Worldwide gig directory just for unsigned & micro-label artists

February 13th, 2012

Can your band achieve mainstream success via social media?

Recently we highlighted the story of Jon Gomm’s viral video hit Passionflower and the how it received over a million views thanks to Reddit and social media. Many people see viral hits as useful but can’t see that they cross over into the mainstream press and TV. It depends who is talking about your music and how influential they are. This is how Jon Gomm went from posting a video on Youtube to playing live on BBC news after the video had already gone viral online:

  • First Stephen Fry tweeted about the video –  His tweet simply read “WOW” with a link to the video. Although we don’t know how he found the video this caused many thousands more hits to the video, which was already on well over a million hits. This then gets shared and this causes it to achieve more viral success. This is after the events in our original blog post.
  • The press picked up on the story – Once Mr Fry’s celebrity name became attached the story becomes “Stephen Fry tweets about Jon Gomm and it goes viral” (even thou it was already over a million views before Stephen Fry was involved!). The national press started to get interested. “A one-word tweet from author Stephen Fry has boosted the career of an aspiring singer – after it increased traffic to his latest video by one million hits.” was a typical quote from The Telegraph.
  • TV companies get involved – Once the story becomes about Stephen Fry discovering an obscure musician it is of interest to the television. Jon appears on BBC Breakfast TV and his video is featured on prime time TV’s The One Show as part of an interview with Stephen Fry. Here is a video of Jon on BBC Breakfast:

  • David Crosby gets in touch – All this brings Jon’s music to the attention of the legendary David Crosby of Crosby, Still and Nash fame. Another celebrity name attached to the story does it no harm at all and the buzz continues.

Through all this interest Jon has continued to stay 100% independent and refused all record company offers. Many people in the media seemed shocked he wasn’t interested in working with a record company. His music is selling well and his gigs are selling out. It is all without any PR company, direct to fan. It shows that if you have a story (especially one with a celebrity involved like Stephen Fry) you can get the mainstream media involved.

It is great to see Jon Gomm reaching a larger audience but all this came about because Jon’s music is genuinely great and he worked for years on the live circuit and online gradually building an audience. On this occasion he got a lucky break but the more hard work you put in playing live and making friends the more chance you have of eventually connecting with someone of influence such as Stephen Fry. It’s important to remember that the video had already gone viral before any of this happened

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February 4th, 2012

How much does it cost to “make it” in music?

On the Time magazine website there is an article by an obscure indie rock band called Two Lights talking about how expensive it is to become a rock star. It is always a bad idea to complain in public. GQ called them “Hapless poster-bros for self-importance…full of whiny self-entitlement” and across the web people are ridiculing the band. There is such a thing as bad publicity. Here are some things Two Lights could do that will actually help them to build an audience:

  • Stop complaining and start investing your time in your music – It’s not easy to build a fan base. It’s hard work to build it up but if you put the time in and build real relationships it works. This blog is full of ideas to build your audience and many of them are free or just require some hard work.
  • You don’t need to be in New York (or another major city) – You can save money and make records anywhere. If you want a career in music it’s a good idea to think of ways of reducing costs and living cheaply. It can be great to hang out and meet people if you live in a big city but this is not essential, building it up online does the job just as well. Tools like Youtube, Twitter and Live Unsigned can make all the difference.
  • Credibility and fans don’t come from an article in Time – Currently Two Lights have less than two hundred fans on Facebook and Twitter. The article didn’t help them, it made them a laughing stock. Not all press is good, before you consider doing anything think about if it will add to your credibility or take away from it.
  • Don’t wait for the record company – Two Lights say they are “Waiting for that blank check!”. You can do so much yourselves now, start building an audience and let the labels come to you. Once you have sold a few thousand downloads this will start to happen and you will be in a position to negotiate a better record deal.
  • It’s not about the money - ”we’ll soon be earning a lot more money than even doctors and lawyers.” Don’t go into it for the money, people will see through it, you need to make music because you need to, because it’s your passion.
  • The music industry isn’t glamorous – “What meets me backstage is nothing like what I pictured. No fountains of champagne, no elegant lounges. It’s just as dingy as the venue itself, with a printed sign taped to the star’s dressing room door. ” It’s show business, back stage is the servants quarters, it’s not cool or exciting, it’s the staff room.
  • You do have to invest your own money – Until you have an audience music is an expensive hobby. You do have to pay for rehearsals and recording yourself, it’s just the way it is. If you do it because you love it you won’t mind the investment.
  • Make the music so good people will share it – Look at the recent success of guitar master Jon Gomm, if you make great music people will share it. Word of mouth is still the best form of advertising.
  • Email blasts won’t work – You’re better off investing in a PR company that wants to work with you, not someone doing a random email blast. Work with a PR firm that are enthusiastic about your music, know the niche you work in, have a proven track record for breaking new bands and have real relationships with relevant bloggers and magazines in that scene.
  • Make the most of every gig – Every time you are on stage (even if it is in front of 3 people) get up there and give the full show, shake hands with the audience and build relationships. You build your audience one person at a time.
  • Spend money in the places it will have the most impact – $100,000 spent on PR, marketing and touring will have a big impact but only if you know who your audience is. Perhaps a decent recording is a good investment, as is a decent website.

Spending money won’t get you anywhere unless the music is good and people choose to support you. If there was a formula that would make you a rock star by investing a particular amount of cash more people would do it. Focus on building your audience gradually, it takes time but it does work.

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January 26th, 2012

How do you make the most of music industry showcase gigs?

On this blog we often talk about building the audience first and letting the music industry come to you, this will happen as soon as they see you playing large venues, selling thousands of CDs and bringing a crowd. The other way is to play music industry showcase gigs, often at conferences, sometimes in front of a panel of people in the music industry including managers, PR people and A & R people. It can feel a bit like the X Factor. Approval from these people can make a massive difference to your career, but how can you best take advantage of this opportunity? Here are a few ideas:

  • Make sure it really is an industry showcase – Many so called music industry showcase gigs are an excuse to get bands in to play for nothing. If there isn’t a guaranteed industry audience then it is not a showcase, be careful and research who is going to be there.
  • Have business cards, CDs and information that you can give to the panel – Make sure you have something with all your contact details on. Include an email address, a phone number and your website URL. If you are getting business cards get ones with nothing on the back so people on the panel can write notes on the back. QR codes that link to your website are good on anything. Little details make a difference so make sure anything you have to hand out looks professional.
  • Make an effort to talk to the panel – Not just when they are talking to you, shake hands and thank them for the advice. Ask for their business cards and email them later on to stay in touch. If you want people to remember you make an effort to connect with them. Be polite and take any criticism well (avoid getting drunk and telling them what you really think!).
  • Be prepared – Every detail makes a difference. Make sure every detail from batteries in your pedals to the perfect setlist is right. You only get one chance to make a first impression, if a panel is seeing twenty bands over the course of a few hours you really need to make an effort to stand out.
  • They see you before they hear you – Consider carefully what you wear, make sure you all look like you are in the same band and that your image is consistent with your music. If you look like Slayer but sound like the Kings Of Leon it is going to be hard for people to take you seriously. It should be all about the music but your image does make a big difference.
  • Get your fans to come – If possible try and get your fans along, show that there are people who already love your music. Post the dates on Live Unsigned, to your email list and across social media.
  • Give them the full show – Even if it’s a private showcase (just you and a panel) still give them the full show. Sometimes it will be a situation where all the bands have to share a back line, play one or two songs then get feedback from the panel. This is a very difficult situation and there can be metal then hip hop then punk all together. You need to get up there and really go for it. Make eye contact and play like it’s the encore in front of 700 people.
  • Play your best material – Spend some time really working on your best songs. It’s all about making the most of the tiny amount of time you have so get them so tight you can play them without thinking. Then you can focus on really performing. It may sound cheesy but practice stage moves in advance, think about what you’d like to see when watching a band and remember how bands have performed at the best concerts you have attended.

