Music Concerts

Virtually all people would say the 1st thing to do is to find a name for the band. Lets start from there s club we??
The auditions are over, you’ve found your bass player and you all seem to get along really well. The excitement is in the air and you’ve had your 1st band bonding celebration.
Now its time to start your musical journey together.
Personally, I think that locating a band name is THE hardest decision that the band will ever have to make and consequently one of the most vital decisions as well.
A band name is a  surprisingly vital part of the bands identity. It’s the 1st point of contact a punter has with the band.
Does this conversation sound familiar to you?
Them: “Hey, I saw this cool band last night. You gotta check them out”
You: “Cool, what has been the name of the band?”
Them: “Ummmmmm……. I don’t know”.
Arrrrrgh!!!! I get that all the time.
I can’t recall how many times people have raved about a band to me but can’t tell me the name when I ask them. Right there is the has been ted occasion for a band. It frustrates me no end.
This is a best example of how extremely vital a band name is.
The band name is the 1st thing that a punter will recall. They won’t address the band by the names of the individuals in it when they talk to their companions (unless they’re individual companions of yours) they will address the band by its name.
The best way to find a band name is through sheer persistance. Finding a band name that’s agreeable by everybody is not an easy task.
Here are some band name event suggestions:
1. Get every member to write down their own list of potential band names
This can be the 1st task that the band could do collectively.  set a date for the 1st band meeting and amidst now and then do that task.
2. Make brainstorming band names the topic of your 1st ever band meeting
When everybody gets together put all of the lists out on the table and go through each one keeping to one side the names that ’strike a chord’ (sorry about the pun) with all of you and getting rid of the rest.
As a group try brainstorming some ideas. This is a wonderful way to start formulating what the band is all about, what its image is etc, etc.
3. Establish a competition among all your companions /family/anyone else via email
This is a wonderful way to start compiling the beginnings of your bands email list. List all of your companions /family/anyone else that you want to include and their email addresses and compile them all into one mailing group. Send out an email outlining the competition and be ready for the suggestions to come flooding in.
It’s vital to have a cut off date for the competition (perhaps by your 1st band meeting) and to have a prize on offer. Of course the prize is totally up to you.
Make sure that when you do find a band name that you announce it through your email group. You have just started email promotion of your band.
Whatever you do have fun with the process and don’t let the quest to find a band name override the other things that you’ve to do such as writing songs and locating rehearsal space.
I guarantee that once you’ve agreed on a band name you’ll all collectively breathe a immense sigh of relief. The hardest part of the journey has been achieved.

New repositionable vinyl stickers offer bands some wonderful new promotional tools.
Promoting your band with vinyl stickers is a new way to get people talking. Vinyl stickers can be custom made with your band logo or life size photos of your band in action and of the band members.
What is this new vinyl sticker material called? FotoSticks. Repositionable and reusable vinyl stickers that won’t harm walls. You could stick them up just about anywhere and then take them down and move them somewhere else. Assuming that the y get dirty, just has been h them off with warm water.
You could give away free and inexpensive smaller vinyl stickers while selling life size stickers to establish a promotion that funds itself.
Here are a few promotional ideas:
* Give away small vinyl stickers of your band’s logo at the door
* Sell life size wall stickers of your band in action and the members along with immense stickers of your band logo.
* Find out where agents live and plaster their neighborhood bulletin boards and retailer windows (with permission, of course)
* Place them in jewel cases
* Put them on fan’s cars during a gig
Here are some more detailed promo ideas…
The band Brew
Thanks to Mike Larrabee for this idea, it is great. Do you’ve a regional micro-brewery? See about getting a few cases of beer without front labels. Then establish your own label and order the design as a FotoStick. You could put them on the bottles and your fans could buy a beer and get a free promotional sticker that can be re-stuck anywhere they prefer.
Steal This Sticker
Put your band stickers on bulletin boards, windows and anywhere else you dare. people could simply peel them off and use them again anywhere they want. They won’t harm walls or windows.
Artist Co-Promotion
Find a nice musician or two and have a monthly promotion that includes a limited run of only a specified amount of stickers featuring a certain artist. When they’re gone, that’s it, they’re no longer available. Do this each month and you could  encourage  collecting band memorabilia and establish some buzz.
