Expert: Terrance Copley - 2/2/2009

Question
Hi,

My boyfriends band has been playing in local clubs and venues for 2 years now and are ready to take the next step in getting their band noticed. We're hoping to setup a show in the LA area and get 100+ fans to show their support and were hoping representatives in the industry would be willing to make it.

We have a few contacts who are willing to come to the shows but I'd like to invite more. Is there a way we can get in touch with individuals who would be willing to see the show for free and possibly talk to the band afterwards? Are there people we can invite who will do reviews in the local papers?

What would you suggest we do in this situation?

Thanks!

Answer
Ok here we go. ........myspace.
If you dont have one...get one. Once you do search MS for music writers in your area, record labels in your area and online radio as well as college radio in your area. You have to get BUZZ going with a great back story about the band so be prepared to write one or tell it. Go to craigslist and post post post. also while there, look for labels ect and invite then to the show. Google local newspapers and get in touch with the music  / entertainment editor. Tell them you wil buy them dinner and drinks if they come out and review your show. Do the same with local college Djs. Do something that attracts attention to the band for promotion and free press like :


The fabulous levels of hysteria surrounding this event have been reduced over time to a dry formula for creative decline. The fact was that Elvis had already succumbed to the Faustian embrace of former Hadacol patent medicine salesman 'Colonel' Tom Parker, as well as signing the fateful movie deal which would condemn him to almost a decade in the creative wilderness, before the celebrated day on 24 March, 1958 when he became US 53310761.



Negotiating his own path through the swirling chaos of his own desires; the letters of fans who wrote begging for clippings from the haircut for which The King had paid 65c out of his own pocket; and the frantic attempts of his manager, the media and the State Department to manipulate events, specialist fourth class Elvis Aaron Presley went on to lay the ground rules for the modern culture of celebrity. As the last line of Alan Levy's fine 1960 account Operation Elvis puts it: 'By pretending he was just like anybody else, the Army had demonstrated to the world The Importance of Being Elvis.'

2. The Sex Pistols mess about on the river (1977)

In the feverishly patriotic atmosphere of Jubilee Tuesday, June 1977, Malcolm McLaren's plan for a river-borne raid on the Mother of Parliaments was a stroke of subversive genius. The good ship Queen Elizabeth meandered piratically up and down the Thames for some hours before acting as a platform for the all-out aural assault that so many local councils had sought to ban.

3. Robert Johnson sells his soul to the devil (circa 1930)

The blues singer's mentor Son House was so dazzled by a dramatic improvement in the playing of his one-time acolyte that his only way of making sense of it was to insist that the younger man had 'sold his soul to the devil'. Johnson's willingness to cultivate this myth through his songs helped his legend endure long after his gruesome death (poisoned by one of many love rivals) in 1938.

4. Madonna publishes a dirty book (1992)

Sex might seem to have marked the nadir of Madonna's attention-seeking, but the book's real purpose would not became apparent till some years later. A repository for all that was cheesy and overdone in her career, the aluminium-and-cardboard soft-porn behemoth somehow cleared Madge's creative decks. A few years of embarrassing BjÀrk cover versions and Evita later, and voilÀ: Ray of Light.

5. The KLF leave the music business (1992)

After opening their show at the Brit Awards with a version of 'What Time is Love?' so cacophonous it caused Sir Georg Solti to abandon his front row seat and run for the exits, Bill Drummond announced his group's departure from the music business while firing blanks into the audience from a working machine gun. Their legend was sealed.

6. Snoop Doggy Dogg distributes Christmas presents (1993)

In a transparent bid to improve his image, criminal suspect Snoop's record company fixed it for him to distribute Christmas gifts at a community centre in South Central LA. This parody of the food parcel distributions that had been one of The Black Panthers' most effective political tactics was the start of a spectacular process of rehabilitation.

