Live Music Blog

(For the purpose of this article I’m going to make a couple of assumptions before I go any further. They are that you have a little bit of vocal or musical instrument knowledge and that you furthermore have a fledgling network of companions and contacts)

Starting up a performer is a wonderfully interesting time in a artists life. There is a fine balance of nervous anticipation and the fear of the unknown that follows the whole process.

A band has a divergent dynamic than working as a solo artist. There are other individuals involved, other individual ities, other strengths and weaknesses in character and abilities and because of this it’s really vital that you’ve several things worked out before you start looking for band members.

1. Have a good idea of your own strengths and weaknesses

The band members that you want to get will need to be around the same level of competence as you are. The central reason for this is that you may all grow together rather than have one or two artists carrying any person else. This kind of player imbalance causes doubt in the group and doubt is one of the major killers of bands.

2. Know beforehand how the band is going to be run

Is the performer going to be run by you or the whole group? The individual ity categories of the artists that you choose will need to be agreeable to the way the performer is going to be run.

3. What instrumentation is the band having in its lineup?

This is mainly determined by the type(s) of music that you want to play but having an idea of what performers you’re looking for will be of exceptional advocate.

It is now time to hunt down some band members

4. Ask your network of companions and/or contacts

This is always a good place to start. Ask everyone that you know or come into contact with. If you don’t have much of a circle of companions and/or contacts this will be a amazing occasion to expansive n it. This is one of the reasons why networking in the industry is so necessary, for occasions such as this.

Having a musician referred to you has a much better opening of working than one that comes from an advertisement. This leads me onto my next point.

5. Post an advertisement

Having said that I’ve had made some great contacts from performers enquiring from a ‘muso wanted’ ad. The key to effective ads is that they need to be concise, to the point, not too lengthy and put in places where performers are eminently like ly to see it and read it like in a music shop, a Regional music magazine or a music classifieds web site.

A sample ‘ musician wanted‘ advertisement might read something prefer this:

BASS PLAYER WANTED

To join folk/rock band

Influences include

Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Counting Crows

Some experience like red

Own gear and transport essential

Interested?? Give me a call

Corey – (put home and/or cellular telephone number here)

As you might see, the ad is clear in its intention.

It obvious ly states the artist wanted, the type of music the band is playing, what the music may sound prefer and that the band has some experience behind it. Make sure you have a obvious contact name and phone numbers (if you want to include an email address as well that’s cool).

Don’t put in stuff prefer ‘work waiting‘ or ‘no time has been ters please’. You may judge those sort of things yourself when an interested musician contacts you.

Once you’ve done that the waiting game begins.

Virtually all individuals would say the first thing to do is to find a name for the band. Lets start from there s venue we??

The auditions are over, you have found your bass player and you all seem to get along really well. The excitement is in the air and you have had your 1st performer bonding celebration.

Now its time to start your musical journey together.

Personally, I think that locating a performer name is THE hardest decision that the performer will ever have to make and therefore one of the the majority necessary decisions as well.

A performer name is a remarkably necessary part of the artists identity. It’s the 1st point of contact a punter has with the band.

Does this conversation sound familiar to you?

Them: “Hey, I saw this cool performer last night. You gotta check them out”

You: “Cool, what was the name of the band?”

Them: “Ummmmmm……. I don’t know”.

Arrrrrgh!!!! I get that all the time.

I can’t recall how a lot of times individuals have raved about a performer to me but can’t tell me the name when I ask them. Right there is the has been ted opening for a band. It frustrates me no end.

This is a best example of how extremely necessary a performer name is.

The performer name is the 1st thing that a punter will remember. They will not address the performer by the names of the individuals in it when they talk to their friends (unless they’re individual friends of yours) they will address the performer by its name.

The optimum way to find a band name is through sheer persistance. Locating a band name that’s agreeable by everyone isn’t an simple task.

Here are some performer name party suggestions:

1. Get every member to write down their personal list of potential band names

This can be the 1st task that the band may do collectively. performance a date for the 1st band meeting and amidst now and then do that task.

2. Make brainstorming performer names the topic of your first ever performer meeting

When anybody gets together put all of the lists out on the table and go through each one keeping to one side the names that’strike a chord’ (sorry about the pun) with all of you and getting rid of the rest.

