32 Ways to Promote Yourself, Your Band or Your New Release (II)

Continuing from last week’s article;

11) The nostalgic R&B group the Fabulous Boogie Kings received some positive press after a club appearance in Houston. The blurb made a reference to the outstanding sales of the band’s latest CD. Do you have something of note to celebrate – an achievement that lends credence to your band’s worth?

12) Personality Crisis received a news blurb because the band was planning a special show to celebrate its 500th gig. Any special occasion – no matter how trivial it may seem to you – can be leveraged into a reason for a columnist to give a plug.

13) A few Texas bands put together a travelling rock show package called the Divas of Rock Tour. Combining your efforts with other bands, record labels or a group of sponsors – and adding a theme – opens the door to more exposure.

14) Shaun Barusch got a few great media plugs when he formed MIA Records. Artists aren’t the only subjects to get mentioned in the press. Consider your label, distribution company, charity, studio – whatever – as a prime candidate for coverage.

15) Arts organisation the Houston Music Council got press when released a new volume of a compilation CD featuring local bands.

Now start thinking. Start writing down your ideas. Start getting exposure!

More creative music marketing ideas

16) Canadian entertainment lawyer Ryan Richardson works with a band called Leaderdogs for the Blind, which released an album called Lemonade. Richardson says that when the record company that put out the CD did little to promote it, the band members decided to push their own singles – one being the title track, “Lemonade.”

“Instead with a flier promoting the single was a small packet of brand-name lemonade drink mix that cost us a whopping five cents each,” he says. “Because the packages were so compact, there was no additional cost to mail them. Across the country, radio program directors and DJs apparently fought over who was going to keep the tasty beverage, and the singles ended up charting.” For most bands, this creative marketing ploy would have been enough. But not for the Leaderdogs.

Richardson explains, “At one of our summer festival shows, distributed free homemade lemonade to the audience in 95-degree weather, as well as chilled cartons of the refreshment that had been donated by a local juice bottler for all of the industry types present. It worked well to reinforce the name of the song.”

17) The Southern California band Saint Monday set up an in-store appearance at a Virgin Megastore location and gave away hundreds of free CD music samplers in five hours. Each sampler had a coupon for a $2 mail-in rebate that customers could get if they came back and bought the band’s full-length CD at the store.

Since Saint Monday is promoting pop music with a fun and sexy image, the members are considering another creative tactic: giving away condoms with an inscription that reads “Saint Monday: Music That Turns You On.”

So what are you doing that’s fresh and different to promote yourself as an artist? Not sure what creative marketing strategy to try next? Try this:

18) Sit down right now with a pen and notebook. Start brainstorming on every possible angle for a creative hook. Consider the name of your band, the title of your new CD, maybe even the subject matter of individual songs. Also think about current events and good causes you feel strongly about.

Ask yourself: “How can I take these details about my music and transform them into a newsworthy and attention-getting story?” Write down your answer. You might be surprised by the great ideas you uncover.

Create your own music events with others

You know the philosophy by now: Don’t wait around for music marketing opportunities to come to you. Instead, create the circumstances you desire by taking matters into your own hands.

Nowhere is this more powerful than with music events you conceive and organise with other people. To illustrate the point, here are some possible avenues to pursue:

19) Throw a listening party. Gather together a group of bands and artists who have put out new CDs recently. Find a nightclub or record store that’s supportive of local music. Then ask for a date to hold a new music listening party. On the night of the party, pick someone to emcee (maybe you) and introduce one act at a time, then play one or two tracks off of each band’s CD. At the end of each group’s segment, you could have people in the audience ask the players questions.

You could also offer free (or cheap) food and drink and discounted prices to anyone who wanted to buy any of the CDs that night. It would be best to promote this as a safe, quick musical buffet for consumer who want to sample local music without having to hop from one beer-soaked club to another.

I wish more bands used this concept.