Okay, you have a new album coming out or an important gig to promote. You've identified your ideal media sources. Now it's time to get busy asking for coverage, right? Wrong! There's one important step you need to take before you start pitching yourself to the media. First you need to answer this all-important question: What are you going to say to each media person when you email or call them? Sorry, but "Hey, I want some free press for my band's new album" is not the right answer. You must put some thought into what comes out of your... Continue reading

Looking for a new way to promote your gigs online? You might want to give StereoPoster.com a shot. The service (currently free) allows bands, venues, and promoters to create interactive media players that can be posted or embedded anywhere online -- including social networks, blogs, and websites. A StereoPoster player includes media from the performers, event details, a link to where fans can commit to the event (either through buying tickets or RSVPing), and sharing options. Here's a player that promotes a show featuring The Flaming Lips and several other bands: Give it a shot yourself for free at StereoPoster.com... Continue reading

One of the big questions that self-promoting musicians ask is, "Where should I focus my efforts when it comes to marketing my music online?" In addition to creating digital outposts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and more ... you also need to reach out to websites, bloggers and podcasters who cater to your target audience. But there are so many millions of sites to consider, which ones should you focus on? That's where a little online music marketing espionage might prove to be helpful. What do I mean by espionage? Well, what if you could uncover a list of the prominent... Continue reading

Do you ever get stumped wondering what you should share with your fans, friends and followers online? Do you ever worry about bombarding your followers with too many updates? Artist Growth recently interviewed me about this and many other music marketing topics. In this three-and-a-half minute video I cover: Advice about how often you should post to Facebook and Twitter What to post when you think "I don't have anything to say" (which is a big mistake) How to establish yourself as a valuable authority and resource on your genre Watch other video clips on Vimeo here and within the... Continue reading

This guest post is by Bob Baker of www.TheBuzzFactor.com I know what you're thinking ... "I'm an artist. I'm a performer. Why should I bother thinking about what I can teach my fans? My purpose is to entertain them." True. That is your role. But an equally important activity you should engage in is communicating with your fans in meaningful ways. When done right, that involves more than just promoting upcoming shows and letting people know where they can purchase your music. Whether you know it or not, you have skills, talents, and first-hand knowledge of things that many people... Continue reading

Guest post by Bob Baker of TheBuzzFactor. Apple caused a stir some weeks ago when it launched iBooks Author, a new free app that indie authors and book publishers can use to create multimedia ebooks for the iPad. Another great thing about this development is that Apple is giving content creators a way to take the titles they produce with the new app and sell them (or give them away) in the iBooks Store. What does this have to do with you and your music? You may not be an "author" per se, but another way you can think about... Continue reading

This guest post is by Bob Baker and Kendra Wright of www.TheBuzzFactor.com Every artist should be using online video as part of their promotional toolkit. That means you must set up a YouTube account (also known as a “channel”) if you haven’t done so already. And once in place, your channel must feature new videos on a regular basis. Why? Because video allows you to connect with fans and potential fans in ways that other forms of media can't touch. People experience things through text differently than they do through audio. Video, which combines both audio and visual stimulation, impacts... Continue reading

This guest post is by Bob Baker of www.TheBuzzFactor.com Since 2006, hip-hop artist MC Lars has been a poster boy for indie music success and the DIY work ethic. After a short-lived relationship with Terry McBride and the Canadian record label/management company Nettwerk five years ago, Lars formed his own label, Horris Records. Since then, he has taken his self-described "post-punk laptop rap" and delivered it to a target audience he calls the "iGeneration" -- kids born between 1982 and 2000. A couple of months ago I sent my assistant and ace correspondent Kendra Wright to the St. Louis date... Continue reading