD's online - You can also sell your CD's on the internet on sites such as Amazon.com and CD Baby. Another route is to sell your CDs off your own webpage, using a credit card service such as CCNow.com - that way, you keep all the profits, except for a 9% service charge on each CD sold - they notify you when you receive an order, you ship it yourself, and the service sends you a check once payment has been made.
Get some free press There's got to be a local music rag or two in your area... send 'em some juicy gossip or news once in a while (as a "press release") - let them know about any upcoming shows, CD releases, or drug busts, etc. etc... Make it interesting and they might even print it!
Radio play- It's possible to have your music played on the radio, but you'd might as well forget about the major commercial stations. Try indie and college stations instead. Send your CDs to these stations (you can get a list of college stations with addresses off the internet) with some promo info (bio, photo, etc.) and a nice cover letter. Send these to the "music director" of each station - it's good if you have the person's name.
Of course, it's tough now a days to get even college radio play, just because there is such a glut of new CD releases, now that making CDs is so cheap. Five years ago, my punk rock band released a 7" single and mailed out 50 copies to stations we found in Maximum Rock'n'roll's "Book Your Own F--g Life" magazine, and our record received quite a bit of national airplay. We received dozens of playlists from many of these stations, with our song on the playlist. It was a nice thrill.
Get on TV- I'm not talking about MTV or even network TV, I'm talking about cable access... Most cities have these stations, I believe. My own bands have appeared on a few shows on channel 29 (Seattle's local cable access channel), and a lot of people actually watched! Find a local music show in your area, contact the producers, and try to get on!
PLAY LIVE! PLAY LIVE!- Even with the internet, playing live shows is still the best way to gain a following and sell CDs. Start in your local area, and book some shows anywhere you can. If you are good, and people dig your music, you can work your way up! The best way to get shows is to network with other bands that are playing live. My bands have always gotten most of our shows from other bands adding us to their bill. Another way to book shows is to find the clubs that feature your style of music, and give the booking agent a demo tape. Then keep calling them and calling them until they get tired of your calls and book you a show.
When you do get a show, always remember to let the local media know, so it will be listed in the "live shows" calendars. And ALWAYS flyer the hell out of it, baby! Go to your local Kinkos and make some 11x17 flyers with your band name in big print. Of course you should include the date, the club, and an interesting graphic (scantily clad women always make for a head-turning flyer).
If you really want to get serious, you might want to consider getting a manager. I'm not talking about getting a friend to be your manager, get someone who actually has some contacts with people in the biz. Be careful though, you don't want to get a flake (like my bands have done in the past).
ONE MORE TIP: - If you've got a CD out, ALWAYS carry one with you when you go out on the town! You never know when you might meet someone who may be interested in your style of music - a potential fan. I hand my own CDs out like candy, usually to the pretty punk rock girls... they always appreciate it, believe you me!
Now get off your lazy bums, and book some shows, man! And always remember, a little promotion goes a long way!
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