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Stairway to Heaven:

How to Promote Your Band
You’re playing with confidence. Your band has rehearsed for hours. Family, friends and friends of friends think you sound great. Now is the time to move from the party circuit to the club scene. But how?

It’s not the impossible dream. In fact, just about every one of your favorite artists had to ask themselves these same questions, deal with these same challenges and develop an action plan.

We’ll break it down for you. We’ll talk about:
• Setting your goals
• Building band relationships
• Developing promotional tools
• Using the web
• Adopting the right attitude
Keep in mind that this is the business of the music business. Here’s our first piece of advice: if you don’t have an appetite for shameless self-promotion, find someone in our band that does. It can make all the difference.
Very few musicians start out by performing their own material. In fact, most artists who perform pop or rock music began learning by listening to music and attempting to replicate it. For some professional musicians, playing covers (or even performing in a tribute band) remains a viable option.

Professional gigs can fall into many categories. To keep things simple, we’ll reduce them to these:
1. Original Material/Singer-Songwriter
2. Cover/Tribute Band
3. Corporate Band


Ask yourself:
• Do I want to perform my own or the band’s original material?
• Do I want to play on a part time basis (and keep my day job)?
• Do I want a career as a full time professional musician?
• Is this a hobby or a career?
• Is this Art or Commerce, or a little of both?

Taking the time for a reality check can help you assess your musical objectives and take the necessary steps to achieve them. One German study, for instance, recently reported that the average salary for a professional musician is a mere $8,000 a year. There is probably no reason to believe the US figures is different – but keep in mind that 1.) musicians are often paid in cash, so some income is probably under-reported and 2.) musicians’ income comes from a number of sources — including at- the-gig T-shirt and CD sales, and 3.) it’s very difficult to make a comfortable living as a working musician, which explains why, for instance, so many of Shure’s full-time Associates play out nights and weekends.

This may be the music business, but it’s still serious business. And to some extent, it’s whom you know that will get you where you want to be. It isn’t going to happen in a vacuum and you’re going to need to get out of your room, your basement and your garage to make it happen.

If you’re expecting to be paid as a professional, you need to be a member of a community that includes other musicians, other bands, local and college radio stations, club and coffeehouse managers, bartenders and talent managers – anyone and everyone who is playing, promoting or hiring. They’re a wealth of information. Begin building a knowledge base. What’s out there? Who’s out there? Is there a way to open for a friend’s already-established band?

Take it seriously. Develop a simple spreadsheet with names, phone numbers, e-mails addresses – and keep it current.

You are absolutely – positively – going to need to create:
• a demo
• a press kit
• a website or myspace.com page

Fortunately, with the advances and popularity of graphics, web development and recording software, just about everyone knows — or knows someone that knows — how to use them. These self-promotion building blocks aren’t as cost prohibitive as they were back in the day.

Demo
It’s unlikely that a club owner or talent manager is going to hire you or your band without hearing your music. If you’ve already played a few gigs, you may be able to entice him or her to check out a live performance. It’s more likely, however, that you’ll be asking him to check out your demo.

Make sure that your demo is high quality and professional. It doesn’t have to contain an album’s worth of material but it should offer a true representation of the band’s music. (Another hint: this is part of your press kit. Don’t expect to walk into a club, CD in hand, and expect the owner to play it on the spot. It doesn’t work that way.)

Press Kit
A good press kit should contain:
• A “one-sheet” bio of the band and its members
• Band photo or photos
• CD
• Song or set list
• Press clippings (if you have them)

The digital world we live in has started to diminish the importance of a printed press kit. Having one on hand, though, is still a good idea, since you’ll need some of the components (band pictures, demo) anyhow.

Make sure to include a folder (which can be easily personalized with inkjet labels that feature the band’s logo) and buy 9 x 12 envelopes. Just about everything you need you’ll be able to find at the local office supply store. And take it from us: do a professional job. Spell-check. Proofread. Remember that part of what you’re selling is your image.

Website
Let’s not underestimate the power of the web for independent artists. A form and a format without many limitations, a website allows you to:
• share information about the band
• include member bios
• publish a song or set list
• reprint favorable reviews
• provide music downloads
• sell CDs and band product
• invite visitors to join your mailing list
• inform fans (and talent managers) about upcoming gigs
• forge a brand identity
• post a blog
• feature publicity and live performance photos
Most of us know at least one graphic designer/web developer-in-training. She might even be your bass player. If that’s not an option, there are any number of reputable firms online that will offer you all the services you’re likely to need from templates for do-it-yourself design, URL registration, web hosting, search optimization, blog and e-commerce capability and e-mail accounts. Some charge as little as $20 on a monthly basis.


Honeybees website
myspace.com is another option. There you’ll find many of the same features you’d have in a standalone site without spending a penny. It’s the destination for a younger demographic, it has a very robust music portal and it’s a great vehicle to dialogue with your fan base. You can upload band videos there, too.


joesepi myspace.com page
A long time ago, we heard this: “It’s not your aptitude, but your attitude that will determine your altitude in life.”

At the time, it seemed like a laughable homily, but it was never truer than it is in the pursuit of a musical career. Until the time that we’ll be reading about your backstage catering demands in thesmokinggun.com, it will serve you well be to retain your humility. We’ll paraphrase what one Shure Associate/Weekend Warrior told us: “Don’t be a jerk.”

This means props for the booking agents and talent managers willing to take a chance on you and your band, treating everyone at the club (from the manager to the bartender and the waitstaff) and your fans with respect. Without them, you’re just another band rehearsing on weeknights with a great CD you recorded in your home studio.

Show up and set up on time. Keep partying and performance separate. Give the people what they want. In fact, give them a little more.


1. Know your audience. Remember the lessons of Spinal Tap. Don’t mix good ol’ boys with heavy metal.

2. Don’t limit yourself to clubs and coffeehouses – expand your visibility at neighborhood festivals, battles of the bands, city and community free concert events, and open mic nights.

3. Offer to play (once) or open for free.

4. Invite your friends and relatives to club gigs. Talent managers are looking for you and your band to deliver a paying, spending audience.

5. Develop a mailing list. You can do build it on your website and at shows with a simple sign-up list.

6. Make sure that everyone in the audience knows your website address by announcing it from the stage or making cards available. You’ll get extra points if it’s short and easy to remember.

7. Produce band flyers promoting your next gig. The club manager will list the gig on the club’s site or in the local entertainment media. Ask the club manager for permission to display your band’s poster on the premises, then do the job yourself. Don’t leave a stack of flyers on the bar and expect someone to display them.

8. Don’t forget the media. This means staying in touch with local entertainment reporters and radio stations. College radio is a great place to start. When you get a great review, include it on your web page and in your press kit.

9. Appoint a Point Person. Not everyone is comfortable with shameless self-promotion and rigorous follow-up in calling, e-mailing and visiting venues to secure bookings. But until you reach a level of, let’s say, regional stardom, someone needs to do it and do it well.

10. Brand your band. Even cover and tribute bands have an identity that’s expressed not only in their music but in promotional materials and even their stage clothes. Think Bono without the shades. And consider how your band’s logo is going to look on t-shirts and boxer shorts.