Promotion!!!!!!!!!!! How to do w/small budget?

P

pM of impk21.co

New member
Next year I am looking to drop my project in early Fall. Im only pressing 1000 cds at this stage. With cost of other things, I will probably have about $800-$1000 for promtional purposes! This would be a Hip Hop project if that makes a difference!

Any suggestions on previous experiences of where and where I shouldnt put my $? I know there are probably hundreds of ways to approach such task, just wanted to get some input before I start game planning after the 1st of the year, thanx PM...........
 
Depending on your location, I wouldn't put the bulk of your money, or even a significant chunk, into internet promotion; instead, spend it on local promotion. Better yet, put it in the bank and use it to cover the expenses of putting on a free show or two.
 
Coo, yah, I have a legit website (meaning its not a geo-cites/or a free website)! I agree, I dont wanna pay too much for interent cept my website right now! I am looking at the local promting, but, maybe I should give a couple more details I guess! my bad.

I live in Iowa, that is where I will be promoting for this first project I guess. Its a tough scene as far as Hip Hop goes! I wanna do stickers with my logo and website address one em to hand out @ shows, did it before, my guy does it, we get a good response from those, I'll probably do flyers, nice pro looking type of flyers with the glossy finish, I am also looking at pressing singles or a maxi single I guess before dropping the actual album, but does anyone have other ideas? That have worked for them? I know the rule of thumb is to promote about 4 months prior to the release of an album, dont know how realistic that will be with a small budget, but, I have to work with what i have! We get venues, I dont think that will be too much of an issue, there are some spots we have as regulars, but Ive seen this route, people have spent $$$$$$$ on promotion projects, but it doesnt push like they expect! I know nothing is 100% no matter how well its worked in the past, just wanna broaden my horizons a little...thanks for your inputs.............PM
 
I don't know about 4 months; I know the labels do that, but for an independent act I think it's different. The reason is, you really need 4 months of solid, non-stop promotion, and I doubt you could sustain meaningful promotion for 4 months as an indy act.

When I did indy stuff, I didn't really see the point in delaying a release to promote it for a long time. Labels do that because they want to see big sales right off the bat. As an independent, what makes you think the guy who hears about your album in July will still remember it in October when it comes out. But you might have sold him one in July when he heard about it.

Just my thoughts, but then, hey, my friend is still sitting on a few hundred unsold copies of our last indy album, so what do I know?
 
Depends what you mean by 'promotion' I guess.

if you mean doing shows and at the shows you'll be promoting and pushing/plugging your forthcoming album and perfrorming stuff from it, then there's no harm at all and lots to gain if the audinedce like what you do! However, if you mean spending money on promoting it four months in advance then no, that's wasting scarce resources in my opinion.

I think with an indy project you have to look at it as a long slow build over time on a low budget, rather than a sudden fast onslaught like the major labels can afford to do with a high budget.

One plus point is that your album will have a longer shelf life, you can describe it as your 'new' album for a year or two if you want, whereas a major expects it all to happen in the course of a coupla months.

BTW You don't need to spend a lot of money to promote yourself on the internet, in fact that's one of its main advantages, it costs you next to nothing to join a lot of these discussion groups and forums and you can promote your self on these, using a signature on your posts and so on, without spamming people of course. it costs you nothing to get a high rating in search engines if you know what you're doing. It costs you nothing to place entries in other artists guest books saying something complementary and promoting your own web site at the same time. et etc.

Good luck.
 
@ glynb, yeah, we are looking at doing shows and hope to build up to a release party! We want to schedule shows in advance, set up radio intervies, which we have some resources and the same with the newspaper! Also my guy can get us a good deal to press some single type material too, to pass or sell or what ever before the actual product would come out! You make a good point with the internet, I have a legit site, if I type in just about anything like (pk21, or pk21 productions), my site is the second down or right at the top in google, yahoo, and msn searches! Not familure with other search engines such as AOL, ect!

@ lykwydchykyn"As an independent, what makes you think the guy who hears about your album in July will still remember it in October when it comes out. But you might have sold him one in July when he heard about it." I know what ur sayin! I dont see that individual really caring too much or... waiting so desparatly, til finally, this guy (ME) has his CD out, I agree! It's a gamble no matter what way I tend to look at it, there is not right way to do it I guess, just stories from people wishing they did it another way and seldomly the success story! The failure I've somewhat seen around here is the quick, drop out a CD and in a unguided direction, try and push an inde album, w/o a distributor ppl bust nuts to try and push 350/400 units and w/o out good promotion it seems to go no where. But yet our region is tough!

