As a band, you’ll naturally be looking to progress and promote yourselves within the music industry and your local music scene.
There are many factors to consider when promoting yourselves and you’ll have already discovered that perseverance often plays a big part! One of the most common ways of promoting your band is through the Internet.
With over half of the UK’s population on Facebook, having a music page is a great way to promote your music directly to potential fans and inform them of your upcoming gigs and albums.
When promoting your music through social networks it’s important to make as much effort as possible.
A poor website or social page looks unpleasant and no one will take you seriously if you don’t present yourself well.
Things such as good artwork, a well kept website complete with relevant contact details will help a potential fan look more favourably on you and be more inclined to listen to your music.
As most of the record buying public now purchase and find new music online, it’s essential that you make sure your music is available to be streamed.
Popular websites such as Spotify and Groove Shark have sprung up in recent years as music lovers across the world are buying fewer CD’s and choosing to listen and purchase music online.
You can read more about Spotify in our blog is Spotify worth it?
Both of these websites are particularly useful because of their ‘similar artists’ section. This is particularly useful for up and coming bands as fans of one particular artist can browse through other artists in a related genre or style.
Whilst it is important to put out a good record, have it streamed on the internet, along with maintaining a presence on the major social networks (a website is also useful as they come up well in search engines!) it’s also vital that you’re playing gigs and perfecting your craft in front of a live audience.
There is no substitute for a live gig and it’s a great way of promoting your band. When you play a live show, regardless of how many people turn up it’s vital that you play as best you can.
There is nothing worse than watching a band that looks bored onstage. There is a saying that you should play to 1 person, with as much enthusiasm as you would when playing to 100; this is definitely a useful way to view your performances.
There are plenty of ways to promote a band, some more effective than others. A key point is to try to be as creative as possible and take advantage of all the opportunities available to you.
If you can’t afford the distribution costs to get your music on websites like Spotify, BandCamp is a fantastic alternative where you can sell your music completely for free!
If you respect your fans and try to connect with them by giving free downloads, affordable merchandise and low-cost entry to your shows you will find they remember you and with a bit of luck become regulars at your shows.
