How To Market Yourself
Fledgling musicians need to market themselves, whether it's to find a fan base, professional contacts and allies, bookings, or a recording contract. In other words, marketing can be significant in the service of one's art. So it's important to be aware of some techniques that can be useful in the real world as well as the realm of social media, in order to sell your music and persona.
There are certain traditional ways for a musician or band to get attention in a crowded marketplace, and they include sending a homemade demo CD/video or mp3/video links to local booking agents for potential club dates and producers or A&R people for possible mentorship (as in ISINA's mentor program) or recording contracts; befriending more established performers of similar styles or genres who might add you to a concert bill as an opening act; finding an offbeat venue and producing your own live show; and doing street promotion about that gig, your music, or just your act in general with handout leaflets and flyers. It helps to have a catchy band name, logo or image for that sort of under-the-radar advertisement, so if you know anyone with graphic art skills, see if you can enlist their help in developing a customized campaign to get people aboard your bandwagon, so to speak.
Of course, the rise of the digital arts and the proliferation of websites including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and SoundCloud have given us new ways to market. Call it 21st century brand-building. If you're a musician and don't have accounts at the aforementioned websites, you would be wise to acquire them. Then, use your dedicated pages or channels at those sites to raise your Internet presence and profile by linking to music you've made that presents you in the most appealing, impactful and/or commercial light, regardless of your specific brand and sound. And be sure to "follow" music industry movers and shakers and taste-makers with the hope and expectation that they will reciprocate and expand your social network with their own followers.
YouTube is a particularly crucial tool in most contemporary artists' efforts to spread the word about their music. With a web-cam, a great song, and a passionate performance, careers (those of Carly Rae Jepsen and Justin Bieber, for instance) have been built on YouTube videos that go viral. Such success is rare, but smart marketing can give a budding talent the chance to be heard and grow an audience.
