starting to promote our band... advice?

My friend and I started playing Floyd tunes together a year and a half or so ago and since then we've expanded our repertoire to include more classic rock stuff, some modern stuff and we started writing some originals. We played out in public at college shows and open mic nights and stuff last year a lot.

I'd like to start opening at local places so we recorded some MP3s the other day and I got a myspace site up and running for us (apparently this is now the standard thing, right?). I put a post on our local craigslist saying what our style is and that we'd be willing to be openers for a bands booking or club or be the main act.... I also got in touch with a couple local bars that we might be able to play at.

What else can I do to promote us and get us into the local music "scene" so to speak, as far as myspace traffic, gig opportunities and stuff... I'd love to hear from some performers that have gone through this same process and made it work.

If you're curious here's our myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/seeSYDrock

 

The only thing you can really do in terms of self-promotion is get some cd's made of your tracks, and then take them round local gig venues, pubs, clubs etc. Tell them you'll play for free and at short notice. It's not hard to get local gigs at all, you just have to ask most of the time.

As for myspace, i looked at your site, you only have 9 friends. Myspace actually does help bands because as well as lots of local amateur bands using it, there are also lots of local amateur promoters that can generally get you in at certain pubs. Just spend a couple of hours adding local people sometime, add other local bands that you find, some gig venues have myspace accounts too, no doubt you'll find these kind of places on myspace by looking through other peoples friends lists.

Bottom line is, just be pushy, send your cds out to local places and ring them up, itll only be a matter of time until you're offered gigs.

 

Network, network and network would be my advice.

Cold call potential venues but know what your rate list is before you do. Ask or you don't get. Offer or they won't accept. Promote yourself and your group every chance you get.

If you make some cd's that might help but the cost can be too much for a starting out band. Many times that cd will end up not listened to, in the trash, as well.

Find out who books bands and make your plays. It takes balls but it works on a local level, anyway.

 

I would say as human as possible.

Yes add lots of people on myspace but try to be personal about it. I get hundereds of friend requests and I delete most of them. If however a band say "Hi, we're this band. How are you? Take a listen, we think you may like us" then I'll happily go and listen to them.

At any level people you come in contact with, audience members (potential and actual), promotors, sound engineers, journalists, record labels etc. will be much more willing to help you out if you're good people to be around. I think if I was a promotor I would rather work with a band that's crap but are awesome people to have around, email and be on the phone to over a band who are good but are complete prima donnas.

Get your friends involved as much as possible. Word of mouth is the most important things ever! However never let your relationship with your friends depend on whether they like you as musicians (a mistake I've seen some people make). Try to get them to gigs, sell them CDs or whatever but if they say they're not interested don't take it to heart. But yeah, some of the best artists I know of are people I consider personal friends.

Good Luck

Sebbi

 

I'm in a new town and just starting to look for a band to play with.


It's all about being cool and getting yourself out there man. Go hang out at some local music shops and meet people is a big step. Hit every open mic night you can possibley hit, play at street festivals, if your friends have a party play there.

Just keep on workin it man.....