100 Tips to Market Your Music - Part 2
Even if an artist has an outstanding talent, record deals do not fall out of the sky and land in your lap without music marketing. In this Internet age, A&R at most record labels is not what it once was, so those reps are looking for artists that already have CD sales, a great fan base, and already have the look and feel of being made even more marketable.
We started a list of marketing tips in 00 Tips To Market Your Music and continue more great ideas here, so tweak any of them as you will!
Promo Tip #55 Tag your MP3s with your name or band name, not just the song name. They need to know WHO did this
...sure that every person knew about the LG Chocolate mobile phone. They also did a great job in creating the perception that consumers needed to have the phone. This was done with a tremendous marketing campaign. The backdrop was nothing ...
Promo Tip #56 Know who you are! Get into an appropriate category so that you can be found. People have to be able to identify your sound into a category that they can identify with. You may want to portray a new edgy sound, which is fine, but there are still general categories that people search on in record stores or online and you have to be found in one of them.
Promo Tip #57 Throw a listen-in. Contact record stores, coffee shops, book stores, malls, recreational areas, galleries, cool clothing stores or nightclubs that are willing to support local music. The free listen-in could have talk session and discounted CDs with
...most piano teachers handle this problem is to first show students where middle C is - and I agree this should be the first thing newbies learn. But after they learn this visual marker, it's time to really make the ...
Promo Tip #58 Keep it simple silly, web sites that take a long time to load, are not easy to navigate, and are not interesting will not keep the viewer s attention long enough for them to get to know you. So don t make your personal website or any site that can be customized, so frilly that it turns a potential opportunity away.
Promo Tip #59 Join local communities and organizations and go to meetings periodically and pay attention. Listen for opportunities in what they are saying and perhaps volunteer. Help them and they will help you. Nonprofit organizations are likely to have access to media outlets that may give your some exposure.
Promo Tip #60 Check your
...been meaning to do What are You waiting for?Always wanted to play the piano? Start taking lessonsDreamt about visiting India? Call a Travel AgentHate Your Bathroom Wallpaper? Scrape it off and re-decorateFeeling You would benefit from Exercise - Start JoggingLove ...
Promo Tip #61 You will hear a lot of no s and negativity. That is to be expected as everyone s taste is different. Hopefully someone will give you some constructive criticism. Learn from it what you can but keep moving forward.
Promo Tip #62 Develop yourself as a complete package. Record labels do not spend the money on A&R as in the day. Educate yourself as a well-rounded music artist and present yourself as such.
Promo Tip #63 Elevator Pitch If you only have one shot to make an impression in 30 seconds or less, can you do it?
...songs and music videos online. Most of the early websites offering MP3 downloads were illegal. However, after years of dominance by illegal sites and by peer to peer sharing applications that made swapping MP3 files easy, legal download services are ...
Promo Tip #64 Post your gigs on your website(s), class ads, Craigslist, Backpage and other sites for your location.
Promo Tip #65 Submit your music to songwriting competitions, musician competitions, singing contests try out for American Idol, for gosh sakes!
Promo Tip #66 Do a free conference call to chat with fans using your website. Record the call and follow up by posting the MP3 on your site. Promote it for all its worth.
Promo Tip #67 Never release an inferior product, send out professional, and only your very best demos and new releases.
Promo Tip #68 Get testimonials and reviews from people that matter and start locally if you have
...good fast music with a catchy beat which people could easily dance to. These artists who sang for these labels such as Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson performed in good suits and always appeared very stylish carrying on the tradition ...
Promo Tip #69 Make sure you make it easy for potentials sales to happen whether on your site or at a show. Make the payment process, safe, secure and EASY.
Promo Tip #70 Have a house concert. Invite the neighborhood to your backyard.
Promo Tip #71 Give your fans insider, behind the scenes, back stage with the band info and videos. This is great info to include in newsletters people that signed up to learn more about you on purpose.
