by harlowmedia | Feb 11, 2020 | Pro Tips
By Lisa Occhino
Once you’ve decided that you’re getting pretty serious about this whole music career thing, you know that you have to start putting in the work to come up with effective band marketing ideas.
But if you haven’t gotten much farther than “make a Facebook fan page and post a bunch of stuff,” don’t worry we’ve got you covered with 13 marketing strategies to add to your list!
1. Know your brand
Before you can market your band, you need to have your brand in place. What’s unique about your act? Which aspects of your story are the most compelling and set you apart from every other band out there? How will you present yourself consistently — from your onstage look, to your social media tone, to your logo and color schemes and photos? Once you’ve honed your brand, the specifics of your band marketing strategies and fan communication will flow from there.
2. Use an email newsletter
Your email list is an incredibly valuable direct line to your most dedicated fans. You have no control over Facebook’s ever-changing News Feed algorithm, but you can always use your newsletter to reach the people who want to hear from you the most. Plus, email is by far the most effective way to sell your music, tickets, and merch. Not sure which service to use? Do a little homework.
3. Have a website
Investing in a great band website is one of the most important things you can do to maximize your marketing efforts. No matter how many newsletters you send out or how many Facebook ads you run, a poorly designed, outdated website — or no website at all — will hurt your credibility and give off the impression that you’re not serious about your music. When done right, your band website acts as the central hub for everything. You have full control over the user experience and the data, and you can sell your music and merch direct-to-fan.
4. Use social media
Managing several different social media pages can quickly get overwhelming, so the key is to focus on where your fans (and potential new fans) are most active. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are all great places to start, but you should also explore platforms like YouTube, Snapchat, and even Pinterest, and see if it makes sense to put the effort into building a following there. Have a budget to work with? Give your band marketing strategies a boost with Facebook ads or Instagram ads.
5. Focus on streaming
While we still have a long way to go before the average artist can realistically earn a living from streaming revenue, there’s no arguing that services like Spotify and Apple Music have become the new go-to for music fans to discover bands. These days, having your song included in a curated Spotify playlist can be just as effective (if not more) than traditional press coverage.
If you don’t already have your music on all of the major streaming platforms, sign up with a digital distribution company, and get your releases up there. The setup process is easy, and there’s really no downside!
6. Leverage the power of YouTube
Video is a powerful medium for band marketing. By adding a visual layer to your artistry, you’re reinforcing your brand while allowing fans to connect with your music in a deeper way. YouTube is one of the first places people search when they’re trying to find a specific song, so make sure you upload all of your original music and official music videos to your band’s channel. You might also want to consider regularly posting unique cover videos, vlogs, live performances, or interviews so that you show up more often in search results and make yourself more accessible to potential fans.
7. Gig, Gig, Gig
Performing live is one of the best ways to get new fans and market your band. Start by focusing on your local scene, and don’t hesitate to play charity events, fundraisers, or private events in between your music venue/bar gigs. Once you’ve built up a strong local following, you can turn your attention to regional weekend tours and music festival gigs to gain even more exposure.
8. Get reviews
Getting publicity for your band is all about relationships, but you shouldn’t wait until you can finally afford a music publicist to start working on your strategy. Keep a running list of any local or independent music blogs that have covered bands similar to yours, and make a note of their contact info and any pitch requirements listed on the website. Even if you only hear back from a couple of small blogs at first, you can use those initial reviews to build momentum and buzz, and eventually work your way up to getting covered by bigger publications with a wider reach. Plus, you never know where those small bloggers will end up in a couple of years, so make sure you maintain those relationships.
9. Create band merchandise
Let your diehard fans do the marketing for you by donning a T-shirt with your band logo on it! Besides the usual suspects like clothing, stickers, and posters, there are tons of creative merch items you can offer your fans — think phone cases, flasks, or even handwritten lyric sheets. Just make sure that whatever merch you create is aligned with your brand, and something that your fans would actually be excited to purchase.
10. Run contests
Running an occasional contest or giveaway is a great band marketing idea — you benefit from the exposure, and lucky fans of yours get something for free from a band they love. You could do something as simple as a social media ticket giveaway for your next show, or as involved as a VIP listening party or scavenger hunt around your city. Whatever you do, try to make it fun and exciting so that people are incentivized to spread the word on your behalf.
