What Do YOU Do for Self Promotion at the Local Level?

[Robertt8]

I know this type of thing gets posted every now and then, but it never really seems like i feel like i ever have a better grasp on local self promotion, so my question to everyone is...

What have you or your band personally done (on the local level) that has been successful as self promotion whether it be getting new people (or old fans for that matter) into shows, or selling CDs at shows or things to help get your name out there...

What have you guys done that appears to work? We've tried some things, but find many of the things people mention (like flyers) to appear to have slim to no effect and seems to waste a lot of time, paper and effort. to those of you who have made this work (and KNOW it worked), what are you doing?

As of now, our best local promotion to get people to shows is either our email list, bulletins on myspace or personal myspace message to locals that we've book marked. it just seems like there can be much more to be done that may be successful.

I can also follow this up with some things we've tried and let you know what's happened or how well it seemed to work, but i'll wait till i have time to post some of that here.

Cheers!
Tait

 

[gullyjewelz]

2 cents:

--where there are proned to be a lot of men - get some pretty ass females to sell your cd

--where there are proned to be a lot of women - get some dapper ass dudes to sell your cd

this formula works for both straight and homo sexual gatherings!!!!

 

[DavidK]

I dont have a show, nor is my music performable since it is so overdubbed. I have had almost no local PR, the classical guys are not open-minded enough about my stuff. Its been frustrating.

Nationally, radio stations ARE playing my disc. For me it was a matter of getting the disc to the right people. The NPR stations arent really into it but the new agey crowd is digging it, much to my amusement. If you have the money and the time, I suggest sending as many stations the disc as you can. Its generating a lot of i-tunes sales for me.

The classical station around me refuses to play it. Not much I can do, a lot of bigger stations are. I keep reminding them of this.

 

[JoeBannon]

--where there are proned to be a lot of men - get some pretty ass females to sell your cd

--where there are proned to be a lot of women - get some dapper ass dudes to sell your cd

Very VERY true. I have both selling my CDs at shows and I can sell all my CDs very quick. Our posters have nudity and they sell themselves -lol.

 

[mop93]

I took those little stickers from the post office, wrote our url on it and put them everywhere. I had little cut up pieces of paper i could give to people too.

 

[RightOnMusic]

write really good songs that people will love and play for their friends?

 

[cusebassman]

write really good songs that people will love and play for their friends?

I think this is often overlooked...

Out of all the people who frequent this board, I can't imagine the likelyhood is very high that most are making music that a lot of people will want to hear. Sorry, guys

My brother performs live occasionally, and wonders why his music hasn't generated more press... its because in between an original he wrote and plays very well, he does three covers that sound, well... awful.

Kind of eclipses the whole performance, ya know?

And that is just one example - I think a lot of people are unwilling to realise that they simply aren't doing anything either groundbreaking enough, or pop-oriented enough, to get mass appeal.

Not to say that's the case in this situation, but I can understand why there aren't too many people interested in me - I simply don't play mainstream music. Its a light-rock/jazz/folk combination, and most people don't want to really listen to that sort of thing unless you are playing very basic progressions, and writing simple lyrics.

On top of that, my stuff might suck! I wouldn't know, cus I wrote it, so I think its great Man... in that scenario I'd be doubly screwed... playing unpopular material, and not even doing it well

 

[RightOnMusic]

i'm lucky enough to be in a situation where my band has a manager to take care of promotion and booking and press and whathaveyou. this allows us to really focus all our energy on writing good material. the "secret" is not promotion. if you have music that is going to move a person, then the word will spread. the management just helps to move that along. just in the same way a great preamp can't turn a 57 into a u89, great management can't make crummy songs popular.

 

[gullyjewelz]

management (in some way shape or form) is a vital role . . management can be true manager style where that individual is making contacts and booking shows - but even a dedicated street team who perform certain "promotional" activities on a regular basis can help spread the word - i dont even believe that your music has to be "that" great - there are plenty of songs that SUCK [on indie and major labels] - but promotions and "witnessing" the right people "enjoying" themselves while a song is being played is KEY

there are songs that, initially, i did not like and did not want to hear - [take Petey Pablo's "rep yo city" song [whatever it was called!!] but when i was in a club and enjoying myelf . . doing what ever i mite do at a club which garners me my type of "thrills" lets leave the confessions for another time. . . and that song came on, and even more "happiness" started jumpin off . . . [again what i did that night is not subject for public discussion at this time ] after that night - i wanted to hear that song again and again - im "relivin" the memories of that night, when the song comes on -

 

[cusebassman]

management (in some way shape or form) is a vital role . . management can be true manager style where that individual is making contacts and booking shows - but even a dedicated street team who perform certain "promotional" activities on a regular basis can help spread the word - i dont even believe that your music has to be "that" great - there are plenty of songs that SUCK [on indie and major labels] - but promotions and "witnessing" the right people "enjoying" themselves while a song is being played is KEY

there are songs that, initially, i did not like and did not want to hear - [take Petey Pablo's "rep yo city" song [whatever it was called!!] but when i was in a club and enjoying myelf . . doing what ever i mite do at a club which garners me my type of "thrills" lets leave the confessions for another time. . . and that song came on, and even more "happiness" started jumpin off . . . [again what i did that night is not subject for public discussion at this time ] after that night - i wanted to hear that song again and again - im "relivin" the memories of that night, when the song comes on -

