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guerrilla music marketing handbook by bob baker compliments of marc gunn and bardscrier.com this is a free demo version of the guerrilla music marketing handbook that contains the table of contents introduction chapter 3 and a bonus special report feel free to share this file with others want to find out more about the entire book head to www.bob-baker.com/af/bard.html © 1996-2001 by bob baker all rights reserved published by spotlight publications po box 43058 st louis mo 63143 usa © 1996-2001 by bob baker all rights reserved permission is granted to share this file with anyone you wish however no part of this publication may be reproduced altered or sold at any price manufactured in the united states of america -1-

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table of contents introduction ­ page 4 1 the power of goal setting a step-by-step plan for reaching your musical aspirations faster ­ page 9 2 the first 5 steps to marketing and profiting from your music ­ page 16 3 35 ways to promote yourself your band or your new release ­ page 24 4 how to exploit the music media and get the widespread exposure you deserve ­ page 31 5 how one solo artist used the internet to sell 2,000 cds ­ page 38 6 avoid the most common artist web site design mistakes ­ page 43 guerrilla music marketing activity worksheets #1 ­ page 46 7 59 ways to sell a lot more of your cds tapes and records ­ page 50 8 why your local music scene sucks or how to use the power of optimism to turbocharge your music career ­ page 63 9 25 ways to finance your next recording project music video or major equipment purchase ­ page 69 10 how to use the telephone more effectively to get paying gigs radio airplay and press coverage ­ page 80 11 13 low-cost high-impact music promotion ideas that work ­ page 86 12 20 things you should be doing right now to promote your music better ­ page 93 guerrilla music marketing activity worksheets #2 ­ page 99 7 bonus special reports ­ page 105 want to find out more about the entire book head to www.bob-baker.com/af/bard.html -2-

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introduction welcome to a new way of promoting your music for decades aspiring musicians thought the only legitimate route to success was landing a recording contract with a major record label the times have definitely changed the internet and low-cost recording technologies have created a huge do-it-yourself music movement unfortunately thousands of aspiring songwriters and band members still believe the road to widespread recognition can only be traveled through a record deal i believe the best way to approach a career as a musician who writes and performs original music is to take control get your hands dirty and market your music yourself no one feels as strongly about your craft as you do which means you re the best person in the world to spread the news sure promoting your own music takes lots of effort but it s well worth it and it can be profitable here are just a few examples of music people who have succeeded on their own terms · it took her more than four years and several hundred lives shows to do it but singer/songwriter april nash www.aprilnash.com sold over 60,000 copies of her self-released cd john taglieri a solo singer/songwriter from new jersey featured in chapter 5 sold more than 2,000 of his own cds primarily using the internet working alone from his house in west virginia scooter scudieri www.scudieri.com sold 1,500 copies of his cd in six months which led to an appearance on npr s mountain stage radio show and an opening slot for dave matthews and nrbq mikel fair and his electronic music project 303infinity www.mp3.com/303infinity have earned about $200,000 through merchandise · · · -3-

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sales and performance royalties fair has a loyal fan base and a mailing list of thousands · instead of shooting for a record deal singer/songwriter ellis paul decided to concentrate on songwriting getting in front of people and building a buzz his first two independently released cds sold more than 25,000 copies combined rounder/philo records later re-released one of his cds after working for more than a decade in the corporate world scarlett left her job to pursue a full-time career in the music industry today she runs her own booking agency publishing company and record label and is building an international career with her band the scarlett blues band · doing it yourself is the righteous way you ve most likely heard of singer/songwriter ani difranco over a seven-year period she sold more than 400,000 copies of her many independent releases that s an average of 66,600 units per year in one year alone difranco performed 130 shows and generated almost $2 million in gross ticket sales she s been written about in glowing terms by just about every major magazine and newspaper in the country the astounding thing is difranco accomplished all of this without a major record label commercial radio airplay mtv exposure or advertising if you are disgustingly sincere and terribly diligent there are ways for any serious artist to operate outside the corporate structure she once told the los angeles times at age 20 difranco started her own label righteous babe records and began performing a growing number of solo acoustic shows coffeehouse gigs led to colleges then larger theaters and major folk festivals difranco now has more than 30,000 people on her mailing list with more signing on every show and seven employees that handle cd and merchandise orders from a 1,000-square-foot warehouse in buffalo ny my problem with the guys who run the music industry is that their only priority is to make money she adds my priority is to make music the fact is they need artists more than the artists need them so the next time you get down in the dumps because that major label recording contract hasn t come your way yet pause and realize that ­ like difranco and other selfsupporting musicians ­ you may be better off as an independent artist and don t think that the examples i use here are rare isolated cases granted most indie acts don t reach such impressive levels but there are thousands of songwriters musicians and bands turning a decent profit and they re doing it on their own terms ­ doing something they have a real passion for making and sharing music -4-

