| There you are! You're standing at the microphone, | | | | |
| guitar in hand. You look to your right: Your keyboard | | | | "That's great, but where do I find the people to sign |
| player gives you a nod. To your left, the bass player | | | | up on this list if I'm starting from scratch?" |
| looks back at the drummer. The drummer starts | | | | |
| clicking off the first song. You turn around to face | | | | First of all, I don't believe that any band starts from |
| the crowd that has come just to see you! | | | | scratch! The reason that you got the band together |
| | | | is because someone liked your music! From there, it's |
| There they are, just waiting to hear your unique | | | | word of mouth. Let everyone know about your next |
| stylings and rythmic interpretations of life. Yep..... All | | | | gig, where it will be, what time, the cost (if any), etc. |
| four of them. Your girlfriend, your drummer's wife, | | | | You will get people there. At the gig, have a friend |
| your bassist's dad and that other guy that shows up | | | | hold a signup sheet for your mailing list. Get their first |
| faithfully! | | | | name, last name, and email address. There's you first |
| | | | email list. |
| What's going on? Our music rocks. Our images | | | | |
| works. Our market audience is huge! Where are all | | | | The next day (or that night), make sure you send |
| the people? | | | | out an email to them, thanking them for coming out |
| | | | to the gig and thanking them for signing up on your |
| The Basics of Marketing | | | | mailing list. Also mention any upcoming gigs that you |
| | | | are going to have. |
| Let me share a few simple things that you can do | | | | |
| to build a fan base: | | | | There is the key. Always keep your fans informed |
| | | | on where you're playing in the future. And always |
| First of all, your band is a business. You're probably | | | | give them enough time to plan ahead. If you have a |
| thinking, "If it's a business, then where's the money?" | | | | gig on a weekend (Fri. or Sat.), I would suggest |
| Well, that will come. This article isn't going to teach | | | | sending them an email on Monday or Tuesday. That |
| you how to get rich in a band, just to help you build | | | | way, they have time to plan for the upcoming |
| a good fan base. Anyway, back to the business. | | | | weekend and it's not to early for them to forget. |
| Treat your band like a business and your fans are | | | | |
| the customers. Once you have that mindset, you'll | | | | You may think about upgrading to an online mailing |
| start getting the picture. | | | | list. Fans can submit their info to a form online and |
| | | | they're automatically signed up. All you have to do is |
| Now, every business has a main goal. To Make | | | | send your message out and everyone on the list will |
| Money! The way a business makes money is to sell a | | | | get it. |
| product or service. What's your product or service? | | | | |
| Your music. How do you sell it? A service that you | | | | After awhile, you'll have more and more people on |
| sell is your live performance. People pay fee (cover | | | | your list. As your list grows, your shows will grow, |
| charge or ticket) to hear you play. You would get a | | | | and you will produce more sales. Your business will |
| percentage of sales from the venue you're playing at | | | | grow. |
| (or whatever other agreement you have made). | | | | |
| People will also pay for your product, whether it be | | | | A few resources you might look at are: |
| an album, tshirt, stickers, etc. Now, you've established | | | | - this site was created for bands initially. It provides |
| what you're selling, what's next. | | | | a free profile page where fans can play your music, |
| | | | and learn more about your band. Sign up for free at |
| Businesses strive to drive traffic to their store (or | | | | GigMinder - MySpace Edition - if you're on MySpace, |
| website, phone, etc.) Bands strive to get people to | | | | there is a tool that I created that is actually an |
| their gigs! this is where Marketing comes in. One of | | | | automated mailing list that will automatically email the |
| the simplest ways to get people to come is to build | | | | upcoming weeks performances to your fans every |
| a list and utilize that list. | | | | Monday. Sign up for free at |
| | | | is a company that was started in June, 2006 with a |
| Many businesses will offer free gifts for filling out | | | | simple automated mailing list program called GigMinder. |
| surveys. They'll even ask if you'd like to receive free | | | | GigMinder was created for a musician friend and was |
| coupons in the mail and get their lists that way. Bands | | | | used to remind fans of upcoming gigs for the coming |
| can do the same. One of the most effective lists | | | | week. has made this tool available for all bands and |
| that a band can use is an eMailing list. Fans, sign up on | | | | fans to use for free. is planning on creating many |
| your mailing list to learn more about you and receive | | | | more tools to assist bands in aiding in their everyday |
| updates about what's going on with your group. | | | | promotional and management chores. |