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Great Promotion Options for Bands
The first thing bands can do is play anywhere and everywhere. While most bands prefer to only play at paying shows or bigger venues, in the beginning a band has to play where they can get a spot. Many times this means starting from the ground up. Many local coffee shops and restaurants have live music on the weekends, so a good place to start is at one of these locations. Provide a CD of sample music to the owner during the morning hours and follow up with a phone call. Be sure to only contact managers at food venues when they are not busy, avoiding the hours between 11-2 and 5-8. Other good places to play include community talent shows or battle of the band competitions. Both of these things normally only involve a registration fee, but the advertising and the exposure will be worth so much more. Starting out small isnt a bad thing and playing at local places may give bands the connection they need to start playing at larger venues.
Another great way for bands to promote themselves is through social media. Creating a web site, Facebook page and Twitter account lets bands promote themselves through the Internet. YouTube is another great online tool that can help promote music. As popular as Internet sensations are right now, the web is a great place to get your music heard and your name out there. It is important to keep up with your social media instead of just creating it and letting it sit there in cyberspace. It is important to add new tracks, update the show schedule and build relationships with fans. The great thing about social media is it can get the bands name to people outside the town (where most of the shows are booked) and may lead to bigger and better things.
Posters are also another way to promote music. The best use for posters is to advertise concerts or shows in which the band is performing. Because of the versatility and affordability of posters, poster printing [http://www.printinghq.com/poster-printing] is the perfect option for a band that really wants to establish themselves. Printed posters can be placed almost anywhere in a town, including store and restaurant windows, university bulletin boards, light posts and even in other local businesses. Custom band posters are a great option for a band that can afford to pay a little for advertising in order to increase their fan base and promote shows and concerts.
The last option for bands to promote their music is with t-shirts, CDs and other fan gear. While this option is more targeted to those with larger budgets who may have already established themselves in their communities, it is a great way to spread the word about their music even further. Selling swag at concerts is a great way to get fans pumped about the music and often translates into constant promotion when fans are wearing the band gear out in public. Other options for promotional products include bumper stickers, hats, armbands or bracelets, sweatshirts and pens.
There are so many different ways to promote a band to increase their following and fan base. It is important to get the band name out in the public, starting with a smaller community and working up to a larger audience. These four starter suggestions will hopefully help a band get some recognition, which will help them book future concert and show dates.
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