Fill The Place

Promoting your band’s website locally is about getting more people to come to your gigs (if you don’t gig, don’t bother), it’s usually only locals who’ll turn up and support you. By promoting your band’s website locally you are also promoting your band locally - it works best if you’re hands-on, real world, for instance, if you want to get a link from the local press or local radio, it would help if your band proactively supports a local charity.

Local is the area around your favourite venue (the venue you like and play most) or your town. Get a map. Find the venue or town centre. Draw a circle with a radius of about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) around the venue or town centre. That’s local. 25 miles represents the distance people would be prepared to travel to see an independent band in the UK. Because of the transport infrastructure and familiarity with commuting, you can have a 35 mile radius around a London venue (same in most large cities). Bands who operate in large cities have a big advantage - of course you don’t have to target everyone!

1. Swap links and get involved with local: businesses, charities, record shops, fashion shops, cafes, pubs, clubs, venues. Get links from local: press, radio.

2. (Legally) Hand out, post, pin up, stick and drop (accidentally!): flyers, stickers, business cards, button badges - in and around: schools, colleges, universities, record shops, fashion shops, cafes, pubs, clubs, venues and churches. Include your band’s name, website address and free gift details.

3. Team-up and collaborate with 5 or more local bands of the same or complementary genre and promote each other online and offline.

4. Use the networking communities (esp. Facebook, MySpace, ReverbNation) to communicate with the locals. Always make your website The focal point.

5. Create a mailing list / database of fans, friends and family, target those within your locale and ask them for support. And don’t forget, if you can’t make it locally with the support of your fans, friends and family, you’re not going to make it anywhere!

Local Rivals are not the enemy!

A real issue I have found in local scene's (and I have been involved in a few - from London to Manchester) is the hatred and backbiting. Local scenes slag each other off and generally don't support each other!

The local scene needs to be just that. If you want local bands to come and see you you must go to see them. It makes total sense but is the complete opposite of what actually happens. You are all in the same boat, all seeking the same thing and getting these likeminded people to your show should be easy! If ultimately you want a record deal or any degree of success lets be honest you need to create a buzz. Remember nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd.

So get the local bands to form a community and really look out for each other. This will help build a vibe and should stop the bitching - it is hard to slate someone you get to know and that you go and see on a regular basis - you might even like their music.

It drives me insane that people think that supporting the competition means they will get the success. I want to let you in on a little secret - there is enough fame and fortune for everyone - if you are good and saleable you will gain success (of course you need a few other bits - visit http://www.bandassist.co.uk/ to see what). so build a scene and soon other bands will want in and their friends so. So you can see how this would spiral.

So let me tell you how I would do this - be the one to take the first step. Go to a local gig and speak to the band, make friends and just drop in when you are playing next - then get them to commit to coming along. Do this a few times to a few different bands and it will soon pay off. If you are a band split up and go to different gigs.

Trust me this works, build a scene with you as the epicentre. Make what you once considered to be your enemies/rival,your friends.

Till next time

BA

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Advice from Blink 182

Not a massive fan but some very true words, worth a listen



Simple stuff but it is soooo true