Bar Graffiti
Put your band stickers all over the bar or venue you’re playing in and let the fans know that they could peel them off and keep them.
Photos of fans with band Members
At each show have one of the roadies take pictures of your fans with their preferred band members. Collect their addresses and then send them some FotoSticks a few weeks later to remind them of the night. You can be sure that they will show their companions and family. Since they’re repositionable, they could put them on their notebooks or laptops to show around and then put them on their wall once they’re done bragging.
Summary
Repositionable vinyl stickers are new and they get people talking. Not only are they a way to get your band image known, they establish a buzz just because they’re novel. So, don’t hesitate, be the 1st band to show this new promotional tool to your fans. It’s an inexpensive way to get the word out. Plus, if you sell the larger six and seven foot wall size stickers it could pay for itself and you could even profit from it in more ways than one.
FotoStick is a 5 mil vinyl material that has a sticky back that can be moved and removed without harming the surface they’re placed upon. Un prefer static cling, traditional stickers and custom magnets, FotoSticks are tough, durable and more versatile. They’re prefer stickers but they can be used and re-used over and over again. They’re prefer magnets except that they stick on al most any smooth surface. They are inexpensive and you could establish one custom sticker to one hundred thousand affordably. Stay up to date with new trends by reading the FotoStick Blog

Bands fail all the time. They fail, not through a lack of talent or because of a mutual decision to pursue other interests, but because of a lack of interest, band recognition and a small fan base. This lack of interest has absolutely little to do with the band’s musical or vocal abilities; rather, it is due to a lack of promotion. without promotion and advertising to generate interest in the band, it will fail. This begs the question, how does a band promote itself? Is there a single method of promotion that will work, or must it be a multifaceted marketing plan? Promotion is the most vital aspect of turning into successful in the music business. To accurately  encourage  a band, a inclusive promotion plan must be created. This plan will encompass many different aspects of advertising and promotion and each one plays a critical role in the success or failure of the band. without a inclusive promotion plan, a band cannot expect to garner the type of fame and recognition vital to be offer ed a large contract through by a top music business label. without promotion, the only fans you’ll gain are those who actually get to hear the band play, with no means of gaining a larger fans.
A inclusive promotion plan will cover many different areas:
It will permit fans to hear a band’s music without actually having to present at a concert event. This can be achieved through two distinct methods. Creating a music cd that can be distributed free of charge is a wonderful way to build a fan base. Members of the band can be given an allotment to give out through their everyday lives. Custom stickers can be placed within the jewel case, allowing fans to  encourage  the band on their own. You could also establish music MP3’s and host them on the Internet for free download. Both of these methods will allow prospective fans to listen to the band’s music in a comfortable  set ting without having to go to a show.
Use the Internet. The Internet is an incredible promotional tool if properly used. Virtually every band has a presence on social networking web sites such as MySpace and FaceBook. You could use these to host your free MP3’s, let fans request more information and band stickers and bumper stickers. Stickers and bumper stickers can be custom made to meet a band’s specific needs through custom sticker printing.
Playing any Club that will book the band, from free shows at a regional bar to annual Battle of the Bands competitions held in many cities. The more Clubs played, the wonderful the number of people that are able to listen to the band’s music and see experience their stage show. This allows bands to dramatically increase the amount of buzz generated about the band and improve name recognition in the public.
Possibly the single best promotional tool at a bands disposal are custom printed band stickers. These are an incredibly popular way for people to display their interests, causes, political statements and more. Through custom made stickers and bumper stickers, bands could use their original artwork, graphics, logos or designs that they could want to use. They are created through custom sticker printing and can be found many places on the Internet. Virtually all fans are more than happy to put stickers of their preferred bands on their notebooks, backpacks, in their cars, on bulletin boards and anywhere else they could think about. This allows a vast number of others to see the band’s name, artwork and logo designs, growing name recognition by a large amount.
A inclusive promotional plan encompasses all this and more. Each aspect listed here dramatically increases the fame and name recognition of a band and contributes to growing the band’s fame and fan base. In short, the more people that are aware of a band’s presence, the more people are able to listen to and appreciate the band’s music and attend concert s. fans are what the music business is all about, in the end, and the more fans a band has, the greater the occasions that the band will be signed by a music label.
