The Rock Band Zine has posted the long-awaited second half of an interview with RBN and communications manager John Drake, and it includes a hell of a lot of great advice for bands looking to promote themselves — not just on the Rock Band Network, but in Real Life, too. Like this bit:
[T]hough it sounds WICKED UNCOOL TO SAY IT, build your band’s brand! It sounds “markety” and not genuine, but here’s all it means – pick a band name, get an artsy friend with a camera to take your picture, get an artsy friend with a pen or a computer to make you a not stupid logo, and start using that name/photo/logo wherever you can! If fans can associate your awesome music with a set of faces and a style of art, it’ll make them that much more aware of what you’re trying to do. And then you can make t-shirts and stickers and buttons and all the “stuff” that bands get to make other than music.
There’s a lot more smart advice in the article, all from a guy with a lot of experience both in PR and in a band, and you would be wise to pay attention if you’re looking to get the word out about your music.
I’d add two things that John doesn’t mention, though:
First, pick an original band name. This also may sound “wicked uncool,” but in the age of the internet it’s important to choose a name that can be Googled easily. (And note that punctuation and added spaces are pretty much ignored by Google at the moment, so for example, “a t o m” and “J.A.C.K.” are absolute bitches to find. You don’t need to go too far in the “iwrestledabearonce” direction, but be thinking about whether your potential fans will be able to find you.)
And second: For the love of all that is holy, get your music up on Amazon and iTunes. Amazon, at least, is really, really easy to do yourself; and there are a number of services to help you get your stuff up on iTunes. Yes yes, I know, these big corporate monstrosities are far from the indie ideal. But they’re also the two biggest purveyors of music around right now. For a lot of people, if you’re not up on at least one of those two sites, you basically don’t exist.
Anyone have any other advice for bands looking to spread the word?
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