7. Michael Jackson's effigy is towed up the thames (1995)

On 15 June, 1995 - 18 years almost to the day after The Sex Pistols' boat-trip - a 10-metre-high effigy of Michael Jackson was placed on a launch and towed under Tower Bridge by a tug. Weighing over 2,000 kilos, the statue had taken 30 people 10 weeks to make and was one of nine commissioned to mark the launch of Jackson's HIStory album.

8. Jarvis Cocker waggles his bottom at the Brits (1996)

When Cocker protested at Michael Jackson's messianic stage show at the Brits by shaking his stringy rump at him, he could not have realised how serious the consequences would be. The night in the cells was one thing - alas, his own ascension to a level of celebrity at which it was impossible to function creatively he found quite another.

9. Super Furry Animals buy a tank (1996)

For the tidy sum of ten grand, SFA promoted their debut album Fuzzy Logic by buying a tank, painting it blue and taking it round festivals with a techno sound-system on board. The tank was sold on to Don Henley of the Eagles a few months - and a great deal of publicity - later for just two thousand pounds less than the band had paid for it.

10. Justin Timberlake's 'Cry Me a River' video (2003)

A girl who looks uncannily like Britney Spears (with whom Timberlake had recently broken up) returns to her house, takes her clothes off and gets in the shower. Meanwhile, Justin videos himself fooling around with a saucy brunette, then freeze-frames the most incriminating shot on a big screen for his ex to enjoy when her ablutions are at an end.

11) The great " Paul is dead " stunt for the Beatles in 1967

The term 'publicity stunt' comes with so much disapproval built into it that it almost requires the prefix 'just a...' From Andrew Loog Oldham encouraging The Rolling Stones to steal the limelight at a reception for Petula Clark to Geri Halliwell embarking on a love affair with Chris Evans in the week prior to release of her single, the idea of imposing a hierarchy on this heritage of shameless grandstanding might seem somewhat gratuitous.


If you take the definition of publicity stunt to be 'something which is done to get attention', and bear in mind that getting attention is the whole point of pop music, then it becomes impossible not to view brazen publicity strategies as an integral part of the creative process. This is no reason to kiss the jackboots of pop's master-manipulators; nor to indulge those who seek to elicit sympathy for the dilemmas of the artist by the making of dramatic gestures (Prince changing his name to a symbol; or The Beatles playing live on the roof of Apple to thumb their collective nose at the screaming crowds that had stopped them playing live).

The best publicity stunts are those that harness the kind of energy which cannot be orchestrated. Some achieve their goals, some the exact opposite; most effect a strange and compelling hybrid of something intended and of something else which wasn't.



You must first pick the right gig. Too often artists do everything they can to book a gig at a club, only to find themselves playing to two men and a dog on a Monday night. This is counterproductive. Chances are you will not be invited back to this club to play a second time.

So it makes sense to build up a following in a more organic manner. Look to alternative venues — house parties, college gigs, churches, even open-mics — to not only refine your live show, but to begin building a fan base. To this end, it's essential that you collect information (email and snail mail) from those who attend your shows. It's often not enough to simply pass around a mailing list. You may want to consider burning a three-song CD to give out to people only if they sign your mailing list. In this way, you're not only giving them an incentive to sign your mailing list, but more importantly, you're giving them a tangible souvenir of your gig (encourage them to burn copies for their friends).

Once you've played enough of these non-traditional (i.e. non club) gigs and have developed a decent mailing list, you can begin thinking about booking a "professional" gig - that is, a gig in a club.

Once you book this gig, your work really begins. You have to not only notify all of those people whose names and emails you've collected about the upcoming gig, but you must also try to maximize the gig in other ways. It's imperative, for instance, that you notify the local media (press and radio) of your upcoming gig, and try and get whatever coverage for the gig you can. This may very well be just a listing in the paper or an announcement on the college radio station, but in addition to being a reminder to those who know your music, it also serves the purpose of putting your (or your band's) name in front of those in the media. Doing this repeatedly will cause them to take notice, and eventually lead to more substantive press and radio coverage.

