10 Ways for Unknown Musicians to Get the Word Out
10 Ways for Unknown Musicians to Get the Word Out
The good news: there are many, many ways. Here are ten of my favorites.
1. Approach a local college or alternative radio station or community access cable TV station with a programming idea, like a live songwriter showcase. Other musicians will want to be a part of your show, and you'll build an audience for your own music--and theirs.
2. Write CD or concert reviews for a local alternative (or mainstream) paper.
3. Give copies of your CD away to public radio and TV stations for their fund drive premiums.
4. Organize, publicize, and perform at charity events for your favorite causes.
5. Lead songwriting or performing workshops in the schools (these are usually paying gigs, and all the parents hear your name). Invite some of the kids to perform with you; they're sure to bring a bunch of relatives along who will pay for their tickets and maybe buy a CD.
6. Announce your gigs in every community calendar. Newspapers, magazines, radio stations, community web sites, cable TV stations--they all run event listings. Type out one paragraph that includes a tag line about what you do, such as "Sandy Songwriter, River City's 'Homegrown Bono,' will perform labor songs and love ballads at The Trombone Shop, 444 4th Street in Downtown River City, Wednesday, January 15, 7 p.m." If admission is free or there's a charity connection, say so. Include contact phone number and e-mail.
7. Find Internet discussion groups related to your cause. Whether it's immigration, voting reform, peace, safe energy, the right to choose...there will be discussion groups online. Post responses and include a "sig"--a short on-line business card. Use different sigs for different purposes. One of mine, for instance, includes my contact info, the slogan, "I make the world INSIST on learning why YOU'RE special"--and then a capability statement:
"News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, web copy, resumes, etc."
_____________________________
8. Set up a simple low-cost website. Include a couple of sound clips, pictures of you performing, a place for people to sign up for your fan newsletter, a link to your favorite musicians, and, of course, your tour schedule and gig availability.
9. Get exposure on other people's websites. Write CD reviews, endorse their music with a blurb, submit articles on the local music scene...and always include your contact information and a statement that encourages people to visit your site.
10. Use the letters columns. Call in to talk shows. Post messages to Web forums...in short, use every feedback tool you have to spread the word.
10 Ways for Unknown Musicians to Get the Word Out - To learn more about this author, visit Shel Horowitz's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
When Clear Channel controls the radio and the monopoly newspaper doesn't like you, how do you win over new audiences?
The good news: there are many, many ways. Here are ten of my favorites.
1. Approach a local college or alternative radio station or community access cable TV station with a programming idea, like a live songwriter showcase. Other musicians will want to be a part of your show, and you'll build an audience for your own music--and theirs.
2. Write CD or concert reviews for a local alternative (or mainstream) paper.
3. Give copies of your CD away to public radio and TV stations for their fund drive premiums.
4. Organize, publicize, and perform at charity events for your favorite causes.
5. Lead songwriting or performing workshops in the schools (these are usually paying gigs, and all the parents hear your name). Invite some of the kids to perform with you; they're sure to bring a bunch of relatives along who will pay for their tickets and maybe buy a CD.
6. Announce your gigs in every community calendar. Newspapers, magazines, radio stations, community web sites, cable TV stations--they all run event listings. Type out one paragraph that includes a tag line about what you do, such as "Sandy Songwriter, River City's 'Homegrown Bono,' will perform labor songs and love ballads at The Trombone Shop, 444 4th Street in Downtown River City, Wednesday, January 15, 7 p.m." If admission is free or there's a charity connection, say so. Include contact phone number and e-mail.
7. Find Internet discussion groups related to your cause. Whether it's immigration, voting reform, peace, safe energy, the right to choose...there will be discussion groups online. Post responses and include a "sig"--a short on-line business card. Use different sigs for different purposes. One of mine, for instance, includes my contact info, the slogan, "I make the world INSIST on learning why YOU'RE special"--and then a capability statement:
"News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, web copy, resumes, etc."
_____________________________
8. Set up a simple low-cost website. Include a couple of sound clips, pictures of you performing, a place for people to sign up for your fan newsletter, a link to your favorite musicians, and, of course, your tour schedule and gig availability.
9. Get exposure on other people's websites. Write CD reviews, endorse their music with a blurb, submit articles on the local music scene...and always include your contact information and a statement that encourages people to visit your site.
10. Use the letters columns. Call in to talk shows. Post messages to Web forums...in short, use every feedback tool you have to spread the word.
10 Ways for Unknown Musicians to Get the Word Out - To learn more about this author, visit Shel Horowitz's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Shel's articles
 |
|
Principled Profit: The Good Business Blog - A blog about business ethics from Shel Horowitz, expert on business ethics as a success driver. This blog covers the intersections of ethics, politics, media, marketing, and sustainability.
|
|
 |
 | |
|
| |
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 Optimus Performance Easy Product Ideas Sale Systems Feed your body, gain a life Your Annualized Bus Dev Plan |
|
 | ||
 |
Top Social Business Blogs
Top Social Entrepreneur Blogs | |
 |
Choose A PR Topic
Press Release Builder | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||