StickerGiant has been founded in 2000 by an unknown mad scientist named John Fischer and world renowned illustrator Mike Brooks. Since then John has made sure that StickerGiant works to source and sell ALL stickers that represent a myriad of views, Freedom of Expression through Stickers is our motto. think about StickerGiant as a non-partisan obvious ing house for the 1st Amendment.  we  don’t write the stickers here,  we  just offer a place for others to express themselves. Remember, Diversity is what makes United States Great!
In case you’re wondering, the StickerGiant community consists of Liberals, Conservatives, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Atheist.  we  are a slice of the American pulse and  we  prefer it that way. So, stand up for who you’re and choose out a sticker that represents who you are. Say it with stickers!

In a  surprisingly short time, Myspace.com has become the hottest music promotional tool available to anyone. Here are the 7 rules of successful MySpace music promotion.
1. Get a myspace.com music page.
Getting a myspace.com music page is free so there is no reason not to have one.
2. Make sure your page is user friendly.
There are many would-be music business professionals who have MySpace pages take too long to load. If your MySpace page loads too slow, you could be losing potential fans. Mega bandwidth graphics and images will pr event your page from loading quickly. Your MySpace page ought to take no longer than 20 – 30 seconds to load.
many musicians on MySpace use layouts that emphasize their creativity but are a nightmare to navigate. Refrain from using dancing cursor’s, raining text, and distracting images on your MySpace music pages.
Other MySpace musicians have about me blurbs that go on forever. Keep about me blurbs short (no more than 1000 words), if people want to know more about you, they will ask.
3. Have your music on your MySpace page.
Do not put someone else’s music on your MySpace page unless you were involved in the creation of the music. How could you be found if your music isn’t on your page?
4. Reach out for companions.
Networking on MySpace is one of the most dynamic tools you could use to build your fan-base. Take advantage of the occasion to reach people with prefer interests. Never ignore or decline a friend request. You never know who could advocate your career.
5. Treat your companions prefer companions.
Common courtesy applies on MySpace just as in real life. Be willing to thank your companions for adding you as a friend. Respond to friend’s emails (if appropriate). Never post your ad as a comment on someone ’s MySpace page without acknowledging them. Limit the size of your “ad comments”.
6.  encourage  yourself in appropriate ways.
Noteworthy career benchmarks, or new music added to your page are nice reasons to  encourage  yourself on myspace. List your show dates on your page and use bulletins to let people know where you’re performing. Limit the number of bulletins you post. Posting irrelevant bulletins, or posting bulletins too ofttimes, will force your companions to ignore you.
Let people know about your myspace.com page. Putting your unique myspace.com address on your web site and business cards will make it convenient for you to build your network and fan base faster.
7. offer ways for people to purchase your music from your MySpace page.
If you sell your music anywhere Internet make sure there is a direct link from your MySpace page to the location where people could buy your music.
Follow our rules and you’ll have fun and make many companions on Myspace.

Even if you’re currently sleeping on your buddy’s couch, you could  encourage  your band with little or no resources. ( You’ll need a computer and Internet access)
Free music marketing (as the name suggests) does not fee resources, but it will take some time, creative and determination. Ready?
1. Get an Email Account. Free email accounts are available from Gmail, Hotmail or many other web-based email organizations. Simply go to their homepage and sign up for an account, and you’ll be up and going in minutes.
2. Get a MySpace Page. You could get the band a MySpace web site for free. There you could also load up some of your songs, photos, etc. Once you’ve your web site up email all your companions and fans to come check it out and add them to your friend list. You could then contact them all at once to announce future gigs, song releases, etc.
3. Get Something to Sell. You can’t make any resources if you don’t have anything to sell. When you’re playing gigs, even free ones could make you resources by selling stuff to the fans. Make sure you’ve copies of your music on CD  or a flash drive to sell. You could also sell merchandise with your band’s name and logo on it. You could do this Internet for free by  set ting up a virtual storefront at CaféPress.com. They’ll give you a little retailer front web site and show how your logo looks on multiple items you select. Once someone buys the stuff, they handle all the billing and shipping and send you a check.