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putting your music career in focus this manual was written to help you along the confusing path that leads to success with your music the concepts ideas and suggestions in these pages are simple that s not to say they re always easy there s work to be done here but it s the kind of activity that s well within your ability to pull off the problem with most independent music people even the ones who take lots of action is that their energy is wasted on the wrong things or by taking an unproductive approach by the time you finish reading and working with this manual you ll have a much clearer idea of how to direct your energies there are a couple of essential attitudes that run throughout this manual they are 1 whenever you take action to promote your music you must know exactly what your purpose is and why you re taking the action to begin with the way to make sure you re going about things effectively is to come up with a plan that makes sense have very focused goals and realize that you need to provide a benefit or solution to everyone you connect with in the music business 2 think outside of your mental box human beings are creatures of habit we become victims of our own routines therefore it s no surprise that we slip into a narrow way of doing things habits are quite useful when they involve brushing your teeth getting dressed and driving a car but when it comes to promoting your music this routine way of thinking ­ and acting ­ is stunting your progress when you market yourself the same way you ve always done it or the same way a thousand other artists have done it you become part of the great indie music swamp in which everyone looks and sounds the same the guerrilla music marketing challenge in this manual i ll poke and prod you to be different to expand your thinking to focus your goals and actions ­ in essence to become a true guerrilla music marketer we won t be talking about national advertising campaigns music videos on mtv or worldwide distribution among other things the following pages will show you how to · · · · work from the trenches with little or no money use often-overlooked techniques to give your music wider exposure build a following one fan at a time use each small success as a stepping stone to a bigger and more significant success story i m also going to ask you to do some serious soul searching and then commit your thoughts to paper by filling out the two activity worksheet sections on these pages i ve taken the main points covered throughout the manual and given you space to put your own responses i implore you to use these worksheets for it is here where my -5-

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random suggestions come to life and become your own by writing in this section you ll get a clearer idea of where you are and in what direction you need to be heading guerrilla techniques in action it was using these same guerrilla tactics and capturing my thoughts and goals on paper that led me to start playing music when i was 15 the year was 1975 for those of you keeping score in the 1980s i played the club circuit throughout the midwest and later played in bands that each put out independent releases i still play in a band part-time i m a singer/guitarist/songwriter if you must know i used many of the very ideas presented in this manual to launch my own local music magazine in 1987 i didn t have any money to speak of and no connections or experience with publishing all i had was a good concept and a knack for writing that newspaper called spotlight grew and flourished for 10 years until i ceased publication in 1997 i put the paper to rest so i could concentrate my efforts on writing and marketing resources like this one in 1993 i had my first book published called 101 ways to make money in the music business later that year i founded the st louis regional music showcase an annual music conference that ran for five years in the midwest more recently i ve established an online presence as an indie music marketing coach through my www.thebuzzfactor.com site at last count my the buzz factor ezine was about to surpass 5,000 subscribers and in 2001 top floor publishing released a new book of mine called poor richard s branding yourself online how to use the internet to become a celebrity or expert in your field the thing is i wasn t born into a wealthy family i don t have friends who wield great power nor do i have any special abilities i m certainly not a super salesman and i don t have a type-a high-achiever personality but i realized early on that i had a mind just like everyone else s that was capable of making great things happen the only thing was it seemed so many people around me felt as if they were victims of circumstance that life handed them their fate and they were just along for the ride that wasn t good enough for me through reading books and pondering about life for a while i came to the conclusion that our lives are simply a reflection of our thoughts there s a great quote that goes something like we become what we think about most of the time the secret to musical success the problem with people living dead-end lives is that they think dead-end thoughts people who enjoy successful lives think successful thoughts ­ and then follow those thoughts with positive action -6-

