Promoting your band is hard work. You thought writing the songs was tough…or recording! Those are tough in their own right, but promotion takes a whole lot of effort.
I’m smack in the middle of promoting this new album, and I hope all my effort pays off…we’ll see.
Anyway, I thought I’d try to glean some advice from characters who normally bring happiness and smiles.
“Thanks for noticing me.” – Eeyore
We gotta be thankful to everyone along the way. I started my “Liner note thank you list” early on, and it’s not finished. It’s definitely not as long as it needs to be. We need to go out of our way to thank everyone. From the Facebook friend who liked your page to the guy that bought a track from your Bandcamp page to the guy that owns a recording studio that advised you on EQing electric guitars.
Just for the record…thanks for reading, and thanks for being a fan.
This is also good advice for being humble. Not expecting that your project is so amazing that everyone won’t be able to help but notice it.
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The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all. – The Emperor of China, Mulan
Adversity, you know…the hard stuff. The gig that doesn’t pan out, the equipment that gets stolen, the drummer who quits on you, the speeding ticket that takes the money you were gonna buy a new pedal with. Hard stuff is good for us. As a band, hard stuff connects and congeals the members.
Maybe it’s essential to have hardships so that we can appreciate where we get to. Maybe our songs will be better if things suck for a while. You know, paying dues.
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Always let your conscience be your guide. – Pinocchio, Pinocchio
There’s a time and place for everything. But Ol’ Pinoke’s advice could keep you from selling yourself short and not promoting. It could also keep you from tattooing your band’s website onto your chest and running around naked at a mall.
My conscience told me to write an interesting blog post about band promotion using Disney Character quotes. Was my conscience correct?
Ultimately, this is also about taking responsibility for your actions and not blaming others for your failures. Taking credit for messing up is healthy.
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Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or… learn from it. – Rafiki, Lion King
Ah, the past. Past bands, past band members, past train wrecks, past shows where you only played for 11 people, past show where you said something inappropriate into the mic.
Maybe you paid a whole bunch of money to a recording studio who didn’t really do a great job. Maybe you agreed to play for beer, pizza and a little gas money. Maybe you switched time slots with another band and everyone left after they finished.
Running from the past could make you an a-hole though…not wanting to make the same mistakes, and not being flexible. You gotta be flexible, just not as flexible as a doormat.
You might even want to keep doing what you’ve been doing because it’s working. How many of your favorite bands changed their sound and you lost interest? Or the opposite? Metallica? Radiohead? Miley Cyrus? Smashing Pumpkins? Pantera? Shiny Toy Guns? Dieselboy? REM? Ministry?
Bands evolve. Some get better, some fizzle out.
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“You’re mad, bonkers, off your head! But I’ll tell you a secret: all the best people are.” – Alice Kingsley, Alice in Wonder Land
All the best people are bonkers. I would venture to say that “bonkers” is what makes the world spin round. “Bonkers” is what’s going to set us apart from all the other bands that have screamed and soloed and smashed and dove off the stage.
“Bonkers” is what changes the stage. It can make or break a live performance. It can birth a new genre. It can make you take a bunch of drugs and OD.
I think maybe we have to be a little crazy to put ourselves out there like we do. As musicians, you really have to put it all out there. People can tell when you are not “All In”.
It’s not like you are acting out a role, and it’s definitely not like you are getting a procto exam. We are being real…just not as real as getting a camera shoved into your butt.
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Even miracles take a little time. – Fairy Godmother, Cinderella
A miracle is something that would probably never happen on any given day. Might even be impossible. But you’ve done it, haven’t you. You’ve expressed yourself and have got something to show for it. This is amazing. You need to show it off.
Wait, that’s not actually a miracle. Anyone can do that.
The miracle is getting a friend of a friend to get his friend to tell his friend to tell his friend about your music. That’s a miracle.
Patience. Not passive patience, but patience nonetheless.
I’ve followed bands that released an album but took a year or longer to get noticed.
