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1. You've got the CD - Now What?

You rented the space, recorded your killer tracks and put ‘em on plastic…Now what? Are you doomed forever to sales out of the back of your trunk or guitar case at all those one-night-stands you play? Of course not!

Selling your product requires marketing and chances are you can’t hire a Madison Ave veteran to handle your sales. You might not even be able to hire your Cousin Bob, but fear not. There is a multitude of ways to promote your work. One of the most important ones is what you’re doing right now – looking at the web.  Do you have a webpage? If not, get one. You might feel you’re a serious artist and you don’t need one. You’re not just an artist. You’re a business too. Any business today that plans to stay in business needs one. Some sites even offer indie bands free web pages and places where your music can be downloaded to visitors. A few more even handle record sales where patrons can order off the web. But as always, check references and read the fine print before signing anything with anyone.

Another tip to consider: print up business cards with the information about your music. Make them unique and avoid something simply like John Doe, musician on a 2x4 card. VistaPrint.com offers competitive prices and these are a great way to jump start sales at your shows. Not everyone has $15 burning a hole in their pocket the night of the show and let’s face it, you can’t tote around a credit card machine in yours. But an eye catching business card gives the audience a chance to visit your site to purchase your music.

Another point to consider in marketing is a press kit. Must haves in the kit include: band/artist photo (preferable black and white), a page about the band’s history and a promotional page about your CD(s) such as song list and genre. If you’ve gotten press or radio coverage be sure to include that as well. Think about what makes you different than the 10 zillion other acts out there and capitalize on it. Send it out to the major and midsize media markets prior to being in the area. If you come off as polished and professional you’ll be amazed how many contacts you could make and in the end...how many more listeners you gain.

CafePress.com can help with production and promotion of your CD’s and everything related to your band like t-shirts, mugs, etc. Although not as cheap as doing large quantity printer runs, they’re good for those just starting out because they pay the costs of production and you receive an amount over their base rate for each sale made to your fans. You won't make tons of money but it’s a great source to make band products for those short on start up cash. Bands that might not otherwise be able to make 'walking billboards' with t-shirt sales can now put their logos out there. Cafepress also offers a newsletter that you can send your fans letting them know about dates you’ll be playing, band bios, thoughts on the music biz and anything else you’d like to share.

For more tips regarding marketing, look into Jay Conrad Levinson’s 'Guerrilla' book series. Levinson covers the ins and outs of marketing with everything from advice for writers to getting advertising and publicity. If you can’t find them at your local library Overstock.com has most of them for under $10 each. 

One of the chief components to getting your music known is to market it effectively. If the world doesn't know you're here then they'll never listen. So stand up, be bold and be heard!

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2. Artist Warning - ShowGigs.com (a.k.a. Longlivemusic.com)

Several members of the CD Baby Board are reporting fraud after giving the Montreal, Quebec-based site Showgigs.com sums averaging $2250 per artist for radio promotion. Several artist have reported that they have been unable to contact Gerry van den Berg, Vice President of Fundraising for Longlivemusic.com /ShowGigs.com. Zach Ziskin, a Fort Lauderdale, FL singer/songwriter is now pursuing legal action to regain his funds he gave to Showgigs.com and looking for other artists who've experienced similar problems with Showgigs.com.

According to Jodi Nabel, publicist for Ziskin, he was promised inclusion on a compilation CD to benefit breast cancer organizations as well as 15 weeks of radio promotion. At this time, according to Nabel, 50 other artists have stepped up saying they too were promised radio time and a similar CD inclusion but their contracts have been unfulfilled. Nabel has filed a claim for Ziskin and the 50 other artists with the Canadian Council of Better Business Bureaus and ask if any artist has had a similar experience to contact her at jodi@jodiach.com. Gerry van den Berg and Showgigs.com are unable to be reached for comment.

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3. Make the sale - hassle free

Looking for On-Line stores to sell your CD but seem to find nothing but broken links? Check out these sellers to find out about having your music offered to buyers all over the country and even the world. Terms and conditions of sales vary so please check each site for more information

Awarestore.com (http://www.awarestore.com/)

BandMecca.com (http://www.bandmecca.com/)

CD Baby.com (http://www.cdbaby.com/from/indiemusic)

Bandstore.com (http://www.bandstore.com/)

EarBuzz.com (http://www.earbuzz.com)

Gemm.com (http://gemm.com/)

GoldenrodMusic.com (http://www.goldenrod.com/index.asp)

INDMusic.com (http://www.idnmusic.com/catalog/)

Planet CD.com (http://www.planetcd.com/)

Young Tunes (http://www.youngtunes.com/)

Zerotec (http://www.zerotec.com)

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4. We're great! Why can't we get reviews?

So you’ve been packing them in at the local bars and your CD’s are moving steadily but try as you may you just can’t get reviewed. Perhaps it’s not your music that’s the problem but your image. Now we’re not talking about a country artist wearing a 3 piece business suit as opposed to a 10 gallon hat or a metal band in Mr. Rogers style cardigan sweaters. By image it means how your band presents itself. Your band makes an impression before a reviewer ever hears a note.

Consider this: Does your promotional material go out on hand addressed envelopes with queries printed on cheap photocopy paper? Well stop right there. Run down to Office Express (or wherever) and get yourself some real address labels and use a heavier grade paper like 28lb. You don’t need to spend a fortune in printing costs but keep in mind you’re making an impression before a reviewer ever opens your mail. If you want to be taken seriously as a band that’s going somewhere you need to start now. Are you already doing it? Good. As an indie reviewer over the years, you’d be surprised to see how many bands fail to see this important fact with submissions that have come across the desk. Image can sometimes mean everything. Other tips to consider:

·        Is your promo material free of typos? Get a fresh set of eyes to look at anything you send out.

·        Are you even submitting to reviewers that review your genre? Double check to see if you’re wasted your time and postage on reviewers that don’t handle your music style.

·         Are you using testimonials from already reviewed bands or ‘bigger names’? Word of mouth always helps.

·         Have you contacted any one else in the industry for tips on how they got reviewed? A friend of friend could help so network.

For more help on promotion be sure to visit our site to see 117 Ways to Market, Promote and Sell Your Music Online at http://www.musiccontracts101.com/docs/products/007/index.html

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