Internet radio

Each genre has literally hundreds if not thousands of radio stations on the internet that are all free. This also means free advertising if you play your cards right. Most internet sites have a contact form where you can fill in information about your band and submit a song. Check the "About Us" page or "Contact Us" page to find the form.

Some sites you may want to check:
http://www.shoutcast.com
http://www.live365.com
http://www.radiotower.com

You may also want to get involved in some major sites too that require a demo of some sort:
Get on Last.fm
Pandora Radio

Usually the best way to get on these larger radio stations is to find the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section (usually in the Company Information page or at the bottom of the site) and look for "submitting music". Good luck!

Twitter it up

This will be a pretty short post. Twitter is becoming one of the most powerful social networking sites in the world. Twitter is a good way to keep all your fans informed of what's going on in your lives and what the band is up to. Fans think this is really interesting to them. I haven't figured out why, but they're obsessed. It's also a good way for them to feel confident that you'll have new shows coming up or CD's. http://www.twitter.com/

Myspace for musicians

Myspace has been falling behind in popularity lately compared to Facebook. However, it is still a huge way to get fans. Sure you can have fans on Facebook, but they can't hear your music. This is where Myspace has the advantage for musicians. There are many sites that allows musicians to upload their music like purevolume.com, but they're all pretty much worthless compared to Myspace. By the way, I would still recommend getting accounts on these sites.

Before doing any marketing make sure you have some songs on your myspace. The better the recording, the better chance you'll get noticed (or at the very least keep people listening to your music more than 5 seconds).

Now you will want to hire someone to make an awesome design for your website. I posted an add for some web design on craigslist and my band ended up with some awesome results.

• Try to get an idea of what you want first. The more details you provide them, the more accurate of a quote you will get!
• Do some research on the responses and ask for a portfolio from every response before choosing anyone.
• Narrow down your choices to who you think fits your style of music best
• Ask for a quote on how much it will cost and compare prices
• To avoid getting scammed try to use the 50/50 agreement: You pay half now and you pay the other half when it's done. I recommend this approach even if they want you to pay the full amount after they're done instead. Eventhough this would be in your advantage, it would make them feel safer and therefore more reliable. They'd take you more seriously and get it done faster too.
• Change your password when they're done!

Of course you can visit freelance websites like getafreelancer.com and find someone that way too. Another option is asking who designed another local band's myspace if they have a good looking one.

Finally, you can go on and market your band via Myspace. Where do you start? Try using the search feature and look for people interested in bands similar to yours (the bigger, the better). If you have cash, there's a program you can buy that will do this for you. You can hire people do this for you too. Try to leave a comment on all your new friends thanking them for adding you.

When you have a show or a CD release coming up, try to comment on all your friend's profiles telling them about it. The more you comment, the more chances you have of a turn out. Also, be sure to blog often. People will get an impression your band is no longer active if you haven't blogged in a month or so.

Finding the right studio

Finding the right studio is actually a bigger than you think it is. You have a lot to think about like...

• Price
• Quality
• Software used
• Recording equipment used
• Will they use analog or digital?
• Will they mix the tracks?
• Is mastering included?

There's a lot of things you don't think about that you should too. So where to start off? How about price? What can you afford and how long do you think it will take? A professional band can probably record 2-3 songs in a day. Most bands will take 1 day to record a single song. So if you wan't a 3-song demo plan to stay in the studio for 3 full days, which is about 24 hours.

Each studio has a different pricing plan too. Some will charge by the hour. Cheaper ones charge about $15 an hour which equals to $360 in this example. High quality studios will charge about $50-200 an hour. Typically pricing is based off two factors: How expensive is the equipment and how booked are they? The more expensive the equipment, the more the studio time will cost because most engineers still need to pay back their credit cards. If an engineer is well known, they are most likely booked for at least month in advance and will charge more. Think of it as simple "supply and demand" principles. They already have planned business, so why should they be any cheaper?

Obviously the quality of equipment is something you want to factor in when you choose a studio. The problem with this is that even with the most high tech equipment the sound can still be horrible. How is this possible? Sometimes the sound engineer can suck. I've had better recording sound than some high-tech studios using my entry on how to record on the cheap side. Sad, isn't it?

Some experienced bands have absolutely must use ProTools or they won't record. If you're one of these bands, then be sure to check for that. Honestly, I can't tell a sound difference between which software is used. I can tell the difference on ease-of-use or features each software has.

Be sure to ask the engineer at the studio if they will mix and master the songs or not. Some studios have been known to record only and not mix the tracks. Be sure you get this cleared up before you enter the studio or you will waste quite a lot of money (or not, depending if pricing is specifically based on recording only). Mastering is not a big deal but it's typically better to have the songs mastered at another studio or at least by someone else. Most studios will recommend getting the CD mastered by someone else.

Some final thoughts... Browse around and ask for samples. Most studios have a myspace or a website where you can listen to music they've recorded. If what they have sounds good, most likely you will too. Also, try to find a studio that has experience with your genre of music. It may not sound like a big deal but it really is. Each genre of music highlights different instruments. Remember, just because they're expensive or have the best equipment doesn't mean they have the best sound. Be smart and shop around.

Stay in good terms!

I've noticed this especially in the metal world, but don't have a "bad ass" attitude with everyone you meet. Don't be egotistical and obnoxious. You won't succeed if you are. One of the largest secrets to a successful band is by staying in good terms with everyone you meet.

Be respectful to every band you play with or don't play with. Try to be at the show before the first band goes on (unless it's you of course) and stay until the last band is done. Support the bands and try to be in front of the stage, give them high fives, scream for them, etc. whenever possible. Why would I say this? The other bands will strongly support you and your band in future shows. I remember the first time I stayed and supported another band my band played with. I stood in the front and went wild. Throughout their entire show they said "I'd like to thank [my band] for playing with us tonight! They're an amazing band! Check them out when you get a chance!" Ever since then, we have supported each other by helping each other get shows or just showing up to each others shows just to say hi. In return, we trade merchandise, play shows together and just have fun.

Be friendly with the venues and booking agents you play for. Remember, they're not just booking your band to help you out. In fact, almost 99% of the time they're booking bands to make money. Be sure to thank them during your set. After you're done, personally go over to the booking agent and thank them: "I appreciated working with you and we look foward to working with you in future." Say it even if you don't mean it! You never know where they may end up working at or with. You don't want them telling you "Well, you weren't really nice so thanks but no thanks." Okay, that's an exaggeration. More accurately, they probably won't respond to your email or voice mail. Even if you do get a hold of them, they'll probably say "let me see what I can do and I'll call you back". And they won't. Just remember that they will probably talk to other venues and booking agents to. Stay on good terms with one and you'll stay on good terms with all.

Finally, be kind to members who are trying out and don't make it or former members. What ever happened in the past is the past. Support what ever their decisions are even if it's not in your best interest. You never know if they'll be in a band that could help you get a show or in a record label in the future. A perfect example of this happened just the other day with my band. We were trying out other guitarists and this guy called me before he tried out and said: "Hey, I appreciate the opportunity you gave me but I decided to start my own band." My response: "Well great! Thanks for the call and good luck in the future. Please call me if you'd like to set up a show sometime!". A similar situation happened in a past band and we got shows in another state very easily.