How to Promote Your Music Shows Yourself

Band Booking Promotion

How to Promote Your Music Shows

You may be one of those musicians who believes all the band has to do is to get gigs then turn up on the night and rock out. If so, you'd better think again.
As any musician who's ever played to an empty house will tell you, if you want a crowd in front of you - especially when you're first starting out, you've got to work at getting an audience. 

How to Promote Your Music Gigs - 4 Keys

1. Try to have all band members take an active role getting gigs
2. Band Flyers/posters  are low cost advertising and crucial  for every gig
3. Press releases will build not just audience numbers but a band's credibility over time
4. Take advantage of free internet gig-listing sites.

 How to Promote Your Music so You get  a Gig Crowd

If you're an inexperienced semi-pro band or musician it can be easy for you miss some pretty straightforward opportunities to get people to come to your upcoming gigs.
Here then, are some  simple, inexpensive things you can do to learn how to promote your music and get a gig crowd.

How to Promote Your Music Show via "Word of Mouth"

Knowing how to promote your music through word of mouth is one of the very first skills you need to master. As in point 1 from that initial list above, each band member needs to take a proactive role in getting the word out on future shows and gigs.

This Word of mouth approach includes telling your family, friends, work colleagues/fellow students, and anyone else you know that might be interested in the  genre of music you play. To do this thoroughly as an example, have your parents or relatives tell their work colleagues, neighbours and friends etc.
You might be surprised just how many many people you can get to you gigs just through  word of mouth via family and friends.

Remember though, that as the number of gigs you play increases, you'll need a bigger network of people to get your word of mouth out to. If you don't, you risk "gig fatigue" amongst your "followers...." 

Obviously the bigger the following you can build, the easier it can become to take more band bookings..

How to Promote Your Music with Band Flyers

If you're not already doing this, make sure you use band flyers (how to promote your music very inexpensively) for every gig.

More on band flyers info here

Band Promotion Via the Press

Contact any local or regional newspapers or entertainment type papers in your area. Many of these  have regular gig listings in their entertainment sections. Also, put together press releases and submit these to the editorial departments at relevant publications.

More here on  how to promote your music via the press

Tie these methods in with an understanding of how to promote your music online via Twitter, Facebook, myspace and youtube and you'll soon understand the main points of how to promote your music shows yourself