Schmoozing for Gigs

By: Ty Cohen

If you want to get gigs, then you are going to have to do some schmoozing with club owners, bar owners and people of that nature. This means you are going to have to appear as professional and convincing as possible. You are going to have to come prepared with all the gear you need to successfully market yourself so you can book gigs and get paid.

First impressions are the most important thing in this biz. If you want to book gigs then you need to bring the following things with you to a meeting: a resume, a demo, a business card (with a link to your site), a poster or flyer, price and a confidant attitude. And most importantly, dress for success. You don’t have to wear a tux, just look presentable. You might even want to bring your instruments in case they want a short live audition, you never know.

Hopefully you will get the gig and it will end right there but you may not get hired right away. If this is you then you need to have a little persistence. Stop in every week or so and see if they have anything for you. Ask them if anyone has canceled and if there is a spot that needs to be filled. But beware, there is a fine line between persistence and stalking so be careful you are not doing the latter. Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Read more »

Marketing Your Music

By Stan Oldman

The principles of marketing a band and getting to the point of making actual money from shows don’t really differ that much from running a business. Just so happens that this business is music.

An old saying goes something like “build it and they will come”. You can tell it’s an old saying because in today’s world it should read “build it, MARKET IT… and they will come.” Don’t believe me? How many super talented people have you come across that made incredible music in their basement that never made it out of their house.

It’s like they’re waiting for somebody to knock on their door and say “I was just passing through the neighborhood with a briefcase full of money and wanted to see if you have a great song available”. It’s not going to happen. However there are things you can do to get your music/band marketed and we will be discussing this in the following article. Read more »

Use In-House Retail Sales To Boost Your Income

By Kenny Love

Now, that you are familiar and likely connected with online music sales sites, such as CD Baby, or combination online/offline retail sites, such as The Orchard, you are probably comfortable in having your music distribution and sales fairly covered.

But, what if you could get even more music sales, and even more profitable income?

I’m speaking of consigning your product to retail stores, but, with one exception…consigning your product nationally, or even internationally. Read more »

How to Make State-of-the-Art Video Singles Cheaply

By Kenny Love

When it comes to promoting their new music releases, I have found that most musicians only consider radio as the vehicle for exposing their music to the public.

Rarely do they consider publicity, in the form of print media, i.e., music magazines, weekly arts and entertainment publications and newspapers as support tools to help support their radio airplay.

But, even rarer, is their consideration of the importance of having videos for their singles. A video of your single, which was once considered an optional luxury, is now a standard, vital and necessary tool if you are going to compete with fellow independent recording artists for media and consumer attention.

And, a video is even more important if you are going to compete with major label artists. In fact, since having a video for your single, particularly, your very first single from a new release, is so vitally important, why would you even release a recording without one in today’s music climate? Read more »