You Can Be a Money-Making Musician in No Time!

Musicians who want to make money with their music need to think about a few more things than just great riffs and solos – they need to take care of the business side of the music business, too. Here is a quick list of the most important things you can do to take your music career to the next level. (Solo artists can replace the word “band” with “yourself”) How To Market Your Band:

#1. Think Like a Marketer. Too often musicians get all consumed with the music side of the business and pay little or no attention to the business side. Remember, it’s called the music business, so if you want to be able to make money doing it, you need to learn to market your band. Also, if you’re the one watching what’s going on, there’s less chance of sharks ripping you off.

#2. Produce a Press Kit For Yourself. Band promotion starts with a good press kit. This can be a physical folder with the band’s photo, member bios, business cards and demo CD, or an online version that you can send via email. Get both if you can afford it. Start with the “e” version first.

#3. Get a Web Presence. These days to promote your band, you simply have to be online. You should have your own web site, as well as be on other band marketing sites, such as MySpace, Facebook and YouTube. Your own site will be where you can keep in touch with fans ad go into greater detail, like music style, genre etc.. The marketing sites are simply to get your band in front of more people and should always have some of your song samples and a links back to your own site.

#4 Build a Contact List of Your Fans. At least get their email, full address is better. Once you have the list, keep in touch with them constantly, telling them what you’re doing , where you’re playing and how much you appreciate them. A good way to collect and manage a fan base is by using Constant Contact. It is an email management tool that also has pre-made templates you can use to send newsletters and email promotions to your fans.

#5 Have Product to Sell to Your Fans. At a minimum have some of your recorded music to sell either on CDs or flash drives. You should also get T-shirts, hats and sweatshirts made that you can sell at your gigs and on your web site. You can set up an online retail store selling stuff with your band’s logo on it at cafépress.com. The best part is, no set up fee!

It might not have occurred to you when you started your band just how much work it is to promote your band and book shows. Most bands spend all of their time practicing music and perfecting their look, without doing the legwork for promotions. When it comes time to book gigs, they are unpleasantly surprised to find out just how much work is involved in getting your band to the top. Getting gigs, promoting, and making money is a time consuming and difficult job, and if band members have day jobs or families, it could be nearly impossible. Evaluating your band’s goals may help you decide if it’s worth it to hire a manager.

For a beginning band, money is tight. There are already expenses like equipment, promotional products, and recording fees. Getting gigs and making money are necessary to paying for those expenses. Promoting your band is a big job, though. Your band needs to make a game plan. You should decide how quickly you want to expand, and get a realistic idea of your resources. If you want a fast track to popularity, hiring a manager might let you focus on other priorities than promotions. A manager is responsible for handling the business end of the band. Because most managers make a percentage of the profits of the band, a band manager’s goal is to make as much money for your band as possible. He will assemble press kits, promote your band, network with booking managers at venues to get gigs, and possibly handle your website or social networking. A band manager is a professional at cultivating the right image and offering advice on business decisions your band should make.

Hiring a manager might maximize the exposure your band gets, but they also cut into your profits. Managers will negotiate contracts with venues, and take a commission from the money your band earns. You may have to pay for other services as well. If you make the decision to hire a manager, your band should have a serious discussion about what you hope to accomplish, and make those decisions clear to the manager you choose. Be firm with your manager about your band’s goals, and don’t waver from them. If the integrity of your music is your number one priority, you need to make sure your manager supports your philosophy. Managers can boost the business of your band, but their main goal is to make you money, so they will push your band to act accordingly. Your manager should complement the chemistry of your band, not tear you apart.

Promotions can be overwhelming and time consuming. If your band doesn’t have the time or the desire to promote and work on getting gigs, a manager might be your best choice. Band managers can boost your exposure and make you more money, but they may also have a different agenda than your band. Choosing the right band manager and staying true to your goals will help your band make the most of what a band manager can do for you.

These are questions I get asked every day, so I thought it would be nice to put all the answers together for you into one place.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions):

What do I look for in a MP4 player? A). As players use flash memory, you can drag and drop songs and video directly from your PC fast, then take it on the bus, train, jogging or use the MP4 technology to watch videos or training videos anywhere. Many players have high gain microphones for there built in Dictaphone, letting you create MP3 files for later use, ideal for lectures and meetings. Where do I find best value for money? A). Find a company who directly import products from China, Japan, etc. but offer a UK warranty e.g. the UK Company who sold you the product are duty bound to replace it if faulty, It’s also good to check that the company have a support forum as you can get great tips and advice also be notified of free software upgrades. What is the Memory Scam? A). Many people who purchased MP3 / MP4 players on-line purchased for example a 2gig model, when they put songs or films onto the flash memory, the device never worked, when they re-format it, turns out it’s actually a 1gig product, this happens on many auction sites and bad companies. What are the best options for headphones? A). Many headphones that sit in your ear can be low quality, however some sites supply you with noise cancelling headphones that block loud noises such as buses and trains, giving you the high quality you want.