11. Don’t forget radio
Radio might not be your first thought when you’re brainstorming band marketing strategies, but targeting independent and college radio stations can be a very effective way to promote your music. If you manage to grab a program director’s attention, you’ll be able to tap into a new audience that trusts and enjoys their music curation. Read up on how to pitch radio stations here.
12. Look into sponsorships and partnerships
We’re not talking about some huge, unattainable contract with a major international brand — you can partner with local businesses and work out a deal that’s simple, authentic, and mutually beneficial.
Do some research on companies that are already working with bands similar to where you are in your music career. Take note of what both parties put into and get out of the arrangement, and think through what sorts of things you could offer and would benefit from. As an example, you could strike up a collaboration with a local graphic design firm. They create a unique, limited-edition merch item for your band to sell at your next show, and in return, you give them a cut of the profits and help promote them on your website and social media pages.
13. Engage your fans
As you’ve read through these strategies, you’ve probably gathered by this point that it all really boils down to this: build genuine relationships that turn your casual fans into devoted superfans, and they’ll supplement all of your efforts with the most powerful marketing of all — word of mouth. It obviously requires consistent hard work to engage and nurture your fans, but those superfans are the key to building a legitimate, long-lasting music career
by harlowmedia | Feb 10, 2020 | Pro Tips
Written by local Shawn Pawloski (Guitarist from Midlife Crisis)
There is a drastic difference. Some people climb up on that stage and strap on their instrument. They may get behind the drums. They strap on that awesome bass or get behind the mic. The very first song starts and it is the slowest song of all the sets. Next they stand lifeless barely moving through what may seem like an eternal 3 hour set of mediocre performance at best. You lost your chance to wow the crowd. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying you got to climb the rafters or jump from the top of the mains to the stage. Wait. I have done that. (We can leave those antics for Slipknot) But to be completely honest. There is nothing less fun to watch than a motionless band of musicians.
Play. First and foremost learn your music. The last thing you
should be thinking about on stage is what you are TRYING to play. If you are
thinking, crap how does the bridge go again? You are wrong. This is where the
whole rehearsal thing comes into play. You PRACTICE at home. This is where you
put in the WORK. Everyone in the band is busy. I got 5 kids and their schedules
also. If I can find time to hone my craft, you should to. Time is valuable.
Your time is not more valuable than mine and vice versa. Time is the only thing
you cannot get back so don’t waste each other’s time. REHERSAL. This is where
you rough draft the show. Move stuff around. Notice lulls in the set list. This
is where you practice your PERFORMANCE. This is the high gloss polishing. You
don’t wax your hot rod before you wash it.
Perform. This is it. Your time to shine. There is a finite amount
of times that we may get to grace what we all love. The stage. When you step up
on that platform, you need to bring it. ALL of it. Every single time. This Is
where your hard work and dedication shows. Everyone in the band looking at each
other. That is the best nonverbal communication. All in unison like a
well-oiled singer sewing machine. You move about the stage interacting with the
crowd and each other. This is the moment you’ve been anticipating. You posted
about it for weeks on social media. You hyped everyone up to come see you. And
boom, you just opened up with Live “Lightning Crashes”. Bye Felicia, They are
out, you’ve lost the room except for that one person that may love that song. I
am not saying that’s a bad song, but song choices matter. Don’t let a song get
on the list that may suck the life out of the room. This is your show and your
band. WOW them for three sets. It may be the last time, make it count.
It’s not about perfection, it’s about connection.
Something Jason Harlow says.
by harlowmedia | Feb 7, 2020 | Pro Tips
It’s not a no brainier.
by Sam Wilder
How many times have you wished you could be better at your instrument? Or wished you could be a better singer? We all know that the best way to get better is to practice our craft. It’s the biggest no-brainer there is about being a musician. To get better, one has to practice. I’ve read interviews with some of the world’s best musicians and they’re quoted all the time saying things like “I practiced 8 hours a day.” or “I even practice my guitar on the toilet.” That’s all good and fine but how many of us really have that kind of time, or actually want to practice on the toilet? Not me, but I have found a couple ways to practice that really work and won’t take all your time.
