By ROBERT HALIWAY
It seems that the competition in the music industry is getting fiercer every day. The number of artists in the market is almost innumerable. For this reason, both record companies and the performers themselves must be aware that the most important thing to do is to promote your band, the artist or a special concert you are organizing. Especially if you are just starting in this highly competitive world, name and brand awareness are key.
For music promotion there are several options. Both online and offline tools can help get the name or event known. We will share some accessible options in this article. Keep reading and make the most of them.
Offline Music Promotion
The first thing that pops in most peoples head when speaking about offline music promotion is creating flyers and posters to announce a performance. Printing services can help you make your own design so it best fits your style. Also take your target group into account to design something that speaks to them. And gets their attention.
For the distribution of the material you can think about places like universities, music venues in your city or at the exit of other concerts your target group visits. Just check if you need a permit to hand out flyers or stick posters on places and walls. When speaking about offline promotion and printing services, stickers, flags, t-shirts and other clothes like hoodies are also good promotion options. And don´t forget to use friends and family for word of mouth spread of the news. Finally, take advantage of media that have sections to promote (new) artists.
Andrew Bansal of Metal Assault and His Promotions
In a highly populated area, posters are important, said Andrew Bansal, owner of Metal Assault in Los Angeles. He has a successful online music publication and books hot bands in Los Angeles.
“In an extremely competitive Los Angeles live entertainment market, it is of utmost importance for concert promoters in any genre to ensure that their event promotion gets as much visibility as humanly possible,” Bansal said.
“Online ads on platforms such as Facebook have become the new trend, but old-school physical ‘flyering’ still holds its place, and any event promotion is incomplete without it,” Bansal said. “As a promoter of hard rock-heavy metal in Los Angeles, I give a lot of emphasis on flyering at venues, and at busy music hubs like Amoeba Records. Thousands of people visit that store every day, and even if a small percentage of them look at your flyer, you are increasing your chances of a successful event.”
Online Music Promotion
In these digital times it is important to also have an online presence. If you don´t have an online presence you can almost say you don´t reach the majority of the public. Social networks are a fundamental tool to use. Facebook and Instagram can be used to your advantage to reach your audience. Both with a page for the artist or band, as well as creating events for a concert or special performance. If you want to get to even more people, promoted advertisement can help you as well. The design you made for the offline promotion can also be used online.
A visually attractive design gives us the opportunity to share on different channels to gain an integral brand image. Use a hashtag with your posts that draws attention and invite people to use the same hashtag. And let´s not forget YouTube. You can create an account for a group for example and upload your video´s here for free. You song, cover, demo or video clip can be shown, thus reaching millions of users who connect every day. Another platform to connect with potential fans and create an audience is Soundcloud. Share your album or single to reach interested parties.
Make the most of all the available promotion opportunities for an artist, a band or a concert and get known in the large pool with (new) performers. Combine both online and offline tools to reach the largest group of people.