Making a good impression at a showcase can really help your career. Industry people may not want to sign you to a label or management deal straight away but may want you to stay in touch and send them new material when it is available. If they ask you to do this make sure you continue to send new recordings and information through, these contacts can really pay off in the long term. Signing to a label or management deal may not be the right thing for your band, remaining 100% DIY can also be an option that can potentially be equally rewarding. You don’t have to sign away any of your rights to build an audience and have a successful career in the music industry, there are other options.

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January 12th, 2012

Can your archive music and videos make you revenue and help grow your audience?

Most musicians create valuable content without even realising it. Recently Fugazi published on their web site an archive of live performances from their entire career that you can download and pay any amount for, from $1. When Fugazi were recording shows in the 80′s it is unlikely that they thought one day they would all be available, but throughout their career they were creating valuable content. Bands from Metallica to Grateful Dead and Phish are all doing the same, taking the content from the vaults and selling it to the hardcore fans. This is especially vital now there is not the large income from sales of new albums. It’s all about making the most from the fan base you have.

As a new DIY artist you may not have years of out takes and live recordings, but you most likely have a trail of content on your old hard drives, in note books and perhaps even on cassettes. You can use this content to help connect you to your audience and create an additional revenue stream. Here are a few ideas to turn your archive into something that will help advance your career:

  • Demos – These are always of interest to fans, even if you don’t think they are up to much. Alternative and early versions of songs help tell the story of you and your music, free up this content to your fans. Using sites like Bandcamp you can sell these tracks and create another income stream or use them to exchange for a fan’s email address to develop a long term relationship. Remember that once you have an email address you can earn revenue from that fan over the coming years in merchandise sales, live concerts and numerous other ways.
  • Live recordings – Recordings of gigs and practice sessions can be turned into downloads you can sell or swop for email addresses via sites such as Bandcamp. You can even rip MP3′s off fan shot Youtube videos if they have decent sound and offer these as downloads.
  • Videos – Anything you have on video is potential content you can post for your fans, whether its a live gig or you’re just messing about. Always think about if you are adding to or taking away from your legacy and public image with everything you post.
  • PDFs – You may have written a book without even thinking about it. Sites like Zinepal allow you to create a PDF book from your blog posts that you can make available from your site. Have you got any essays, music notation or interviews that fans may be interested in? Turn them into PDF’s and allow fans to download them. Create a zip file at one of the sharing sites (like megaupload) and let people download the content, what have you got to lose?
  • Interviews and spoken word content – MP3′s don’t just have to be music. Artists such as Amanda Palmer have successfully sold spoken word, interviews and even podcasts. Keep any audio recorded when you’re out on the road or at practice and see what interesting content you have created. One band we know recorded their funny discussions on the way to gigs and sold them to fans. See what you can come up with.
  • Old artwork/photos/press clippings/scanned postcards/photos of old tour t-shirts – These can all be turned into PDFs for fans to download. The weirder and more engaging and funny the better! The scanner is your friend, scan every piece of print press, you can then posts these cuttings on your site.
  • Anything else digital, free and individual to you – look through your old files and see what you have from short stories to tapes of you talking when you were at school or board games that you print out from a PDF. See what you have and what can be turned into content that you can give away to fans.

Have a good look through your digital archives and see what you have, you never know what will help create a revenue stream and connect you to your fans. You will most likely find you have far more content than you expected.

