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Promote your gigs
Cj
Ok, You have been practicing like crazy, you finally got a gig and you want people to show up to your show. I had a buddy come up to me a few weeks ago needing just this information. His band finally got a gig and they had no clue as to how to get the word out. This could be a problem, but there are things you can do to get the word out.
Reverse networking
The first thing I told my buddy to do was reverse network. This trick really works when you have never gigged before and no one but your best friends have heard you play. So, here it is. Go out and see a few shows were the bands playing sets similar to yours. Take a crew with you with notebooks and pins. This is where the reverse networking comes into play. Just start approaching people and telling them you are putting together a mailing list for upcoming shows. Have as many people as you can give you their name and email address. After two or three shows you should have a pretty large list of addresses from people who like the kind of music you will be playing. The second step to this is actually emailing all these people and telling them about your upcoming show. I have seen this work a bunch of times, and you now have a working mailing list for future shows.
Get in the local paper
My second tip on this is the local media. You need to start making calls and making sure you are including in the local listings for upcoming shows. This includes newspapers, local show guides and the like. Heck, high school and local college newspapers will usually include you too. If someone asks for a press release, meaning copy that you have already put together, now would be them time to start putting together a bio and get some pictures taken. Always ask what the time lines are so you meet print dates. This is also the time to ask if someone from the press would like to attend. It never hurts to have a critique in the weekend edition of the paper.
Print some fliers
Making a cool flier is a must. Have the band get together and make and evening of it. I have always tried to put 4 copies on a single sheet of paper so I can cut them up and have more fliers per page. Put these up wherever you can. Local record stores, guitar shops, coffee shops, the venue you will be playing, car windshields at the local high school and college. Anywhere you can put them, go for it. You probably put your flier together on your computer, so go back to your mailing list and email it out too. If you got a list of cell phone numbers, don't forget to text message your flier. Again, we are working on the anything goes to generate a crowd philosophy.
Your website
If you don't already have a website you should be putting one together. There are hundreds of places you can put one up for free and you don't need to be a tech freak to do it. This is a good place to put up your demo files and a few pictures. Use this site to promote your gig and build a mailing list. How do you use it to build a mailing list? Good question. It is simple really. Have a place for people to email you and save all the return addresses. As well, put up a weekly poll of some sort to generate emails. This way you can ask questions of your fan base and get their email addresses. This also makes you fans feel like they are part of the scene and that you are listening to their input. I don't want to look like I am supporting any specific website business so I'll put this out without dropping any names. There are sights directly marketed to indie-bands, which allow you to put up all your info. If they are free, use them. Put your info up as many places as you can and generate a buzz. The more people who know about you the better.
Ok, that's it for now. There are probably quite a few more things you could do to get the word out, but these are tried and true ways that work every time. Get to work and make the crowds come to you. Until then, I'll see you on stage.
Cj
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