The Great Gimmick!

  • Thread starter Thread starter bigwillz24
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notbradsohner said:
i really dobt they could mistake a real gorilla for a fat guy in a suit passing out cds and dancing around. they are trained professionals!
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Well that would depend if the fat guy had allot of body hair
 
David Hooper said:
Gimmicks may get your foot in the door, but they're short lived if you don't have something good to back them up.

You're onto something with street promotion. Concentrate on getting word-of-mouth going and you'll have all the people you need.
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David... so, you're saying I've got to have the gimmick and good music?

That, plus if I get people talking about my music on the street, I won't need any more promotions?
 
stonepiano said:
David... so, you're saying I've got to have the gimmick and good music?

That, plus if I get people talking about my music on the street, I won't need any more promotions?
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I don't know that you need a gimmick, but it may get your foot in the door. You have to have something compelling, let's say that.

Word of mouth is a way to promote and it works best when you encourage it. Try www.ideavirus.com for some great ideas.
 
bigwillz24 said:
Hmmm..... how many people could I pass out cds too in a gorrila suit at the zoo before getting hit with a traquilizer dart :D
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!!!!..

holy shit that is like the funniest thing iv heard in a while... wow
 
Just thought of something less dangerous along the lines of the costume idea.

Dress up (or dress down i guess) as a bum with a bucket of water, a squeegee, and a cardboard sign that says "Will Wash your windshield if you listen to my cd." Then find a street corner with heavy traffic and a stop light.

I think washing someones windshield in bums clothes while begging them to listen to your cd will hit a sympatheic nerve in a lot of people. But also surprise them because your not asking for there money. Which will be the first thing they think when you approach there car.

Degrading Yea.... But you could probably get a couple of bux in change while your at it.
 
Hmmm,
Not sure if this one would work. But if all you want to do is get your music CD out to people who might appreciate it how about this...

Go into big record stores where they put the full CDs on display with at least one them with the shrink wrap removed. Choose artists you judge to be your style of music and slip copies of your CD into the other artists' CD covers BEHIND their CD. The case will still close with two CDs in it, put it back in the rack.

With a bit of luck when the CD comes to get sold your CD will end up making its way back to the purchaser's house. The purchaser will inevitably be curious about whose CD has ended up in the case with the artist they bought and play it, maybe even like it. OK some will get discovered and thrown away - chance you take.

Make sure your web site address is on it of course so they can follow up.

You could get rid of loads of promotional copies this way, and you are getting them only to your potential target audience/genre (Until security throw you out of the store that is).

Tip - It would probably be best not to do this in a gorilla costume.
 
bigwillz24 said:
Just thought of something less dangerous along the lines of the costume idea.

Dress up (or dress down i guess) as a bum with a bucket of water, a squeegee, and a cardboard sign that says "Will Wash your windshield if you listen to my cd." Then find a street corner with heavy traffic and a stop light.

I think washing someones windshield in bums clothes while begging them to listen to your cd will hit a sympatheic nerve in a lot of people. But also surprise them because your not asking for there money. Which will be the first thing they think when you approach there car.

Degrading Yea.... But you could probably get a couple of bux in change while your at it.
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Or you will end up in jail sitting beside some dude in a Gorilla suit
 
Yeah, yeah .. It's an old thread... Oh well.. It's still good...

We have some (actually lots!) of used cd stores around here... I'm thinking that a person could just give the cd's to the mom and pop retailer. With any luck, maybe you could get a display at the register (as long as the package presentation was on point)...

Maybe even use those posterboard sized foam panels (cut down, of course) to make a little display (Say... two identical triangles... One with the words, one to hold it up)... (Together they would make up about the size of a CD case)..

Give the retailer 20 discs and the stand to place on top of the stack...

Free (genre goes here)!!
(Limit One Per Customer, with purchase ;) )
Visit www.yoursite.com to support your local scene!

Hmmm....It would almost work at most any FRIENDLY retail establishment...

Thoughts?
 
Oh yeah!

One more thing...

