Promote Yourself, Your Band and Your New Release creative, low-cost ideas and techniques you can start using right away put them into action today! something newsworthy

Ho hum another release, so what? So what's different, unusual or noteworthy about you and your music? Catch the attention of a music editor.with a news hook that makes it stand out. So what's your news hook? Does your band name or new CD title have a significant meaning? Have any of your members won awards, done brave deeds or accomplished anything noteworthy (they don't have to be music-related)? Do the lyrics to any of your songs tie in with a current event or trend? Always be on the lookout for fresh news hooks surrounding your music and then hammer them home to the media. Here's a sampling of potential news hooks and how to use them:

Have you received a letter from a public figure? Could you write to someone well known and request that they write to you? Another option: When a famous author comes to your town to do a book signing ... buy the book, get in line and ask him or her to write a special inscription - such as "Screaming Walrus Rocks! -Tolstoy." Make photocopies of the signature and leverage it to get as many plugs in the media as you can.

Get a blurb in a local paper regarding its upcoming appearance on a regional music video program. This is a smart ploy. Most music people celebrate when they get the media to cover them. And then stop.use success with television to lure the print media into also giving them a plug. Use this cross-media technique with radio and Internet media sources, too? Use every achievement as a stepping stone to your next marketing move. If done right, it's a never-ending process.

Do you have an alternate career path you've either put on hold or are doing as a day job? If so, how can you squeeze some media exposure out of it? If the usual music papers and columnists don't nibble, what about trade publications or company newsletters associated with your other line of work?

Pulled over by state troopers searching for drugs.Call your tour "Got Weed?" Take a frustrating situation and turn it into a promotional device. What awful things have happened to you lately? And how can you turn them into a newsworthy advantage for you and your music?

Bands can pool their efforts and produced a calendar. Each month feature a photo of a different act with humorous events that happened to each band on various dates.

get a blurb written because your band has a cross platformed interactive CD with video, songs, a website and a video game on a new, enhanced CD format. Do you have a unique way of presenting yourself?

Persuade your local mayor to declare the last weekend of July as Free Concerts in the Park Day." and get backers to help.

A radio station garnered press when it lined up some semi-well-known artists to perform an acoustic concert for charity. What worthy cause could you support?

Got a few extra pounds? Put on a promotional workout at a local fitness club. The gather media for photos and video of sweating to the sounds of their new single. Remember, have fun!

Blurbs, short takes and mentions equal exposure for you

Some people call them blurbs. Others call them short takes or brief editorial mentions. Whatever name you give them, they can add up to extra media exposure for you and your music. Feature stories and record reviews are great - and you should pursue these rich avenues of media coverage regularly. But what most music marketers overlook are the great opportunities that exist with musical gossip columns, scene reports, industry updates, studio news and more.

Every week, thousands of magazines, newspapers, web sites and fanzines around the world need to fill certain editorial sections with short, music-related items of interest. Since they're not especially prominent, these sections are ignored by bands and record labels. How foolish. Column blurbs for ideas of angles to get regular (and beneficial) editorial mentions. Any press. Any special occasion - no matter how trivial it may. seem to you - can be leveraged into a reason for a columnist to give you a plug. put together a rock show package tour. Combine your efforts with other bands, record labels or a group of sponsors - and adding a theme - opens the door to more exposure. Bands aren't the only subjects to get mentioned in the press. Formed a new label, distribution company, charity, studio - whatever? -a prime candidate for coverage. Written up after making an appearance at any Festival. Press for being on a compilation CD featuring local bands. write-ups regarding its new musician's in your group.. Some rock and roll websites and newspapers take unsolicited reviews of live shows like ROCK CITY NEWS.COM as long as it's relevent to thier area and/or genre'

More ideas

Product placement and gimmicks. write a song called "Sucker" and include a lolipop in a promo pkg.cost? the whopping sum of three cents each. Because the packages would be so light, there is no additional cost for mailing them. Across the country, radio program directors and DJs could fight over who was
going to keep the tasty treat, and a song could end up charting."

This creative marketing ploy could be enough. But why not give away lolipops "At a free summer festival show, In hot weather, you could serve filtered icewater as well for all. Maybe have cold soda for the Music Industry participants.

In-store appearances at record store locations with give away of free cassette samplers with a coupon for a $2 mail-in rebate that customers could get if they came back and buy the band's full-length CD at the store.

So what are you doing that's fresh and different to promote yourself as an artist? Not sure what creative marketing strategy to try next? Try this: Get your pen and notebook. Brainstorm every possible angle for a creative hook. Consider the name of your band, the title of your new CD, maybe even the subject matter of individual songs. Also think about current events and good causes you feel strongly about. Ask yourself: "How can I take these details about my music and transform them into a newsworthy and attention-getting story?"

