There you are! You're standing at the microphone, guitar in hand. You look to your right: Your keyboard player gives you a nod. To your left, the bass player looks back at the drummer. The drummer starts clicking off the first song. You turn around to face the crowd that has come just to see you!

There they are, just waiting to hear your unique stylings and rythmic interpretations of life. Yep..... All four of them. Your girlfriend, your drummer's wife, your bassist's dad and that other guy that shows up faithfully!

What's going on? Our music rocks. Our images works. Our market audience is huge! Where are all the people?

The Basics of Marketing

Let me share a few simple things that you can do to build a fan base:

First of all, your band is a business. You're probably thinking, "If it's a business, then where's the money?" Well, that will come. This article isn't going to teach you how to get rich in a band, just to help you build a good fan base. Anyway, back to the business. Treat your band like a business and your fans are the customers. Once you have that mindset, you'll start getting the picture.

Now, every business has a main goal. To Make Money! The way a business makes money is to sell a product or service. What's your product or service? Your music. How do you sell it? A service that you sell is your live performance. People pay fee (cover charge or ticket) to hear you play. You would get a percentage of sales from the venue you're playing at (or whatever other agreement you have made). People will also pay for your product, whether it be an album, tshirt, stickers, etc. Now, you've established what you're selling, what's next.

Businesses strive to drive traffic to their store (or website, phone, etc.) Bands strive to get people to their gigs! this is where Marketing comes in. One of the simplest ways to get people to come is to build a list and utilize that list.

Many businesses will offer free gifts for filling out surveys. They'll even ask if you'd like to receive free coupons in the mail and get their lists that way. Bands can do the same. One of the most effective lists that a band can use is an eMailing list. Fans, sign up on your mailing list to learn more about you and receive updates about what's going on with your group.

"That's great, but where do I find the people to sign up on this list if I'm starting from scratch?"

First of all, I don't believe that any band starts from scratch! The reason that you got the band together is because someone liked your music! From there, it's word of mouth. Let everyone know about your next gig, where it will be, what time, the cost (if any), etc. You will get people there. At the gig, have a friend hold a signup sheet for your mailing list. Get their first name, last name, and email address. There's you first email list.

The next day (or that night), make sure you send out an email to them, thanking them for coming out to the gig and thanking them for signing up on your mailing list. Also mention any upcoming gigs that you are going to have.

There is the key. Always keep your fans informed on where you're playing in the future. And always give them enough time to plan ahead. If you have a gig on a weekend (Fri. or Sat.), I would suggest sending them an email on Monday or Tuesday. That way, they have time to plan for the upcoming weekend and it's not to early for them to forget.

You may think about upgrading to an online mailing list. Fans can submit their info to a form online and they're automatically signed up. All you have to do is send your message out and everyone on the list will get it.

After awhile, you'll have more and more people on your list. As your list grows, your shows will grow, and you will produce more sales. Your business will grow.

A few resources you might look at are:

1. MySpace.com - this site was created for bands initially. It provides a free profile page where fans can play your music, and learn more about your band. Sign up for free at http://www.myspace.com.
2. GigMinder - MySpace Edition - if you're on MySpace, there is a tool that I created that is actually an automated mailing list that will automatically email the upcoming weeks performances to your fans every Monday. Sign up for free at http://www.fulltimeband.com/msgigminder.

Mike Cotton

Mike Cotton is the owner and founder of FullTimeBand.com. A musician himself, he has sought to aide local musicians in promoting and managing their band on their own through the use of online tools and resources.