We all know what brands are, right? Coca-Cola. Disney. McDonald’s. Those are all brands. Even people can become a brand. Need an example? Oprah.
With the way the music industry is changing, you have to think beyond promoting your band and look at the bigger picture: building your brand.
Ever heard the saying “Even bad publicity is better than NO publicity”? So not true. Not anymore. Not with the way images and video and audio clips are now living on forever in website archives and cached pages. Look at all of those sex tapes (ok, you don’t have to literally look at them…just think about them) that have come back to haunt celebrities who probably weren’t quite so famous back when they made them. Granted, they might make a few bucks off of it and stretch out their 15 minutes of fame a bit but the chances of them ever being taken seriously are almost nil.
When you’re in a business – and, yes, this is a business – that relies so heavily on image, you have to start thinking about what you’re putting out there to the public (aside from just your music) even in the early stages of your career. The interviews you’re doing today for those free local weekly papers or Internet radio shows, those will be the foundation upon which you start building your brand. So do you want to build it on solid concrete bricks or cheap flimsy wood?
Here are a few quick tips for you to keep in mind when opportunities for some publicity come along…
Quality over quantity – Don’t assume that getting your band mentioned on as many blogs or podcasts or radio shows as possible is the best way to get the word out. Let’s look at some simple math. Say you have a goal of earning 300 more listeners – people who are hearing your band for the first time – within the next month. Do you want to spend your time going on 30 different Internet radio shows with about 10 listeners each or 2 shows with 150 listeners? If we’re talking about one-hour shows….well, you can figure that one out. And, no, you don’t want to use all of those bad interviews as “practice” for when the good ones come along. There won’t be any good ones if you develop a reputation for giving bad interviews.
Do your research – Don’t just jump at every chance to do some PR. It’s okay to say no to that friend of a friend whose roommate has a friend on MySpace that does a live Internet radio show. Of course, you can definitely say yes BUT make sure you get some more information first. What kind of experience do they have? How long have they been doing this? What’s their audience like? Are they knowledgeable? Prepared? Trust me, you don’t want to find yourself spending two hours struggling to fill dead air on a live radio show, begging friends to call in with questions, with an inexperienced and unprepared host.
Be prepared – When you do decide to accept a PR opportunity, get as many details as possible and get them as far in advance as possible, especially if it’s going to be something that’s recorded live. Find out what kind of questions the host will ask. Have your answers ready - not scripted, just a general idea – and decide who will handle the responses, whether you have one band member acting as spokesperson or all of the members taking turns (except maybe the bass player because they’re always the quiet ones.)
Have fun – Once you’ve found the right opportunity, you’re prepared, you’ve promoted it and the time finally arrives, relax and enjoy it! Let your band’s natural charisma and chemistry come through. Act like you like each other! People want to hear that you guys (or girls!) enjoy creating music and that you all get along because that means there’s a better chance of longevity. There’s also bound to be some humor involved, so follow the host’s lead to see if they prefer to keep it light or if they’re all about debauchery. Just don’t go too far. Remember…you are PROFESSIONAL musicians. Act like it.
Oh, and by that I don’t mean throw a television out of a window. You’re building a brand here…you don’t want to be known as those guys.
