For your musical glory to shine, it needs audio-visual support and a super-great website. You only have five seconds to make an impression on a promoter or booking agent, but probably a limited number of dollars. Impress the heck out of your audience with these tips.
1. Demos
These can be very simple. Today’s smartphones have great audio recording capabilities. Gather your band together in a good, sound-proofed rehearsal space and play through a song. Listen to the recording and check the levels before recording the rest of your set. Afterwards, neatly edit the best of your songs and upload to the awesome website you will have after reading this article. Boom.
These can be very simple. Today’s smartphones have great audio recording capabilities. Gather your band together in a good, sound-proofed rehearsal space and play through a song. Listen to the recording and check the levels before recording the rest of your set. Afterwards, neatly edit the best of your songs and upload to the awesome website you will have after reading this article. Boom.
2. Band Photos
Pro tip: You usually need someone to properly adjust the white balance, add contrast, and bump up the clarity (meaning the definition or structure) in your photos. Great editing can make even a snapshot look super professional. If you have a photo already that you really like, ask a knowledgeable friend to touch it up for you.
Pro tip: You usually need someone to properly adjust the white balance, add contrast, and bump up the clarity (meaning the definition or structure) in your photos. Great editing can make even a snapshot look super professional. If you have a photo already that you really like, ask a knowledgeable friend to touch it up for you.
If you don’t yet have a photo that you love, ask a friend or make a small budget. List an ad online (try Craigslist’s Creative Gigs section), along with a clear budget for what you can afford. Another great resource is local photography students. Just send a local art school or university art department an email describing what you’re looking for, and ask them to forward it on to their students. Be nice, be clear, and pay as much as you can.
3. Logo & Design
Grab a beer and hold a big brainstorming session with your bandmates. Talk about words that describe your band’s feel (“vintage” / “edgy” / “playful” / “dark”) Take a look at your lyrical themes. Read music reviews of similar bands for inspiration. Write it all up. Make some sketches of what imagery comes to your heads for the design. Send it all along to a fabulous designer. (Tips from the photography section also apply to finding a designer.)
Grab a beer and hold a big brainstorming session with your bandmates. Talk about words that describe your band’s feel (“vintage” / “edgy” / “playful” / “dark”) Take a look at your lyrical themes. Read music reviews of similar bands for inspiration. Write it all up. Make some sketches of what imagery comes to your heads for the design. Send it all along to a fabulous designer. (Tips from the photography section also apply to finding a designer.)
Be clear in your minds about what kind of package you really need: logo, band lettering, web banner, website background, etc. You can save money by asking for just a logo, a font, and maybe a color.
4. Video
Don’t be too proud to get great video! Play any gig you can get, no matter how small. Ask friends to take videos on multiple smartphones. Bring as many friends along as you can for the cheers. Edit out small sections of your greatest moments to look your best. And, of course, participate in Flashband shows so we can take great video of your performances, too!
Don’t be too proud to get great video! Play any gig you can get, no matter how small. Ask friends to take videos on multiple smartphones. Bring as many friends along as you can for the cheers. Edit out small sections of your greatest moments to look your best. And, of course, participate in Flashband shows so we can take great video of your performances, too!
5. Website
After gathering all this fantastic stuff together, imagine your band’s website. It’s shiny, welcoming, and reflects your musical personality. It can be yours! There are tons of cool hosting services out there that offer quick, easy designs with custom domain names (Bandzoogle, Bandvista, Hostbaby). They average around $12-15/month, which is a pretty good deal for fulfilling your website dreams. Here is a solid article offering a bigger rundown of your options. Spend some of your precious time on this, and you’ll be proud of how your music shines for the whole world wide web to see.
It’s a good time to be a musician! There are so many easy, cheap tools for creatively presenting your work. These tips will take time to put together, but your wallet and your fans will be so happy.
(And don't forget: The easiest way to get started on marketing your music online is to make sure your Flashband profile is updated!)
What are your tips for marketing on the cheap?
What are your tips for marketing on the cheap?
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