Getting noticed in the vast sea of ever changing and saturated barrage of new, old, familiar, mediocre, amazing and crappy is a whole nother thing.
Sometimes it seems to be about unpredictable timing. I mean, I just looked over the eMusic best albums of 2013, and maybe it’s just me and my odd taste in music, but a large percentage of the list was what I thought was unlistenable. And I’m looking for new music all the time.
We may never know the scientific algorithm that dictates and decides the popularity and likeability of music.
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I am on my way, I can go the distance. I don’t care how far, somehow I’ll be strong. I know every mile, will be worth my while. I will go most anywhere to find where I belong. – Hercules, Hercules
The distance. It’s far, and it’s hard. I read Peter Criss’ book about how tough it was to be in a hyper successful band with all the money you’d ever want and more girl parts than you’d ever need, but you know what? They practiced a whole bunch. Days and weeks and months and years of practicing. It was everything to them, and it became everything. It’s a whole lot of work to be in a successful band, and it’s super easy to fade out and let the momentum die.
Bummer. Sorry. I guess I’m having a hard time with going “…anywhere to find where I belong”. You could die out there just moments before figuring out where you belong. In fact, you are probably where you belong right now. Maybe you are just being greedy.
Well, a little greed is probably OK. We all want part of the pie, and the truth is, it will probably not get handed to you. Well, I guess it could, but we shouldn’t count on it. No one owes us anything. We have to work for it.
Will a street performer who is horrible get more money than one with mega talent? I think it’s possible if people feel sorry for the sucky guy and drop in a Jackson. Might even wonder why the mega talent guy needs to be on the street for money instead of on tour promoting his new record, and give him change instead of paper.
You belong in front of people, presenting your music, and working hard. People like to see a hard worker.
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You think the only people who are people, are the people who look and think like you. But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you’ll learn things you never knew you never knew. – Pocahontas, Pocahontas
I should probably not have used this one, I’m not really sure what it means, even. Most Metalheads don’t like Country, most Rappers don’t like Thrashers, Househeads don’t like Dubsteppers.
OK, well, after pondering, maybe I see that if we are thinking about our fans and what they like and don’t like, and giving them an enjoyable experience, be it at a show or on their headphones, then maybe we can be more effective at promoting our music to the right people. That kinda works.
Let’s move on.
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I’m bad, and that’s good. I will never be good, and that’s not bad. – Wreck-It Ralph, Wreck-It Ralph
I suck, and that’s good?
OK, so honestly, I do actually see this as good advice. Thinking you are the best, being all egotistical and douchebaggey and stuff is lame.
A healthy dose of self deprecation is good. Too much and it’s awkward and sad. Don’t go there.
But knowing what you are good at and doing that is essential. Knowing what those around us are good at and using their talents is a good idea too.
It’s like with my Graphic Design company. I am not really good at sales. I need to learn to accept that and maybe get someone else to do sales for me. For now, I ask current clients to refer me to people. That works for me.
So, what are you good at? Are you good at schmoozing venue owners for a larger bar tap? Are you good at thinking up crazy things to video like setting up a drum set in a pickup truck and driving around town doing an epic drum solo? Are you good at making up engaging and interesting status updates on Facebook?
Go do that.
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Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one. – Grandmother Willow, Pocahontas
I agree with this wholeheartedly. Promoting your band is not easy, especially if you want to do it with no money…which is like…most of us.
Maybe it’s playing the same place every Wednesday for the same crowd. Maybe it’s being the opening band for bands that are not as good as your band. Maybe it’s kicking out your best friend who still hasn’t figure out how to tune his bass.
Hard decisions will come. I’m sure you’ll be fine. Just keep doing it.
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Hope this helps. It helped me to write it.
I hope you think of cool ways to promote your band. I hope you get a whole lot of fans, and not just regionally. I hope you are able to push hard when you need to and call it quits when it’s not working.
Go do something awesome…we NEED to hear your band.
Promotion is hard. I hope all your efforts pay of big time!
Me, Extinct. 