Combine with others to create event Don't wait around for music marketing opportunities to come to you. Instead, create your destiny by taking matters into your own hands. Nowhere is this more powerful than with music events you conceive and organize along with other people. To illustrate the point, here are some possible avenues to pursue:

Throw a listening party. Find a nightclub or record store that's supportive of local music. Ask for a date to hold a new music listening party. Then get a group of bands together that have put out new CDs recently. On the night of the listening party, pick someone to emcee (maybe you) and introduce one band at a time, then play one or two tracks off each band's CD. At the end of each group's segment, you could have audience members ask the band questions. Offer free (or cheap) food and drinks and discounted prices to anyone who wanted to buy any of the CDs that night. Promote this as a safe, quick musical buffet for consumers who want simple local music without having to hop from one beer-soaked club to another.

I wish more bands used this concept. Present a collaborative, multi-act unplugged show. Sure, you could present an acoustic performance with other musicians at a nightclub or record store. The format works ... " lists have done the same thing. It might be even more interesting to take a chance and do it at an unexpected venue. Possibilities: art galleries, skate shops, hip clothing stores, leather shops, recreation centers, shopping malls, new age retailers, book stores, etc.

Once again, get a number of other acoustic acts on the bill and make sure the manager of the location is comitted to actively promoting the event. Come up with a newsworthy theme and - combined with the offbeat location - you might have a nice angle with which to lure the media into covering it.

Tie into an already existing show don't have to reinvent the wheel to cash in on events. You can always contact the organizers of already established events and ask if you could help them add a musical element. That way, they look good and you get exposure. Think about the many annual events in your region. Which ones would benefit from your talents and creativity?

Hot tip: If you can't formally get connected to an existing event, consider presenting an unofficial party at a nearby location. Many artists and labels do this during major conferences such as South by Southwest.

Sneak into media exposure through the side door

Check out syndicated radio show called Tech Talk (which is also broadcast on the Internet). The program features people who use modem technology in various fields. Past guests have included Tom Clancy, Kurt Russell and Todd Rungren. Laurie Z was invited to discuss how she's used technology to create her music and market herself. The main thing to note in this example is that a musical act is getting media exposer a non-music show - a valuable lesson for us all. How many potential avenues of promotion are you overlooking because you don't see an immediate connection between what various media cover and what you produce?

Here are some possible angles for different genres: A Musician could hook up with a psychologist or music therapist to discuss the stress-reduction benefits of mellow jazz music. A traditional blues player who has either lived through or learned a lot about regional music history could pitch himself as an expert on local culture. A punk or metal band member could become an advocate for safe mosh-pit etiquette and offer to enlighten kids and their parents on common-sense advice when attending concerts. A rap singer might be able to shed light on why teenagers join gangs to survive on the streets. A country music player and a fitness instructor and espouse the virtues of line dancing as a fun form of exercise. Become a music trivia expert. Do you know way too much about the Beatles? Or Elvis? Or the '50s, '60s or '70s? Or some other musical niche? If so, appoint yourself to be your area's media consultant on the topic.

Bottom line: You no doubt have many media exposure angles you have yet to use to your advantage. Here are more music marketing tips to consider: Keep in touch with your contacts. Make sure that at least every six weeks your
fans and industry contacts get a phone call, post card, e-mail or other new offering from you. Are you staying in touch with these people now? Your goal should be to put your name and musical identity first and foremost in the minds of the people who are in a position to support you. Tip: Come up with a schedule that would accomplish more frequent contact with the people who matter most to your career.

Keep your eyes open for ideas. Listen to what types of things people complain about, and then provide a solution to their problem. For instance, members of the Chicago band Cool Beans heard music fans complaining about all the negative, angst-ridden lyrics in modem rock songs. Since they play upbeat altema-pop, they started using the phrase "Energetic new rock & roll... without the angst!" on all their fliers. Doing so positions them as the "alternative" to gloom rock. And they might not have used that approach if they hadn't listened to what people were saying. Spell out your music for potential new customers. New age artist John Huling puts a brief description of his music on the back of his CDs. By doing so, even customers who haven't heard his music can get a quick synopsis of what his style 's all about. There is nothing wrong with indie artists putting review quotes and testimonials from happy fans on the back of CD sleeves and cassette J-cards. Just be picky about which ones you use, focusing more on the quotes that spell out the heart of your musical message .

Make a commitment to do something every day to promote your music. If a day goes by that you don't do at least some small act to promote your music, you're cheating yourself. And the promotional action you take doesn't have to be earth-shattering. Simple actions are effective too. Ultimate success in music comes about as a result of the small steps you take consistently on a daily basis. Pick something covered in this chapter every day and put it to use. Doing so will earn you more fans, more notoriety and more clout now ... and throughout the year!

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