As a group try brainstorming some ideas. This is a amazing way to start formulating what the performer is all about, what its image is etc, etc.

3. Create a competition among all your companions /family/anyone else via email

This is a great way to start compiling the beginnings of your artists email list. List all of your companions /family/anyone else that you want to include and their email addresses and compile them all into one mailing group. Send out an email outlining the competition and be ready for the pointers to come flooding in.

It is important to have a cut off date for the competition (perhaps by your first performer meeting) and to have a prize on provide. Of course the prize is totally up to you.

Ensure that when you do find a performer name that you announce it through your email group. You have just started email promotion of your band.

Whatever you do have fun with the process and do not let the quest to find a band name override the other things that you have to do such as writing songs and finding rehearsal space.

I guarantee that once you have agreed on a performer name you’ll all collectively breathe a very large sigh of relief. The hardest part of the journey has been achieved.

Let’s face it, the wildfire spread of web-based portals designed to introduce independent music to the world has created a bewildering array of opportunities and costs. So where do they all balance out? When does the cost of signing up to yet another music promotion service yield results? What results are all of us looking for anyway?

The key is to make your Internet promotion targeted, systematic and rich.

What’s the central drive for independent performers encourage their music on the web? The fundamental incentive for Web promotion is the opening to get your music heard by individuals who might otherwise never know that you exist! If individuals know you exist they can be come fans and repeat- fans. Which of those fans buy CD’s and downloads? Targeted fans.

The the majority necessary goal of Web promotion is to attract targeted fans.

Any independent performer who demonstrates they use the Web to sell their music has missed the primary target – attracting targeted fans. Attracting targeted fans should be every independent musician’s 1st priority. Don’t forget, you don’t sell your music – fans BUY your music. It is a buyers market. The more targeted fans you have, the more sales you make – offer d you are systematic in getting your targeted fans.

The optimum way to get targeted listeners is to be systematic.

many artists tend to approach their Internet promotion thinking that since they have a web site and have signed up to a couple of performer showcase web site s, that the listeners will just come pouring in. Yes you have managed to target some potential listeners, but you still have to shout, “Hey, over here… you will prefer the sound of this!” A systematic approach to getting listeners to hear your music will attract and maintain their interest. But remember to make sure you have the content ready for the listener to enjoy.

Sites rich in content will retain your targeted listener.

In the independent artist’s case, the rich content is the music. This might seem like old news, but look at the amount of independent artist web sites that give the visitor loads of info about the performer but remarkably little (or hidden) ear candy. Music should be the 1st thing a visitor gets. At the remarkably least they need an undeniable link to where they might listen to your music. And not just one or two tracks but a variety of your music. Independent artists have to recall they haven’t had the radio exposure to model the presentation of their music following more well established acts. Listeners need to be convinced they like your independent music before they will buy it.

So the question is how to make your Internet promotion targeted, systematic and rich?

Tips for Targeting.

The perfect targeted audiences on the Web will be those that make it to your website. Locate a way to know who they are. set up a newsletter and make it easy to sign up to it. people interested enough to want to receive news about you are your hardcore Web audiences, keep them happy.

The next perfect group of targeted audiences are those that hear your music on other web site s. Try to choose web sites that allow audiences to link to your web site. Assuming that they like your music they can click on that link to visit your web site. You can then find out where these visitors are coming from. Find a good Web statistics package that lets you know which web sites your visitors are being referred from. Take note of those web sites and focus your efforts with them accordingly.

When choosing websites on which to encourage your music, check to see If they provide any individual stats relating to your music. prefer how many track plays or page views you and your music receive on their website. This way you could check in periodically and monitor your gig with these website s.

Systematic Steps.

The key to being systematic is organization. Keep a note of all the web sites you use to encourage your music, a brief description of what they do and how much it costs. Try to get into the practice of monitoring all of them regularly. Take note of which web sites are getting better results than others and focus your resolutions accordingly. You could pay for minimal promotion on one web site, while another gets you loads of fans for free. Naturally you will want to put more resolution into updating the web sites that are getting better results.

offer a link on your website and newsletters to all of the websites you use to promote your music. Do not forget your website visitors are your hardcore Web fans and are the the majority like ly to check out and spread the word about your spot on other website s. So promote them to visit your profile on other website s. At the unusually least it raises your stats on those websites – making your music look more popular!

