Are you chasing that elusive creature called success in the music industry?
bands latest album or traveling to perform at your next gig only to
find you have boxes of unsold CD’s to pack up at the end of every
show and just enough profit to pay for your dinner on the road?
Are you tired of this routine yet?
If so, you are probably ready
to quit being a hobbyist and start being a career musician, you
just haven’t found the secrets to that cross over yet. I can help
you by sharing one of the most important secrets of successful
musicians.
One of the biggest things most musicians miss when they are trying
to make the change from the proud but broke owner of a music hobby
to the successful career of the professional musician is music
marketing. Right now, I need you to stop everything else. Sit
quietly and read the next few sentences.
Music is a business.
Just like any other business, we have a product that we sell, our
music. In the same way that other businesses must use some form of
advertising to sell their products, the music business demands that
you do a bit of marketing to be successful.
Did you catch the message in those three sentences? If you
haven’t been seeing the success you want to have, then you haven’t
been marketing your music in the right way.
To help you succeed in marketing your music, I have put together
Tip #1 – Get the attention of your audience
If you have ever been to a carnival, you have seen what they call a
“barker”. This is the guy who sits along the sides of the main
travel route and loudly yells to the passerby about the game or
show they are hosting. You know the game is there but this guy
feels the need to yell it across the road at you. Why? Experience
has shown them that sometimes people see right thru things with a
sort of tunnel vision. We are focused on the Ferris wheel or the
concession stand and we walk right past everything else to get
there. The barkers job is to get your attention, even if just for
a moment, and try to redirect you to his booth.
Does your music career feel that way sometimes? You know that
people have heard of your band but it seems they pass you by to go
to the bigger shows. Why? Because you aren’t catching their
attention. While you can’t send a barker out to draw people into
your shows, there are things you can do to get the attention
focused on your band. Try performing at a couple of charity gigs.
Get your current fans to spread the word about your next gig to
their friends. Arrange to open for a few popular bands. Try
anything and everything that will show your band in a good light
and gain the attention of as many people as possible.
Tip #2 – Invest a little bit.
Whether it’s your time or your money, you need to put a little
investment into marketing your music. Investing money is the
simple one. You can buy business cards, put up billboards, pay
people to promote your music and any number of other things in the
name of music marketing.
Investing your time, however, requires a little more thought. Time
is precious and you don’t want to waste it on things that don’t
work so here’s a few music marketing investments you should be
putting your time into:
· Online Forums – The forums are a great place
to market your music to people with similar interest. Find several
good music forums and be a regular participant.
· Press Releases – Everyone loves a good
story. If your band is playing at a charity event to benefit kids
with cancer or the animals effected by the BP oil spill, then write
a press release about it and distribute it to the media.
· CD Release Parties and other fan functions –
People like to feel close to the musicians they like. Make
yourself available to your fans and you will find that they grow in
numbers and your merchandise sales will skyrocket.
Marketing your music doesn’t have to be difficult. These are just
two tips for helping your music make the leap from hobby to career.
If you really want to know the most closely guarded secrets of
successful musicians in the industry, you need to check out the New
Music Economy at this link:
I was able to see what I wanted to do, I could see the opportunity,
even when others could not, and I stay committed to doing it and
doing it well, no matter what. – Magic Johnson
you want to be a successful musician, you need to check out the
New Music Economy NOW!