4. Get a Sponsor. No, not an AA sponsor! I mean a business sponsor who will give your band resources to  encourage  their company. Establish off by looking for “Angel” sponsors. These could be parents, grandparents or companions of the family who have a little extra resources to invest in your career. Then look to organizations who would worth from advertising to the fans you’ll be playing to. Auto dealers, clothing stores, soft drink or beer distributors, are also a nice prospects. Show them that their resources will be going directly into the creation of the marketing materials, and not the band beer fund! By way of example, you put their logo with yours on T-shirts, flyers, posters, banners, etc., in ex differ for them paying for the fee of creating those pieces.
5. Alert The Media. Contact regional radio and television station and offer to play any on or off air get togethers or get togethers they’re having. You could or could not get paid this time, but having your name on the minds and lips of the regional movers and shakers could only advocate your career. With a little work you could market your music for free and keep all the rewards yourself. people are doing this right now, and so could you. You just need to choose up a few marketing tips, tricks and techniques prefer the pros use.

In the days before the Internet, when the major record labels had the music market sewn up tight, it has been all but impossible to break into the music business in the traditional sense without having a recording contract with one of them. This ofttimes led to musicians turning into broke before their album ever actually hit the music retailer shelves.
The long established “standard recording contract” that has been used by the industry, heavily favored the company, at the expense of the star. Advances had to be recouped, recording and manufacturing and distribution costs repaid before the musician saw nickel number one.
Now all that has differ d, and for the independent recording musician or band these days, it is definitely a blessing in disguise, although some could not see it that way. The “lure” of the ample label contract is still a desirable thing for most young musician s, just because they have never been exposed to the potential of the Internet as a sales and marketing medium.
More seasoned musicians have realized, in the past ten years or so, that the Internet is definitely the way to go if you want to serious ly pursue a career in music. Mainly because it is virtually open to anyone, regardless of budget constraints. many bands and solo musicians are, as I write this, creating small empires for themselves solely by means of the electronic information highway.
Internet music promotion, while still in it is infancy, is turning into a force to be reckoned with by not only the major record organizations, but other Internet artist. The competition, while not yet fierce, is significantly stiff enough to raise the caution flag for many. Add to that the outwardly incomprehensible way that advertising and marketing works on the web, and it is no wonder that many would-be Internet superstars give up before the fight even starts.
But it does not have to end there. There are sources available for struggling musicians to take advantage of when it comes to learning the in’s and out’s of Internet music marketing and promotion. Internet courses dealing with web site creation and search engine marketing and optimization are too numerous to count.
If your eyes glazed over as you read that last sentence, don’t feel alone. The vast possibilities that exist for creating a buzz, and establishing a fan base for your music are endless. There has actually never been a better time to get started in Internet music promotion than right now. And the fact that so many established musicians are currently using this means as their primary marketing and distribution system only lends weight to the argument.
Ever hear of a guy called Jimmy Buffett? Well, following numerous successful years of feeding the record companies coffers, Jimmy decided that he’d had enough. Do you blame him? After all is said and done, a major label musician could end up actually being in the hole following everything is paid for on a major CD  release. Do not believe me? The evidence is all over the place. Do a search on Google for the term ” musicians royalties”, what you get back will look prefer some type of horror story. But it is all true.
Jimmy Buffett decided to form his own record company “Mailboat Records”, and he’s doing quite fine now, and actually has been able to steal many talent from the prefers of Island Records to come over to his new label.
When you think about that a major recording musician has to sell somewhere around 3 million CDs just to break even, and an independent label could sell about 10,000 and the musician makes just as much, well, the choice really is not that much of a choice anymore now is it?
Add to all this the newest thing, digital downloads, and you’ve a brand new market ready to explode for the independent musician out there who has enough get up and go to take a crack at it.
The future is yours independent musician. Let’s make the most of it.

The traditional record labels dominated music market is coming to an end. If you have not noticed the latest MP3 download services on Amazon.com, you’re missing the beginning of the end of traditional music distribution era.