Try to produce a ring of web sites that link to each other though the content you supply. By way of example, you may have your music on your own web site and two other showcase web sites – web site A and web site B. Your web site should without a doubt link with web site A and web site B. web site A should link with your web site and web site B, web site B should link with your web site and web site A and so on. What If the se web sites do not allow you to set up links to other web site s? Put a Web address in the areas where they do allow you to supply content. prefer biogs or descriptions.

The best aim of linking all your web sites is to offer your listeners with a variety of access points to your music, as well as access to the varying ways many web sites may deliver your music. Remember to link to your specific page on the web site and not just the web site itself. Your web site linked with a web site that performance your tracks on Internet radio, linked with a web site that sells your downloads, linked with a web site that sells your compact disc’s offers for a commanding combination of exposure.

Be Rich

without resources ! That is the challenge that the majority independent artists face. The conventional approach to selling music is that it should not be too easily available to listen to, should the incentive for audiences to actually buy albums be undermined. This has persuaded independent artists that they should limit Web audiences to low-quality snippets of streaming audio.

Independent artists have to recall they don’t have the sources and finances to help the “shotgun approach” of spraying their music across radio and music television. Big artists have large organizations behind them that need to recoup the costs of mass media exposure, and as a result try to limit the extent to which fans could sample their music on the web. Listeners have already heard the music and are trying to find a copy of their personal.

Conversely, listeners haven’t had a opportunity to listen to independent artist through conventional media. Therefore independent performers can’t assume that people will buy their music off of a web site If they don’t get a opportunity to really listen to it. If people have already heard an musician’s music, and prefer it, the benefit they pay for is in owning a copy they might performance whenever they prefer. If people haven’t already heard an musician’s music, the benefit is in being able to sample as much of the music as possible.

So being rich is providing your fans with as much of your music as they want to listen to before they buy it. Now you do not have to make all your tracks available for free download, but you might provide nice quality, full-length streams that impress the listener and boost your sound. Not tight-fisted snippets that lose the listener because they are lo-fi and over before they attract the listener’s interest.

Being rich is furthermore making your music available in a variety of formats for divergent audiences s. Telling audiences that your music can be heard via Internet radio, on-demand streams, mp3 downloads and mail order CD means you could appeal to audiences who like more than one kind of media. You could furthermore use your Web promotion to go beyond efficiently plays and sales – think about licensing.

Licensing your music for use with TV, film, advertising, website s, video games and other multimedia will open up your listening fans, offer re Club and introduce a degree of professionalism to your career that attracts the notice of industry reps and A&R. Adding this depth to your Internet promotion stimulates to enrich the presentation of your music and retain targeted fans.

So recall : a) maximise your targeted audiences, b) be systematic in gain ing them, and c) retain them by making sure your own web site and other web sites are rich in content.

Who knew Thriller would end up being the perfect selling album of all time. There has been no way to prepare for its success because nobody saw what has been coming. Yet, Michael has not been able to duplicate studio magic he and Quincy had; the artistic “roll” he has been on; the total awe and submission of the media; the overwhelming force of his presence or the mesmerizing control he’d over millions of audiences globally. Therefore, even though more dynamic than any other entertainer, he never repeated the success of Thriller.

But he may have. Even without all of the magical ingredients that advocate ed him make musical history, he may have used the momentum created by Thriller to sale another 40 million albums. All he’d to do was have knowledge of who he sold those 40 million records to. Get it? If Epic Records were smart, they would have gotten the address and phone number of every individual who purchased the Thriller album. Do you understand what that may have meant? That means that they would have had the ability to “pre-market” and “pre-sale” Michael’s next few albums to 40 million, already satisfied customers!

Whoa! That means they can have sold 40 million plus albums of the next record. The profits would have been bigger too. Why? Since you’re not invest ing dollars on “mass-marketing“, you’re able to cut your budget in half! You are direct marketing to people who already want your product. furthermore, if Epic were smart, and they weren’t, they can have sold Michael Jackson Merchandise directly to those already addicted audiences.

