Fifteen free music promotion tips
1. Give it away: You'll have to give your music away at the
start. Put MP3s on your website or at least have the facility to hear whole
songs. People won't buy CDs or downloads unless they have a clear idea of what
to expect from them. The thing about posting samples is that people will play
them once, think 'that's nice' and move on. People will download MP3s and
listen to them frequently if they're a good match for their taste. These are
the listeners most likely to become customers. There is no way - in this world,
or the next - that a new act will sell CDs on the basis of lyrics and
photographs.
2. Get your MP3 tags right: If people rediscover your MP3 in
their iPod or hard drive months later, make sure they can still track you down.
Make sure your artist name and song name appear in the appropriate tags of the
MP3, and put your website address in for the album name. Try to put your
website address in the filename too.
3. Get into a box: We all like to think we're special and
unique, but that's a hard sell. Don't be afraid to put your music into an
appropriate category (rock, pop, folk, electronica etc) and to spread it far
and wide all over the web through distribution websites. These are good at
pointing listeners in the right direction when they're looking for something
new.
4. Have your own website: While community sites play their
part, it's easy to get lost in a vast catalogue. Build your own website,
promote it and attract a following. Buy your own domain name too - when MP3.com
changed ownership, lots of bands saw their online presence vanish overnight.
They had no claim to the website hosted by MP3.com they had spent years
promoting. If you've got your own domain name, you can always change where it
points to later, and keep ownership of the incoming visitors.
5. Have a story: When people arrive at your website, you've
still got to encourage them to stick around to listen to some music. Think
about what your angle is. What do you write about? What kind of mood do you
create? Why are you different?
6. Solicit testimonials: Ask your customers to write reviews
of your music. Get them to post reviews on the community sites that accept
reviews and ratings, and put reviews on your own site. If you get press
coverage, use it! It adds credibility to your website.
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7. Build a community: People will keep coming back to your
site if they can meet like-minded people there and talk to them.
8. Be business-like: Whether you want listeners to pay you
directly or a major label to shovel money your way, you're being paid for a
service. So attend to enquiries promptly and maintain good relations with your
customers. It's easier to sell a second album to people who bought the first
than it is to find a whole new audience for the new album. Think of ways to
delight your listeners: offer a 14 day guarantee on CDs to stimulate sales (the
EU distance selling directive grants this to online shoppers anyway) and send
fans a new MP3 on their birthdays.
9. Take control: Don't wait for success to happen to you.
Build an audience. Whether that's a substantial mailing list, email list or gig
audience, it doesn't matter. As long as it's people who have asked to hear from
you and are likely to buy your album, it's a valuable asset. The best way to
grab a record company's attention is by becoming successful independently.
10. Gig: If you're in the business of gigging, put
information for people who might want to book you on your website. Publish the
kinds of events you're happy to play and provide a phone number for more
information. Again, be business-like.
11. Keep it simple: music marketing has a lot to do with
image, but some websites put this before the music. Don't forget people are
there to read about you, listen to your work, see your photos and interact with
you. They're not usually there to watch a 5 minute animation before they can do
any of that. The easier your site is to use, the more likely it is to sell
music. Simplicity pays.
12. Make it easy to pay you: Take cash at gigs and in local
record shops, cheques by post, credit cards online. How easy can you make it
for customers to buy your album?
13. Network: If you're trying to get the attention of music
journalists and record labels, the best way to do this is by getting a personal
introduction. Meet people at concerts, industry events and through fan events
for similar bands.
14. Recognise taste: Not everyone will like your music, so
concentrate your energy on finding those who will. This applies to listeners,
journalists and record labels equally.
15. Educate yourself: You might find my book Small Business
Websites That Work useful in planning, setting up and operating your online
business. If you don't take your band's website seriously as a business
opportunity, it's always going to remain a hobby.
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