When talking to the retailer, ask them if they will give you a disk with their logo on it... Then tell them (and promptly proceed to carry out) that you will put the following type of advertisement on your site..

Visit So And So's CD Store and receive our cd with any purchase (while supplies last)....
 
Lol....How?


Can anyone tell me if this is TECHNICALLY solicitation?

I'm thinking it would be a good idea to make up a professional type flyer (with a photo of the display) about the promotion and fax it to retail establishments (with your website name that has mp3 samples of the music... Wait 2 hours and follow up....And ask for a manager (maybe)...
 
Here's another one.. This one is probably obvious to people though...

Put an ad in your local "scene" publication! Seems like a no brainer to me!
 
bigwillz24 said:
I was sitting around today talking with one of my friends about getting music off the ground with minimal money.

We talked about passing out flyers at the local clubs, printing up a bunch of cds and passing those out etc...

Then we started saying yeah we could pass out a bunch of flyers and cds, But I know that most people as soon as you turn your back will probably chunk your hard work the distance of a football field!

So we started thinking of ways to get people to listen and a light bulb went off and I said we need a Gimmick.

Something that will make the people pay attention to what you are trying to do but I fell short on ideas.

So I come to you guys/gals humbly asking to tell your ideas or your stories for pulling off that Great Gimmick.
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Dennis Miller once said something to the effect of, "It takes some sort of gimmick to make it in the entertainment industry. Then once you make it, you spend the rest of your life trying to escape the gimmick."


Which is why the day that Slipknot performs without masks on is the day they are done. Etc....
 
How about calling up the local radio station and proposing:

That you give them cd(s)...

They run a contest "You are x caller" to win John Doe's cd....

At the same time.. And if you're slick.. Get the DJ to put in a blurb about your website...

Hmm.. Radio station gets people hyped and gets paid for the advertisements people listen to by waiting through the commerical... You get...

Well ... you get it...
 
Thunder33 said:
Dennis Miller once said something to the effect of, "It takes some sort of gimmick to make it in the entertainment industry. Then once you make it, you spend the rest of your life trying to escape the gimmick."


Which is why the day that Slipknot performs without masks on is the day they are done. Etc....
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Hey I saw Dennis Miller on a NetZero commerical.. He made it!!! :D


Just kiddin'... Good post...
 
LMAO ... I just thought of a great one!

Put 10 cds (professionally packaged.. with maybe a fake, but convincing barcode) in the donation box of your local thrift store...

They make money for people who need it.. you get promotion!
 
peritus said:
LMAO ... I just thought of a great one!

Put 10 cds (professionally packaged.. with maybe a fake, but convincing barcode) in the donation box of your local thrift store...

They make money for people who need it.. you get promotion!
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You could do this with any logo'ed thing...

EVEN A KEYCHAIN! (which, in the end, might be cheaper and more effective than the cd.... Of course... You're gonna have to have some of your music up on the website..)

Okay... I'm in left field now.. lol
 
Drive Bys

How about CD Drive bys.....(not gun play type ). :p :p

Just drive by a club line up and toss a few disks out the window at there feet. :D :D

I saw this at a friends bar in Toronto. :D :D :D

Some people picked them up I was one of them. :eek: :eek:

Did give it a listen but not my style of music. :rolleyes:

But give them credit they were trying to get it out there :D :D

You never know what will work :cool: :cool:
 
What we alwys do, and it almost always works.....

Print out a few 11x17's of these and hang em up....

test_flyer.jpg

july1st-3.jpg

mushroomhead-poster.jpg

:D Sex sells, sad but true. and believe it or not, we get a lot more women to our shows then guys with these....

PS
It also helps to know a few suicide girls :)
 
Here's what I'm going to try when my new band starts playing out again.

I'm going to try my best NOT to promote the band at all. I'm not going to tell ANYONE about our gigs --- not even our friends. (I may not even tell my drummer about it, depending on how I feel.)

I'm never going to mention our band name to anyone (even at gigs); it will be the best kept secret this side of Area 51.

If people that know I'm in a band ask when I'm playing next, I'm going to say "guess."






I'll let y'all know how that goes.
 
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