They really screwed up. But you might learn from this example. You might effortlessly “eat well” off your music by doing what Epic, Michael, and every other label has failed to do. Capture the name and email address of every fan that visits your web site /page. I understand that it sounds too simple. I understand some of you are doing this already. But are you doing it correctly? Every musician on MySpace should have a bare minimum of 1000 audiences that will buy their music. Not MySpace “friends”. I am talking about straight-up audiences, the kind that spend resources. If you’ve been on MySpace for two years, you should have 10,000-20,000 real audiences. Once you reach 100,000 audiences that are willing, at some point, to give you resources you will be session ! Your focus will be to make music for your fan base, selling to the same audiences over & over. It is backwards to start your marketing resolutions over every time you get ready to release a project. Why keep looking for new buyers when you might sell to satisfied customers. As a natural effect, your fan base will grow with little resolution on your part.

Are you a performer, singer, songwriter or musician thats wondering how you can make resources with your Independent music before you even get a record deal? Well if you have, you are reading the write article. In this series I’m going to share with you a couple of ways you can make resources with your music and your likewise going to learn several strategies to advocate you make even more resources with your Independent music.

Let me start off by telling you that the best way to make resources with your Indie music is by selling it directly to your listeners instead of trying to get distribution into the music stores or selling on iTunes (by the way, you’ll want to get distribution and sell on iTunes), I’m just saying selling direct to listeners is better and you get more resources doing it this way (which is necessary, right?).

So now you are wondering, How do I sell straight to the audiences? Its not prefer you have your own store, right? Well, here is a hint, its staring you in the face right now…. that is right, the Internet ! The Internet is the most important way to make resources with your Independent music! Here are several reasons why the Internet is such a great vehicle to use to sell your Independent music.

1. You have a group of people who’ll instantly buy your compact disc  when released

2. You might have your compact discs selling with al most no endeavor on your part, just collect the resources and ship the compact disc.

3. You get more bang for your buck, advertising and marketing wise.

4. You may have other people sell your CD  for you and only pay them when they sell the CD s!

How great is that! Those are just a few of the great things about selling your music Online using the Web. By the way, you do not even have to have a complete compact disc  yet in order to this. Of course it would be better if you did have a whole compact disc, but what Im, saying is that you could sell the singles as you complete them.

To find out what you need to get started selling your CD  On-line, check my other article titled What You Need to Make Money With Your Independent Music On-line. Till next time.

What’s everybody’s favorite radio station?

Answer — W.I.I.F.M.

What’s In It For Me? What do they get by being your fan? Your client? Your Media individuals are going to want to know why they ought to book you. audiences want to know why they ought to continue help ing you and buying your discs. Your booking agents want to know why they ought to continue to find performances for your band. The optimum way to keep them hooked is to tell them What’s in it for them.

Virtually all individuals are inundated with massive amounts of information. In order to keep them tuned in to your message is to

1) remind them you exist and

2) to Keep it tell them what they’re going to get.

The majority of individuals in this world are motivated by two things: Fear and Greed. Fear of losing something and the Greed of gaining something. The trick is to keep it short and sweet and above all simple. K.I.S.S. Keep It simple Stupid.

You will have a different message for your fans. Possibly more entertaining, light hearted, fun. Your Agents are going to want to hear something professional, responsible, business- like. Your Media and Press contacts will want to hear a new twist, public relations, something anybody can use to reach the expansive st readership.

Here’s another way to keep your reader interested: Use the word “You” instead of “I”.

For example: “I can really get a lot of people to your club if I can get booked there next month” doesn’t work as well as “Your fans will be on their feet and screaming for more when you book our popular band now selling out rooms thru out the Midwest.”

Yet another idea would be, “I’llget a brand new DVD out in the mail tomorrow” may be vary d to “You’ll be receiving your free DVD as soon as you fax back your info.”

These may be just semantics but when you start using them, you will see an increase in your responses. This will establish momentum. When you start getting more calls, u will eventually get more performances. amazing shows will bring in more listeners which will get you better performer bookings from the agents. may you see it?

When you start finding better shows, two things will happen. You will be able to charge more on every show and you will be getting so a lot of concert able to turn down work.

