You Have To Get Noticed To Be Famous, Part 2: Getting Out There

Welcome back, it's time for another edition of "You Have To Get Noticed To Be Famous." It's everyone's favorite blog-in-3-segments-about-how-to-get-your-band-noticed-written-by-a-Tate-Music-Group-A&R-Rep!

Today, Part 2: Getting Out There

Once your band has an identity, you'll want to get your band out there into the public eye. More important than anything, is to know who your audience is. I know that you think your band can appeal to everyone, and I'm not saying that you're wrong, but to start out you need a target audience. A niche if you will. Target the people you KNOW will listen to your music; the people that dress like you, like the bands you like, and go to the shows you go to. This is the most readily accessible fan base for your band starting out. Also, think about your music itself. Why did you write it? What inspired it? There are more than 200,000 independent artists on CD Baby. The bestsellers all have specific stories that tell how they got to where they are. One artist stuck out to me in particular. This artist was not only inspired by, but actually wrote an entire album about sailing. Sure, the album content itself isn't going to skyrocket her to stardom, but she got her album reviewed in a popular sailing magazine, and sales went through the roof. Notice what she did. She marketed the album to the specific niche that she knew she would have a market in by contacting a magazine that appealed only to that niche. A music review in a music magazine, even if it's good, isn't going to do much, if anything for you. If you can put it somewhere that your audience will notice it and it will stand out, then you've got something, particularly if it's a non-music publication, website, etc. Another example is using specific inspiration and marketing it back. I know of a band that was playing a card game at a party one night. The card game led to an eventful night which inspired a song. The band then sent the song and story to the company that created the card game. The company ended up asking if they could post the song on their website. Within a few months, that track alone (keep in mind it was brand new when they gave it to the website) had been downloaded over 5,000 times. Lastly, start piggybacking! Piggyback an artist by covering their song in a very original and new way (with all the appropriate licenses of course, which I will get into in a later post) or even by writing a song ABOUT another artist (I’m not saying you should bring slander or libel into the equation). This will help you appeal to another artist's already established fanbase. There's also the strategy of piggybacking tradition. Look at The Dropkick Murphys. There's not a single Irish or St. Patrick's Day event (or Boston sporting event) that you can go to without hearing something of theirs played. Lastly, piggyback a trend. Need more info? See: Fall Out Boy.


Next on the docket? Playing shows.... Ooh, aah...