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once i realized this simple but powerful truth i started directing my thoughts in more productive ways and the actions followed quite naturally no doubt i ve stumbled many times on my journey through life and the music business and i continue to but the rewards have been many and they keep growing every year the bottom line thoughts are things what starts as an intangible concept grows into a reality as a result of mental focus combined with real-life activity in fact this is exactly how all songs are created so i ask you what thoughts do you have about your present and future as an independent music person and what actions are materializing as a result the guerrilla music marketing handbook will help you sort out the answers open your mind to the infinite possibilities around you and motivate you to take the steps necessary to climb higher up the ladder of success with your music how to use this book many of the chapters in this manual were originally written as separate special reports while i have arranged them in a sequence that makes sense to me you don t have to read the segments in any particular order the same goes for the bonus special reports at the end of the manual however i do suggest that you read chapter 1 the power of goal setting a step-bystep plan for reaching your musical aspirations faster and chapter 2 the first 5 steps to marketing and profiting from your music first these chapters give you a good foundation for the information contained in other chapters other than that feel free to examine the chapters and reports that relate to whatever marketing or music career topic you want to focus on at the time i m grateful that you re allowing me to share these ideas with you i sincerely hope you soak up the tips revealed in these pages and put them to good use i look forward to one day hearing about your musical achievements much success to you -bob baker this is a demo version of the guerrilla music marketing handbook that contains the table of contents introduction chapter 3 and a bonus special report want to find out more about the entire book head to www.bob-baker.com/af/bard.html -7-

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chapter 3 35 ways to promote yourself your band or your new release despite what you may have heard to the contrary promoting and marketing your music shouldn t be the dreary task so many music people make it out to be the pessimists tell us we have to shut down the creative side of our brains and shift into business mode how dull how boring no wonder so many folks go running for the hills at the mere mention of having to promote their music what follows is a list of creative low-cost ideas and techniques you can start using right away to market your music read these tips think about them play with them have some fun with them but most importantly put them into action starting today translate your story into something that s newsworthy announcing the release of another new album won t get you very far music magazines get dozens of these ho-hum announcements every day however the debut release from a gulf war veteran or a guy who once got punched by sean penn might catch the attention of a music editor why because it has a news hook that makes it stand out so what s your news hook does your band name or new cd title have a significant meaning have any of your members won awards done brave deeds or accomplished anything noteworthy they don t have to be music-related do the lyrics to any of your songs tie in with a current event or trend always be on the lookout for fresh news hooks surrounding your music and then hammer them home to the media here s a sampling of free press that bands have received in various publications over the years ­ along with the news hooks they used to get it 1 the east coast band too much joy received a letter from former speaker of the house newt gingrich letting the members know that the group s tune theme song had inspired countless of republican activists to pursue their conservative agenda during the 1994 elections -8-

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only thing was members of too much joy never supported gingrich and didn t consider themselves to be politically right-leaning in any way the aquarian weekly plastered its cover with the news item and filled up two full pages inside dealing with the issue have you received a letter from a public figure could you write to someone well known and request that they write to you another option when a famous author comes to your town to do a book signing buy the book get in line and ask him or her to write a special inscription ­ such as the lipsmackers rock -dr ruth make photocopies of the signature and leverage it to get as many plugs in the media as you can 2 the texas-based band rare seed got a blurb in a local paper regarding its upcoming appearance on a regional music video program this is a smart ploy most music people celebrate when they get the media to cover them and then stop rare seed band members on the other hand used their success with television to lure the print media into also giving them a plug why not use this cross-media technique with radio and internet media sources too use every achievement as a stepping stone to your next marketing move if done right it s a never-ending process 3 dr frank who fronts the bay area band mr t experience received some press in bam magazine regarding the dr part of his stage name it seems frank was all set to go to graduate school at harvard when urges to pursue his punk band overcame him do you have an alternate career path you ve either put on hold or are doing as a day job if so how can you squeeze some media exposure out of it if the usual music papers and columnists don t nibble what about trade publications or company newsletters associated with your other line of work 4 the members of 1,000 mona lisas garnered a write-up concerning an incident that had them pulled over in texas with state troopers searching them and their van for drugs the band also happened to call its ensuing tour got any weed now it s your turn not to get pulled over but to take a frustrating situation and turn it into a promotional device what awful things have happened to you lately and how can you turn them into a newsworthy advantage for you and your music 5 twelve san francisco bands got press when they pooled their efforts and produced a calendar each month featured a photo of a different act with humorous events that happened to each band on various dates could you use this angle for your band 6 the band her majesty the baby got a blurb written because it was the first band on its indie label to release an album on a new enhanced cd format do you have a unique way of presenting yourself -9-

