You can sell yourself without selling out
Yes, you can combine being true to music and selling yourself without selling out.
The normal blogg guy is up to his ears in pay outs and other Record Union business, that’s why me, Peter, is writing this one.
As an artist, designer, marketeer and salesman in general, I thought I could encourage all of you to sell yourself in a creative way. If you don’t sell your music and yourself no one will listen to you. Selling yourself and selling out is not the same thing.
Record Union is a first step. Selling your music through Record Union is done on your own terms, no one will tell you how to act and which channel you should do promotion. No one will tell you what record to but on your record, when to have your release date. All of this you will have to figure out yourself. The problem is, you are not that very good at it. Record companies are professionals in these matters, they have the valuable contacts with media. This is where your creativity comes in. You need to find ways to get to media and get to the people you want to listen to your music. Your own ways. The web is filled with promotion tricks but most of them are already done and if someone comes up with a good way to sell their music they really don’t want to share it on the web do you?
You need to sell yourself to be able to play your music. Make those uncomfortable phone calls. Make it your job to reach out. Unless you are the shit. But let’s face it, we are not the shit. We need to make ourselves and it’s hard work to do so.
Think of your band as a company. You need to build your brand, you need to get customers, you need to get the right customers, you need media and internet space to broaden your customer base. You need to tell the world that you are the shit, humble yet sincere. In your own way. From your heart. Not someone else’s.
P.
Tags: DIY, DIY promotion, P., Promotion advice
January 22nd, 2010 at 3:59 pm
idd…!
January 22nd, 2010 at 5:05 pm
i am the shit! but yeah, i see where you are going with this one, great post
January 22nd, 2010 at 8:11 pm
One of my first step was to call the agency of culture in my province and they believed in my music - used some of my track as lounge play on a festival
January 22nd, 2010 at 10:14 pm
Word!
That’s what I’m talking about, good one Peter!!!
A band is not just A company but a really special company, think about it, What ordinary company would struggle so many years without any payback what so ever before leaving the idea??? A band is built on so much more valuable ingredients than ordinary companies are so the LEAST anyone in a band should do is to think of it as a company.
January 25th, 2010 at 1:07 am
thanks.
January 25th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
I think it is important to realize that RecordUnion is cheap enough that you can experiment… remember that most people who are famous for inventing one thing actually have zillions of inventions, and it was that one thing that people happenstance on. There are hundreds of musicians out there famous for one or two songs that actually have a repertoire of hundreds of songs. I have over 30 albums out, including some “renamed” ones. Out of the 30, I have had one album that allows me to continue/ pays for these experimentations. I actually have another 2 that are starting to pick up. But now that I am using RecordUnion, I have been able to increase some of this experimentation, including naming songs, naming the “band”, naming the album, using the genre, etc. Many companies experiment with many brands and items before they settle on their core items. Some never settle.
Don’t limit yourself, and experiment, especially when you have a tool as inexpensive as RecordUnion (in comparison to a lot of posting sites that want you to pay so much more monthly just so people can give you a “happy face” or a check mark.)
January 25th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
IDD!!!!
January 26th, 2010 at 10:53 am
that’s why I’m here. I thought RU was the cheapest, our first release were more of a promotion release to be “out there”. right now we are recordning our album, and why release it any other place? RU works fine. a lot of bands still want a record deal to get access to “the promotion machine” and since RU don’t sign any deals, nothing will stop those artists from moving on. For some artist RU are a spring board, for some it’s the final solution and for some it’s just for fun. but fun is exactly what music is supposed to be.
July 21st, 2010 at 9:21 pm
This was a very inspiring read and I especially like the last paragraph about viewing your band or urself as a business. I am new to this blog and everything I am reading is really opening my mind and forcing me to be creative. Thanks!