© 2011 Vinny Ribas
- You can make YouTube videos at home. Build your own channel. If you play covers, videos of you performing those songs can drive attention to you as an artist. You can then lead your fans to your original music.
- Build relationships on social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn. People who ‘know you’ on a bit of a personal level are much more inclined to spread the word for you.
[private_freebie]
- Send your music to music bloggers.
- Get your CD reviewed, especially by influential reviewers
- If appropriate, offer to license one or more of your songs to a nonprofit for free for use in a promotional video or TV commercial.
- Find good artists on MySpace.com (it’s not 100% dead yet!) and ReverbNation.com that only play covers and submit songs to them. License your backup tracks to them as well.
- Find good cover singers on YouTube and offer them your original songs. License your backup tracks to them as well.
- Send press releases regarding your CD release, your upcoming tour, new band members etc using the many free press release sites.
- Look closely at your song list. Find songs that would fit perfectly with a company/business or affinity group and license it to them for use in commercials or promotions. Think Harley/Born To Be Wild!
- Frequent places where reporters or radio personnel hangout and build relationships. Don’t push your music on them until they ask. They will appreciate it, and will give you a valuable push if they like your music.
- Offer to perform at nonprofit functions and give a portion of your CD sales to the organization. The press you’ll get is priceless.
- Submit your music to internet radio stations worldwide. Use a service like AirplayDirect.com or purchase the Indie Bible (www.indiebible.com) for the contacts. Be sure to offer to do an online interview for them.
- Submit your songs to established, popular podcasts.
- Start your own podcast.
- Put ‘Share’ buttons on your website, especially on the page where your music is.
- Join your local filmmaker and screenwriter organizations and promote your music or songwriting to the members. There are formal organizations for these, and you can often find groups on Meetup.com.
- Speaking of Meetup.com – Join your local music-related groups, including those for musicians as well as for music lovers.
- Ask a company whose products you use to sponsor you, and offer to perform at a trade show for them to attract attention to their booth. You might play for thousands over the course of a weekend. You can offer to do this even without a sponsorship if you’ll reach the right audience.
- Promoter other people’s music. Don’t make it always about you. They will reciprocate!
Build a profile on websites like Gigmansters.com where people look for bands to hire. If nothing else, you may land some new fans![/private_freebie]
