How do you guys get other people to hear your music?

[MegaMustaine]

First of all, first post on here. Seems like a pretty cool forum! I've been playing music for a long time, but have finally developed enough singing skills to really pursue writing and recording my own songs.

As I mentioned, I'm pretty new to the singer/songwriter game. I have a couple recorded songs, and would love to get more people to listen.

Obviously your music can't suck and people have to want to hear it. I posted a song on facebook to fairly good reviews - 42 people liked it and 9 others shared it which accumulated a lot of additional likes. But beyond that, beyond family and friends, how do you guys get your music out there? Maybe it's because i don't have a band behind me so there's less people I know.





Just curious what you guys do to put yourselves out there.

 

[TheBeville]

Is this a bizarre coincidence or did you post a very similar thread on the UG recording forum the other day?

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

Just curious what you guys do to put yourselves out there.

I don't do anything.

 

[Skinny Viking]

Ummmm ... not that it actually matters but this isn't your 1st post on this forum

I've seen your screen name a few times in threads here

to answer your question, nothing. If you don't believe me, look at the number of likes on my band's facebook page (and then hit "like" while you're there!)

 

[AeternusEternus]

Absolutely nothing. Skinny Viking's band has 119 likes, mine has 30 (just as an example of my own dogshit popularity). I don't even have a link to the Facebook page. I used to post a bit about it, but nobody cares. In my opinion, in 2012, it is better to come off as an unpopular-but-ready-for-unsolicited-fans band than a cares-about-hitting-2000-likes beggar.

The music does all the promotin' 8)

 

[Terminus]

Play lots of shows and have great songs. People also like free music, strangely enough. With a bit of luck and hard work you might gather a following with time. Book lots of clubs and go longer and longer distances each time you tour. If you're into the idea, hire a promotional company or a manager to book your shows and/or promote you to labels. I'm not too familiar with the singer/songwrite genre's live workings but hey, at least you don't have to find a drummer, vocalist, another guitar player and bass player and go through that whole band process to play a show.

 

[Benalthel]

Well, I'm not really one to talk much, my band isn't very big (we don't even have any songs recorded for real, yet). What I'd say though is yeah, try to play lots of live shows, and try to promote yourself as much as you can to people around you and people you meet, but not in an obnoxious way. Try getting the places you play at to be a little spread out so you can get out to more people. And most important of all let your music do the biggest part of the talking! If your music is great people will like it.

look at the number of likes on my band's facebook page (and then hit "like" while you're there!)

Hell yeah I did, sounds great!

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

Absolutely nothing. Skinny Viking's band has 119 likes, mine has 30 (just as an example of my own dogshit popularity). I don't even have a link to the Facebook page. I used to post a bit about it, but nobody cares. In my opinion, in 2012, it is better to come off as an unpopular-but-ready-for-unsolicited-fans band than a cares-about-hitting-2000-likes beggar.

The music does all the promotin' 8)

^^This is awesome. Nothing at all against guys promoting their music, but I think that is great that you have good ass musicians making good ass music without trying to make a buck off it. This is true artistry.

Again, I'm not knocking anyone. But historically, most great artists die poor and unknown.

 

[Derykus]

That's a lot of autotune. Your teenage girl fanbase should be blowing up really soon.

You have to keep releasing half-decent music at a good rate and spam many message boards. Periphery got all their fans this way.

 

[MegaMustaine]

^^This is awesome. Nothing at all against guys promoting their music, but I think that is great that you have good ass musicians making good ass music without trying to make a buck off it. This is true artistry.

Again, I'm not knocking anyone. But historically, most great artists die poor and unknown.

I kind of lean this way as well- i don't want to come off as someone who thinks they are so great and continually shoves new music down people's throats. At the same time, you have to promote or else no one will hear.

I play in a cover band that does 70+ shows a year or so, and by talking about our facebook page at a lot of shows, we've accumulated 2800 likes or so. That's over like a 2-3 year period. I guess maybe playing more live stuff might be helpful.

 

[Sunny84]

I know a few bands that think they can sit back and get signed by having a million facebook friends...utter bullshit if you ask me! Gets fuckin old when one your constantly spammed by posts saying, "like my band" or "check out our page", really irritates me something rotten - I know your there, I've clicked like already, now piss off.......... Rant over.

As others have said gig and tour (a lot) and play shows with, initially, the bigger bands in your area, and go from there. People love free stuff like stickers and bottle openers and crap like that, it costs you out of your pocket, but depends what your looking to get out of it I suppose. I'll probs end up doin free 2 track promo discs or summat (when we eventually sort a new singer!)