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December 30th, 2011

Best Live Unsigned blog posts for musicians of 2011

2011 has been a great year for unsigned musicians, more and more artists from Amanda Palmer to Steve Lawson are taking their music career into their own hands and making a living from being a musician, with the support of their fans. We thought we’d post some of our most useful and popular blog posts from the last 12 months:

  • Over 25? Are you too old to become a full time musician? – If you’re over 25 it doesn’t mean giving up, it is never too late to build a audience! It matters less how old you are and more how good your music is, who it appeals to and how much work you are prepared to put in.
  • How to organise your first national tour – Like it or not playing live is still one of the most effective ways to connect to an audience. Here we look at the details of planning your first national tour.
  • What do A&R people really want? – Often bands focus their efforts on getting A & R people to shows and trying to impress them when what they really want to see is that you already have a fan base and you’re out there playing live and making things happen for yourself.
  • How to create a music press release – Getting print press is difficult at the best of times but without a great press release it is virtually impossible. This blog post takes you through the process step by step.
  • How to get booked for festivals – This is especially relevant in January as now is the time the slots become available. Many festivals do accept applications from unsigned bands, you just need to know how to approach them.
  • 6 reasons social media doesn’t work for some bands – Social media is one of the best ways to build and connect with your audience but it just doesn’t work for some bands. In this post we look at how to avoid being a spammer and really engage with your potential fans.

Thanks for reading the blog in 2011. This is truly the best time ever to be an independent musician and we hope all this information has been useful.

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December 22nd, 2011

Frank Turner and why your band should be playing house concerts

In 2005 Frank Turner left post-hardcore band Million Dead and began a career as an acoustic singer-songwriter. He toured relentlessly playing over 1000 gigs. He would play anywhere and one of the things he did was play lots of house concerts between gigs at traditional venues as a reward for fans. This touring has lead to a really supportive audience, you build your fan base one person at a time. Next year he is playing Wembley Arena. It shows that with hard work and a supportive audience you can make progress, it has taken him six years but it has worked really well for him. Every time you play live whether it’s in someones house or in a stadium it’s an opportunity to make new friends and further connect to your existing fans. This video shows Frank playing in the homes of his fans:

House concerts are a great opportunity to play live in areas where you haven’t got a big enough fan base to fill a club or bar. So if you only have 10 or 20 fans in an area but they are prepared to put on a concert in one of their homes you can go and play there, make some money and probably get some accommodation and food as part of the deal. It’s really useful to do house concerts to fill gaps between dates in a long tour. Here are a few things to expect at a house concert:

  • A house concert is a concert that takes place in a fans home, the audience is usually around 10-20 people, but sometimes more.
  • This audience tends to include mostly the person hosting the gig’s friends and neighbours.
  • A suggested donation of £10 per person seems about right and you can always sell merchandise. People are often keen to buy merchandise of artists they feel connected to and house concerts are a great way of building these connections.
  • Usually house concerts are not for profit so the money goes to the performers directly.
  • These gigs aren’t open to the public and aren’t advertised on the bands website.
  • Often the people putting on the house concerts put on a meal for the musicians and the audience.
  • Most bands play acoustically although you can use a small PA if required, these things do tend to be fairly low volume events.
  • Bands sometimes do two sets, sometimes one long one. Sometimes there is only one act and a support. It’s really up to the person putting on the event, the available space and the musicians involved.

No two house concerts are the same, they are unusual events and are individual and special. If the person hosting the event is OK with it you can even UStream the event so your fans around the world can watch. You don’t have to be an acoustic act to play them but remember that you may have problems if your band is a really loud death metal act! Drums are always a problem in residential areas.

Getting house concerts can be a bit more difficult than usual gigs. One of the best ways to get them is to ask your followers on Twitter, on your mailing list and across other social media sites. See who is interested and find out how they want to do it. With the increased popularity of house concerts a few networks have sprung up to connect hosts with performers with sites such as Slowbizz and the House Concert Network. Ensure you and the person putting on the gig are aware of each others expectations, otherwise people can end up disappointed when things don’t go to plan. Remember parking can be a problem if a large number of people are visiting!