The ample players now are teaming with social networking web sites such as MySpace.com to find new ways to sell music. Why? They can’t advocate it. people don’t want to pay for CDs anymore. Plus, there’s no need to buy CDs when you could download them for free somewhere on the Internet. After a few years of battling, the ample labels finally realized the trend is irreversible.
However, this is not new for the independent/unsigned musician s. Independent musicians have long been promoting their recordings via unconventional channels. The entry of the ample record labels on the Internet music communities will have an impact on the indie musician s. But unsigned musicians still have one obvious advantage over the ample labels – giving out music for free.
Why ought to you give away free music on the Internet? One obvious reason is that people don’t want to pay any more. people I mean by teenagers and generation Y and beyond. Those are the fanss who don’t understand life without the Internet. You could could find a free copy of any given song on the Internet if you dig far enough.
The latest proof to this is that ample record labels are teaming up with the social networking web sites to  encourage  and give out music. This is the marketing niche where independent musicians have had since the beginning of the Internet usage. So how much impact will indie musicians feel? Big. The social networking communities have been independent musician s’ marketing channel, the entry of ample players will certainly push the small bands to the back burners. For independent musicians to achieve any form of success on the Internet, they have to take radical steps that ample labels won’t take such as giving away music for free. At this point  we  don’t know how the record label/social networking music alliance will work out, but one thing for certain is that the music won’t be all for free downloading.

Music promotion is not such an easy task to master. In fact it is one of the biggest barrier present for an indie musician. There are literally tons of nice musicians out there, but what’s stopping them from success and fame? It’s their promotion. Do not think for a second just because you’re signed to a ample record label, you’ll be next Justin Timberlake. Even ample record labels could occasionally struggle to  encourage  certain musicians and there have been many cases where musicians voluntarily choose to go independent so they could solely  encourage  their music and be free of any contract.
Stop dreaming about getting “signed” – it is time to put the power in your hands. Independent music distribution is the wave of the future. And here is the nice news, you’re in total control. Do not think for one second that have to have 100’s of thousands of dollars to drop your CD  if you’re independent? Think again. There are lots of organizations that will get you started for next to little. You only pay for what you sell and they do all the leg work for you.
There are web sites that you could visit now that takes your music Internet – turns it into a professional CD  – and even takes your orders. They also ship, they print, they process orders … – heck, everything but making your song and cooking your breakfast. There are places Internet which let’s you upload your song once and gets you listed in the top digital distribution web sites in seconds. The point is Internet music promotion and distribution is much easier than you think. And iTunes is far from the only game out there – there are dozens of places to list your music that you’ve could never heard of.
Social networking is another a Club you could use to establish amazing results. Armed with a little knowledge, you could propel your Internet presence within a matter of days and get tons of free publicity and traffic coming through to your web site. Not only has the Internet begun to dominate the promotion of music, it has also begun to dominate its distribution as well. iTunes, by 2006, reportedly have more than a million song downloads per DAY. That has been back in 2006. (Hint: It’s 2008 now).
Internet downloads are projected to surpass CD  sales some time in 2010. This is just brilliant news for indie musician s. For you all aspiring musicians out there, jump Internet, ride this 100-ton marketing guerrilla and take use of the wonderful occasion Internet presents to everybody.

With the escalating progression of music technology in the last decade, mainland CD  stores are continuing to decline in popularity, as the trendy demand for digital music downloads continues to crush them further into the archives of history. Claiming more than half of the globes music purchasing fans, Digital Music Distribution is the predominant method of music marketing the world offers us now.
More and more musicians are appearing on the scene with highly polished albums, mostly produced entirely under their own steam. They have become source ful singular empires, holding sole rights and authenticity as unconstrained producers and marketing agents of their own products. The musicians are ready to take the world by storm by hooking themselves up with one of the many distribution organizations currently available.
But as an independent musician, what are you really signing up to in a distribution deal?
many digital distributors offer musicians the occasion to have their music available on many of the popular and esteemed music selling outfits; Apple iTunes being one of the most popular playgrounds for current music consumers. But whilst they could promise to get your music on the right path, how is it going to be found amongst the billion other musicians competing for sales? Consider that most central stream musicians have many more dollars poured into their advertising and marketing individual a’s than the unsigned musician could ever afford. Major acts are funded by major pockets ensuring the best occasion of sales.