We’ve all been around the block once or twice in the absence of our Mommies here. Or as the saying goes “You can not Dazzle me with Brilliance nor Baffle me with Bull”. Cut to the chase. Give it to me straight. Please don’t think that I am really going to believe you’re ready to take the music world by storm if you’re playing pool clubs and coffee shops. Keep it real. Base your articles and publicity material in the Real World. You and I are not going to fall for B.S. What makes you think anyone out there is any diverse? Tell it like it is. Just add a little sizzle to the steak. Keep your marketing and press statements exhilarating and entertaining. all of us are in the business of fun.

Feel free to be a little wild and outlandish. It’s okay. people won’t mind. We’re in an industry where people are looking for an escape. Let them have it to take their minds off of things. It keeps us in business. Just keep it real. Take your picture with a donkey for promo. Just do not be the donkey.

Commit to at least six months to any marketing campaign

Do not think you are going to hit a homerun every time. Build slowly and look to just get on base. A walk is as good as a hit. You need to give yourself time to find out what works. Once you do, then do that over and over. Just be sure to try as many varying marketing pieces as you could afford. Try postcards and Google Ad Words at the same time. See which one works better. Change your message to fit varying demographics and target markets. Use your creativity to get their attention. There has been a performer that sent me their promo. I had about 50 artists sending me stuff for this festival and I opened theirs’ 1st because it has been not like all the other packets I has been getting.

It has been kind of lumpy. Inside has been a Nerf Ball with the band’s name on it. Only it has been really small and when you got it wet it got really big. all of us were whipping this thing around the office and throwing it at each others’ heads. One time all of us named the band after the promotional item all of us had in stock. It has been a refrigerator magnet made of knotted ropes in the shape of the letter ‘Y’. So all of us called the band “Why Knot”. A bottle of aspirin inside and envelope could accent your chance headline that could something along the lines of, “Did that final band you hire give anyone a headache?”

Be sure to stay within the bounds of the law and there is no limit to what your fertile imagination could come up with to hook them. These suggestions for booking performances and creating better paying music career are found in the breakthrough new book available at our Web site. Just look at the link below. There you will find a step by step formula for creating music performances.

We’d love it if you check it out. Either way, I certainly hope you thought of ways you could find performances that pay the the majority money doing what you love – making music.

Ideally each page of your website should serve a specific purpose. The central purpose of the sales page for your cd is to sell the cd.

If have a page with Google Adsense, the central purpose is to generate resources by to get people to click on the advertisement. If its not an necessary part of the process, do not load up the page with unnecessary things prefer animations or sounds. This will only distract visitors from achieving the task laid out for them, ie. purchasing your product.

Below are some tips to include in your web site and the main purpose of each.

1) Main Page – The main pages is a general landing page to funnel visitors to varying areas of your web site. Create a undeniable and simple navigation process linked to the other pages of your web site. *If you use Javascript for navigation, place text link at the bottom. This ensures that search engines will be able to spider your web site properly. You can furthermore use this page to feature your cd, music samples and other provide s.

2) Order Page(s) – Create a sales letter for each item that your are selling. Tomorrow we’ll go over some copywriting tips to build a successful order page.

3) Press Releases – This section is where visitors could read 3rd get together articles published about you, increasing your credibility and exposure.

4) Contact Information – This is so people may get a hold of you to book shows, ask questions about products, collaborations, interviews or other opportunities (you never know). Include as much contact information as possible, prefer your phone, cell, mailing address, email etc.

5) Privacy Policy – Complies with privacy laws if your are collecting any of information about your customers/visitors. This furthermore stimulates to build trust and people will give their information more freely. Here is a link to a privacy policy generator. http://www.the-dma.org/privacy/creating.shtml

6) Electronic Press Kit – This is where you refer the media to easily download an information package about you. Here’s some suggestions on what you could include:

*Biography

*Demo tunes

*Pictures

*Reviews/Testimonials

*Sideshow Of Photos

*Video or Film Footage (Windows Media or Quicktime format)

Establish a biography with pictures in .pdf format and make it available for download. You can use the Writer program contained in the free Open Office Suite http://www.openoffice.org to do this. Open then program type (or paste) in your biography and insert pictures. When your done go to File > Export As PDF.

7) Lyrics – Allows audiences to get more familiar with your music. also adds content to your website which will get pick ed up by the search engines if it has an incoming link form your primary page or somewhere else.

