Are You Killing Your Music Career Before it’s Begun?

Fundamental Tips on Music Promotion

Last time we looked at some helpful sites to kick-start your music online (click here to read). Today I am going to plunge into the stickiest of topics:  promotion.  Now that you’ve created your social networking accounts and joined numerous music sites along with creating your own webpage — you are ready for the world to hear your fine creations.

Before you go in guns blazing, please stop to consider these 5 important points.

Did Your Mom Date a Tycoon?

Building up interest takes work – put the idea out of your head that someone will miraculously discover you. This only happens once in a blue moon, when pigs are out circumnavigating the globe (or if you have friends in very high places).

If you are reading this, then the chances are that you neither have farmyard animals propelling themselves gracefully past your window, nor did your mother used to date Richard Branson in high school.

Here are some essential tips that you need to consider when furthering your musical career.

• Integrity – your modesty and quiet confidence will win the day. However, if you are harbouring a bombastic, slightly egotistical persona, you will impale yourself in this business — which brings me to the next point.
• Stop!  If you are a musician who loves to use the phrase ‘check out my song’ — cease and desist now.  It is the oldest and most transparently unoriginal phrase you could ever bring your tedious fingers to type.  It’s outworn, outdated and should be outlawed. You are creating a bad name for yourself already, but there is hope (see next point).  No-one likes someone who is out for themselves, if you still can’t get this I suggest you try to write it out 100 times just to make it sink in!  When you are out there creatively promoting yourself make sure that you also take the time to listen to, comment on, share and give constructive advice to other musicians.  This will build credibility and give you a good name.  You will also earn some really sumptuous brownie points (and you could make some great connections and friends this way too).
• Start — you need to start selling your music with charm and style.  A good place to start is to define your genre, it is important to find the category your music slots into. When you do this you will know who your target audience is and this is vital.  Why?  Because you wouldn’t try to sell ladies lingerie to a 67-year-old male pig farmer (or in this day and age, maybe this is not such a good example?) — this would be wasting your valuable time.  Let’s try another analogy:  a person on the Ladies Auxiliary for Crocheted Hats will probably not want to listen to your latest dub-step sample.  So there is no difference when it comes to your target market.  What age are they?  What type of music do they listen to?  What sex are they predominantly?  Be specific and then visualize that person (ticking all the above categories) when you are writing up a sales pitch (even if it is a tweet).  Another handy tip would be to offer something of yours for free.  For example:  put up a free song download on your site or facebook page as bait.  You’ll be surprised how this fishing technique works as opposed to the wrong type of angling activity — phishing.
• Details — essentially before you begin any kind of self-promotion, you need to have an idea of who you are, what your music says and what sets you apart from others.  If you haven’t got a clue then, I guess, a 40 day desert retreat may help.  You have to ask yourself that ultimate question:  Why should someone listen to my music?  What have I got to offer them that they can’t get elsewhere?  How is my music going to better their life experience?  Know your strengths and play to them — use them with dignity and poise.  This way you will gain respect and not irritation.
• Humility — the last point is probably the most important.  Be humble in all your undertakings.  I know it might seem like most rock stars are bombastic, vain and self-absorbed pratts and they may have even made their careers because they threw humility to the wind.  But, seriously, that form of fame is making a quick exit.  Nobody likes a dickhead, accept, of course, other dickheads.  If that is your target market, then by all means continue.  If you want to rise above the smoky cesspits of drugs, sex and bad manners, then you have to be 100% in your integrity.  Own what you have to offer, be self-assured about your music and its message and then confidently share it with the world.

Let’s See if You Made the Grade

I hope these markers have ingrained themselves into your psyche.  But just to make sure,  I am going to be showcasing 2 musicians in my next blog — your chance for a bit of free publicity.

If you want to apply, you are going to need to write to me and show how much you’ve learned.  I also want to see how well you read, so here are the instructions — if you don’t read it properly or miss out on one of the fundamental steps above, your e-mail is going straight into the trash folder (you have been warned).

1. Send me one song, make it your best (use the ‘contact’ button above to e-mail or CLICK HERE).  If you send more than one song, your e-mail will be deleted.
2. I am only accepting Soundcloud links to your song.  Please don’t e-mail MP3’s to me.  If you don’t have a Soundcloud account, sign up here — it’s quick and easy.
3. Define your genre in the e-mail as well as a short paragraph about yourself and what sets you apart (remember your humility lesson here).
4. Sell the song you have submitted — what is it about and why is this your best song to date?

The top 2 chosen musicians will be showcased in my next blog.  Due to the volume of participants, I will not reply individually to each e-mail received.  Please check back in at the site to see the results, or easier still, why not sign up and follow this blog to get updated instantly.

Good luck!

10/12/2012 – Song Submissions are now closed. Thank you to all who have written and submitted their songs. Please check our next blog in the first week on Jan 2013 to see who will be featured.