Of course, you should use the new tools as well. MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites are effective ways to alert people of your upcoming gigs. My only caution regarding these new tools is that you must do the core things (build a following organically, have great songs, etc.) before you will see any sustained long-term benefit from tools like MySpace.

Once you've successfully played a few club gigs, you have to begin timing your gigs. Too often bands over-play their home market. You really shouldn't play your home market (unless you're a GB band, of course) more than once a month (I'd advise once every three months or so). You have to make every gig an event. If you're playing every weekend, it can't be too eventful. What should you be doing during the time between home-town gigs? Get out and play in other cities of course. Repeat what you've done in your home town in the cities within driving distance to you. One way to accelerate this is to find an artist (or band) who is in a similar career place and musical style as you are, and trade opening slots. That is, if you can draw 150 people in your home town, and there's an artist a town over who is stylistically similar to you and can also draw 150 people, you go open for him in his town, and let him open for you in your home town. In this way you can speed the process of developing a following in nearby towns. Keep doing this, in ever expanding circles away from your home base, and pretty soon you'll be touring.

I'll leave you with the one fail-safe way to get more people to your gig: make an emotional connection with them when you play. If you do this, and follow the other guidelines I've listed above, you'll build a real and committed fan base.

For an up-and-coming band every gig is a vital step toward your success. Your shows are where you get the chance to prove yourself. They are your opportunity to do what you do best. A good gig can also have a ripple effect, securing you a loyal fan base and ensuring good crowds at future shows. So when you land a gig, the key is to make it count. Hours of practice and rehearsal won't matter unless you have a decent crowd that can go back and tell their friends how great you are. Your mission is not only to kick ass on stage-but to convince other people to come and see you. Sure, it would be nice to be able to just focus on your music and let someone else handle the promotions, but few unsigned bands have those kinds of resources. It's up to you to get people in the door.

With that in mind, I've put together a list of ways you can make sure you have a full house at your next gig.

1. Start early.

Don't wait until a week before your gig to start advertising. As soon as you have a booking, sit down with the band and come up with a strategy for marketing the show to the public. Remember, you're competing with about a million other things someone can choose to do on a Saturday night-movies, other bands' shows, parties, sporting events. You want to get yourself on the calendar as soon as humanly possible, and give yourself plenty of time to remind people a few times before the show date.

2. Posters, flyers, and cards.

You have to have them. There's no excuse these days not to have cards, flyers, and posters. With the online digital printing websites you can upload your own art, or use their existing art to create marketing materials that are professional and eye-catching. Remember, you're competing with professional bands which have marketing departments and public relations people, so put some thought into it.

One way you can get some great art done for little money is checking out high school and junior college art departments. Some of these young artists would love the chance to do your design work and earn a little cash-and they'll charge you a mere fraction of the amount that a professional graphic designer would.

However, even if you can only go the old-fashioned route of hand-drawing a flyer and photocopying it on eye-catching colored paper, do it.

Make sure everyone in the band has stacks and that they're giving them out, hanging them up, and making them available. Leave them at the record store hang them on community bulletin boards at schools, coffee shops, bookstores and libraries.

3. Get your family and friends involved.

These people can be your best allies as you start your career. People that love you are your cheerleaders. They are going to promote the hell out of your band even if they aren't particularly interested in your style of music. Maybe grandma won't come to a show, but she knows a lot of people and can help spread the word. She's just the type of person who would relentlessly hand out your flyers to everyone and anyone, just because she loves you. Take a stack of flyers to each of your friends and family, tell them how important it is for you to get people to your show, and ask them to spread the word. Unless they still haven't forgiven you for breaking their favorite crystal vase when you were eight-years-old, chances are they'll be happy to be part of your success.

