19 Things You Should Be Doing Right Now to Promote Your Music Better (II)

Continuing from last week’s article…

9) Have an attitude/ take a stand

Musicians who try to be all things to all people usually come up short when promoting themselves. The most successful artists know who they are, know what they stand for, and aren’t afraid of alienating entire segments of the population when expressing themselves. Sure, you may rub some music fans the wrong way. But the fans who do identify with you will back you all the way.

10) Present a music-related contest

In the same way that surveys and tongue-in-cheek reports (listed earlier) can lead to public awareness, so can contests bring you valuable exposure. They can either be serious (a Guitar Player Challenge, your basic Battle of the Bands) or more light-hearted (Stupid Musician Tricks, the World’s Largest Twister Game).

One guy in my hometown presents an annual Night of a Thousand Spoons, during which hordes of musicians play… you guessed it, spoons. And it gets press every year. The best contests, though, will tie in nicely with your band name, album title, or overall musical identity. Find one that works for you.

11) Get on other artists’ mailing lists

Countless songwriters and bands are doing all kinds of things to promote themselves. Most of them use ho-hum methods. But every now and then you run across a real promotional gem. Wouldn’t you like to be aware of those gems more often? Get on the mailing lists of other artists you admire. Start observing how successful groups and record labels promote themselves. “Borrow” some of the better ideas and discard the rest.

12) Build a powerful reference library

I’ve become quite leery of the phrase “Knowledge is power”, one commentator highlights. Not only is it overused, but the truth is, knowledge without taking steps to use it creatively and effectively is useless. That said, I still encourage you to absorb as much info as you can on the music business. The best way to do that is to build a music business library.

The bookcases in my home resemble the how-to and self-help sections of a Borders or Barnes & Noble store. My shelves are stocked not only with music industry-related titles, they’re also filled with volumes on publicity, small business marketing, time management, sales techniques, positive thinking, nutrition, spiritually, and much more. My personal library serves as a constant reminder of the areas I need to stay sharp on, and I quite frequently pull out a book for a quick refresher course on whatever topic I need help with. You’d be wise to do the same thing.

13) Follow up on everything

This should be a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised by the number of people who pay lip service to the concept of follow-through and still end up overlooking it. The idea is simple: If you tell someone you’re going to send a package, for example… make sure you do it! Once the package is sent, follow up with a phone call or email to make sure the person received it. Wait a couple of weeks (or however long is appropriate for the situation) and call again to get the status of the review, feature story, gig, or whatever it is you’re after.

Insight: Don’t expect other people or the whims of fate to take care of your career. Grab the reins and stay on top of your promotional activities. Doing so will virtually guarantee that good things will come your way.

14) Get the correct spelling of people’s names

“If you’ve heard me share this story before, here it is again: I’ve grown tired of getting mail and phone calls directed to Bob Barker. My last name is Baker.” One music commentator laments. It always has been and always will be (unless I feel the need to change my identity like Prince did). I am not a game show host. And if I were, I’d prefer Wheel of Fortune over The Price is Right.

The point: Anyone who refers to me as Bob Barker starts off with a serious mark against them. It tells me they haven’t done their homework and are probably rushing through the motions of promoting themselves. So my advice to you is slow down and make sure you:

1. Have the name of a specific person to contact

2. Are certain he or she is the proper person you need to be contacting

3. Get the exact spelling (and pronunciation) of the person’s name