In past articles I've talked about some of the tools for publicity and promotion but I have never compiled a complete list that you will need to launch your publicity assault. This article looks at some of the basic needs for a band seeking to do publicity on a shoestring budget.
First let's look at the nuts and bolts of the equipment and promotional materials you should have on hand.
Because being a musician is a business, you may need a lot of the same tools or at least access to them. This means that you need to consider the following items:
- Computer (ideally with Internet connection, printer, word processing, spreadsheet and graphics software). In the long run owning or having access to a computer can save you a great deal of time and money as you can create and print small runs of flyers, announcements, etc.
- Fax machine or fax software for your computer
- Telephone and/or cell phone with answering machine
- Business cards
- Business address (or at least select one of your band members as the contact point preferably the one that is most organized)
- Local and federal taypayer ID number (you'll need to determine what kind of a business entity you are and file accordingly).
For all types of marketing you will need the following items:
- Band photo
- Publicity kit that includes contact information and band bio
- Demo tapes or CD (I suggest that you go with the CD if you can)
- CDs (if you have them completed and available for sale)
- Band promotional merchandise (posters, shirts, hats, etc.)
For online promotion you need to consider the following items:
- Band pages at various MP3 sites
- MP3s of songs to be released to the public for download
- Band E-mail account
- Band web site (this is not a necessity, but rapidly becoming a requirement for the serious musician)
- Online sales mechanism (either through consignment or directly through your band's web site)
For both online and off-line promotion you need to research and begin collecting the following information:
- Names and addresses of magazines, newspapers, journals, newsletters, e-newsletters, web sites, etc. that focus on your target group
- Contact lists that contain the names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses of your fans, local and national music reviewers, writers and club managers, A & R people, radio stations (don't forget the college stations if that is your target market), local TV stations including college and public access). You can pick up some of the music related directories at your local bookstore for listings of some of these folks.
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