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1. SAY CHEESE – BAND PHOTOS

Every promo kit needs a picture of the band/artist. So bands love the limelight. Others don’t. You can’t avoid it so get over it now. Black and white is standard because many newspapers can’t run color yet. Although this is changing, save yourself the money and hassle and go with b/w. We know every band can’t have Annie Leibovitz photographing them but there are a few tips that help when shooting your band.

• Shoot your ‘good side’. It might sound far-fetched or trite but everyone does have a ‘good side’ to be photographed. So find out which one is yours and use it to your advantage.
• Avoid the clichés. Bands leaning against walls and chain-linked fences is so…passé. You might argue that big tour acts like Springsteen or Aerosmith do it. I’ll remind you, they’re Springsteen and Aerosmith. You, however, are not and until you break out of the pack you’ll just be another face in the crowd. Is that what you want? Didn’t think so.
• Don’t be a follower. Remember the back of Sgt. Pepper that created the stir that Paul McCartney was really dead? It showed all of the Beatles facing forward but Paul had his back turned in the shot on the rear cover (hence the rumor they didn’t have a ‘Paul replacement’ for the photo shoot). Don’t try to recreate ‘history’. It will only make you look like you can’t come up with anything original.
• Hire a professional photographer – a friend might know a friend. If you can’t get a professional see if you have an amateur photographer somewhere in your connections and ask to see their work in advance. Point is, never do your own photos.
• No less than three rolls of film on the shoot. This is important because you’re going to want to take as many pictures as possible before you narrow down your choices.
• Have an outside give their thoughts. You might think it looks brilliant but your co-worker or friend might think you look dorky or dangerous. If that’s the look you’re going for great! But if it’s not you could end up spending tons of money on glossies that make you look like a serial killer. Always get an outsiders opinion before you do any print runs.

Something else to consider for your photos: take them somewhere so you can get 8x10 glossies made with your logo and contact info. This is important because it makes you look professional. A couple of snapshots in a folder will give anyone that sees your press kit the impression that you just don’t care and we know that’s not the case so do it right the first time out.

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2. BUILDING A MUSIC CAREER AND NOT A HOBBY

Some bands don’t want to be ‘big time’. They’re content getting together and jamming with friends. Others like yourself want to reach a wide audience and have your music heard. If you practice each day that’s great but there’s more to bettering your career than just your sound. Few bands have the luxury of doing music full time. They have day jobs and you might say “I just can’t find enough time to play, work and promote myself.” If you don’t promote yourself and expect to be ‘discovered’ just quit now. Save yourself the time because it’s simply not going to happen.

With day to day activities it’s quite a juggling act but put yourself in the mindset that you’ll do one thing, just one, each day for a month to promote yourself. If that means calling a new club, sending out a press kit, talking with local or state reporters, uploading a new mp3 to your website, whatever… it needs to be done. Make the time to do these things or you won’t ever advance past your current audience. And how does one make time? Try this:

1. Get up 30 minutes earlier each day. You’ll be shocked how much you can do in that time.
2. Ask for help. It’s not weak to ask a friend to run some press kits to the post office or do a small grocery run so you can work on other things. Just be ready to return the favor if need be.
3. Prioritize. Look at your day carefully and see what you’re doing. Spend a week and write down everything you do, every hour. Can you miss a couple minutes of reality TV to get your career in high swing? Why watch American Idol when you can be doing stuff to be one?
4. Delegate. If you’re in a band, sit down in a group and see who can do what. Is your drummer a ‘smooth talker’? Have him set up interview with club owners and the press. Is your keyboard artist better at organizing things? Have them put together the press kits and keep track of where they go. Then once a week, before practice and not after, have your ‘board meeting’. Talk about what you all did that week and what leads you’ve got with someone being the secretary to keep tabs on it. If you’re a solo artist see if friends or family might lend a hand. If you do the bulk of the work but need a few minutes of their time I’m sure they’ll help. They might however expect some of your time. (See tip #2).

Short of death there really isn’t any excuse for NOT doing promotion. Find sources like Musiccontracts101.com’s “How to Make A Fortune in the Music Industry by Doing It Yourself” that offers you tips to get started on promotion. You can find this program at http://www.musiccontracts101.com/docs/products/006/index.html. So be creative and think about how you can add more time to your day so you can get things done.

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3. WAYS TO NEVER MISS A SALE

Business cards that have all your band’s info are a must. Also make sure you bring your CD’s and tapes not only to gigs but anywhere you go, even if it’s a handful of them. A conversation in the check outline at the 7-11 could lead to a sale from your trunk and pay for that Slushy and microwave burrito you just bought.

As far as your webpage make sure your shopping cart is functional. This sounds like common sense but you’ll be surprised how many acts don’t check this end of things. If your web master isn’t keeping tabs (or you’re not keeping tabs on your webmaster) then you could be losing tons of potential sales. Most customers won’t let you know of a problem. They’ll just leave and not look further into it.

Bottom line? Always be on the ready no matter where you’re at or what you’re doing.

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4. IMAGE IS EVERYTHING – COVER ART

Heard the expression you can’t judge a book by its cover? Did you know that over 40% of the population does that very thing - they buy a book BASED on cover art when browsing? The music buying public isn’t much different so consider your artwork carefully.

Did you slop a picture of your big mug on the front or did you go with something a bit more original? Look at some of your favorite covers and ask yourself what makes them you’re favorite. You don’t need to imitate them but what features sucked you in about the cover. What it the colors? The typeface? Was it detailed or simplicity? Did you find it humorous or did it make a statement?

Some of the most well known covers, from the simplistic ‘White Album’ by the Beatles to Nirvana’s thought provoking ‘Nevermind’, all have something in common – they all demand that you look closer at them and they scream for your attention. If your first release isn’t grabbing potential listeners then make sure when you go to the drawing board, with a professional designer by the way, your second release grabs the buyer and doesn’t let go.  

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