Thursday, January 24, 2013

Indie Musician in a Digital Age: Self Promotion Basics

By MAXIM MICHELIOVPublished: January 20, 2013

Recently, I've had a very educational experience from being a member of a Facebook page for jazz musicians. As it turned out, the group that listed over 2000 members and was intended for musicians only had a fairly narrow spectrum of actively discussed topics.
Movies and beer?—No.
Music?—No, of course, not!
How to promote?—Yes, exactly.
Most posts and associated comments could be covered by just one question: "how to promote my work on the Internet?." This article outlines general concepts and shares some simple to follow methods.
Self Promotion: Basic Concepts
The word "promotion" doesn't do miracles itself, moreover, it is pretty meaningless unless goals and means selected correctly, and you are consistent and professional in your promotional initiatives.
I've chosen three aspects or marketing concepts that seem to be most basic, yet powerful. Also, based on my experience in various social media sites these concepts are often misunderstood or neglected.
Know Your Audience
In most cases it doesn't make a big difference whether you promote your newest recording, invite folks to an upcoming gig or try to increase general awareness of your musicianship. However, your message might vary a great deal depending on the recipient. Are you talking to listeners and fans, or to your fellow musicians?
The better you know your audience the more precisely your message can be fine-tuned. Age, gender, level of education, geographical location of your listeners—all this should be considered when choosing the right and most appealing writing style.
Below are examples to illustrate that this isn't an abstract marketing concept or something applicable to big business only. Everyone should use such approach.
Example #1:
A band with an electric bass, dance rhythms and some hip-hop vocals quite obviously addresses its messages to a younger audience. An easy, direct communication style, even occasional use of slang idioms, is common and appropriate.
A musician with a solo piano program will probably perform for a more mature and educated audience. The language can contain cultural references and music terminology; grammar and punctuation should receive attention.
Read More: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=43753#.UQBCqKXhEhR

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