One answer to this is that many unsigned musicians feel that by simply having their music made available alongside mainstream musicians is a improve to their credibility, affording them and their music a much higher distinction. It’s certain that a nice deal could grant your music a triumphant victory if you manage to populate vintage music selling web site s. Your only subsequent aim is to actually make sales on them. Otherwise what’s the purpose following all?
Deals, terms and conditions differ from business to business, so it is worth looking around and researching which type of distribution method is right for you. There are many worthy deals, and could just as many scams, circulating the information highway.
If you’re thinking of accepting a distribution deal, before signing the dotted line it is vital to ask questions such as:
• Does the deal include any publicity or promotional advantages to the artist?
• Are there any payments I must make, statutory, collective or otherwise?
• What percentage of royalties will I receive, and how are payments handled?
• could I be offer d with an estimation of how profitable your distributive methods are?
• What are my rights in terminating the contract?
• Am I solely responsible for tax declarations on my net income?
Other things you must check before signing are the ‘exclusivity’ terms. These could greatly inhibit your freedom. Does a deal involve licensing your music digitally (via prefer red Internet formats) or does the deal also include physical sales? Some are highly exclusive in nature whilst others give you rights to continue with marketing your music via other channels.
Bear in mind that many reputable and authorised distributors, such as CD Baby for one, won’t allow an musician to exploit other distribution channels, as the two get togethers run the risk of putting your music on the exact same web site s. A hassle major retailers and distributors could do without, and an understandable clause too.
You must read the terms of an agreement in full. It’s absolutely essential that you fully understand what’s expected from you as well as what’s being offer ed!
Here is a cautionary example:
A music distribution web site currently offers a deal for both digital and physical music sales, (the terms of agreement are publicly available for download on the web site ).
The web site appears to charge $99.99 as a one off payment. Upon checking their terms of agreement however, it states:
“After one year of promotion,  we  may archive, remove and/or su spend your Works from the Service without terminating this Agreement.”
What then Assuming that the agreement is still in place but your work is no longer made available on their web site?
“You could pay an annual fee, which is to be determined, to insure that your Materials are not archived, but displayed and offer ed for sale following the 1st year of Service.”
So if you refuse to pay this annual fee, the web site still holds all rights to license and sell your music as expressed in the agreement you already signed!
This is not necessarily wrong but is it what you want? Always check the small print and read any agreement thoroughly. As a general rule be wary of web sites that ask you to pay for distributing your music. On the basis that a web site ’s marketing strategies were fruitful, and they believed that your music is nice enough to reap a profit, why would they be asking you to pay them in advance? Suffice to say that not all web sites that request payment from an musician deliver an unsatisfactory service. Speak to other musicians whose music is being distributed and see how the deal is working for them. If something does not sound quite right in any deal, double check with the distributor. If you still receive an insufficient response, you could always seek a legal opinion. But if you’re really in doubt, perhaps you’re better off without !
If you’re marketing your music through a label they ought to be sufficiently taking care of your interests. A reputable label with ensure that all terms in a distribution  set ting are obvious and fair to all get togethers involved. Being part of an honest label is ofttimes a nice way to relieve yourself from some of the finer pressures attached to direct schemes. They will of course also expect a cut of the profits but will ofttimes have a nice degree of interest in maintaining their own musician s’ affairs in an appropriate manner. Assuming that the musician is happy the label thrives upon its nice reputation, and its integrity towards its musician s.
Despite the odds, sales margins have expanded for thousands of unsigned musician s, simply because of the greater variety of marketing mediums available. You could not only market your music yourself, but allow others to do it for you. The more places your music is available the higher your occasions are of achieving sales. But as with any enterprise, resources and prof it is the primary goal, and consequently you ought to continue with caution before handing your individual work over to anyone.
There are many reputable distributors, who promise to do the job and actually deliver what they stated. But, as with everything in life, there are those that you would rather not be involved with. So research as many as possible, and ask as many questions as you see fit. After all, a year is a long time to get stuck in a deal you later realised does not quite work for you! Not only would a bad deal cause you much frustration in its limitations, but could also undermine your confidence in participating in future marketing opportunities.