Biography – On your bio page sections listeners read about you and see your pictures. A sideshow of your photos once in a while adds a wonderful touch.

9) Concert Listings/News – Keep your audiences and website visitors updated with the latest news about your performance s/shows, interviews, appearances ond other topics of interest.

With the major labels focusing on quick returns rather than performer development and the advent of downloading music Online, the traditional record company/artist relationship has become blurred to the point of being obsolete.

Nowadays, being independent has real perks.

How a lot of times have you heard or read somewhere that the Internet has vary d the face of the music business forever? I would love a dollar for everytime I heard it.

However, it is true and there are a number of reasons for this. Two that spring into mind are that:

1. A traditional record company/artist relationship is optional and not a necessity. You could do your all music sales and band promotion Web cutting out all of the ‘middle individuals ‘.

2. websites might turn an artist with a Local/Regional listeners into an artist with an international listeners. As the Web is not ‘owned’ by any one entity the playing field is a lot more even.

To me, being an independent performer means that you are the one driving the bus and being in control over your own affairs.

A lot of talent ed musicians and performing songwriters around the world are at this truly moment waiting for that knock at the door, the opening  to ‘get located ‘. What’s prefer ly to happen is that they will spend their creative lives being truly disappointed.

If you are reading this and feel that this is you, think about this…

Where do you think you would be if you managed your career yourself rather than wait for a person (or some company) to do it for you?

There are many web sites out in cyberspace that are there to help you take control over your career by spreading practical information about band promotion and the indie music industry as a whole, take advantage of these web sites and go to as many as you can

Embrace independence today and secure control over your own musical affairs.

(For the purpose of this article I am going to make a couple of assumptions before I go any further. They are that you’ve a little bit of vocal or musical instrument knowledge and that you likewise have a fledgling network of friends and contacts)

Starting up a band is a unusually interesting time in a artists life. There is a fine balance of nervous anticipation and the fear of the unknown that follows the whole process.

A band has a divergent dynamic than working as a solo artist. There are other individuals involved, other individual ities, other strengths and weaknesses in character and abilities and because of this it’s really necessary that you’ve several things worked out before you start looking for band members.

1. Have a good idea of your own strengths and weaknesses

The performer members that you want to get will need to be around the same level of competence as you are. The main reason for this is that you might all grow together rather than have one or two artists carrying everyone else. This type of player imbalance causes doubt in the group and doubt is one of the major killers of bands.

2. Know beforehand how the performer is going to be run

Is the performer going to be run by you or the whole group? The individual ity categories of the musicians that you select will need to be agreeable to the way the performer is going to be run.

3. What instrumentation is the band having in its lineup?

This is mainly determined by the type(s) of music that you want to performance but having an idea of what performers you are looking for will be of great help.

It is now time to hunt down some band members

4. Ask your network of companions and/or contacts

This is always a nice place to start. Ask anybody at all that you know or come into contact with. If you don’t have much of a circle of friends and/or contacts this will be a great opening  to wide n it. This is one of the reasons why networking in the industry is so vital, for opening s such as this.

Having a musician referred to you has a much better occasion of working than one that comes from an advertisement. This leads me onto my next point.

5. Post an advertisement

Having said that I’ve had made some great contacts from performers enquiring from a ‘muso wanted’ ad. The key to effective ads is that they need to be concise, to the point, not too lengthy and put in places where performers are wonderfully like ly to see it and read it like in a music shop, a Local music magazine or a music classifieds website.

A sample ‘ performer wanted‘ advertisement may read something like this:

BASS PLAYER WANTED

To join folk/rock band

Influences include

Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Counting Crows

Some experience like red

Own gear and transport essential

Interested?? Give me a call

Corey – (put home and/or cell telephone  number here)

As you could see, the ad is evident in its intention.

It evident ly states the musician wanted, the type of music the band is playing, what the music might sound like and that the band has some experience behind it. Make sure you have a evident contact name and phone numbers (if you want to include an email address as well that is cool).

Don’t put in stuff like ‘work waiting‘ or ‘no time was ters please‘. You might judge those sort of things yourself when an interested musician contacts you.

Once you’ve done that the waiting game begins.

Most individuals would say the first thing to do is to find a name for the band. Lets start from there s venue we??