This article will address some of the many reasons why your band is missing out if they haven’t yet set up a MySpace profile.

One of the main reasons you should get your band onto MySpace is that its free of charge to promote your music and you can gain instant recognition for your music and build a substantial fan base which could lead to you being discovered by a major label or give you the ability to sell your debut album a lot faster.

Many Bands are already utilising MySpace so if you don’t already have a MySpace profile then the chances are that you will need to learn how to work the basic functions quickly so that you don’t waste any more time getting your band name out there and sharing your music will the millions of MySpace users that are just a click away.

One thing that many bands simply skip over is that you can embed other elements of promotion into your MySpace profile, for example many bands simply use the MySpace comment and bulletin system to announce things such as album launches and dates of their latest gigs.

Most bands don’t realise the power of embedded a newsletter opt-in form on their profile, this allows you to collect e-mail addresses of your closest fans, this will you allow you to e-mail them the latest news on your band and you can sell them something directly via e-mail.

I’m sure if you implement this you will be ahead of most of your competition that don’t make full use of MySpace as a promotional platform.

Music is a business. You have to decide how seriously you want to pursue your personal enjoyment versus making money. This is not to say that you can’t have both and sometimes if you plan carefully you can have a rewarding experience in every way.

Many of you have played music on different levels and it’s good to talk to other musicians to get ideas and learn from their experience. Some musicians are happy to rehearse together only, some are happy to do cover songs and others write and play original content and go for the big time. No matter what you decide, the planning of your endeavor is a most often ignored and important part of your success.

MUSICAL STYLE

Rock, Country, R & B, Classical, Jazz, and other styles of music target certain audiences. You can have a mixture of these styles and you really should determine what it is that you want to play. Do you want to do cover songs, originals, or a mix? Before you can move on to selecting band members or plan rehearsals give it all some careful thought. How much time do you have to devote to your music?

The talent level you have and the type of music you want to play are determining factors in how long it will take to get your act off the ground. Take a look at the venues that hire musicians to play the style you select and see how often they play. If you can keep your band together long enough, you may be able to select a few different styles so you can keep working and get to play your favorites. You may only have Rock and Roll or Blues in your veins and there is nothing wrong with doing the music you enjoy the most.

The audience will pick up on the enthusiasm or indifference you have no matter what level of musicianship you have. You have a “feel” for the music you play and you need to “get it off the stage”. This can only be done if your style fits your talent level and the amount of time you want to dedicate to your music.

Locally, some styles may be more or less competitive than others. New Rock styles vary in complexity and sound. Expect to pay some heavy dollars for equipment and lights. Oldies and Classic Rock may not have many clubs to play but there are many other “gigs” out there to keep an Oldies band quite busy. Country music is revived and in some areas you can play a lot, especially with a mix of old and new country. Jazz and Classical have limited venues and a select number of musicians generally dominate the local jobs. Original music might be more fun to play and more rewarding than doing cover tunes. Make sure you protect your songs legally and again, make sure the whole band is into the style.

You may already have another job and play music on the side. Don’t make it like work. If you don’t enjoy your music, change your circumstances. Select a style that you can “get into” and enjoy. Your audience will be more responsive if you do.

1. The Libertines
2. Blur
3. Goldfrapp
4. David Holmes
5. Richard X
6. Girls Aloud
7. Franz Ferdinand
8. Joss Stone
9. Mr Scruff
10. The Coral
11. Coldplay
12. Sugababe
13. Dizzee Rascal
14. Martina Topley-Bird
15. Broadcast
16. The Streets
17. David Bowie
18. Cinematic Orchestra
19. Basement Jaxx
20. Harvey P J
21. The Radiohead
22. Mis-Teeq
23. Robert Wyatt
24. Petshop Boys
25. Beth Gibbons
26. Spiritualized
27. Lone Pigeon
28. British Sea Power
29. Fallacy
30. The Darkness
31. Muse
32. Chemical Brothers
33. Lemon Jelly
34. Roots Manuva
35. Four Tet
36. Rishi Rich
37. Hundred Reasons
38. Sebastian and Belle
39. The Furry Animals
40. Selfish Cunt
This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 29th, 2008 at 4:44 am and is filed under Bands.