Oh, I agree that the music isn't the solely important part of a band. There's image, etc... but if all your stuff sucks, image isn't going to sell you alone... unless you're KISS... *hmm*

 

[scrouch]

For starting out locally, playing a lot of shows is the biggest thing IMO. If you play a good set at a club they may let you open for different acts who are coming through, which will then give you exposure to an audience that wouldn't normally see your work. Put on a good show there and you can gain some extra fans as well as confidence from the club owner that they can give you the same chance in the future and you'll deliver. When you're starting out I think a strong performance is the most important thing. And playing a lot to different audiences. A lot of bands play a lot of shows but only their friends show up each time so they don't really get anywhere.

 

[gullyjewelz]

A GOOD SHOW - NOT THAT I WANT TO CHALLENGE THAT NOTION - CUZ ITS AN ACCURATE STATMENT. HOWEVER, I WANT TO ASK - JUST HOW LONG IS A TYPICAL "SHOW" SET?

I ASK BECAUSE i HAVE BEEN GOING BACK N FORTH WITH THIS ISSUE - ITS GREAT TO BE ON STAGE DOIN YA THANG AND HAVIN A GOOD TIME, BUT I HAVE SEEN A BUNCH OF ARTISTS ON STAGE FOR 20+ MINUTES . . . IM MORE OF THE MIND TO SAY - PERFORM 3 SONGS BACK TO BACK N BOUNCE - BUT THEN AGAIN THAT'S NOT REALLY A "SET" OR IS IT?

 

[RightOnMusic]

i mean it depends what kind of show, who your target audience is, etc.... there are no hard and fast rules. i've seen some bands play three 45-60 minute sets at a show, and i've seen bands play 4 or 5 songs. it all depends on what your audience is looking for in their showgoing experience.

 

[Robertt8]

A GOOD SHOW - NOT THAT I WANT TO CHALLENGE THAT NOTION - CUZ ITS AN ACCURATE STATMENT. HOWEVER, I WANT TO ASK - JUST HOW LONG IS A TYPICAL "SHOW" SET?

I ASK BECAUSE i HAVE BEEN GOING BACK N FORTH WITH THIS ISSUE - ITS GREAT TO BE ON STAGE DOIN YA THANG AND HAVIN A GOOD TIME, BUT I HAVE SEEN A BUNCH OF ARTISTS ON STAGE FOR 20+ MINUTES . . . IM MORE OF THE MIND TO SAY - PERFORM 3 SONGS BACK TO BACK N BOUNCE - BUT THEN AGAIN THAT'S NOT REALLY A "SET" OR IS IT?

Wow, that varies wildly. We do two very different shows depending on what we need to do for that specific show.

1. THE LONG ASS SHOW: We can play for a little more that a 3 hour block if need be. This typically is (for us) your "Bar" show, and we're paid to play from like 10pm to 1am. In this case we're almost always the only band playing that night. 3 hours is a little deceiving as we typically do one 45 minute set...take a break...another 45 minute set...take a break...then play from 45min-1hour depending on how long we feel like or if the owner of the bar is staring at us with that "what the hell are you stopping for? you've got 15 minutes left." look. I'm not a big fan of these, but they can be fun once the crowd gets going.

2. THE IDEAL SHOW: This is usually a show at an actual live music venue, with the stage, sound system, sound guy. These are anywhere from 40 - 90 minutes depending if we're opening or headlining, but the beauty of these is that if you do have a 2-3 hours of music (total), you can truly play your best music. You don't need to play those songs that you once liked and have grown to hate like you do at the "all night show". you can rock your best, then get the hell off stage.

I wouldn't really call 3 songs a set (we actually toyed with calling our band (way back) 3 song set as we only had 3 songs at one time...but i digress) that's more of a variety hour. a lot of open mics allow you to play for 3 songs or roughly 15 minutes.

Any typical "headline" act is 90 minutes...go ahead and time almost any video of a headline concert. it'll be about 90 min (or an hour and a half) from beginning to end. the opening acts are always about 40-50 minutes.

So i think to hold your own at any real venue, you'll need a solid 50 minutes of music. But the catch 22 that we've been confronted with is... to get a lot of the "real" music venue shows, you typically need to prove yourself by playing out on your own a lot...where many of the proving grounds are in bars where they expect you to play all night...so... i'm not saying you can't make it without 2+ hours of music, i'm just saying that it's handy as hell.

Um...i'm not sure if i helped at all or not, that's just what i've noticed from the world out here in San Francisco.

 

[scrouch]

A GOOD SHOW - NOT THAT I WANT TO CHALLENGE THAT NOTION - CUZ ITS AN ACCURATE STATMENT. HOWEVER, I WANT TO ASK - JUST HOW LONG IS A TYPICAL "SHOW" SET?