Promo Tip #72 Take the good with the bad, and take it all graciously. You must keep your image clean or at least maintain the aforementioned image.
Promo Tip #73 Don
...some Christian FM radio stations have come up. The stations are fully dedicated to Christian music. Those who are not so familiar with this type of music feel that it s mainly religious music. A group of singers generally performs ...
Promo Tip #74 If you can write well about a music subject, write and distribute articles. Always source the article back to your website. Let it be redistributed with the bottom author source info to spread your message and link.
Promo Tip #75 Gig swap with other bands from another area to widen your fan base.
Promo Tip #76 A music profile or bio, press kit and press releases should all be well written, free of misspellings, kept current, and to the point. Schedule updates of your various online activities.
Promo Tip #77 Find a business in your area that
...first. For example, if a forest is to be painted, the artist may choose browns, greens, and blues for the sky. Once the palette is chosen, it makes it easier to create the painting. Why? Because color decisions are now ...
Promo Tip #78 Respond to all your correspondence in a timely, businesslike, and correct manner appropriate to the sender. Be considerate of your audience.
Promo Tip #79 Give people what they want. It s all about the fans. If they come to your website, give them information that makes THEM feel good. If they come to your show, entertain them, thank them and thank the venue for the experience.
Promo Tip #80 Don t disappear. Once you have started building your momentum, it is a continuous onslaught.
Promo Tip #81 Attend music conferences,
...can now be accessed in the form of an audiobook.Quality audiobooks are available pretty much all over the internet, and have many advantages over their printed siblings, the main one being the convenience of being able to take them anywhere ...
Promo Tip #82 Be easy to work with and be flexible. A good reputation carries a lot of weight. Flexibility can also mean possibly adjusting areas of your work or image so as to get your foot in the door if need be.
Promo Tip #83 Have a cause. Create an event to promote that cause. Team up with other like-minded bands and make a news worthy event out of that cause.
Promo Tip #84 Business Cards - When talking to anyone, hand one out. You must include the link to your website. Consider your link as your online business card.
Promo Tip #85 Rolodex your contact list (some sites have contact managers
...the music industry's effort to curb piracy. There are legitimate reasons for removing it, but first understand DRM can not be removed from file sharing network downloads. Most tracks can be legally copied 3 to 5 times, and this has ...
Promo Tip #86 Invoke your personality into your writings to make your invitations, announcements and introductions fun and effective.
Promo Tip #87 Clearly define what you are about quickly, online or offline. People have short attention spans and are short on time - not just the music industry, but most people in general. This is very important! Don t waste words. Make anything
...and their music pieces you would like to include. One way is to do this is to purchase the CDs of your choice from the local chain stores. But the problem here may be the high CD cost the local ...
Promo Tip #88 Create a band calendar with some humorous photos of the various band members at various events.
Promo Tip #89 You heard it through the grapevine. Share some inside knowledge with other bands and songwriters in your area. Start your own information highway.
Promo Tip #90 Create an automated template for emails. Take the time to add the person s name with a personal tidbit, but save time with a ready made email guide. Respond to unsolicited emails with your own personalized marketing message and a link to your website.
Promo Tip #91 Play for free
...discover another factor not usually considered previously... that engaging in a worldwide radio promotion campaign translates to hundreds and, possibly, thousands of CD units for media contacts alone.As you can see, this can also quickly become a nightmare for indie ...
Promo Tip #92 Reach out and touch your fans. Whether someone else is maintaining your online presence or not, occasionally touch base with fans personally.
Promo Tip #93 Include every ounce of contact info needed upon every available surface.
Promo Tip #94 Borrow an idea from other sources, even outside the music industry. If it works for that company, perhaps you can adapt the idea to market your music as well. Find a way to put a new twist or slant on a successful bands
...history of the amazing MP3 technology.MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group) Layer 3 - file type better known under the name of MP3 - was invented in 1991. MP3 is digital form of compression audio streams that came to life after ...
