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Step 5Advertise wisely
There are two ways to advertise: in real life and on the Internet. Use both, but use them wisely.
The following are a few low-budget ways to advertise when you're starting to look for gigs and stuff.
Nowadays, no musician is on the map without
a MySpace Musician Page.
If you don't have one, make one now. Upload some of your music onto the music player for people to listen to. Network with and friend as many people as possible, but don't pester people for friend requests; have them come to you. Don't overload your page with crap. Keep it updated with venue information and your biography (and your bandmates' biographies, if you're in a band), and maybe a couple of pictures of you guys performing.
If you're more computer- and camera-savvy, make a YouTube video of you performing. Make it cute and pixel-clear and very memorable, and make sure everyone you show it to absolutely loves it before you post it on your MySpace page. Wait until people start forwarding it to their friends. Cross your fingers and hope it goes viral.
If you like the more traditional, low-tech way of doing things, then
make flyers to advertise upcoming events.
The point of making your own flyers is to show people that you're multitalented-- that you have taste in visual art as well as auditory art-- but hire an artist friend to do this if you really suck at it. Then plaster them wherever you can in the city. Ask if you can leave them in your favorite shops and parlors and boutiques. The prettier the flyers are, the more likely the shop/parlor/boutique will allow you to leave a handful there, and the more likely that random people will take them.
If you're lazy and are talented and a great people person already, then
panhandle.
If your city allows it, busking is a great way to advertise your skills AND to shed those layers of self-consciousness that you've still got wrapped around you (and you might even make a buck or two in the process). Just plop down and perform without expecting people to give you money. The lower the expectations, the more relaxed you should be, anyway.
Note: Don't busk if you still suck at your instrument. Ask your closest friends for their honest opinion. If you suck, PLEASE practice more before releasing yourself into the wild.
The following are a few low-budget ways to advertise when you're starting to look for gigs and stuff.
Nowadays, no musician is on the map without
a MySpace Musician Page.
If you don't have one, make one now. Upload some of your music onto the music player for people to listen to. Network with and friend as many people as possible, but don't pester people for friend requests; have them come to you. Don't overload your page with crap. Keep it updated with venue information and your biography (and your bandmates' biographies, if you're in a band), and maybe a couple of pictures of you guys performing.
If you're more computer- and camera-savvy, make a YouTube video of you performing. Make it cute and pixel-clear and very memorable, and make sure everyone you show it to absolutely loves it before you post it on your MySpace page. Wait until people start forwarding it to their friends. Cross your fingers and hope it goes viral.
If you like the more traditional, low-tech way of doing things, then
make flyers to advertise upcoming events.
The point of making your own flyers is to show people that you're multitalented-- that you have taste in visual art as well as auditory art-- but hire an artist friend to do this if you really suck at it. Then plaster them wherever you can in the city. Ask if you can leave them in your favorite shops and parlors and boutiques. The prettier the flyers are, the more likely the shop/parlor/boutique will allow you to leave a handful there, and the more likely that random people will take them.
If you're lazy and are talented and a great people person already, then
panhandle.
If your city allows it, busking is a great way to advertise your skills AND to shed those layers of self-consciousness that you've still got wrapped around you (and you might even make a buck or two in the process). Just plop down and perform without expecting people to give you money. The lower the expectations, the more relaxed you should be, anyway.
Note: Don't busk if you still suck at your instrument. Ask your closest friends for their honest opinion. If you suck, PLEASE practice more before releasing yourself into the wild.
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