I’m going to give you a quick list of practice tips today that really work for me when it comes to practicing my guitar. Here they are:
1. Make it easy to pick up your instrument.
2. Have something to practice.
3. Practice a little every day.
4. Practice to a beat.
5. Practice with other people.
6. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
That’s a simple little list right? It’s easy and it works!
1. First of all make sure you can get to your instrument easily. I don’t like to have to set up my amp, dig my guitar out of it’s case, find a strap or track down picks everytime I want to practice. I always have a guitar and amp set up right by my computer. The guitar has a strap on it and picks sitting by it. It’s within arms reach even while I’m typing this. I can grab that guitar anytime I want and play it. So invest in a permanent practice setup if you don’t have one already.
2. Next, make sure you have something to practice. You don’t always have to practice a scale or particular song but it’s good to have a list of things you want to learn or work on. I keep a couple Guitar Player magazines sitting around which are full of lessons I can work on. It’s fine if you just want to pick up your guitar and noodle. The important thing is to play.
3. Now that you have something setup all the time that’s easy to get to, and you have something to practice. Grab that instrument and play it! You can play for 5 minutes and that will be 5 minutes more practice than you would have gotten if you hadn’t picked up that instrument at all. If you pick up your instrument for 5 minutes, 4 times a day, then you have just completed 20 minutes a day of practice. Just do a little here and there and those practice times will increase and so will your skill.
4. It’s a great idea to practice as much as possible to a beat or track. The track is what keeps you in sync with all the other musicians in the band. If you practice too much without a track/beat you will struggle to play with other musicians. It’s not fun at all if you can’t stay together with your band because you can’t play on the beat.
5. Finally, practice with other people. Nothing is more fun than sitting around jamming. Jamming is learning on a very high level. You learn about your abilities and you learn tips and tricks from those around you as well. After all the best way to get better is to play with people better than you. You’ll also learn how to function with other musicians and that increases your skill level for playing live with your band.
6. Playing something correctly once isn’t enough, especially if you’ve played it incorrectly several times before that. The human body cannot distinguish between “right” and “wrong” it only remembers what you have done repeatedly. In other words, if you make the same mistake 10 times and then play it correctly once, your body will remember the mistake instead of the correct version. It has been said that for every wrong performance of a song the brain needs 25 correct repetitions to “undo” what it has learned.
I promise if you follow these tips, your skills will increase by leaps and bounds. Then one day when you’re giving an interview and the interviewer asks you how you got to be so skilled on your instrument you can say, “I practiced 8 hours a day…on the toilet!”
by harlowmedia | Jan 28, 2020 | Pro Tips
By Sam Wilder
Whether you answered a musician “want ad” or someone reached out to you, the next step in the process is actually going to the audition. So let’s talk about it. I’ve played in several bands and projects over the years and have been to my share of band auditions too. Auditions are always an interesting process and I’ve always learned something going through it. Today I’m going to give you a few tips on preparing to audition for a band.
The first thing you want to do is make sure you have the correct address for where the audition is going to be held. I remember once getting so lost going to an audition that I was an hour late. Needless to say, it didn’t make a good impression and I didn’t get the gig. Get directions and a phone number you can call in case you get lost or stuck in traffic.
Which brings me to my second tip, be on time. Showing up late to an audition is the ultimate way to show you don’t care about being a part of the band. If you have a lot of equipment to set up then you should ask if you can show up a few minutes early. Don’t just show up early, because you’ll look a little too eager which isn’t cool. But if you let the people know you have extra equipment to set up then they’ll appreciate you asking if you can show up early to set up.
The next tip is, don’t bring any unnecessary equipment. It’s a good idea to ask what equipment you should bring to the audition. Just bring along what you will need to complete the audition. Believe me, you don’t want to be stuck setting up and tearing down for an hour if everyone is uncomfortable with each other.
Don’t bring your best equipment either, especially if you’re auditioning for people you’ve never met before. If you have a vintage collectors Les Paul, you should leave it home and just bring your Les Paul Studio guitar. You never know when you will run into some shady types that might want to relieve you of your best equipment.
