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Promotion Archives

Connecting to Music or a Brand: Spotify vs Apple
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Connecting to Music or a Brand: Spotify vs Apple

For this week’s column, I asked a good friend and frequent band-mate – Seattle-based drummer Tarik Abouzied – to give his unique perspective into Spotify (and the streaming model, in general). Tarik had written a column in my stead here at No Treble once before regarding bass playing from the drummers perspective and everybody loved his insights. Tarik writes quite...

Building Your Audience
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Building Your Audience

Q: I’ve been struggling with a question, and I’d love to hear your thoughts about it. I’ve been playing in a band for the past two years, mainly in bars and functions. Finally, we are getting some contracts to play in clubs, which is great! However, instead of the annoying sound of loud voices and laughs, we’re getting the haunting...

Sharing Your Music on Social Media
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Sharing Your Music on Social Media

Q: I’m in a band and most of us are of the mind that we should have as much material out there on social media as possible. We’ve started posting snippets of rehearsals, live streaming gigs and encouraging people to post videos of our shows online, etc… One member of the band is very much against it all. He wants...

How To Transition to Pro Level?
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How To Transition to Pro Level?

Q: My question is this: how did you transition to a pro level and play concerts vs. playing bars and functions? I have been playing for quite a few years and have played with some very good musicians out of Berklee and local players, but I always dream of stepping up to the next level. I am lucky to find...

Promoting Yourself as a Bassist
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Promoting Yourself as a Bassist

Q: I’m currently playing for a punk band that has pretty good local success in that genre, however, having done this for a while I know no band lasts forever and I would like to aim higher. I would also like to get my name out as a bassist available for side projects, lessons, etc. I made a separate Facebook...

Promoting All of Your Gigs: A Guide for Bass Players
Ask Damian Erskine

Promoting All of Your Gigs: A Guide for Bass Players

Q: Damian, your Artist Data show announcement for tonight just popped up in my news feed. That made me think about self promotion for bassists (aka sidemen where people rarely come to see us play, but the artist we support). How do we promote ourselves when we are not the main attraction and what platforms (Artist Data, BandMix, Reverb Nation,...

Thoughts on “Making It” in the Music Business
Ask Damian Erskine

Thoughts on “Making It” in the Music Business

Q: I’m a bass player in Chicago. I’m 17 and have been playing for 10 years. I’ve always wanted to be a bass player and I always will be. I wanted to ask you about being a bass player in today’s society. When you listen to interviews with older bass players, they say they played in a couple bands, did...

Bobby Owsinski Releases Social Media Promotion Book for Musicians
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Bobby Owsinski Releases Social Media Promotion Book for Musicians

Social media has played a major role in the careers of countless musicians and has helped to give a larger voice to independent artists. Music industry veteran Bobby Owsinski has compiled his social media strategies in a new book, Social Media Promotion for Musicians: The Manual for Marketing Yourself, Your Band and Your Music Online. Available in paperback and Kindle...

Getting Noticed – Part 3: Working Your Local Music Scene
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Getting Noticed – Part 3: Working Your Local Music Scene

Editor’s note: Damian wraps up his series on Getting Noticed Out There with some advice on connecting with your local music scene. Check out Part 1: Your Demo and Part 2: Social Media. Q: I’ve reached the point where I know I need to meet new people to get my career up to the next level, but I don’t know...

Getting Noticed – Part 2: Social Media
Ask Damian Erskine

Getting Noticed – Part 2: Social Media

Editor’s note: Damian continues his series on Getting Noticed Out There this week, focusing on social media. Check out Part 1: Your Demo. Q: I’ve reached the point where I know I need to meet new people to get my career up to the next level, but I don’t know where to start. What do you think makes effective networking...

Getting Noticed – Part 1: Your Demo
Ask Damian Erskine

Getting Noticed – Part 1: Your Demo

Q: I’ve reached the point where I know I need to meet new people to get my career up to the next level, but I don’t know where to start. What do you think makes effective networking in the context of being a musician as opposed to an artist who has written songs? How do you know the right person...

Getting Recognized: Advice for Bassists
Ask Damian Erskine

Getting Recognized: Advice for Bassists

Q: How do I brand myself as an internationally recognized bass player? How does one get endorsed to an international brand? A: You’d be surprised by how many times I get this question. It seems that many think there may be a trick or a simple solution to “making it”, “getting discovered” or “scoring an endorsement”. There are a few...