This is a guide to help you get your rock band out in your area and become known. There are also ways to make money without having a big record deal and I will explain that too.
Get Your set List
Get two or three set lists. In these set lists you need about 20 songs or 45 minutes of music for each. Gigs will generally only ask for one or two, but you may need a third to pull songs from in case you still have time left. Next you need to find covers you can do. You need to pick the classics, the popular songs, and then originals. If you play classics then you will get a wider range of people listening to your music. Many places will look for the bands who like new rock, but also appreciate and is willing to play the old. With classics and popular songs you will get a bigger amount and wider range of fans. The step after this is to throw your originals into this. Put one every four or five songs. This will show your fans that you do have your own music and you are willing to take this band into a new level, hopefully to get big. Eventually when you have enough originals to filling sets then you can stop doing covers.
Get a Band Email
In our generation email is so big, and it is the perfect thing to get a solid fan base. Make an email for your band then start collecting emails. Ask your friends, people at school, and set up a box at gigs and ask for addresses. Once you have a good amount of emails then you can start sending out band updates. Things like “Great new equipment bought. Get ready for an awesome sound show next time!”, “Got a new set list. Check it out!.” or the best, “Gig next week at the Rock and Roll House. Be there 9 o clock Friday!” People will be able to log on to their email and find out what is happening with the band and when they can expect another show.
Myspace is a great tool to use to give bands a look at your band and what you are doing. You can post updates here and get more emails for your band email. At Myspace you can also post recordings you made, videos of the band, and pictures. It is great to put up demos and see if you fans like it or not. This will help you gain some popularity as well because you can add other bands and people who like those bands might check out yours.
Get Some Merchandise
This is nearly the best thing you can do. There are only two pieces of merchandise you really need. CDs and t-shirts. CDs can be recordings of your originals that you made or recordings of your gigs. People can buy these and now they will be able to listen to your music anytime. To get you CDs sold you can use production and distribution companies like CD Baby. Now people can even go to your Myspace page and buy a CD or whatever merchandise you offer. What is good about t-shirts is that now you have walking advertisements. People will ask about the band on the shirt and they other person will say that it is a great band. If they other person likes you then you will have another fan! Now what you can do is order merchandise before shows. Then when you have a show, you will be able to sell your merchandise there to people who may not have your email or Myspace.
Get a Band Webpage
The last thing to do is get your band a webpage. With a webpage you can get emails, sell merchandise, and give updates. This will up your popularity by hundreds or even thousands of people because now you’ve gone past local. Your band can be found by people through Google or Yahoo. Now you can sell CDs and show your band to everyone else!
Final Words
With all these wonderful things that our offered to you, your band can now be as popular as any other. While you work and build up your fan base you might get the chance to get a contract signed and become one of the big bands out there. Because of all the work you have done to build your fan base you will be off to a better start. Population growth is exponential. The more fans you have, the quicker and easier it will be to gain more.
