The abundance of new music today is a double-edged sword. A blessing and a curse. A catch-22. You want to make epic music, grab fans’ attention and having a totally rockin’ time in the process. So do you, and thirty thousand of your closest friends (guesstimating). The entertainment market is saturated with thousands of musicians, talent, genres (“handbag house” anyone?), and it can be daunting to try and differentiate your band from the herd. The resources found in social media outreach via Facebook, Twitter, etc are helpful, but fail to deliver the tangible mementos that top fans will appreciate (we hope) and keep (for posterity and all). But you’re totally awesome in a groovy far-out kind of way so let the people know it! While the competition is stiff, there are creative, artistic ways to market your band to the masses and set yourself apart from the ocean that is aspiring musicians.
David Roberts of Music Think Tank poses five ideas that are out of the box (office) and they are:
Custom Wristbands
You know those wristbands you get when you go to see a concert or go out to a club at night? Venues pay to have those printed and shipped to them. Approach a local music venue & ask if you can supply the wristbands in exchange for letting you put advertising on the wristband? Put your social media link, a discount code for a CD, or even advertise your next show at the exact same venue in a week’s time.
This is a good idea. As wristbands have become inducted into the realm of hip jewelry ala festival entry, these are something people pay attention to. I’m pretty sure the barista down the street is still wearing his from Coachella, 4 months later.
Custom Coffee Sleeves
Along the same lines as the wristband idea, you can approach local coffee shops to see if they’d be interested in letting you supply their coffee sleeves for a week or two. You can order sleeves for about $.10 each, meaning you’ll hit about 500 people with your band’s name.
I’d advise against this. The only coffee frills people get excited about are holiday cups at Starbucks, and quite frankly there is no win in that battle.
Receipt Paper Promotion
This one may be the cheapest of all. Try and team up with 3 or 4 other local bands and make a “Best of XYZ City” music compilation album that features new tracks from each band that aren’t available anywhere else yet. Put the album online for free. Ask a record store if they’d be willing to print an “ad” for the CD at the bottom of their receipts.
This is another one that falls flat for me. Receipts are paper. Paper is bad for the environment (we’re talking LA folks here, people). Stores have gone so far as to email patrons receipts to cut down on their paper use. If anything, slap up a poster of said compilation with a download code and call it a day.
It’s in the Bag
Similar to the idea of promoted receipts, this involves putting a piece of paper in a customer’s bag after they finish paying. Collaborating with a local record store to put a flyer that says “Like RECORDSTORENAME on Facebook for exclusive deals on new vinyl,” into each purchasing customer’s bag in exchange for the band putting a “free album download” code on the back of the card.
This is worth exploring. Firstly, if someone is buying vinyl or even perusing a record store, they are music fans. Music fans are open to hearing about new bands (a broad but noted assumption), and would at least look at what offer is on the table. And now with their newly acquired purchasing power of exclusive deals on vinyl, you know they’re coming back, where you will give them another flyer.
Youtube Advertising
Assuming you’ve got a halfway decent music video on your hands, you can advertise it on Youtube. Some research on your end is needed to get things operational, but in a nutshell, you can advertise to people within 20-30 miles of your hometown who like similar bands for about $.05-$.10 per view. Get enough views of your video going and you’ll likely get a few more people out to your shows.
This is a good idea. YouTube is the go-to medium for the broadest number of people search for music who do not have streaming or subscription accounts. To boot, it’s a win/win as you’re getting paid for people watching your video & becoming fans of your social media (that is conveniently linked underneath each video you upload).
Some other ideas include:
– Offer exclusive downloads for “liking” or “sharing” your band’s Facebook page
– Make a “limited edition” set of t-shirts that only the first 50 entrees get; exclusivity is your friend
– Write your own tastemaker blog that reveals more personality and character (linked to your band’s website)
– Play college shows – this demographic includes the majority of your Facebook likes, Twitter followers, Instagram hashtaggers, Pinterest pinners, you get the picture
The various ways to put your band and talent out on the market go vastly beyond the reach of what can be done behind computer. Get out there & be as creative with your marketing as you are with making music.
-Allie Krummel