Tips for artists starting out: How to promote your music without a label company

So you have a band, lots of talent and good songs, but no money for promoting your work. Getting a signed contract with a label company will probably take care of promotion, but until then, let’s find out what can you do by yourself, using only Internet, friends and networking. 

Be active on (the right) Social Media

At first, all you need is an official Facebook page. Do not waste your time creating accounts on all social media platforms or creating your own website yet. Spreading your efforts too thin may hurt rather than help.

After all Facebook is big and growing bigger. There are over 1.6 billion Facebook users. Think you can find some fans there? We sure do. Keep your Facebook page updated with relevant content: photos of you rehearsing, new concerts, new songs, updates about you. Oh, and very important: double-check your spelling and grammar. You want to be a role model for your fans. Keep it classy.

Show your face to the world

Your image is very important. Maybe you have a friend that takes great photos. She can help you with a professional photo shooting. If not, it’s a good idea to raise some money and go to a professional for some cool shots of you.

But stay fresh. Post selfies, inspiring images and things happening in your day-to-day life, even if you post them from your smartphone. Record short videos and stream your shows live.

The Offspring in concert. Photo source. The Offspring got started in 1984 with guitarist/vocalist Bryan "Dexter" Holland and bassist Greg Kriesel playing music together in a garage in California.

The Offspring in concert. Photo source.
The Offspring got started in 1984 with guitarist/vocalist Bryan “Dexter” Holland and bassist Greg Kriesel playing music together in a garage in California.

Stay in touch with an YouTube account

Create an official channel of your band on YouTube and upload quality content or stream live events. You can also post covers, but make sure they sound really good. You want to attract subscribers and fans. Another good idea is to make covers of popular songs – this way, people who search the original song will also find your version and maybe enjoy your personal style. In the description of the video, you can also post the dates of your band’s concerts, if you already have any, or your Facebook page.

Be present at events

Socialize. That’s how you meet the right people (and unfortunately some of the wrong ones but never mind that). Maybe no one knows you yet and you do not receive invitations to fancy events, where all the VIPs are. For start, it’s important to attend small events – company parties, birthday parties, small parties in the city. If you don’t know anyone there, even better. Make friends and spread the word about your music. Who knows when you’ll meet the manager of a label company?

Other musicians

Maybe you have some friends that also have a band. Why don’t you make a song together? You are definitely familiar with all those popular featurings that big artists make. Well, they have a pretty good reason for it: the number of fans listening is double! This way, the other band’s fans may become your new fans!

Music blogs

It’s hard to reach mainstream music press when you are at the beginning of your career, but why don’t you try reaching music blogs? The bloggers are almost always eager to listen to new music and, if they like it, they can promote it on their websites.

Live shows

All artists create for their fans. Now it’s time to meet them. You don’t have to be an already popular artist to sing in front of an audience. First step: make a list of pubs and bars in your city that host local bands, then call them and make an appointment for an audition. Do your best to impress them and negotiate a good deal. At first, you will sing for free, but don’t worry – this is your chance for people to get to know you and start enjoying your music. After this … sky is the limit. Start small and grow from there. Using Oveit’s event registration software, you can set up your concerts and receive payments for tickets instantly. Pretty cool, right?

As you can see, there a lot of ways to promote your music without a label company of even money. All you have to do is stay positive, be creative and work hard. And, nonetheless, keep on making great music, until you get where you want to be!

October 10, 2016 Concerts No comments yet

Best classical music festivals to attend in summer/autumn 2016

For anyone who prefers Mozart, Bach, or Brahms over electronic music of popular DJs, there are a lot of excellent classical music festivals to choose from. Moreover, while you’re there, you can also do some sightseeing, since most of the events are held in good holiday locations, which provide endless possibilities, beyond the music. Here are the best five festivals that you can’t miss the following months.

Musique Cordiale Festival

July 30th –August 13th 2016, Provence, France

MC2014-Valat-opera-panorama

Source – Musique Cordiale

An exciting summer festival of classical music, song, oratorio and opera, set in medieval hills between Nice & Aix-en-Provence, Musique Cordiale is one of the most significant music events in the area. Over 100 musicians pour into the village of Seillans to embark on two weeks of intense music-making.