I ASK BECAUSE i HAVE BEEN GOING BACK N FORTH WITH THIS ISSUE - ITS GREAT TO BE ON STAGE DOIN YA THANG AND HAVIN A GOOD TIME, BUT I HAVE SEEN A BUNCH OF ARTISTS ON STAGE FOR 20+ MINUTES . . . IM MORE OF THE MIND TO SAY - PERFORM 3 SONGS BACK TO BACK N BOUNCE - BUT THEN AGAIN THAT'S NOT REALLY A "SET" OR IS IT?

It really depeds on where you're playing and if you're opening/headlining, at a bar, club, festival, concert hall, etc. If you're the opening act and you're given 30 minutes, your set should be 30 minutes including crowd interaction. I don't mean lame "get the crowd involved" things or anything like that but if you just play your songs and don't say an thing, people may as well be listening to your CD. I've seen some headliners do that before and it really puts people off. People might think the music was good but will be less inclined to go see your show next time. No point if it's no better than the CD.

If you're headlining it depends on how many openers you have, what time the show starts, and what time the club/venue/bar closes. A lot of clubs will want you to play until a certain time so they can maximize their drink sales. Let's say they want you on stage until 1:00 am. If you have one opener and they start at 9:30 play about 45 minutes, then you setup and play you should have enough material to play about an hour and a half and take a half hour break at around 11:30ish. If you don't have that much material, get a second opening act because either way, the club is going to want music going until 1. The exception to this is if they're getting a cut of ticket prices or if they charge cover. That will tend to make them less strict on when they want people playing until. If you're playing a festival and each act is given an hour, your set should be an hour. If you leave early people will feel ripped off.

In general for headliners it shouldn't be less than an hour. People don't like paying $30 to see someone play for 45 minutes. Most shows I go to have headliners going for about 1.25 hrs. That's about average I think. But definitely you shouldn't be much below an hour if people are paying to see you exclusively. Unless the show's like $5. Actually, I went to a punk show one time that was $5 for 6 bands and the headliner was on for almost 2 hours. It went from 8 until after 2. Most people were given about 30 minutes. The rules change a bit if you're a DJ too. Depends on how long the party is. Here normally the headliner goes on at about 3:30-4 and goes until around 6. Warmup DJs get around an hour and a half each, depending on how many there are.

 

[Bondo]

Wow, that varies wildly. We do two very different shows depending on what we need to do for that specific show.

1. THE LONG ASS SHOW: We can play for a little more that a 3 hour block if need be. This typically is (for us) your "Bar" show, and we're paid to play from like 10pm to 1am. In this case we're almost always the only band playing that night. 3 hours is a little deceiving as we typically do one 45 minute set...take a break...another 45 minute set...take a break...then play from 45min-1hour depending on how long we feel like or if the owner of the bar is staring at us with that "what the hell are you stopping for? you've got 15 minutes left." look. I'm not a big fan of these, but they can be fun once the crowd gets going.

2. THE IDEAL SHOW: This is usually a show at an actual live music venue, with the stage, sound system, sound guy. These are anywhere from 40 - 90 minutes depending if we're opening or headlining, but the beauty of these is that if you do have a 2-3 hours of music (total), you can truly play your best music. You don't need to play those songs that you once liked and have grown to hate like you do at the "all night show". you can rock your best, then get the hell off stage.

I wouldn't really call 3 songs a set (we actually toyed with calling our band (way back) 3 song set as we only had 3 songs at one time...but i digress) that's more of a variety hour. a lot of open mics allow you to play for 3 songs or roughly 15 minutes.

Any typical "headline" act is 90 minutes...go ahead and time almost any video of a headline concert. it'll be about 90 min (or an hour and a half) from beginning to end. the opening acts are always about 40-50 minutes.

So i think to hold your own at any real venue, you'll need a solid 50 minutes of music. But the catch 22 that we've been confronted with is... to get a lot of the "real" music venue shows, you typically need to prove yourself by playing out on your own a lot...where many of the proving grounds are in bars where they expect you to play all night...so... i'm not saying you can't make it without 2+ hours of music, i'm just saying that it's handy as hell.

Um...i'm not sure if i helped at all or not, that's just what i've noticed from the world out here in San Francisco.

This seems to be the norm in the Kentucky/Ohio/Indiana area. Lots of bar cover gigs where you can throw in some origionals, and the occasional origional type show or festival. But Yeah, pretty much the same here.

 

[kevin C.]

yuh im gonna have to say its all about how u promote urslef!!
i havent been doing my thing that long but from what i can tell thats about half of how u can get ur slef out there!!
internet friends selling theres so many diffrent ways

 

[legionserial]

I just hand out CD's to people who are interested, they pass them on and I seem to get some glowing comments back from people who pass it on further....I don't know why, I'm hardly doing anything new or inventive. Just having fun.

That and having my music being used as the soundtrack for a movie in production, apparently due to be shown at Cannes. Not that I have any massive expectations but at least more people will hear the stuff...