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7 one hard-core beatles fan got exposure when he persuaded the mayor of his city to declare december 8 as john lennon/free as a bird day could you swing a similar proclamation 8 a radio station garnered press when it lined up some semi-well-known artists to perform an acoustic concert for charity what worthy cause could you support 9 silverwolf records got coverage for its the silverwolf homeless project a cd of songs about the homeless does your cd have a noteworthy theme 10 a rap trio whose members pack a few extra pounds put on a promotional workout at a new york fitness club the media gathered and got photos and video of the rappers sweating to the sounds of their new single now come up with your own news hooks and remember have fun doing it blurbs short takes and mentions equal exposure for you some people call them blurbs others call them short takes or brief editorial mentions whatever name you give them they can add up to extra media exposure for you and your music feature stories and record reviews are great ­ and you should pursue these rich avenues of media coverage regularly but what most music marketers overlook are the great opportunities that exist with musical gossip columns scene reports industry updates studio news and more every week thousands of magazines newspapers web sites and fanzines around the world need to fill certain editorial sections with short music-related items of interest since they re not especially prominent these sections are ignored by bands and record labels how foolish what follows is a list of column blurbs i found while flipping through a few regional music papers use these ideas to come up your own list of angles to get regular and beneficial editorial mentions 11 the nostalgic r&b group the fabulous boogie kings received some press over a club appearance in houston the blurb made a reference to the outstanding sales of the band s latest cd do you have something of note to celebrate ­ an achievement that would lend credence to your band s worth if so share it with the press 12 personality crisis received a media mention because the band was planning a special show to celebrate its 500th gig any special occasion ­ no matter how trivial it may seem to you ­ can be leveraged into a reason for a columnist to give you a plug 13 a few texas bands put together a rock show package called the divas of rock tour combining your efforts with other bands record labels or a group of sponsors ­ and adding a theme ­ opens the door to more exposure 10 -

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14 shaun barusch got a few great media plugs when he formed mia bands aren t the only subjects to get mentioned in the press consider your label distribution company charity studio ­ whatever ­ as a prime candidate for coverage here are some more real-life editorial blurbs 15 the hard rock band third eye got written up after making an appearance at the milwaukee metal festival 16 arts organization the houston music council got press when it released the 4th volume of a compilation cd featuring local bands 17 the publication music news ran a blurb on the zealots performance at a regional street festival the short piece also included the band s hotline number 18 the group deadhorse got a write-up regarding its new guitarist now start thinking start writing start getting exposure more creative music marketing ideas 19 canadian entertainment lawyer ryan t richardson works with a band called leaderdogs for the blind which released an album called lemonade richardson explains when the record company went into a state of inaction just after the album release we decided to push our own singles one being the title track inserted with the flier listing the singles was a small packet of brand-name lemonade drink mix that cost us the whopping sum of five cents each because the packages were so compact there was no additional cost for mailing them across the country radio program directors and djs apparently fought over who was going to keep the tasty beverage and the singles ended up charting for most bands this creative marketing ploy would have been enough but not for the leaderdogs at one of our summer festival shows we distributed free homemade lemonade to the audience in 95-degree weather as well as chilled cartons of the refreshment that had been donated by a local juice bottler for all of the industry types present richardson says it worked 20 the costa mesa ca band saint monday set up an in-store appearance at a virgin megastore location and gave away hundreds of free cassette samplers in five hours each sampler tape had a coupon for a $2 mail-in rebate that customers could get if they came back and bought the band s full-length cd at the store 11 -

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since saint monday is promoting pop music with a fun and sexy image the members are considering another creative tactic giving away condoms with an inscription that reads saint monday music that turns you on so what are you doing that s fresh and different to promote yourself as an artist not sure what creative marketing strategy to try next try this 21 sit down right now with a pen and notebook start brainstorming on every possible angle for a creative hook consider the name of your band the title of your new cd maybe even the subject matter of individual songs also think about current events and good causes you feel strongly about ask yourself how can i take these details about my music and transform them into a newsworthy and attention-getting story combine your clout with others to create your own music event you know the philosophy by now don t wait around for music marketing opportunities to come to you instead create your destiny by taking matters into your own hands nowhere is this more powerful than with music events you conceive and organize along with other people to illustrate the point here are some possible avenues to pursue 22 throw a listening party find a nightclub or record store that s supportive of local music ask for a date to hold a new music listening party then get a group of bands together that have put out new cds recently on the night of the listening party pick someone to emcee maybe you and introduce one band at a time then play one or two tracks off each band s cd at the end of each group s segment you could have audience members ask the band questions you could also offer free or cheap food and drinks and discounted prices to anyone who wanted to buy any of the cds that night it would be best to promote this as a safe quick musical buffet for consumers who want to sample local music without having to hop from one beer-soaked club to another i wish more bands used this concept 23 present a collaborative multi-act unplugged show sure you could present an acoustic performance with other musicians at a nightclub or record store the format works but a lot of artists have done the same thing it might be even more interesting to take a chance and do it at an unexpected venue possibilities art galleries skate shops hip clothing stores leather shops recreation centers shopping malls new age retailers book stores etc 12 -