Promo Tip #95 Send birthday cards to your fans of course you need to get their birthday info when they sign up for mailing lists.
Promo Tip #96 Get involved in the music forums and message boards that target your music segment and ALWAYS include your signature URL (aka web link)!!
Promo Tip #97 Start a Music or Band Blog, well written and kept current. Submit it to music Blog directories.
Promo Tip #98 Create a novelty song that topics a holiday, a hot news item, your city or town, sports team, political event or other idea and gain exposure on promoting this song.
Promo Tip #99 Listen to your fans and learn what brought them to your show. This
...Many adults would love to take piano lessons but don't really know how to go about it.The first thing you as an adult should ask yourself is "what do I want to learn?" Do you want to play in the ...
Promo Tip #100 Success does not happen to those that wait. A record label , music deal, stardom, just creating a website “and they will come” does not just land in your lap with you doing nothing. You have to make success come to you. Be persistent, be confident, roll up your sleeves, it is going to take some serious work.
But wait, there’s more! We could not stop at 100! Here are a few more great tips:
Promo Tip #101 Use the Internet to research and keep current on new ways and new sites to market your music.
Promo Tip #102 Strength in numbers. Build joint ventures,
...piano playing in particularly. Just listen to New Age pianist Michael Jones's music to hear an example of this kind of free-form improvisation.Now, some of you want to create something that will give the listener a slightly more cohesive experience. ...
Promo Tip #103 Have a professional email address.
Promo Tip #104 Don’t burn your bridges. Even with the increasing number of music wanna-be’s the music industry is a relatively small and close knit community. A wrong done to you by someone early in your career, may be that someone in a position of music power one day that you just might need to do business with.
Promo Tip #105 Join the party, even if not in the mood. Don’t respond to the inevitable what do you do question with your day job, but tell your potentially new fan you are a
...Drudge Report one night it sparked my curiosity, so I checked it out. Boy what a surprise I found in this wonderfully made website all the way from the Russian Republic. There was all the top music I could ever ...
Promo Tip #106 Keep a journal of your marketing efforts with what worked and what did not work. This can be used in many ways down the road besides tracking your efforts. A book or e-book maybe?
Promo Tip #107 If out partying, have a designated friend or band mate for image control. If you get into something that could potentially land you in trouble, that controller gets you out of the situation before it can hurt your image. Video can be on the Internet before you even get home, so protect your image at all costs if you happen to get out of control.
Promo Tip #108 Business is business. There is
...because the iTunes tracks that you purchase and download are in a "protected" AAC or M4P audio format. Only it's not YOU that is being protected, it's Apple, or rather Apple's bottom line. Apple explains this by saying that their ...
Promo Tip #109 Get your own competition going about your band or a new release. Give something away, have fans register at local record stores, find a way to get buzz going by asking a great question.
Promo Tip #110 Self promote everyday, in every way, one way or the other.
Some of these pointers may not be for you. That s fine. Do what you need to do, just make sure we ALL hear about you. Very true that many artists do not have the funds to do some of these tips, well,
...stay tuned to their radio or portable receiver. Then CDs came along, followed by music MP3s. It is apparent that the MP3 player has invaded almost all the modern homes of America. Chances are you would find one MP3 player ...
The difference between you and another band that made it may not be that their music was better. It might be that they found a way to get noticed better. The music industry needs music talent and is constantly on the look out for something that stands out. If you have the guts and perseverance, it can be you.
Artistopia - The Ultimate Artist Development Resource http://www.artistopia.com is an artist development and community on the web providing music artists, songwriters and bands all the tools needed for displaying their talent, music business collaboration, marketing and networking. Online since 2003, Artistopia develops advanced technology solutions that leverage
...and customers, if only they were aware of your music.Most of the clients and customers are already "captive" audiences who are waiting on a product or service, so why not promote (and sell) to them as they wait?Additionally, if these ...