House concerts are another great way to get connected to your fans. Who knows next time you come to the hosts town you may well be playing the larger venues and listing your gigs on Live Unsigned. It’s all about building that fan base.

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December 9th, 2011

Over 25? Are you too old to become a full time musician?

At a recent music industry event a well known music industry manager said that he wouldn’t even consider working with an act unless they were “under 25, good looking and ready to sign to a major label in 6 months”. Many people within the music industry are the same. But when you look at how many great records are made by people well over 25, well into their 30s, 40s and beyond surely these people are wrong? Artists from Miles Davis to Sonic Youth to Neil Young and David Bowie all made landmark records later in their careers.

So if you look at the amount of amazing records released by musicians over 30 there seems to be no reason why you can’t build an audience to become a full time musician whatever age you are. It is probably going to be hard to attract certain audiences, for example the painfully cool NME/Pitchfork are often very reluctant to cover older bands but you can still build a niche audience. Even they have covered artists like Seasick Steve. Here are some things to remember:

  • Many artists don’t find their true direction until later in their career – Leonard Cohen made his first album at 31. Miles Davis didn’t begin his electric period until he was 42. Not everybody finds their musical style at 18, it can take a while. Many artists make their best records later in their career. It is sometimes harder to get things going later in life due to other commitments but if you are willing to put the hard work and effort in it is still a real possibility.
  • If you want to build an audience it’s all about getting to know people and developing a relationship with fans – Build direct relationships with fans, promoters, agents and other bands. This is the key point, it’s all about who you know.
  • There isn’t just one way to “make it”  - One musician we know does very well performing at house concerts and selling merchandise at gigs. Another makes a good living playing at “medieval fairs” in the USA and many more earn a living selling direct to fans via their websites without ever troubling the mainstream media. The old way of signing to a label and releasing a record is not the only way, it is easier than ever now for artists who don’t fit the old label mould. So much of building a career in music is just keeping going.
  • Fans care less than the industry how old you are –  Fans care about music. Often they like to have a relationship with the artist and care less about your age. Yes image is important but not to every fan. Every artists relationship with their fans is different so focus less on the industry and more on the fans. Focus on your niche, know who your fans are and build a relationship with them.
  • Often managers want younger acts because they think they are easier to manipulate – They can mould them in to what they want (or so they think).  Many managers are looking to bank 20% gross of a major label advance, this a way of making quick money off an act whether or not they sell any records or develop a fan base.
  • Think about the legacy you are creating – If you make great records and actively try to build an audience through gigging and the web eventually someone will find you. In the last blog we looked at Jon Gomm, he was well into his thirties before a viral video hit  connected him to an audience with Youtube plays approaching a million. Van Gogh sold only one painting during his life time, but left a legacy that the world continues to enjoy to this day. Great art eventually finds its audience.

Building an audience is never easy but it can be done however old you are. If you want the industry to come to you work on building your fanbase, if you are selling out decent size venues and building an audience the industry will come to you anyway and you can then approach them on your own terms. Keep posting your gigs on Live Unsigned, using social media to interact with fans and playing live, you are never too old to make things happen. Stop worrying about if you are too old and start building a fan base.

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December 2nd, 2011

How do you get support slots with touring bands?

One of the things unsigned bands often want to do is do support slots with well known acts. Support slots allow you the opportunity to connect to both a new audience and people within the industry. Bands have supports for a few reasons but mostly to get a few extra people through the door. Sometimes when a band is signed to a label they will get bands on the same label to do the tour support. Here are a few things you can do to help you get support slots:

