DIY Band Aid

By Scott Smith in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 31, 2006 4:00PM

Last night’s Chicago Music Commission panel on "Promoting and Marketing Music - DIY Marketing to the Public" was a back-to-basics discussion on the smartest ways to promote your band in an era when you’re competing with a million other bands.

Mark Roth of Centerstage Chicago moderated a panel with Jim Kopeny of Chicagoist/Tankboy Productions, Doug LeFrak of Feisty Management and Jay Prasad of Pure Entertainment, who spoke about the successes they’ve seen in the several years in music promotion. Kopeny and LeFrak spoke more about the rock side of things, while Prasad’s expertise comes in the DJ/club arena. Yet all their tips could easily be applied to any genre or venue.

Quickly dispensing with the elephant in the room, the panel talked about the pros and cons of MySpace. All agreed that it can be used to create buzz, but you have to do more than just throw up a page and send friend requests to people you went to high school with. Roth said new bands can use MySpace to find fans of similar-sounding bands and send messages to them to help generate awareness of their band, locally and in other cities. It’s also important to put your best work out there. Everyone agreed that writing a great song is still important, and no amount of promotion and hustle will counteract the sound of a lousy band.

In discussing why MySpace works, Kopeny drove home the point of community. Creating a blog or message board to interact with fans is crucial, though LeFrak recommended a decidedly low-tech method: “hug your fans” after shows. After that gear is loaded out, make sure you come off the stage and talk to your fans and shake some hands. LeFrak cited the “Breck Girl” model, wherein making a couple new fans leads to a couple more and then a couple more. Kopeny noted that for smaller venues, if a new band can get 40 people in the door on a weeknight then a talent buyer will be impressed enough to consider booking the band again. Working on an e-mail list for your band is still a smart, cheap way to get the word out.

In discussing music online, Kopeny said it’s pointless to try and keep your music from getting out there. Instead, use that inevitability to your advantage. He noted that The Changes (a band managed by LeFrak) posted one track a week in the run-up to the release of its album. Prasad discussed a DJ whose album took a sales hit after it leaked, but then saw sales and buzz increase after he posted the individual tracks online and held a remix contest.

The panel also agreed that when trying to generate awareness, it’s easier to start with blogs and websites than the big daily papers. Using technorati.com to find out which writers are discussing bands similar to yours is helpful, as is sending e-mails to bloggers who write about music. Roth said to make sure those e-mails are personalized in some way, and Prasad recommended including HTML content to accurately describe the band’s sound, look and personality. Roth said that most cities have one or more online event calendars that bands can send information to for free.

Despite the availability of online marketing tools, many things remain the same. LeFrak said bands still have to hustle, but it’s easier now to work smarter instead of harder.

Watch the Chicago Music Commission’s archives for a link to an audio recording of last night’s presentation as well as a list of resources for bands looking to promote themselves. Next on the CMC's agenda: an economic study of the local music scene and a panel on marketing your music to the industry.