Before releasing an album, what do you do?

[Morgan C]

So I've been writing an EP over the last year and a bit. I've posted one of the songs to this forum ages ago, and it got a pretty amazing reception. I'm finally ready to release the songs I've written so far, I've got artwork made up, in the process of setting up a Bandcamp and Facebook page. I'm just not sure what else I should do to make sure the release goes as well as possible - I haven't really publicised it at all yet, it's really just been a personal project. It'll be released for free, I've got no desire to make money off it, I just want to reach as many people as possible, because so many people seem to love what they hear!

So, what can I do (besides spam subtle self-advertising posts such as this one on various forums) to make this work best?

And for those interested, the band name is The Manhattan Algorithm, and the entire concept behind it is having synths on an equal level as guitars - literally, guitars pan left, synths pan right. I'll definitely post here when I release it.

 

[DanLights]

if it's for free, then you're not gonna pay for advertising, I guess starting out with posting it on facebook and forums and hoping word of mouth does its part could be a good start. Ask friend's bands to share it to their fans too, if applicable

 

[Pman]

Get it on the metal album blog circuit if you want exposure. Places like getmetal.org and bunalti.

 

[drew_drummer]

Get in touch with blogs and magazines, and try to generate interest - give them preview copies. Make some Youtube videos for each track before hand, and keep them unlisted until you launch.

 

[if6was9]

Make it as easy as you can to make the music available. Bandcamp, soundcloud, facebook, upload it to youtube and dropbox.
Post about it on forums and try to get bands and music pages on facebook/twitter to share it.

It's tough though, being good doesn't really come into it anymore. There's just so much new music out there that it's hard to get any kind impact.

I think these days you've got to be constantly working to get people interested. Competitions, regular videos, talking with fans etc...

 

[MetalSound]

http://bandologie.com/

there you get tons of information.

 

[Dave1978]

Forget about Bandologie. Too much theory that disturbs your creative mind and most of the so called information is more some kind of motivational stuff, than real knowledge. Don't read a book of someone who never made it as a musician, make it yourself with the right attitude.

You need to be around people. Al lot of people. That's the most important thing. Everything else comes with it. Friends, fans, supporter, media. Keep them updated. At least once a month. Stay active and connected.

Of course you need to make your music available. For free. If you want the people to pay for it, don't force them. Ask them and put a PayPal button next to the download of your album.

You need to use Facebook, Youtube, maybe Bandcamp or digital distribution to reach out for foreign listeners. But don't expect someone to buy your music on iTunes. It just looks better, wehen it's available. Again - those are just the tools. They are nothing without the people. Don't hate on the internet, make friends (I know - it's not that easy sometimes, but you'll benefit as a musician and a human being if you do so). And if you hate on the internet, then do it for a good reason. Something people can agree on.

Promoting music is not a "To do"-list. It's a lifestyle.

 

[The-Zeronaut]

There are websites that can put your music on Spotify for like 12 bucks or something like that

 

[mili9152]

I'm also releasing an album soon...have you considered printing CDs/artwork?

Even though I'm paying everything out of my pocket and not selling anything, I still like the idea of handing a hard copy to friends.

 

[guitarguru777]

Record it and mix it, then listen and masturbate to the sweet sounds of my guitar wankery.

 

[AEL89]

Hey man. Thought I'd chime in because I have a pretty good idea of what I'd do (and have done with my band)

First off, I'd take 1 track from the album and make it available to stream. On top of this I'd put it up for free download using a credible site like SoundCloud. There's a great widget called email unlock that allows users to download the track for free by entering their email addresses. Invaluable down the line. Another option is a Facebook like for a free download.

In conjunction with this you'll need some sort of initial exposure. Introducing/new band/exposure pieces by online magazines are sweet. They'll likely only feature you if you have some sort of release - a free download is perfect. If you're really keen on getting out there you might want some help from a digital press/online PR company.

This will help you approach the first hurdle of getting your music out there. Releasing an album with 0 exposure is a little like cold calling - some people don't want to know, even if the music is great.

From there I'd look to feature a small press release on other online music magazines with info on the album, release date, short bio etc. Once you start getting a few small features, people will start to take notice. I'd be more inclined to check something out if I keep seeing it crop up somewhere.

A lyric video (or even a full bonafide music video) is a good option before releasing. Bitches love music videos. Sending out for reviews is a good idea too.

Yeh that's all I can think of in 2 minutes. Online and digital is great for a project like your one. It really isn't too difficult to sort out either. If you want to get a bit more serious down the line you'll obviously need a strategised plan, written press and probably a label but you can certainly do quite a bit just vaguely following my recommendations.

Good luck either way man. I'll try and think of some other stuff.