  • Make friends with the bands you want to support – The best way to get support slots is to have the bands themselves recommend you for the slot. Getting to know people in bands is easier than you would imagine, especially if they are active on Twitter or you live near a place where the bands hang out. Don’t go asking for a support slot straight away, focus on building a friendship just by talking about shared interests, otherwise you will come across as just another desperate spammer. Don’t forget tour managers, roadies, lighting people and others within the industry can also have an influence on decisions. Make friends with everyone and treat them with respect. Be genuine and honest, people will see through you otherwise!
  • Build relationships with promoters – Offer to play the horrible last minute gigs and bring an audience. Make friends with everyone in the venue and work harder than any other band to get people to the gig. Post gig dates on Twitter, your website and Live Unsigned. Make sure you are the band promoters think of first.
  • Approach your contacts at the right time – Ideally before the gigs are announced or as soon as they are. Don’t hassle bands when they are in the studio, play the long game and build relationships over time.
  • Play for free – Sometimes it is best to look at support slots as free marketing, exposing your music to a new audience. This is why it is so important to get email addresses and sell CDs/merchandise. You are unlikely to get paid at this stage and even if you do it won’t be much more than expenses. It is all about working your way up.
  • Remember that some support slots are paid for – It may seem shocking but “buy ons” are not unusual for support slots, bands pay to support better known bands for the chance to play for their audience. For a UK tour with a well know band support acts have been known to pay thousands for the opportunity. It happens more than you would think.
  • Focus on support slots in your local area – Initially focus on getting the local support slots, where you have a local fanbase that will come and see you. This should give you the chance to bring a decent crowd.

Once you get the support slot it is all about making the most of the opportunity to try and get more supports. There is a blog post we wrote here about it here, once you have that support slot make every effort to connect with the other bands audience.  Decent support slots are hard to get but can really help you to fast track your career.

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November 22nd, 2011

How does viral video really work? (a case study)

Often bands talk about how they are “going to do a viral video” but you can’t just decide to create a viral video, it has to happen organically. You can do all you can to make it happen by getting key influencers (blogs etc.) to share it and by making the content as amazing as possible but there are no guarantees. If you could just make it happen everyone would do it.

 

Last weekend Jon Gomm’s Passionflower video was viewed over half a million times. The video was posted a few months ago but only suddenly became popular when someone downloaded the video from Jon’s Youtube channel (using some dodgy software) and reposted it as “Insane Guitar Skills “Passionflower”" on their own channel. This version of the video was then posted online and discovered by a user of the site Reddit who shared it there and it became popular and ended up on the front page. A few days later the video has had 600,000 plus views across the two versions (Jon’s and the original). Jon got the person who posted the new version to direct people back to his Youtube channel.

The results of this have seen Jon offered gigs across the world and he has made contact with a whole new audience. “In the past hours I’ve sold hundreds of downloads, had gig offers in New Orleans and Poland (yay), dubious record deal offers (boo) & a grateful email from an inspired recovering heroin addict (amazing)” Jon said on his Facebook page.

So what can we learn from this?

  • The title is really important – “Insane Guitar Skills” gets more views than simply the title of the song. Once they are viewing they are blown away by the playing, but getting them to watch first is the hard bit.
  • The content must be so good people will share it because it is truly remarkable, unusual and impressive. If you want people to share your video you need to get an emotional reaction, in this case “wow check out this amazing guitar playing”.
  • However good something is, people on Youtube will write nasty comments about it – Jon is an amazing guitar player but people have still made nasty comments about it. They are called Trolls, ignore them.
  • Reddit, Digg etc. are really important – From the front page of Reddit Jon’s video was shared across blogs and social media, Reddit is a great place for people to discover your music, the hard bit is getting Reddit users interested in your music. You have to make your content really remarkable to do well there.
  • The chain for a “viral video” is complex – From the original post to the video being re-titled, to the social news site Reddit then blogs and social media, the viral path was not straight forward and it is different for everything that goes viral (although the basic principal of making great content and getting influential people to share it still holds true).

What tends to happen with a viral hit is that the effect doesn’t last for too long, it is all about making the most of it when it does happen. Make sure you answer every message and build a relationship with every new fan you gain this way and start thinking about how to create another one! Perhaps its best to keep gradually building your audience, listing your gigs on Live Unsigned, getting email addresses and think of a viral hit as something that would be a bonus if it comes along.