Just my 2 pence, but facebook and myspace etc will never replace the good ald hard slog of touring.

Also, not having shit songs helps a bunch.

 

[Skinny Viking]

...Hell yeah I did, sounds great!

Thanks dude!

Just keep in mind the 4 songs on there now are pretty old and also from our 1st album which I'm currently beginning to remix

Our new album is done and I'm in the process of (hopefully) hiring an awesome mastering guy to finish it off

Should have some new stuff to begin promoting very soon

 

[Lowberg]

You need to go back to playing a Edwards rhoads and fucking epic metal band like you did 5 years ago on Musiciansforums/MXForums.

This Is OP:

 

[updog]

it's hard. this is something i'm currently thinking about/working on for my band and for an upcoming electronic project of mine. best bet would be spreading out to the usual suspects - if you need exposure and haven't done these; facebook, videos on youtube etc.

putting up stuff for grabs on the big-name torrent networks has been the most effective way to gain international fans for my band so far. that way the stuff may find its way to several genre-related blogs and again you gain more fans.

by fans i mean people who give a fuck and not just a "like". if you try all this and most of your fans are still people you know, you're either not trying hard enough or the music is to blame.

rather than a member of a band, but as a consumer and potential fan for a band, i also think that first impression and "pro" look to all the visual media for a band on any websites is hugely important. i think while music is the most important thing, it alone isn't enough.

 

[Sacha]

Absolutely nothing. Skinny Viking's band has 119 likes, mine has 30 (just as an example of my own dogshit popularity). I don't even have a link to the Facebook page. I used to post a bit about it, but nobody cares. In my opinion, in 2012, it is better to come off as an unpopular-but-ready-for-unsolicited-fans band than a cares-about-hitting-2000-likes beggar.

The music does all the promotin' 8)

^^This is awesome. Nothing at all against guys promoting their music, but I think that is great that you have good ass musicians making good ass music without trying to make a buck off it. This is true artistry.

Again, I'm not knocking anyone. But historically, most great artists die poor and unknown.

I just wanted to say cheers to this! Love it. However unfortunately it's not quite that black and white, as of course if you never promote your music no one will ever hear it. Yes, art is expression and all that but music is also communication, which is a two way street. I think you can promote yourself in a classy way without spamming the fuck out of people and begging them for likes on FB. I post my stuff on forums, people can choose if they want to click it or not.

 

[JonWormwood]

tourrrr

 

[SentencedToBurn]

why are a bunch of you guys acting like promoting your band is somehow a negative thing? the music will promote itself? not if no one gets a chance to hear it. My advice would be to send your stuff to get reviewed by people with blogs or web zines or news sites or whatever.

 

[Clockwork]

why are a bunch of you guys acting like promoting your band is somehow a negative thing? the music will promote itself? not if no one gets a chance to hear it. My advice would be to send your stuff to get reviewed by people with blogs or web zines or news sites or whatever.

This is good advice, it helps to send your stuff around to people. There are tons of youtube channels, blogs and facebook pages that do nothing but post music/music videos that are sent in. Its kind of a shotgun approach, the viewers might not go for it, but some might and its worth the risk. I know facebook pages like The Djentleman's Club or League of Extraordinary Djentleman (cue the djent jokes haha) post links to new music that's sent to them several times a day and I usually check it out because I know it will be metal and I might like it. Sometimes I track bands down to hear more and give them a like, sometimes not. But if you are proud of the music you've made then you should be doing everything you can to get it noticed (touring never hurt either but that's not possible for some bands).

 

[SentencedToBurn]

im actually liking the music. where you from?

 

[AeternusEternus]

my reasoning for minimal promotion or non-promotion is two-fold and pretty simple: i'm extraordinarily good at dreaming up music and then creating it as i would have wanted it created, and i'm extraordinarily bad at making friends and being noticed/liked. so, i exploit my strengths and weaknesses for what they are. on my own, i live and create and i love myself for what i do, and i leave the music in a public place for people to find it. if people don't want to tell their friends, or if they do and their friends don't want to hear, then it's just not good enough to be liked. it's sort of on us as musicians to recognize when we are creating and promoting dogshit that nobody wants to hear. just because we create it doesn't mean it is good to anyone else. "how do you know they like it if they don't hear it in the first place?" that sounds like a chicken-and-the-egg human nature problem to me, and i don't know how to solve those things. i guess i just get the feeling that promotion of any kind is generally unwanted. record labels exist to do exactly that, and we hate those things. i don't know. as time passes, my catalog will grow, and maybe my fans will only double. but i'll be fulfilled!