The auditions are over, you’ve found your bass player and you all seem to get along really well. The excitement is in the air and you’ve had your 1st performer bonding celebration.

Now its time to start your musical journey together.

Personally, I think that finding a band name is THE hardest decision that the band will ever have to make and for that reason one of the most necessary decisions as well.

A performer name is a particularly important part of the bands identity. It’s the first point of contact a punter has with the band.

I cannot remember how many times people have raved about a band to me but cannot tell me the name when I ask them. Right there is the has been ted opportunity for a band. It frustrates me no end.

This is a best example of how extremely necessary a band name is.

The performer name is the first thing that a punter will recall. They won’t address the performer by the names of the individuals in it when they talk to their companions (unless they’re individual companions of yours) they’ll address the performer by its name.

The perfect way to find a band name is through sheer persistance. Finding a band name that is agreeable by everyone isn’t an simple task.

Here are some band name party suggestions:

1. Get every member to write down their own list of potential performer names

This can be the first task that the performer might do collectively. session a date for the first performer meeting and amidst now and then do that task.

2. Make brainstorming band names the topic of your 1st ever band meeting

When everyone gets together put all of the lists out on the table and go through each one keeping to one side the names that’strike a chord’ (sorry about the pun) with all of you and getting rid of the rest.

As a group try brainstorming some ideas. This is a amazing way to start formulating what the band is all about, what its image is etc, etc.

3. Start a competition among all your friends /family/anyone else via email

This is a great way to start compiling the beginnings of your bands email list. List all of your friends /family/anyone else that you want to include and their email addresses and compile them all into one mailing group. Send out an email outlining the competition and be ready for the suggestions to come flooding in.

It’s important to have a cut off date for the competition (perhaps by your 1st band meeting) and to have a prize on provide. Of course the prize is totally up to you.

Make sure that when you do find a band name that you announce it through your email group. You’ve just started email promotion of your band.

Whatever you do have fun with the process and do not let the quest to find a performer name override the other things that you have to do such as writing songs and locating rehearsal space.

I guarantee that once you’ve agreed on a band name you will all collectively breathe a large sigh of relief. The hardest part of the journey has been achieved.

Here is might the most important music industry tip you’ll ever receive:

Join up and subscribe to every indie music industry and DIY band promotion email list, newsletter and resource that you could get your hands on and read everything that you receive.

I mean it when I say that too much information is much better than not enough, if what you’ve joined up or subscribed to is not giving you the information that you need then you may just opt out and un-subscribe.

Many websites that provide these things have the integrity to do as you ask.

Read what you receive, make notes, ask yourself if it’s relavent for you and the place you’re living in, integrate the information into your knowledge base.

The only way to gain this knowledge is by research, and the Internet is the optimum place to research anything.

Researching on the Web though will only give you general (but  still  substantially vital ) independent music industry knowledge. The real power comes from knowing your Regional scene and becoming active in it.

Here are some ways that you may do this:

1. Establish reading the music magazines in your area. Regional street press is an invaluable tool in letting you know what’s going on in the Regional industry. Generally these magazines have features/interviews with Regional bands, a concert  lead ( exceptional for targeting where to play), industry news and so on.

2. Go and see some Regional bands. Check out your competition (I mean that as a figure of speech the most vital thing about a Healthy independent music business is the community that builds from the music and the individuals who play it), introduce yourself, get out there amongst it all and immerse yourself in the vibe. Get familiar with the places these artists play at and know who to talk to when it’s your turn to play there.

3. Assuming that the re are music associations where you live, join them. Anything that supports independent music on an association level seek it out and join up. If it expenses money to do that then do it (generally its not an expensive exercise). Joining these types of associations instantly gives you a sense of community and solidarity. additionally the amount of information you’ll secure about your Local/Regional area will be huge.

4. Assuming that the se Local companies have websites then bookmark them.

Need I say more on this topic. Many web sites for offline companies offer more to On-line users of their services. It pays to be an active On-line user. One advantage that comes to mind is the fact that you are able to participate in forums and messageboards which, in time will become dynamic DIY marketing tools for you.

You got to start somewhere and the best place to start is with your own Local area. As you expand your knowledge base you will work out ways to further your career and hopefully a snowball effect will start.

Once it stars, HANG ON!