 

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November 15th, 2011

How do you connect to an audience of 10000 fans?

Most bands dream of walking out onstage to a packed audience, full of excited fans, screaming and clapping. That is the dream. But what is the path to get to that point? How do you go from playing in a pub to gaining the attention of the fans and the music industry? It happens all the time, bands gradually build a following and then eventually they are playing to large audiences across the world. The problem is that the path to success is different for every band. Often the things that you think will be a big break, like a play on the radio or a placement on a film, don’t have the effect you think they will and bands get frustrated and split up.

So what you need to do is put your band in a position so that you can begin to grow this audience. The hard bit isn’t getting the 10,000 fans, the hard bit is getting the first 5 or 10. It is a slow process, you need to get the first few fans really on your side, give them access to you and the band and treat them as friends, say thank you and spend time with them. The early stages of your career are not the time to be aloof. You need to get those first few fans, build a relationship and get them to tell their friends. The word of mouth will take you on, you never know who your fans will be friends with.

The way it normally happens is you play some gigs and you start to build a following. Then through playing live you start to meet people on your local scene for the type of music you are playing. Often these people will know everyone else on the same scene, from bloggers to promoters to people in the radio. The key is to build a relationship with these people. Don’t try and spam everyone on the scene with random emails, it is all about building real relationships with people and hanging out in the right places. Don’t try and sell yourself all the time, just make friends. Once you get to know people doors will open for support slots and press coverage. Once you start to get support slots and press you will start to build a fan base. Once you have a fan base you will start to get offers from the industry. Remember that you don’t have to accept everything you are offered and be very careful who you trust. Always check anything you sign with a lawyer.

Obviously it goes without saying that you do need to work hard, have an amazing live show and music and have the social skills to be able to network like crazy (or someone to do it on your behalf). If you read through the previous posts on this blog all the information is there, it is all about building the relationships with the fans and the industry to the point where you can effectively monetize that audience to make a living from music.

It takes time and it’s not easy and maybe your music will never be commercial enough to be able to sustain the audience to achieve the lifestyle you want. Sometimes making weird odd and esoteric music can be an advantage, it is far easier to get people talking that way. The only way to find out is to work hard and see what happens, although you can base your predictions on the level of success of similar acts. The problem is that because each act is different it is very hard to estimate how popular they can become.

So if you want to play to an audience of thousands start by building an audience of 5 people, then 10 then 20 then 100 and a thousand. You will often find that your audience jumps in size due to a combination of things, perhaps a blog and a radio play and some sort of marketing, it is rarely one thing that makes a difference, usually some sort of combination. The marketing people say that for an audience to remember who you are that they have to see your name nine times, so the more places you are the more chance you have of standing out among all the other bands out there.

Make use of all the amazing tools available to you now, from Live Unsigned listings to social media to UStream. If you want to build the audience faster, work harder, get to know the right people and invest more money in PR and marketing. Make sure you know exactly who your fans are before spending any money. Test this by playing some gigs and see what type of people like what you do, then focus on finding more people like them if you want to do what you do and make a living from it.

The music industry is largely still all about who you know (and how hard you are prepared to work), it only takes building a relationship with a few key people to know everyone you need to connect with, it just takes time.  Tools like Twitter and other social media have made it easier than ever to build these relationships, even if you don’t live in a city where there is a big scene for your style of music. Remember to do every piece of publicity you can, from the web radio show with a few hundred listeners to the blog with twenty readers. You never know who is reading or listening, perhaps they may know someone who can open the door that changes your life forever.

Every person you meet on your journey can have an effect on your career, from the barman whose partner is a top journalist to the person who looks crazy but has 10,000 followers on Twitter. The path for your band to gain an audience is different to that of every other band, the only way is to make a start and start building that audience one person at a time and see what happens.

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