Make sure you know how to play the songs you are going to audition on. If you’ve been told “just come over and we’ll jam on something”, I can guarantee you that the band is completely unorganized. If you just show up and jam on 12-bar blues for an hour, that’s not a lot to go on when choosing musicians to form a band. You have to remember that you’re auditioning the band as much as you are being auditioned. You’ll want to hear how the other musicians learn their individual parts and function together as a band. That’s why it’s a necessity to choose at least 3 songs that everyone will know to audition.
Remember to relax and have fun! Whether you get in the band or not, at least you’re getting the chance to play with some new musicians. It’s always a learning experience to get with some other musicians and see how they do things. It’s good to see how the members interact with each other. If you’re in a band, you will be spending a lot of time together so pay attention to how everyone is getting along.
When the audition is over, ask them what they thought. They may tell you that they’ll call you and let you know. It’s a good idea to say something to the effect of “If I don’t hear from you in a week, can I call to find out if you’ve filled the position?”. Auditions are a lot like job interviews that way and it’s important that you follow up. Good luck!
by harlowmedia | Jan 22, 2020 | Pro Tips
By Sam Wilder
So your show is booked and your band is heading out to the venue, ready to play a great show. Nothing else to worry about, right? Not necessarily.
You see, while wowing the crowd from the stage is definitely a priority at any gig, your off-stage antics can still mean that you won’t be invited back for another show, no matter how amazing you sound. Making the wrong moves before and after your stage time can impact your ability to get new fans, can destroy your reviews — not to mention make some venues and promoters never want to work with you again.
So how can you avoid all that nastiness and make sure this show isn’t a one time deal? The next time your band plays live avoid these things.
1. Don’t Show Up Late
Promoters and venues ask you to arrive at a certain time for a good reason. They need that time to load you in and get soundcheck set up. They are asking you to be there at that time so they can give you everything you need to have a great show. They’re not doing it to inconvenience you, and they’re not doing it because they just like to stand around for hours before a show actually begins.
Don’t decide that YOU think load-in is too early or that you won’t really need all that time for soundcheck. When you don’t arrive on time, no one else can do their jobs. Plus, it means that the promoter and venue may be paying people to stand around and do nothing while they await your fashionably late arrival — something that is not going to endear you to them. When you come late, you send the whole operation into panic mode and make what should be a calm time of prepping for a good show a completely stressful few hours instead – and that could affect your set.
If you are going to be late for load-in, call and let someone know as soon as you can. If you don’t plan to show up on time, arrange a later time up front, so you don’t waste everyone else’s time.
2. Don’t Abuse the Guest List
Even if a promoter or venue loves your music, that doesn’t mean that they want to lose money on your show. It may seem to you like you should be able to bring anyone into your show you want for free, but the thing is, your guest list spots aren’t really free — they may just feel that way to you. Somewhere, someone is giving up the ticket price of every person who walks through the door. You should negotiate with the promoter or venue up front how many guest list places you’ll get — and then leave it at that. Don’t go out before the show, stroll around town, pick up an entourage and promise them all free entry to the show. What you’re really doing then is asking the promoter or venue to fund your friends nights out. How is that fair?
If something happens at the last minute like a journalist or manager wants to come out and see you or your grandma flew into town to surprise you and see you play, have a word with the promoter or venue. They’re likely to be flexible for good reasons — just don’t play “big man”(or woman) with their tickets and expect to win the friends you really need (the people who put on shows).
3. Don’t Drink Up The Whole Bar
I know, I know. You’re in a club. There’s a bar. People are going to it frequently and buying things. It looks like so much fun.
Here’s the thing – if you want to be a musician, the show is your job. The sooner you make peace with that, the better. That doesn’t mean that you can’t have a drink before you hit the stage, but it does mean that you need to manage your drinking pre-performance so that you’re still in control of all your facilities to the extent required to deliver a great performance. Make no mistake about it — if you get all sloppy drunk, hit the stage and act all crazy, the audience may well cheer for you. However what they won’t do is decide they need to see that again enough to buy a ticket to your next show. What they really want you to do is play the songs they like.