Thanx for your point of views and input! PM
 
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i am doing the same. I actually am working with 3 other artists through the internet, and we are getting 1000 units pressed and splitting costs. We are splitting the order 250 cd's each.

I already have made somewhat of a name locally around the hiphop circle, and people are anticipating my album, plus i know alot of people. My CD's i expect to go without a problem. But a few promotional things we are doing is contacting webmasters/online hiphop journalists, trying to get them to review the CD. We are pressing up a few T-shirts, just for ourselves to wear around and friends who will be helping us promote and sell the album to wear, to the mall, to house parties, to college campuses...etc.

We are also making small printable fliers for microsoft word with our logo, a little catchy information, and a web url. We are going to make it downloadable, and encourage people who want to help support to print these out from their home computers and just hand a few out for us...

Submit for mixtapes, mixtapes mixtapes, and make sure that you are getting credit, and getting your URL on these mixtapes if you make them. There are many DJ's looking for some hot new material to break.


College Radio...they will play it...most college stations are quick to support local artists.

As someone mentioned, message forums....sign up....many will allow you to post audio samples...do that, link to your soundclick or whatever, and make sure that you have plastered all over your soundclick....COP OUR NEW ALBUM _____ TODAY...make sure you have a sampler so that people can check to see if they will be feeling the album. If they feel the music, they will go to your site and order.

One other tactic im using, is actually sending a free cd to influential or popular members of a few high traffic forums, and having them review the CD for the forum.


internet radio shows there are alot of them....find out who is playing hiphop and submit tracks
 
pM of impk21.co said:
@ glynb, yeah, we are looking at doing shows and hope to build up to a release party! We want to schedule shows in advance, set up radio intervies, which we have some resources and the same with the newspaper! Also my guy can get us a good deal to press some single type material too, to pass or sell or what ever before the actual product would come out! You make a good point with the internet, I have a legit site, if I type in just about anything like (pk21, or pk21 productions), my site is the second down or right at the top in google, yahoo, and msn searches! Not familure with other search engines such as AOL, ect!

@ lykwydchykyn"As an independent, what makes you think the guy who hears about your album in July will still remember it in October when it comes out. But you might have sold him one in July when he heard about it." I know what ur sayin! I dont see that individual really caring too much or... waiting so desparatly, til finally, this guy (ME) has his CD out, I agree! It's a gamble no matter what way I tend to look at it, there is not right way to do it I guess, just stories from people wishing they did it another way and seldomly the success story! The failure I've somewhat seen around here is the quick, drop out a CD and in a unguided direction, try and push an inde album, w/o a distributor ppl bust nuts to try and push 350/400 units and w/o out good promotion it seems to go no where. But yet our region is tough!

Thanx for your point of views and input! PM
Click to expand...

where u from pimp??? maybe we can hook up on some shit...
as far as where to put your money....i would take some and get some flyers made and put up...then i would do like ole boy said...put some money up and do a free show or 2...thats my advice..but GYEA holla at me mayne...we can do a collab or something...

www.soundclick.com/bmac

holla
 
pM of impk21.co said:
Next year I am looking to drop my project in early Fall. Im only pressing 1000 cds at this stage. With cost of other things, I will probably have about $800-$1000 for promtional purposes! This would be a Hip Hop project if that makes a difference!

Any suggestions on previous experiences of where and where I shouldnt put my $? I know there are probably hundreds of ways to approach such task, just wanted to get some input before I start game planning after the 1st of the year, thanx PM...........
Click to expand...

Street promotion is your best bet. And definitely do live shows because that will get you in front of the most people.

Take a look at www.albumcalculator.com because this will help you to figure out the numbers on everything.
 
If you can, form a street team of young people who will pass out, post, distribute and plaster everything with your flyer/sticker/info. This will help more once you get a small fanbase...
 
Yeah, ha ha, seems like Im on the same page with everyone, a crew member and I were discussing the whole street team thing among many others! We talked about hitting up high schools n things. We want to give something back to any street members we get, like hook em up with exclusive cuts that we didnt us on an album or even just list their names on our websites to show appreciation! Anyone have experience putting together street teams? We thought about doing sign ups at shows, just get their first name, #, and email address.........

Yeah, between us all at any given time, we do usually 3-4 shows a month, some big and some small. We gotta show coming up on the 14th, maybe we should try n get some committed street members to sign up then, but were not looking @ dropping legit material til this Fall, but still we could start the concept! Thanx for your ideas, really appreicated, any more keep em coming, if things run in own favor, I'll be down to share what worked for us!!!!


PM
 
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