Here are five ways to promote your band. We will cover some of the most popular and effective ways to get people to know about your music and your band. These steps should lead to getting more gigs and festivals under your belt. Promotion should be looked at as part of being a musician because at the end of the day we all want to play our music for the most fans possible.
AUDIO
One of the obvious ways of promoting your band is with good quality recordings. You may want to invest in a good interface with recording software and start producing quality tracks.
Once your band has the budget you should visit your local recording studio and take the quality level up a few notches. Not only will the gear likely be higher quality but the experience of the engineer will make a big difference in your recording.
Take these recordings and use them on your site and send it to friends, family and promoters. You can create a SoundCloud account and do podcasts too!
VIDEO
Make sure that you have videos of your music ready and available. If you can make a production with good audio/video quality then by all means do. The better the production the more likely you are to get the listener to enjoy your music. Even if you have to just film a song of your band playing live on an iPhone - it is better than nothing. Once the video is ready share it on any Social Media sites and Blogs that you can.
INTERNET
A third way to promote is to have a few internet accounts for your band such as ReverbNation.com and a seperate Facebook account for your band. These are very powerful tools to get your band name out there. Join different Facebook pages for local bands. Reach out and become friends with other musicians and bands on Reverbnation and Facebook. There are more sites that will help you get your bands name out there as well. Have fun with it!
GET OUT THERE
A fourth way is to play lots of gigs. Play anywhere and anytime. Meet more bands and get on bills with them too! Immerse yourself in your local music scene and ask different venues about playing there. This is when your video and high quality recordings will be really helpful. Remember the idea is to get your name out there and generate interest in your music.
FLYERS / BUSINESS CARD
Lastly the all mighty flyer, business card and band banner are always a good move. Here is an example of a band using a small banner behind the drummer (some of you may have heard of this band)
Here is an example of a simple band business card. They are inexpensive and lend an air of professionalism.
The flyer is also incredibly helpful and fun. It gives you a chance to spread the word and talk to local businesses and fans about your upcoming event. Here is an example of a typical local flyer.
Those are 5 classic ways to promote your band. Of course, there are infinite ways to promote your band - which makes the music industry interesting!
Keep in mind the end game. You want to play for the most fans so you can build the success of your band.