Besides delivering a garbage set, in turn making the promoter not want to book you anymore, and perhaps embarrassing yourself in front of fans, family and the media, getting hammered can breed other issues. As the drink keeps flowing and things get crazier, you may do things like fight with the sound person, break stuff backstage and other rock and roll fantasy crap that may make good stories but does little to make a venue or promoter want to work with you again. Save it for the afterparty.
4. Don’t Overstay (or Understay) Your Welcome
This one is especially important if you are not the headlining band — but even if you are, it is important to adhere as closely to any pre-determined set length as possible. These stage times are drawn up to make sure the whole night runs smoothly, from changeovers to giving the venue enough time after your show to get everyone out and clean up. If you’re one of the support bands, if you go over, you’re taking time away from the headliners (a big, huge no no). If you are the headliners, the time you’re asked to wrap things up may have something to do with noise ordinance laws, licensing laws and all sorts of other regulations. Your failure to stick to the plan could have serious consequences for the venue.
The timetables are cast in stone at most venues, and there may be some wiggle room. The best way to deal with this, especially if you are the headliner, is to ask before you play exactly when you need to be done. That way there is no confusion.
On a similar note, if you’re expected to play for a certain amount of time, try to get as close as possible to that requested set length. If for some reason you can’t, discuss it in advance. If you’re unhappy with the size of the audience or anything else about the show, you need to handle that off stage with the promoters and venue. In other words, don’t handle it by leaving the stage eight minutes into your set because you think you deserve better.
5. Don’t Be a Diva
For a live show to really work, it takes a team effort. The people working at the venue and the promoter don’t work FOR you. They work with you. Treat them as such. It’s cool to ask for things you need to make your show great, but your approach makes all the difference. Give them the respect you’d like to have from them, and when things go well, thank everyone. Even if you played the worst show of your life and only five people paid to get in, your good attitude will be in the bank that will help you get another shot at another show.
by harlowmedia | Jan 15, 2020 | Pro Tips
By Sam Wilder
Ok so you want to be in a band (who doesn’t) but there’s some things you need to know in order to build a successful band. We’ll call them rules for the sake of this Pro Tip.
Rule 1: If you are surrounded by musicians who are truly success minded, there are no limits to what you can accomplish.
Rule 2: If you have a band full of unmotivated musicians, the chances of succeeding with your music business are close to 0.
Rule 3: In order to build success for your band, you will need to consistently put out a great deal of effort (this applies even once you’ve begun to “make it”). If your band only contains a couple of people who do all of the work, the amount of work will simply be too much to handle. As a result, the band will likely not achieve real success. Once you start to notice that the other musicians in your band are not putting out much effort to help the band (i.e. not doing homework, showing up late, leaving early) bring this up to them. Tell them that they have only one shot to change their ways. If they don’t, cut them from the band. These people will only drag your band down.
Rule 4: It is common for musicians to talk about becoming successful, but not actually follow up on what they say. Every musician wants to become highly successful in music, but very few musicians will truly put out the effort in order to achieve success. You will run into these kinds of people all the time. People like this will want to join your band, but won’t be able to help your band in the long run (they will only slow down your progress). Steer clear of these types of musicians.
Rule 5: Some musicians make for excellent band members from a purely musical standpoint. However, it is a very common situation that talented musicians actually prevent their band from making progress in music. This is because talented musicians (like any musician) can still be the ‘wrong’ people for your band. If you want to achieve success with your band, you will need to focus on the bigger picture of where your band is going. This means, if someone is the wrong person for your band, you need to let them go (even if they can “play” great).
Rule 6: Finding the right band members may sometimes seem like an impossible task. However, remember that the most dedicated musicians are also looking for you at the same time that you are looking for them. These people are also going through the same difficulties as you, and share the same desire to play in a successful band as you do.
Rule 7: There are many bands that have already achieved high success in music who are unsatisfied with some of their current band members. It is a mistake to assume that because a band is already successful, they are not actively looking to find the right musicians. It is very possible that people from these bands could join with your band instead or even that you could replace a member in their band.
Think about all that you will be able to do once you have found the right musicians for your band. This means being surrounded by musicians who not only “talk big”, but “do big”. These are people who are highly motivated, and work hard on a continual basis to make progress in their music. Once you have these people on your side, you will be totally unstoppable!
