How Should I Promote My Shows?



By: Jessica Hopper
Editor's Note: Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Ask Fan Landers!
Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured
internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist,
and is the author of The Girls' Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to help you stop doing it wrong. Send your problems to her — confidentiality is assured, unless you want to use your drama as a ticket to Internet microfame]

Fan,
I work as a promoter for a club in the midwest and I've found there's a
real disconnect between what some bands and venues expect — what each
of them see as each other's obligation to promote a show. Whether or not
you play for money, glory or the love of art, there are people involved
whose livelihoods depend on the show doing well. Besides the
venue-owners, bartenders can have a great night or a lousy night
depending on how well a show is attended. Door attendants, bar-backs and
security might not even be scheduled if a band is booked who has a
reputation of not having a following. Some bands seem to prefer to let
the chips fall where they may because if they don't really try, they
can't really fail.

Do you think a band should be responsible to bring the whole force of
their following to every show, even if they aren't headlining? Should
these things be outlined by the promoter/venue in advance? What show
promotion tactics are best for bands?
Signed,
Please Keep My Name Out of It, I Have Already Complained Too Much

]

Dear Please Keep,
Assuming it's the promoter or club's job to get people to the show is
one of the common fallacies of young bands. It's the club's job to
promote the show in all the ways they normally would–distributing
concert calendars, flyers, and ticket giveaways. It is the band's duty
to get their fans out. As I have said here before, bands should always
work on the assumption that clubs/promoters are totally beleaguered and
expect little to nothing of them. This isn't a slight, or saying that
promoters are flakes, but just an acknowledgement that people who are
putting on shows for small-to-medium-sized local bands are perhaps the
most put-upon and over worked people in any scene. Their list of tasks
is infinite, and they are already haggard from doing it “for the love”
for years.

It is a band's job to promote their show to their friends, to
applicable press and radio, make a decent poster or flyer and put them
up (as well as pass some on to the venue/promoter to post), post it on
their Facebook page, etc. Sometime bands complain that they are
musicians, not marketing people, that promotion doesn't fall under the
artist's job description. This is a totally fine attitude to have, but
if that is the case, the band should eschew anything beyond playing
house shows, and stay out of the more for-profit pursuits and just do it
for the art and not for achievement. Because the last thing everyone
needs is some whiny band that is unwilling to work for themselves being a
burden on the system, so to speak. Do not expect other people to work
for your band's benefit, if you are not willing to do that work
yourself.

Not to be all Ayn Landers up in this informational yurt, but the
humbling hard work associated with being in a band helps weed out the
weak and easily discouraged; it is useful to toughen people up. Being in
a band is harder than ever, for a multitude of reasons. Accepting the
pure pain-in-the-ass factor of it and embracing the struggle, getting
good at the struggle will help bond a band. It also gives them some much
needed perspective and experience if/when they eventually arrive in a
place where they can/need to hire someone to do their publicity or
manage or book them.

Do bands need to bring the full force of their promotional
capabilities for every single show they play? Obviously some shows are
more important than others, but I think the minimum of flyers/posters,
Facebook show invite, and tweeting about it should be the baseline.

The other reason to get good at promoting your band (or at least be
valiant/earnest/consistent in your efforts) is that it will please the
promoters you work with. The world is larded with lazy musicians; a band
that has it together to flier their own show and get some posters and
handbills to the promoter is going to be a shining beacon of
responsibility and consideration. It is an easy way to gain favor,
regardless of your draw or sound. I know we all grew up thinking that
being a musician meant flailing around in your ego and being a dick, but
simply being a little helpful and carrying your weight will get you a
lot further.

So, dear writer, if you find that the baby bands you are dealing with
are just not getting it, put an outline of what you expect and a FAQ on
the “booking contact” page of your site. Young bands may appreciate
your tutelage on how to do promote their shows–and stay in a promoter's
good graces.

Xo
Fan

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