2016 will be the 12th edition of the festival and will feature over 18 concerts including major choral and orchestral works, chamber ensembles, and late-night recitals in churches, chapels, or under the stars. The choral tradition remains an integral part of Musique Cordiale and a major work for choir closes the festival each year.

Nonetheless, Musique Cordiale makes no charge for children aged 13 or under as long as they are accompanied by an adult, because they want to encourage young people to appreciate music.

More info at: www.musique-cordiale.com

International D-Marin Classical Music Festival

August 20th – 27th 2016, Bodrum – Turkey

d-marin

Source: International D-Marin Classical Music Festival

The first and only classical music festival organized at a marina, the festival hosted more than 3,800 artists and musicians on stage with 98 concerts during the last 11 years. The line-up of the festival this year includes great musicians and orchestras such as İdil Biret, Daniel Kharitonov, Lucienne Renaudin-Vary, Presidential Symphony Orchestra, London Chamber Orchestra, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, and Tonhalle-Orchestra Zurich.

The organizers also have prepared lots of other activities: workshops for children – with classical music in the background -, cooking workshops, open-air movie screenings, story-telling, and an art exhibition in addition to concerts that begin in the morning and continue through the sunset. Moreover, by attending the event you can also contribute to the well-being of those in need: all ticket income from the festival is donated to the Tohum Autism Foundation and Bodrum Health Foundation.

More info at: http://www.dmarinfestival.com/en/

Baltic Sea Festival

August 28th – September 4th, 2016, Berwaldhallen, Stockholm, Sweden

Baltic Sea Festival was founded in 2003 by Michael Tydén, former director of Berwaldhallen in Stockholm, Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor and composer, Valery Gergiev, conductor and director of the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg.

baltic-sea-fest

Source: Baltic Sea Festival

Over the years, audiences in Berwaldhallen has been invited to performances by, among others, the World Orchestra for Peace, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, West-Easter Divan Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Radio Choir, and conductors  Esa-Pekka Salonen, Valery Gergiev, Riccardo Muti, Daniel Barenboim, Daniel Harding, Peter Dijkstra. There have been several world premieres of new music at the festival.

More info at: http://sverigesradio.se/sida/default.aspx?programid=3430

Lucerne Festival

August 12th – September 11th 2016, Lucerne, Switzerland

lucerne

Source: Lucerne Festival

Famous orchestras, legendary conductors, and virtuoso soloists join together three times a year on the idyllic location of Lake Lucerne to celebrate the joy of music. 110,000 visitors annually visit Lucerne to experience one of the most exquisite and storied music festivals and to hear the international stars of classical music right in the heart of Switzerland.

Along with cultivating the traditional repertoire, which is performed by leading international performers, Lucerne Festival is deeply committed to the realm of contemporary music: each year the work of one or two composers-in-residence is given a spotlight.

Another cool thing at Lucerne Festival is that before the concert begins, you can reserve your drinks and snacks for intermission right at the KKL Luzern event hall.

More info at: www.lucernefestival.ch

Beethovenfest

September 9th – Octomber 9th, Bonn, Germany

bethoven

Source: Beethovenfest

Approximately 2,000 artists appear during the Beethovenfest Bonn every year. This year, the concerts take place in 25 different locations in Bonn and its rural environment: concert halls, churches, museums, former parliament buildings, historical industry sights, modern office buildings and castles.

The opening concert, which takes place at Beethovenhalle, is held by Hilary Hahn (Violine), Tschechische Philharmonie, Jiří Bělohlávek (Conductor), based on works by György Ligeti, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Viktor Ullmann and Antonín Dvořák. The average ticket price is 40 Euros, but school and college students get a 50 % discount for all concerts.