4. Use Myspace, Facebook, and other online social networking tools.

Technology is one of the most powerful tools you have. If you are one of the last five people on earth without a MySpace or Facebook account, get one NOW. Make sure you regularly update the pages with news and show dates, upload MP3's or videos of your songs, and respond when people leave you a message. Look for bands on MySpace with a similar style to yours and go through their "friends" lists-and invite those people to be your friends. You can generate so much interest in your band with regular "farming" of these sites, even people who live in other cities and states can become fans and your impact can quickly go from being local to you having a national presence.

5. Create a press release.

This sounds more complicated than it is. Not just big names can create and circulate a press release. Basically, it is a formal description of something current-like a show or a new CD release-that you can give to different media outlets. Sending a press release doesn't ensure that you will get publicity, but it will definitely get you noticed and the media folks in your town are going to pay attention to your professionalism. Send your press release to entertainment papers; corporate, public, and college radio stations; bloggers and online communities that feature local events.

Check out this site for a description of how to write a professional press release: http://www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp

6. Tell everyone you know-and don't know.

This is not the time to be shy. If you can get up in front of a crowd and pour your blood, sweat, and tears into your performance, you can strike up a conversation when you're out getting coffee and tell people about your show. Think of yourself as a really cool Jehovah's Witness. Have flyers in your pocket and be ready to hand them out any time any place. A personal connection with someone, even for a couple minutes, is more compelling than a thousand flyers stuck to the side of a building.

7. Go to other shows and network.

Get out there and see other shows. Hang out before and after and talk to people about your music. The people you meet at a show are people you know are interested in seeing live performances. Again, making a single personal connection is one of the most effective ways you can generate interest in your music. You can be cool and still be friendly. This is not the time to be stand-offish. In the beginning you can't just rely on your music to attract people, because in the beginning, no one has heard your music. They're going to come to see you.

8. Offer to play a couple songs unplugged at an event to warm up the crowd.

In every city there are about a thousand things going on any given weekend. There are plenty of opportunities to warm up the crowd at a charity, a school play, an art show, or any other number of events. You don't need to drag all the equipment out. Go and play a couple songs acoustic. Give away a couple CDs in a raffle at the event. Ask if you can leave some flyers on the registration table so that when people come in they can grab one with their name tag or program. There are endless possibilities for getting yourself in front of people and giving them a little taste of your music-plus, you might just get to support a worthwhile organization or event.

9. Advertise a giveaway at the show.

People love free stuff. It's just a fact of life. It doesn't even have to be good free stuff, but if you advertise that you are giving something away, there is a much higher likelihood that more people will show up. Give away a couple discs, a couple t-shirts. If you have the cash, give away an iPod Shuffle ($49) or some gift certificates. It is a small investment that will pay off in spades. Make sure you let everyone know-on flyers, on MySpace, and by word of mouth-what you're giving away and when.

10. Open for an established band a couple weeks before the gig.

Be a part of your indie community. Make friends and allies with other bands. If you can open for another band a couple weeks before your gig, you are going to give people a chance to see you in action. You'll have a ready-made audience you can pitch your upcoming show to. Hang out after your performance and work the room while you enjoy the main show and support your friends.

There are so many creative ways to promote your show, and these are just a few suggestions to get you going. Remember, if you don't promote yourself, no one else is going to. Be fearless and let the world know who you are and where your next show is going to be!



Email people - Slightly more personal than the flyers, and usually requires a response. You’re getting people to really come up with a yes or no. Reminding them that you’re a friend too just by emailing them. Not just a generic band generating more flyers to clog their MySpace or emails.

SMS – God’s gift to bands. This is where the grapevine really starts. You SMS everyone in your phone. (A helpful idea is to have a basic msg. and then change the name to the specific person your sending to. It takes a little more time but people will take it more seriously if they think they are being PERSONALLY invited by you.) Tell them bring a friend. The great thing about SMS is they have a forward function so your mates can pass it on. They also have the gig details right there in the palm of their hand should anyone else ask what they're doing that weekend. Hey, Id go myself but i play in clubs everyweekend

Build it and the press will follow.

Goos Luck,

Terry Copley
Ceo
Local Scene Records
www.localscenerecordlabel.com