Five More Tips for Jumpstarting Your Music Career

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Jan 28, 2002

It's January and you've probably broken a good portion of your New Year's resolutions, but let's look at five more you can make to improve your music career.

Using Live Performances
Live performances are one of the most effective marketing tools that a musician has. You can make new fans or start a word of mouth campaign by doing a fabulous show. In order to get the most out of your live performances, you should plan your marketing strategy ahead of time. At each live performance make yourself accessible to the fans. Greet every person that you can. Nothing converts attendees to fans faster than personal attention. It gives them a stake in the band's popularity.

Another method of promotion at live performances is to make sure that the club owner or manager invites you back. Remember he/she is interested in the bottom line - how many people pay for entrance and more importantly how many drinks they sell. Get the word out and rally the troops. Get as many friends, family and fans to a gig as you can. Crowd numbers are important.

Always have people in the crowd selling your latest CD, tape or other band products such as T-shirts. People often buy things on the spur of the moment. Make sure your salespeople are roaming the crowd, talking to people and showing off your merchandise.

Other ideas for live performance promotion include:

Posting banners on or near the stage with the band name and Internet address.
Having plenty of business cards on hand.
Keeping a few media kits close by in case some reporter visits the show.
Getting fans and family to wear band merchandise and stand in prominent view of the crowd.

Getting Your Music to the Masses
The Internet can play a major role in your promotion plans. One of the easiest ways to get your music to the masses is to permit one or two of your songs to be downloaded as an MP3 file. But just a listing on the big MP3 sites won't do you any good if the listener can't purchase it online so include links to where to purchase it online. Take time when creating your MP3 listing. Make sure you are listed in the right category of music by listening to other artists listed there. Often you are asked for a short history of the band or the song that listeners can download. Spend a little time writing these summaries to entice potential listeners.

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