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once again get a number of other acoustic acts on the bill and make sure the manager of the location is committed to actively promoting the event come up with a newsworthy theme and ­ combined with the offbeat location ­ you might have a nice angle with which to lure the media into covering it 24 tie into an already existing event you don t have to reinvent the wheel to cash in on events you can always contact the organizers of already established events and ask if you could help them add a musical element that way they look good and you get exposure think about the many annual events in your region which ones would benefit from your talents and creativity hot tip if you can t formally get connected to an existing event consider presenting an unofficial party at a nearby location many artists and labels do this during major conferences such as south by southwest sneak into media exposure through the side door 25 new age artist laurie z was interviewed once on a syndicated radio show called tech talk which is also broadcast on the internet the program features people who use modern technology in various fields past guests have included tom clancy kurt russell and todd rungren laurie z was invited to discuss how she s used technology to create her music and market herself the main thing to note in this example is that a musical act is getting media exposure on a non-music show ­ a valuable lesson for us all how many potential avenues of promotion are you overlooking because you don t see an immediate connection between what various media cover and what you produce here are some possible angles for different genres 26 a musician could hook up with a psychologist or music therapist to discuss the stress-reduction benefits of mellow jazz music 27 a traditional blues player who has either lived through or learned a lot about regional music history could pitch himself as an expert on local culture 28 a punk or metal band member could become an advocate for safe mosh-pit etiquette and offer to enlighten kids and their parents on common-sense advice when attending concerts 29 a rap singer might be able to shed light on why teenagers join gangs and how to survive on the streets 30 a country musician could team up with a fitness instructor and espouse the virtues of line dancing as a fun form of exercise 13 -

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31 become a music trivia expert do you know way too much about the beatles or elvis or the 50s 60s or 70s or some other musical niche if so appoint yourself to be your area s media consultant on the topic bottom line you no doubt have many media exposure angles you have yet to use to your advantage here are more music marketing tips to consider 32 keep in touch with your contacts make sure that at least every six weeks your fans and industry contacts get a phone call post card e-mail or other new offering from you are you staying in touch with these people now your goal should be to put your name and musical identity first and foremost in the minds of the people who are in a position to support you tip come up with a schedule that would accomplish more frequent contact with the people who matter most to your career 33 keep your ears open for ideas listen to what types of things people complain about and then provide a solution to their problem for instance members of the chicago band cool beans heard music fans complaining about all the negative angstridden lyrics in modern rock songs since they play upbeat alterna-pop they started using the phrase energetic new rock roll without the angst on all their fliers doing so positions them as the alternative to gloom rock and they might not have used that approach if they hadn t listened to what people were saying 34 spell out your music for potential new customers new age artist john huling puts a brief description of his music on the back of his cds by doing so even customers who haven t heard his music can get a quick synopsis of what his style is all about lesson don t expect people to automatically know what your music is all about there is nothing wrong with indie artists putting review quotes and testimonials from happy fans on the back of cd sleeves and cassette j-cards just be picky about which ones you use focusing more on the quotes that spell out the heart of your musical message and the hard-hitting benefits listeners get when they hear it 35 make a commitment to do something every day to promote your music if a day goes by that you don t do at least some small act to promote your music you re cheating yourself and the promotional action you take doesn t have to be earthshattering simple actions are effective too ultimate success in music comes about as a result of the small steps you take consistently on a daily basis pick something covered in this chapter every day and put it to use doing so will earn you more fans more notoriety and more clout now and throughout the year 14 -

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high-impact promotional ideas you should be using to market your band or record label this is one of seven special reports you ll get free when you purchase the guerrilla music marketing handbook have you been in a rut lately when trying to come up with new and innovative music marketing ideas you won t be for long read these ideas and get moving every day that passes without you actively promoting your music is lost time so get busy college band payoff the dirges is a band made up of students attending pennsylvania state university the band s three independently released albums have sold a cumulative 10,000 copies in three years think about it says guitarist/keyboardist steve bodner ten thousand people graduate from this college each year and move to places all across the country we go right along with them are you taking advantage of the college market music promotion on wheels organic records has a specially designed flatbed truck that travels city to city to get exposure for its artists the acts can perform from the truck or simply give away samplers and promotional items from it at special events can you develop a fresh method of exposing your music to new groups of people sunny skies in the forecast myrrh/sony artist bryan duncan released a new album called blue skies in order to make the most of the album title his label ran radio spots sponsoring weather reports in key regions of the country duncan also did radio interviews during which he would read the weather forecast on the air you can bet there aren t many other artists taking this approach is there anything about your cd title or band name that can be transformed into a creative marketing strategy 15 -

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