More info at: www.beethovenfest.de

July 26, 2016 Concerts, Events, Festivals No comments yet

How to plan an indie concert

OK, so the band is doing well, you did some gigs in front of your family and friends and now you want to go to the next level. The best feedback you can get for your band is playing in front of a live audience, but that can prove to be more difficult to achieve without a label or a manager. However, in our times, when internet and social media are the best things that could ever happen to an aspiring music band, planning an indie concert can be a task easier than you might think. But remember… it might be easier, you might have all the right tools, but you’re still going to be putting a lot of effort into it. No pain, no gain.

young-people

So, here are some nice tricks that can help you organize a small concert:

1. Google is your friend.

You can find anything you want on Google. The real key to using your new best friend is to know what you are looking for. According to Music Think Tank, there are a couple of interesting websites for indie artists that can help any aspiring musician learn a lot about industry, managers and booking shows, like Sonicbids Blog, Rap Rehab, Hypebot and, of course, Music Think Tank.

this-businessYou might also want to check out some interesting books about concerts and tours. One of them is “This Business of Concert Promotion and Touring: “A Practical Guide to Creating, Selling, Organizing, and Staging Concerts” by Ray Waddell.

A must-have for indie artists is: “All You Need to Know About the Music Business” by Donald S. Passman. This book is the definitive, essential guide to the music industry and is now in its eighth edition, revised and updated with crucial information on the industry’s major changes in response to rapid technological advances and economic uncertainty.

2. Mastering the Social Networks

Obviously, when you and your band don’t have big budgets to spend on marketing and promotion, social networks are the safest way to success. It might take some time but if you do it right, the results are guaranteed. Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are names that you should be familiarized with, as they are key to a successful event and a growing popularity of your music.

Singer Josh Levi claimed that “social media definitely plays a huge role in success today” and he is right. Either you are trying to promote your song or your concert, synchronize your accounts on every social network and start posting. You might bump into haters so keep calm and carry on posting… You might find out that a hater will only promote your music and some of his friends might actually enjoy it and come to see you play live.

3. “It’s not the singer, it’s the song”

These are wise words from the music industry so you better take them seriously. You can’t have a concert if you don’t have songs. While singing covers will help you fill up the playlist, people will come to see your concert so if you want to be successful, you must have some personal creations. It takes just one good song to hit the charts and be successful but just like in any business, getting to number 1 is hard work and staying there is even harder. So it’s best you prepare a good and entertaining playlist for the people who come to see you.

4. Choose the right venue

Now this is crucial. The selection of the venue can help you have a successful concert. Obviously you must select the venue that fits your target. If you want to organize a jazz concert, organizing the event at a Rock Club is definitely a bad idea. So, depending on what you sing, choose your venue wisely, as the venue itself can generate some audience. After all, it is in their interest also to get people to come inside and spend some money there. And since we’re talking about venues, make sure that the venue has the technical capacity for a proper concert. You might want to avoid places where the sound is bad or where people are cramming in and have no air to breathe.

5. Sell the tickets

You managed to set everything in place. You have all social network accounts working and your website is up and running. You found the perfect venue for the concert and set the date now comes the crucial part: how to sell the tickets and generate some revenue? So what is there to do? Well, take matters into your own hands and sell your own tickets. It’s your show, your money, your time so why not sell your own tickets directly from your website?

Once you advertise the concert on the social networks the people who are interested will come on your website and find more details about you, your band, your music and your events. Your website is the primary source of information for people who want to get to know you so why not sell tickets from your website. A few years ago, creating your own ticketing software was very expensive but now you have Oveit. With just a few clicks, you can set up your event in a couple of minutes and then use an Embed code to paste it on your website, and that’s it. You can now start selling tickets directly from your website. No more telephones to the ticketing platforms, everything you need is in your hands. So now you can focus on things that matter: the concert!

6. Keep your attendees close

It’s the evening of the concert. You sold your tickets and everything went as planned. People came to the venue, enjoyed your music and had a great time. What next? Transform your attendees into your fans. If you used Oveit’s event registration software to sell tickets, you might want to know that you have now gathered a lot of information about the participants. So now you have a data base to use and improve and you can send e-mails, make a newsletter and keep in contact with everyone. The key detail to being successful is communication. Music comes first but it doesn’t matter how good your music is if you lack interaction with your fans. Keeping them happy and satisfied will get you a long way. And now you can do that with your own data base.

Back in the days, getting in contact with your audience was quite difficult. Now, this is not the case. Labels have discovered that organizing events themselves will improve their revenues. Why hire someone to do your concert when you can do it yourself? So if the labels do this, why couldn’t the indie artists do it?

July 15, 2016 Concerts, Event management, Events No comments yet