Advertising; Before the Internet Was Born

No Band can build an audience or gain success without advertising So I've developed a two-part article that will help bands promote themselves. The first is the ol' fashion way of doing things, without a computer; cause even god knows that myspace.com isn't the first and only way to get your music heard. Here's a list of ways to promote your band without the use of technologies:

Word Of Mouth: This is probably the best and most affective form of advertising cause really, if one person loves their music, they're most likely prone to tell someone else. That "someone else" will then tell someone else, so on and so forth. Always start with your friends, especially those who talk a lot (Ii.e. Girls?)

Freebies: If granted a chance to support a more well-known band, handing out your demos to attendees is a great idea to bring in more fans for your shows. This is where word of mouth is also incorporated because if those people like your music, they'll probably bring a friend to your show.

Flyers: A prim spot to post band/show flyers are near college campuses and high schools. The point behind it is to taret your audience, which is really the youth (no matter how many people say that older people like your music, it's the youth that go to your shows and buy your cds, trust me I'm one of them). For instance, in Providence, where I'm from, Thayer St is Live Show Promo Mecca because Moses Brown High School, Hope High School (where I gradutated from in '08 ), Rhode Island School of Design, Brown University, Johnson and Wales University, University of Rhode Island; Fienstein Campus, and Roger Williams University ;Providence Campus, are all in it's vicinity so you target both the high school and college audiences. The point is, popular areas with many schools around are prim locations for promotion. Also, posting flyers near or in the venue you're playing at is wise because people who go to see other people play sometimes get bored waiting in line so they stare at random stuff on the walls.

A tip I learned from doing promo for a "no longer local" band called Monty Are I is to let the fans help. You're existing fans are dedicated to you and want to spread the word about your music just like you do, so don't be afraid or even ashamed to rely on them to get you out there. I'm sure bands like My Chemical Romance and Panic At The Disco, wouldn't be where they are if it weren't for their fans...and the internet, but that's another blog.

Radio Play: Is there a radio station that you frequently listen to? If that station features local artists on their repertoire the most obvious thing to do is to send in a press package (read Indie Tip #2 for information on how to make one) and keep checking up on it's status. And by checking up on the status I mean by called the representative of that station, or the person you sent the press pack to, and asking (nicely may I add) if they've heard your demo and are interested in adding it to the playlist. After that it's the fans job to request it or really demand it to be played.

As you can see, I mentioned fans many times in this article. I did so because the reason you will become known is because of them, you should always remember that. Humility is everything to an artist, even to those who don't appreciate it.