Advertisement for Starving Musicians
by Tara Tinsley
There’s nothing like getting things for free especially when you’re a starving musician. Being creative and knowing a little bit about marketing can help but here are a few tips to start you out there without having to pay for it.
#1 Social Media. In today’s day and age this is the most obvious answer. The more people you reach, the more people you reach and so on! Askyour friends to “share” your posts on social networking sites and offer incentives such as telling everyone that whoever likes your band page on Facebook will be entered to win a free autographed CD or free ticket to a show (or something you can offer) and who ever shares that post will have an extra entry. Not only will they like your page but they will share it.
#2 Get printed. Do something for the community as a band or as a musician. Put together a charity show, plant a tree, or do something worth printing so the newspapers and magazines will want to write about it. Establish relationships with local or regional writers and make sure they always knowwhat you are doing and if it’s press worthy, they’ll print it! Send music mags your CD for review and put writers on the guest list to your shows for possible show reviews.
#3 Get on the Radio. It’s hard to get into regular rotation especially with major stations unless you have big bucks like the major labels do. You might not get into regular rotation at a big station but trying to hop on a station promoted event or creating and playing an event that is press worthy (for the community, cancer benefit, opening for semi-major artist etc) can get you an interview in studio and the possibility of playing songs live on the radio. If they have a local hour, send music in for that. You never know until you ask! College stations and the smaller non-corporate stations are good to look into as well because although they don’t have as wide of a reach, they can give you a good start into getting your songs in rotation if it fits their format and their DJ likes you!
The more places you are the better. So be creative, take a marketing class or see what other people are doing and do it better. Use the money you save to better your equipment or head out on tour. You’ve played for free enough, now it’s time to make the “free” system work for you.
