Teaching new dogs old tricks

Online tools help amateur musicians get their music noticed

There are many tools in a musician’s bag of marketing tricks. From iTunes to Facebook, opportunities abound to get noticed. Three important tools that a novice might not necessarily be aware of, however, are:

• Electronic Press Kits
• Blogs
• Gifting

EPK’s

I wrote about EPKs (as they are known in the industry) in September. http://sharpaudio.blogspot.com/2011/08/putting-together-electronic-press-kit.html As I pointed out back then, even Elvis has one. You should have one, too. They are easy to set up online and make it easier for the booking agents out there. The easier you make the job for the booking agent, by providing press clippings and promo pictures, video links, band biographies and a stage layout, the easier it is for them to book you into a gig. The EPK helps the band, too, because it consolidates a number of repetitive tasks, like communicating band needs to the management and personnel of a club, into a single action.

Blogs

Fans these days have come to expect a little value added to their patronage. They want more than just a CD - they want a life experience. Traditionally, these fans might assuage their needs by attending a concert and taking home a t-shirt, or perusing the magazines while in the check out line a the supermarket. These days, the musician has a more powerful tool: the blog.

Blogs allow fans to follow the work of the creative artist from the outside. They also help the savvy musician to secure her place in the market by using SEO techniques.

Gifting

Musicians are conditioned not to give away their music, since selling it has often been the only way to make money off of an ephemeral song. Which is why giving something away can be an unexpected means of increasing your fanbase. Or so suggests David Hooper in an article posted on Music Marketing [dot] com. http://www.musicmarketing.com/2011/10/sell-more-stuff.html

He mentions two ideas

1. Sell three CDs for the price of one during an initial push phase. Rather than illegally copying the tracks to give to friends, your fans can give them original copies with your artwork, contact info, etc. And you are likely to wind up with new fans.
2. Or try it with tickets. Your fans will invite friends and family to join them for your live gig. These new people will, more than likely, become fans as well.